Natalia Osman. Natalia Osmann: if you offer unique content, you will be noticed
Creative Dagestan photographer Murad Osmann became famous for his unusual project called “Follow me” (Follow me).
Murad Osmann was born in May 1985 in Kaspiysk. The early childhood years spent on the picturesque coast of the Caspian Sea forever left a mark in the mind of Murad. He grew up as a creative person and looked at the world through the eyes of an artist. Or rather, a photographer.
This was fully manifested after the Haussmann family moved to Moscow. At that time, Murad was 5 years old. Growing up, he discovered a remarkable invention of mankind - a camera. His family traveled often, and Murad really wanted to capture the beauties of nature he saw with his own eyes. The camera was always at hand. Shooting experiments were Murad Osmann's favorite hobby.
Soon, photography turned for him from an ordinary hobby into a passion of his life. But after graduation, when it was time to decide on a profession, the parents sent their son to London. There he entered the Imperial College. Upon graduation, Haussmann received a degree in civil engineering.
Career
The work of an engineer did not attract the young Dagestan. A real artist lived in Murad's soul. Therefore, Haussmann chose a different path for himself. Returning in 2011 from London to Moscow, he opened his own production company, calling it "Hype Production". It brought together young like-minded professionals who started creating commercials and clips for musical groups and performers.
Today, Hype Production by Murad Osmann is great amount various projects in the field of media production. The company cooperates not only with domestic customers, but also accepts foreign orders. Nike, Beeline, Martini, McDonalds, Huawey, Rostelecom, Baileys, Visa, Lego are just some of the companies that have used the services of creative producers gathered by Murad Osmann under one roof.
As for the domestic show business, here too many stars turned to Hype Production for help. Among the most famous performers are Noggano, Sensei, and others. Stars order not only clips, but also professional photo shoots from the specialists assembled by Murad Osmann.
Not so long ago, Murad Osmann and his colleagues took up a new activity: the company produces young directors and is looking for new talents among young people. And back in 2015, Hype Production started making films. The company already has two paintings on its account - "Cold Front" and "Martyr".
"FollowMeTo"
The photo project "FollowMeTo" or "Follow me" is the brainchild of Murad Osmann and his wife. In 2011, Murad and then his beloved girlfriend Natalya Zakharova went on a trip to Spain. As always, Murad took a camera with him, which he never seems to part with. The young photographer took pictures of many of the sights that Barcelona is so rich in. Natalia, on the other hand, wanted to see more beauties, and she pulled Murad by the hand. He continued filming. This is how the first shot turned out, where Natalia is captured from the back, and in front is one of the architectural monuments of Barcelona.
Looking through the photographs taken in Spain, the couple caught the novelty of the idea, immediately realizing that pictures of this type and format are a new word in photography. Since then, Murad and Natalia Osmann have taken similar photos every time they travel the world. They shoot various landscapes or architectural sights of the places where they visit. In all the photographs, only the back of Natalia Osmann and the hands of young people are visible.
Acquaintance with world sights in the form of such pictures was appreciated by thousands of subscribers of Murad and Natalia's account in "Instagram". This is where all the photos are posted. London, Paris, Singapore, Venice, Tokyo, Bali - everywhere this creative couple "led" the guests of their account. In 2013, several tens of thousands of subscribers gathered here, and the names of Murad and Natalia Osmann became famous throughout the world.
Now the page has already gathered more than 4 million subscribers and fans of the work of Murad Osmann and his wife.
The creative biography of Murad Osmann in our time is a new project, the meaning of which is to show the beauty of our planet and the originality of its inhabitants. Different, but interesting in their own way. To do this, the couple goes on new trips around the world, taking a camera.
Personal life
In the summer of 2014, a young photographer and producer proposed to Natalya Zakharova. The couple has been together for a long time and managed to test their feelings. The girl agreed, which immediately became known to the fans of their FollowMeTo project. The engagement photo instantly gained more than 100,000 likes.
The wedding took place in the summer of 2015 in the Moscow region, in the Zhavoronki estate. The creators of the #FollowMeTo photo project invited their best friends to the celebration, among which were such famous personalities as Ilya Stewart and Evgenia Linovich. He led the ceremony.
The celebration was unforgettable. Fabulous decorations appeared on the estate during the ceremony: a staircase to the sky, clouds, flocks of birds and a huge Pegasus. All the time there was chamber music from Arfa Sound.
In the first half of the day, the bride wore a dress from a New York designer, and in the second from Russian fashion designer Maria Didarova. In it, Natalya and Murad performed a wedding dance, which they staged.
Are there many talented photographers in the world whose work causes admiration and surprise? Whose projects make thousands of people imitate technology, causing a desire to go on an endless journey not only for the sake of emotions, but also for a good shot? Today, our hero will be the famous photographer Murad Osmann, who started his journey from the unknown, acting only out of inspiration...
