Elizaveta, we are pleased to have a seasoned media professional of obvious talents and experience for this issue. We are excited to learn about you and will be grateful – if you share a part of your stories with the readers. Now, to get us started, let’s walk through your career journey. You graduated from Moscow State University in 2014. In the meantime, you undertook an internship in the fashion department at Vogue Condé Nast, then worked in a PR agency and participated in organizing such events as Moscow Fashion Week, boat show and had big clients. You were about to jump-start your career, but you decided to get a second master’s degree at the Academy of Art University San Francisco. What made you do that?
Thank you, I’m genuinely honored to share my path. Of course, in Moscow, everything was too familiar and steady. I stayed within some kind of a comfort zone: surrounded by parents, friends, connections, not moving beyond the safe. But I still wanted to make the most of student life and felt adventurous to study further. In my childhood, I had a beautiful time studying abroad in Germany, Ireland, and Canada. My first trip to America was in 2011 when I went to an exchange university PR course at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. I loved the American education system, where your homework is 80% of your studying process, and a lot of practical work is required. So years of exploring states every summer influenced my decision to apply for a second degree in SF.
Your degree is Master of Fine Arts in Media Technologies and Communications. It sounds pretty challenging. Does it involve many related areas of activity? What are you currently engaged in?
Indeed, it’s a very diverse specialty. Initially, I wanted to acquire some new PR-related skills. But later, I developed a passion for storytelling and content creation as we dedicated a significant amount of time exploring those subjects during the program. After graduating from the university, I moved to Los Angeles, where Esabelno Video Production was founded. It is still a thriving business, by the way. At the moment, I’m working on the production reorganization into a branding agency. I’ve been working with different brands for years: I’ve got all communications and marketing skills I’d like to integrate into visual storytelling. I understand how to help brands create a strong image and boost brand awareness on social media.
You are a multi-skilled professional. What are your greatest professional strengths?
Recently, I’ve got back to event production. So, I can proudly say that I am highly resilient and good at coordinating, managing people. Also, I have a flexible mindset – so, I can get along well with nearly anyone. And last but not least – creativity and artistic abilities are something I was just born with.
We know that you used to have a video production company, but looks like now – you are more focused on branding and event production? How do you combine all these areas?
It’s interesting how everything in our life overlapped. While building my production, I learned how to develop the brand from scratch. I started helping others through visual language and marketing strategies. When it comes to events and video directing, I realized that I can bring my creative and relevant ideas to life, making a beautiful difference to the atmosphere of a venue. An event planner is a sort of producer in terms of skills, scheduling, and managing people.
We see you recently started organizing events. It’s the same kind of activity you did in Moscow back in the days. What brought you back to where it all started?
I think over the past year, the whole world craved social interaction and events. In 2020, I worked at some large-scale event that made me realize how much I missed it in my life. I do love the adrenaline that I get while working. And event production is something that reminded me of my potential. So, after moving from Los Angeles to Miami, here I am again working in that field.
You lived in California in both Los Angeles and San Francisco. Which city was the most comfortable for you to live and work in? What made you move to Miami?
San Francisco turned out to be a much colder and more expensive city than I expected, moving to “sunny” California. After graduation from AAU, I was planning to come back to Moscow. One trip to Burning Man completely changed my life, and instead of returning home, I moved to Los Angeles. My relationship with LA consists of both feelings – love and hate. Over the years, I wanted to be in LA, but I would always feel a need to go back to recharge in Moscow. Moving to Miami was a spontaneous decision, but so far, I like everything about it. So many people relocated here from all over the world. The city is blooming, the ocean is warm and blue. And I truly believe it’s a great time to expand and grow business here.
Your style is absolutely glowing, and if not your main sphere of activity, you could’ve easily become a fashion influencer. Have you ever worked as a stylist on your sets?
They say that to find out what you are good at – you need to ask 10 friends for their opinion. In my case, 10 out of 10 will say that I am a great stylist and art director (when it comes to fashion, aesthetics, colors, and trends). I often use my skills when we’re shooting, on events, setups, etc.
I’ve been trying to resist my passion for fashion for a long time. However, I realized how much this is real me in my natural habitat. Now, I can expand my vision and help my clients develop concepts for their personal brands. I can use my knowledge in designing and decorating. And it’s only getting better.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
The last year has shown that it’s difficult to predict where you’ll be one year from now. Sometimes the best plan is playing by ear. The world is changing very quickly, and you have to keep up with it.
In five years, I would like to expand my business into several cities. I love traveling, so I want to be able to work from anywhere in the world. Of course, I would like to have a family and children, but that’s kind of a personal topic for me.
What advice would you give to aspiring PR reps and event organizers?
I think that you need to listen to yourself and be passionate about what you do. Sometimes it’s better to let go of something and return to it later on when you’re enthusiastic, inspired, and prepared. It’s essential to truly enjoy the process, I must say. Over the years, I’ve seen many people successfully achieve a lot but be simply unhappy, somewhat burned out. It’s important to maintain inner balance, recognize the signs, trust yourself, and this is possible only when you do what you love!
