Bob Thissen – 1985 – The Netherlands
Urban Explorer – Adventurer – Photographer – Stop Motion Artist
In January 2013, Bob graduated with high distinction from the MAD Faculty in Genk, Belgium, earning a Master’s degree in Animation.
In 2016, Bob collaborated with his former teacher, Toon Loenders, to develop an eight-episode TV series that revived abandoned buildings through stop-motion techniques. This series marked the beginning of Bob’s full-time commitment to documenting the world’s most extraordinary abandoned places.
Bob has also worked ‘behind the scenes’ for Insight TV’s Epic Exploring in 2019 and played a small role as an urban explorer in the feature film Europa (2023). Recently, he co-hosted a series for Discovery Channel and HBO Max alongside renowned Dutch actor Jeroen van Koningsbrugge. In Jeroen’s Abandoned Adventures, Jeroen and Bob explore abandoned sites across Europe, sharing their hidden stories.
Known for venturing beyond the limits, Bob explores undiscovered locations that others avoid, often risking his freedom, health, and life. His dedication has taken him to approximately 90 countries across five continents, capturing the beauty of forgotten sites.
Bob’s work has gained widespread recognition and is frequently featured in digital media, television (including National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Apple, and CNN), magazines, books, and social media. Under the alias Exploring the Unbeaten Path, he has over 900,000 followers on Instagram and over 700,000 subscribers on YouTube.