Versatile people tend to attract attention to themselves, thanks to their endless energy and determination. Elena Oskolovich, a blogger, a Youtube channel presenter, and a mother of three with an active social life, is one such person. She talked to us about creating a channel with over a million subscribers and why she’s not content to stop there.
Elena, hello! You host an incredibly popular YouTube channel. When did you achieve your first million subscribers?
Hello! We launched the channel in November 2019 and gained our first million subscribers by March 2020. It took off pretty fast! I attribute its sharp rise not to some rare topic or filming innovation, but rather to the audience’s gravitation to the children and their fantastic performances. Even during the early days of the channel, we’d go out to the shopping center or for a walk in the park, and fans would run up to the children, asking them questions and taking pictures. There was no secret formula we followed to quickly reach the first million– only excitement about the children and public loyalty.
It is quite difficult to attract an audience nowadays, especially one numbering in the millions. If there is no secret, then how do you differ from your competitors?
Yes, it seems that everyone is engaged in YouTube right now. People sing, follow trends, shoot funny or instructive videos… The competition is huge! We differ from others in our goals, however– we don’t see the channel as our end goal. Indeed, we want to grow into something more. For example, we currently have half a billion views on all channels, but this is not enough for us. Youtube is perceived by many as an entertaining and profitable platform that allows you to develop, but TV is really enticing. We have already shot our own film, which is currently in the editing stage, and we want to go to reach Hollywood to eventually develop our own TV program. We differ ourselves from others by reaching for greater heights: Hollywood.
Are you or the children active on social networks? How do you communicate and engage with subscribers?
Yes, we have four channels in total: one for me and one for each of the three children. My channels are managed by a hired manager– it seems impossible to control absolutely all aspects. I delegate some tasks to my assistant, and she forms posts and publishes them. The children’s channels work similarly, except that the manager also monitors their safety in social networks. There are many different people out there, and they reach out to the children. Artem and Nastya have about 130 thousand subscribers in total, so it can be difficult to understand who is writing to them and for what purpose. Therefore, one of the main tasks of their manager is ensuring the security of the children.
You mentioned the movie you produced. Isn’t it difficult to maintain work on so many different projects?
I think that if you gather a good and reliable team around you– one in which the members enjoy what they are doing– then working on multiple projects is quite a feasible. I delegate many of the tasks that arise during the day or week to the team, and we work well together.
We also know that you are in the process of writing a book. What is it about?
The book is my autobiography. It tells the story of how I moved from living in the heartland of Russia to living in America owning a big house, driving an expensive car, making a movie in Hollywood. The book is a story of success, which I hope will be of interest to many girls who want to achieve something more in life. I not only describe my success and achievements but also dive into the negative parts of my life– gaslighting and abusive relationships– advising on how to perservere in the face of these difficulties. The book also contains stories of other women who have faced similar problems. There, I draw attention to the issue’s social significance.
What prompted you to write about gaslighting? Your own experience?
Yes, it’s hard to envy my relationship with my husband. Constant abuse and gaslighting had become an integral part of our relationship. The saddest thing is that these forms of psychological violence affected not only me, but also my children. That was the last straw for me. Moreover, I know that these problems are not uncommon– abusive relationsips are prevalent in both Russia and America. Very often, a father will act rudely and dismissively towards his wife or children, humiliating them. These abusers often make the excuse, “you live in my house; you owe me everything.” My family was greatly affected by this issue, so I want to attract the maximum amount of attention to emotional abuse and gaslighting. These dymanics should not be accepted, so it’s time to give them publicity.
What else do you work on outside of your creative endeavors?
I own a real estate rental business in Russia. Unfortunately, it is impossible to withdraw funds from there now because of the well-known situation. It brings me an income of about six to eight thousand dollars a month. The people I work with in Russia work freelance, and I manage to keep in touch with them. I’m happy that I can pay them safely for their work.
What interests your fans the most?
Our fans watch how we dress, where we travel on vacation, how we live, and what we eat. The most frequent topics we receive questions on is the threshold of entry to YouTube and everything related to money. People wonder how to earn money, what to shoot, where to shoot, and so on. My manager, who runs my Instagram, has asked me a few times to record a video outlining the process of earning money on YouTube, sharing my secrets of success. But for us, YouTube is primarily a way of self–realization and development. The earnings have taken care of themselves.
