Video: Birthday boy Jaan Roose airwalks between Dubai’s Emirates Towers

Dubai: While the third edition of the '1 Billion Followers Summit' gathered around 15,000 content creators from 195 countries, one made a grand entrance. Three-time world champion slackliner and content creator Jaan Roose walked a 100 metre slackline at a height of 224 metre between the Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai to announce his arrival.

After his daring walk in the sky, the Estonian revealed that it was also his 33rd birthday.

“I’m happy to be here on the ground. It feels way better to stand on the ground than to be on the slackline, which is only as thick as a finger,” he said during a session at the summit, organised by the UAE Government Media Office.

Speaking about the aerial stunt, he explained that such feats require extensive planning, including checking feasibility and visiting the towers to determine the best spots for slackline anchors.

“These buildings look similar, but they are different, and that creates challenges. They have different heights and attachment points, which made my walk difficult.”

Reflecting on his journey, Roose shared that he began practicing parkour as a child in his native village in Estonia. At age 18, after discovering slacklining online, he adopted it as his new passion. “It’s as dangerous as it gets.”

He began filming his performances and sharing them on social media, quickly gaining fame, including an invitation from Red Bull to join their team. Over the years, his achievements have included performing as a stuntman in Hollywood films like Assassin’s Creed and appearing in Madonna’s MDNA World Tour. One of his major projects was a 3.6 km walk across the Messina Strait – between Sicily and mainland Italy – on a 1.9 cm-thin slackline.

“You must focus and work hard,” Roose, the Red Bull athlete, said at the summit, which runs until Monday.

The world’s largest event dedicated to the content creator economy is being held at Dubai’s Emirates Towers, the Dubai International Financial Centre, and the Museum of the Future.

The summit’s theme is ‘Content for Good,’ featuring about 300 keynotes, panels, and main sessions led by experts from leading social media platforms, global firms, and prominent influencers.