Let's find out Interesting Facts from the life of an amazing person. We will talk about the biography and wedding of Murad Osmann.
short biography
Murad Osmann is a producer from Kaspiysk (Republic of Dagestan). He founded his production company Hype Production in 2011, right after graduating from college in London. In an interview, Murad repeatedly mentioned that despite the specialty of a civil engineer, he was always drawn into a creative direction. While studying in England, the future photographer repeatedly tried to enter the London College of Fashion (London College of Fashion), but was always refused. Unsuccessful attempts led to the fact that Murad began to independently study the art of photography.
"I don't think we're famous"
The popular project Follow Me (FollowMeTo) has over 5 million subscribers worldwide. Amazing photos from all over the world attract attention with their mystery. "Follow me!" - literally screams every work. A mysterious graceful girl, not showing her face, leads the photographer by the hand and with him all the spectators.
Throughout the existence of the unique project, Murad has faced both exciting popularity and condemnation, which literally suppressed the desire of the photographer to give up his venture. The first year was the most difficult, but the couple withstood the pressure and now “Follow Me” is used as an example for teaching students at the College of Fashion in London, where, by the way, Murad repeatedly tried to enter.
How it all began
Neither Murad Osmann nor his assistant Natalya Zakharova planned this project. They talk about this repeatedly in their interviews. Everything happened absolutely spontaneously, it greatly changed the lives of young people. The first photo was taken in Spain, when Murad was "clicking" the shutter for his personal portfolio and accidentally caught the famous shot. Thanks to the embarrassment and playfulness of Natalia, who turned away at the right moment and at the right time, pulling the photographer's hand, the idea of the famous project "Follow me" appeared.
Murad Osmann did not send his first works to the editorial offices of magazines, but simply posted them on his personal Instagram profile. Even during his stay in Spain, the photographer took several similar shots in order to learn the technique of this style, find the composition and catch the light. One of Murad's famous works was taken in Barcelona, where Natalia drags the photographer to a door covered in colorful graffiti.
Wedding with Natalia Zakharova
Murad and Natalia Osmann started their journey more as partners than as lovers. At first, there were no thoughts about relationships, so in Follow Me Murad was a producer, director and photographer, and Natalya Zakharova was an actress and model. Fans who followed the fate of the project and its participants were pleasantly stunned by the news that the couple was engaged. The significant day came on June 7, 2015 - it will forever be remembered by all the guests of the wedding celebration.
The wedding of Murad and Natalia Osmann was held in the chic castle Zhavoronki Event Hall, which is located just 20 km from Moscow. There was everything at the celebration, from chamber music and carpet tracks to delicious snacks and exquisite outfits. Despite the warmth and love that the newlyweds radiated, they managed to please their fans with another photo from the Follow Me series, which was filmed in real time from the wedding celebration.
You can endlessly talk about all the facts from the biography of Murad Osmann and Natasha Zakharova, so we will focus on the most intriguing and popular.
- Follow Me was not created for profit. The project is not commercial, however, in their photographs, the couple uses branded items or jewelry. Murad Osmann personally controls all incoming proposals, not trusting their managers or producers. So, for example, designer Michael Kors found out about filming in New York, who offered his help in the project.
- Although the couple spends a lot of time abroad, they manage to allocate no more than 4-5 days for each locality.
- The couple spends most of their time in Moscow, where they have their main job.
- In 2016, Murad and Natalya Osmann signed a contract with RTK Channel One. It was from that moment that a travel show began to appear, which tells both about traveling to the most unusual corners of the world, and about the project itself.
- The program does not reveal the details of the history of Natalia and Murad, it only talks about love, about movement and culture. The couple also often mentions this in their interviews. For this reason, Natalia and Murad do not show their faces in the frame, so that the viewer can imagine himself in their place.
- They do not seek profit or gain popularity. The main objective of the project is to help people start moving forward, get out of their comfort zone, because our world is so multifaceted and unbridled that inspiration and happiness can be found in any corner of the world. All you need is to keep moving forward and not stop.
A little about Natalia Osmann
Graceful and sincere Natalia began her journey with the media. She worked as a journalist for more than 10 years both on TV channels and in print media, trying to get on Fashion TV. The famous project has changed her life and now she really acts as a model, hosts a travel talk show and shares amazing footage from around the world. This fragile at first glance girl always strived for her goal, was ready to work in difficult conditions day and night. Together with Murad, they revealed to the audience the unexplored beauty of the world, which has been inspiring many for the past 6 years. Now Natalia writes books and stories, maintains her travel blog and manages to follow her Instagram account.
We are sure that the infinitely beautiful project "Follow Me" will delight us for a long time to come. Murad and Natalia accepted the challenge. Their main task is not to lower the bar, to open even more Amazing places world and put more effort into the famous project.
