I was born in Moscow, Russia - and have found my true Home in Columbia, South Carolina. Having grown up as a Russian American, I’ve become an expert in unifying contradictions and blending the opposites. I always prefer “AND” to “OR” - I enjoy pursuing a multitude of interests instead of choosing one.

Entrepreneur

I started my first business venture when I was 21 year old. At the time, I traveled back to Moscow to intern with Forbes Russia and Pfizer (pharmaceutical) simultaneously. I had an idea to design a course to prepare advanced English students for TOEFL, an English proficiency test that I myself had to take when I moved to the US. I successfully designed and launched the course, teaching a total of 3 students over the course of several months and enabling them to pass the examination upon completion.

In 2017 I founded Influence Media, a Limited Liability Company that is a B2B service venture designed to provide Influencer Marketing, Branding, Content Development and Advertising Solutions to local businesses in Columbia and throughout South Carolina. Since then, I developed a Soda City Influencer online community designed to highlight and promote small businesses in the community, cover local events, as well as empower artists, nonprofits and organizations to share their stories in an impactful way. Additionally, I spearheaded the #InfluenceColumbia community interview initiative designed to serve as a platform for local leaders across various sectors and industries. To learn more, please see the Influence Media tab.

Besides being the CEO of Influence Media, I also run the CharlestonCharmed Glass Fusion, a jewelry business that was founded by my father. I have taken over the sales aspect of the business as well as making the jewelry that we offer by hand.

Influencer

Helping my community expand, develop and grow is one of my top priorities in life. I’ve dedicated a lot of time and effort to developing and nurturing my connections with other members of my community in Columbia, SC - and internationally. Through constant communication, volunteering my time and continuously offering value through written and visual content, I seek to engage with the community to educate, empower and inspire those that I stay in touch with.

These efforts allow me to gradually build the trust of my audience and to become aware of their ever-changing needs and interests. It has taken me a decade to establish a loyal following online and to build a reliable, consistent voice that others can recognize and depend on.

Art Muse

Posing for artists is something I feel deeply passionate about. I am an experienced art model, and have posed for portraits as well as figure sketches. I have worked with the About Face group (Columbia, SC) and Charleston Figure Drawing group. Individually, I have worked with the following artists: Barbara Yongue, Roy Paschal, Nikolai Oskolkov, William Pittman, David Smith, Pete Holland and David Phillips.

Actress

Having been interested in acting since my early youth, I finally had a chance to start making screen appearances in 2018. Since then, I have played the following roles: Katerina Gallo / Vadoma the Gypsy Witch in Vampyras Psychedelicas; Nurse in “I Don’t Wanna Go To The Vet” music video made for a song by Turbo Gatto; Party Girl in the pilot of the Righteous Gemstones - a Danny McBride comedy series produced by HBO; Party Guest / Unicorn in SHED, a horror indie film produced in Columbia, SC.

I have accepted a role in the movie LECTION which will be produced in 2019.

Creator

I am actively teaching myself video production and editing skills. I enjoy creating video content, but currently my abilities in filming are limited by the lack of appropriate training. In the meanwhile, I enjoy creating live streaming content that does not imply technical sophistication and allows for greater spontaneity.

Writing and photography are a big part of my content creation expertise. For most of my publications and promotional work, I use my iPhone camera as an all-in-one tech solution. Many are surprised to learn this and ask if it is sufficient. I believe so! I think people are growing increasingly suspicious of the overly edited content that has been historically used in advertising campaigns. On the contrary, content that looks like it has been created by an “average person” using the technology that is available to most inspires greater trust and thus has a greater capacity to be well received by the general audience.

Speaker

Having been a member of Toastmasters International since 2011, I have gained an extensive experience in public speaking. I have achieved the Competent Communicator distinction and have received 1st place as a Speech Evaluator at a regional contest in 2016.

In 2013, I had the honor of speaking in front of the South Carolina Board of Education - this opportunity was granted to me as the New Century Scholar, the top technical college student of the State of South Carolina for year 2012.

Spiritual Seeker

Growing up Russian Orthodox, my spiritual foundation was based on Christian education and religious philosophy. As an adult, I chose to pursue the path of open, ever-expanding spiritual curiosity and exploration. I appreciate and respect all religious traditions, beliefs and cultures.

I practice Tarot and Astrology, communicate with the Divine directly through Channeling, have experience studying with different shamans, and appreciate the deep wisdom that my experiences with Ayahuasca have brought me. Spirituality is a very significant part of my life and I am grateful to live in the times when individual spiritual expressions are embraced rather than restricted or even prosecuted. I enjoy sharing my spiritual experiences with others and learning about theirs.

Author

Writing has been part of my life since I was 6 year old; I began journaling before I could even successfully spell out words, let alone whole sentences. I enjoy writing as a means of establishing some sort of order in the chaos of the myriads of ideas that populate my mind. I find a great deal of healing in writing - it allows me to create space for my thoughts outside of my head.

Besides journaling, I enjoy writing poetry. I am working on several autobiographical projects that may in the future become books. I like writing blogs (there are three blogs on this website alone!) and sharing them with the world through social media.