Most people fear public speaking. I don’t.
For me, standing in front of a live audience is an opportunity — one that film screenings in dark cinemas or anonymous online forums never provide. I get to deliver a message in real-time, interact with a living, breathing public, adapt to their energy, and answer questions — especially the hard ones. Questions like those I’ve tackled in post-screening Q&As, where industry professionals, critics, and film students challenge my vision head-on.
Not only does it force me to clear and better structure my thoughts, it also adds perspective I never even considered. A win-win for both me and the public.
Speaking publicly is no longer a challenge for me — it’s become second nature, a result of:
Only looking back do I realize that my voice has been trained since childhood. I was a choir soloist in one of the USSR’s Музыкальная Школа (Music School), where I learned to project in concert halls, unamplified. Later, I performed as a lead actor in high school theater, mastering breath control, presence, and projection. These experiences shaped my ability to command a room — without a microphone, without hesitation.
Or to play hesitation as a strength, an oratory pause, a tension build-up.
But what is projection, presence, and tension without the basic physics of voice — breath? Voice is modulated breath, diaphragmatic control.
I’ve practiced pranayama for decades, thanks to my grandma, who introduced me to yoga in childhood. That discipline translates into vocal power, stamina, and the ability to hold an audience’s attention for hours without strain.
As a leader, I’ve also had to rally teams under pressure. A film crew lost in stress? A festival audience skeptical of my work? A group of students unsure how to move forward? I know when to deliver a high-energy speech, when to explain complex ideas with sharp clarity, and when to let silence do the work.
I speak English, French, and Russian as a native speaker, as we do in our family, and as I spoke and grew up in various countries and cultures—switching seamlessly based on the audience. French was expected from me in Lycée Français de Moscou. Russian was expected in Moscow high school. And ESCP Europe in Paris included classes on sales and negotiation. Even an auditorium with mic pickup where the teachers could listen in as I pitched a project in front of not-so-welcoming professionals from all over Europe. Reading PowerPoint slides wouldn’t cut it.
Imagine me trying to convince to invest in an online-first, work-from-home business, in 1998. I was being called a techno-futurist disconnected from reality. Yelling “OK, boomer” wasn’t enough back then. Formal logic I kept from Russian school and statistical projection helped me out — I did get less than I asked, but almost all in the room later realized how prescient my vision turned out to be.
I’ve given talks and interviews in all 3 languages. Moderated by top media professionals like Canal+, Kommersant and Trax Magazine. At film festivals, industry events, film schools, and creative conferences worldwide.
Whether addressing an audience of industry experts or students at film schools, I do my best to cut through jargon and abstraction. I illustrate concepts with real-world examples from my own failures and anecdotes, using imagery, drawn from my work in cinema, photography, design, technology, and sports.
I don’t lecture. I engage. I challenge.
I deliver direct, unscripted, high-impact talks. My approach is rooted in experience, precision, and deep cross-disciplinary knowledge, offering a counterpoint to today’s trend of hyperspecialization.
Some call me too opinionated, direct, incisive, and uncompromising. They might be right: a heritage of Soviet pedagogy and Swiss reformation. But focusing on actions and results is what I always emphasize. I did get into Magnum, Sipa and then Getty while still a teenager, without knowing anyone in the photojournalism industry. Just by talking. I outbid design projects for being more professional and business-oriented than other creatives. Taschen did publish my work. Financiers greenlit my features when I switched from still images to motion in 2011.
No fear. No hesitation. Just clarity, presence, and truth. That’s what I bring to the stage, whether it’s a film festival Q&A or a high-stakes industry talk.
Let’s discuss the specifics.
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