Natalia Osmann, creator of the #FollowMeTo project and the travel site of the same name
Age: 30 years
City: Moscow
A family: husband - Murad Osmann, with whom they created the #FollowMeTo project 5 years ago
Profession: journalist
Beauty must-have: Clinique pep-start Eye Moisturizing Cream-Gel (included in the first #FollowMeTo beauty-box)
Clothing brand: Jesus Del Pozo, Alena Akhmadullina, Ruban, Maya, Nebo
Music: from Ludovico Einaudi to Ray Charles
Fitness: yoga with a personal trainer
Place for relaxation: sanduny
A spacious office “like at home”, delicious tea in a cup of Villeroy & Boch, everywhere a photo of the hostess of the #FollowMeTo project. Natasha herself, lively and positive, looks through messages on her phone, eats Milka chocolate with hazelnuts and examines a sample of Chanel No. 5 in fresh Marie Claire.
M.S.: How do you like the new number 5?
Natalia Osmann: It is both classic and modern. Very cool.
Is the social media that you and your husband built a business on is also a mixture of something seemingly incompatible?
At least they provide opportunities that previously seemed unrealistic. For example, a few years ago, through social media, Ivanka Trump contacted Murad and me and began to follow us on Instagram. And then she offered to meet. And on our next visit to New York, Murad and I visited her office on Fifth Avenue. At that time, there was no talk of a presidential election. Ivanka was all in social project associated with women's business, women's independence. Shared inspiring stories of strong women. I am especially interested in this, I am always for history beyond borders. Of course, Murad and I said that we would support her.
Did you congratulate her on her father's victory?
Imagine no! By the way, good idea. I don't want to impose, I'm modest, I guess. But I am convinced that of the entire large Trump family, it is Ivanka who will actively participate in the political life of the United States and help her father. I can assume this, knowing her character.
I heard about some closed club of "millionaires" of social media. If there really is one, then for sure you and your husband are in it. How do they get there?
Our friends are some of the most famous travelers on their Instagram @beautifuldestinations. They have 7.6 million followers and a very creative team. A few years ago, the guys started organizing InstaMeet: they gathered in some pleasant corner of the world talented people from different areas of social media - YouTubers, viners. There have already been three such meetings: in Dubai, Las Vegas and this year in India. This is a unique opportunity to communicate and share experiences.
By the way, returning to the conversation that everything is possible in digital. There is a vinner named Rudy (a 25-year-old guy from Rio @rudymancuso who made 4.2 million on YouTube from short videos). I stand next to him on one of the evenings of InstaMeet, and he is talking to someone on FaceTime. I hear a familiar voice, automatically turn my head - and Justin Bieber is in touch! It's funny, of course, but at that moment I experienced an absolutely childlike delight of a fan girl. The history of meeting all the people of the planet through a few handshakes on the Internet is even more real and even shorter. At the same time, it doesn’t matter how many subscribers you have: 30 people, 300 or 3 million. If you do your job with soul, don't think about money and offer a special product, anything is possible.
Of course, I agree with you that not everything is measured by money, but if we are talking about business in digital, then is it really realistic to count on a contract with a premium brand, having a minimum of subscribers?
After talking with representatives of many brands, I can say that such cooperation is possible if you offer unique content. For example, a few years ago we did a collaboration with Cartier. Obviously, they can afford any star for an advertising campaign. The words of the marketing director made a big impression on me: “We have a whole team in charge of monitoring the Internet. We are constantly looking for, no, not popular bloggers, but ordinary people with cool videos, with creative abilities.” You understand, this person can, for example, draw stars in a notebook and upload them to the network. Or sew incredible flowers - yes, anything! It is this kind of special content that the advertiser needs. This is another unique feature of social networks: anyone can see the talent.
Your talent with Murad was noted by Cara Delevingne. She is one of your followers.
Yes, of course, I know who is following us. And Kara, and Miranda Kerr, and P. Diddy. Usually we write in response to the direct “Cool!” or something like that. I insist: do not be shy, write to people, the Internet has made the availability of stars within walking distance.
What can you say about competition in social media? Does everyone like each other too?
Competitors must be studied. Get inspired by the people who move in your direction! Here is a good example: there is a famous travel blogger Jay Alvarez. About seven million subscribers to his video. At the meeting, it turned out that he knows all Russian bloggers - both large and small - and communicates personally! I was genuinely surprised: the great social media in the world does not consider it shameful to contact someone yourself. Good lesson, right?
And in your case, how does it look in reality?
I go in the elevator, in the car - I look through the direct, get to know each other, study the links. Daily. I keep trying to imagine our ideal subscriber - who is this person. But the topic of travel is close to everyone. It doesn't matter how old you are - 15 or 65. This is one of the reasons why we agreed to the proposal of Konstantin Ernst to make a travel program for Channel One.
It seems to me that television, from the point of view of a digital businesswoman, is the history of yesterday. Why did you do it?
We didn't make much back then. In money. But they began to recognize us in Russia, before that, with the #FollowMeTo Instagram project, we sounded more in the world. Yesterday I went to IKEA - the seller found out, said that I was a "wonderful presenter." Who knows, maybe there was a desire to dispel the stereotype that everyone goes to the Internet. And we are so brave from the Internet decided to go to TV. It turned out to be incredibly difficult to pump the audience - the program was released on Sunday morning, the youth at this time, of course, is sleeping. But our release about Georgia beat all the ratings in the slot. And, of course, many watched the program already on the Channel One website. On the basis of the program, the idea was born to create a portal in which we will collect all our sites and travel ideas - FollowMeTo.travel. This is a 360° project (including an online store). The main focus is a video guide by country.
How do you and your husband share responsibilities? Who is doing what?
We are "on the hook", I will say so. There are pros and cons to working with a husband. Probably, we would rarely see each other if we worked for various works. But sometimes the problems of business wedged into the personal. When we discuss work, I can say: “Murik, why did you tell me that?! I'm your favorite person!" In this regard, it is not easy for me.
You must have strategized. How will the Internet develop?
I said a few years ago that everything will be transferred to the video format. And here are all the applications configured for this. Why did Snapchat or Instagram become popular? People here and now want to see and observe. Stop reading a lot on the Internet. But they want to be inspired. Programs will be created to share and see each other online. Of course, consumption will go through phones. People need information when they are driving, taking the subway, walking through the supermarket. Gadget capture.
What the recent times really impressed?
At a meeting with representatives of Instagram, I received unexpected advice on how to increase the audience. I was named specific people with similar audiences with whom it is desirable to collaborate.
Team up with competitors?
Including with competitors. Thanks to joint promotions, we will get an increase in both the audience and commercial offers. Unfortunately, in Russia, those who have achieved something have a stereotype of “sitting on your bag”. They will not communicate with anyone again, they will not share anything.
How do you build relationships in the office?
Corporate spirit is important to me. I am for joint trips to the cinema, for example. We sometimes go to spas with girls. In a week we will have a team building. We will paint the big picture as a team. Let's hang it here, in our office at the Patriarchs. We recently started courses of English language, let's do it together.
I see you have a round table with director's chairs here. For gliders, right? We have a similar picture in the editorial office. Which armchair is yours?
Favorite - with the inscription "Makhachkala" on the back. Also, Leonardo DiCaprio.
Are you inspired by DiCaprio?
I respect him very much. But Fellini is also mine.
And who is the "Crazy Empress"?
Crazy Empress is our SMM.
Hmm, I see. We need to give our idea. Where is your office?
I don't have one and that's okay. I am constantly on the move, on the move.
What do you dream about?
I want a big family. I really want to see the whale. I have never seen them in the wild. My dream is to be in a James Bond movie.
In what role?
Bond girls of course! But it seems to me that by the time I shoot, everything will be rewritten and a girl will become James Bond. I don't mind!
Photo: property of Murad and Nataly Osmann
Name: Zakharova Natalya Alexandrovna
Date of birth: 03.09.1986
Birthplace: Germany, Potsdam
Occupation: journalist
Name: Murad Osmanov Yusupovich
Date of birth: 15.05.1985
Place of birth: Makhachkala
1. What is travel for you?
Visiting new countries, we get a lot of emotions that cannot be compared with anything. We believe that the greatest pleasure is traveling.
2. Which country would you like to visit but haven't been yet?
These are India and Brazil. And we think to study these countries from the inside.
3. What feelings would you call love?
Love is respect for each other, passion, the desire to be always there and support your loved one in everything.
4. How long have you been dating?
You know, they don't see happy hours, but it seems like it's been 3 years.
5. What are the responsibilities of each party in a love relationship?
Loyalty, trust, respect.
6. Do you believe in miracles?
We believe. For us, the miracle is children! After all, nothing can be more beautiful than your child.
7. Do you have a phobia?
Autophobia is the fear of being alone
8. What would you like to name your children?
If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans. Therefore, we can, of course, discuss what names we like, but what we call, time will tell.
9. What do you value in people?
Integrity, honesty, kindness and individuality.
10. What is hopelessness for you?
Helplessness is a weakness. There is always a way out. There are, of course, exceptions.
Like when you lose a loved one...
11. If you had a chance to change the world, what would you change?
We got this chance and we change it every day. It is in the hands of every person. No need to wait for "manna from heaven".
12. How do you like the city of Baku?
Baku is a wonderful city with beautiful and kind people. We are simply delighted with Baku. We hope to be back to you soon.
13. Draw yourself.