Hello Monaco #09 Spring–Summer 2020 | Page 42

WORDS OF WISDOM IN MONACO
WORDS OF WISDOM IN MONACO
WITH OLGA TARAN
OLGA TARAN IS A MONACO RESIDENT, FOUNDER AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF WWW.HELLOMONACO.COM,
WWW.HELLOMONACO.RU AND HELLO MONACO MAGAZINE. SHE IS ALSO A MOTHER OF THREE AND HAS BEEN HAPPILY
MARRIED FOR 27 YEARS.
ОЛЬГА ТАРАН — РЕЗИДЕНТ МОНАКО, ОСНОВАТЕЛЬ И ПО СОВМЕСТИТЕЛЬСТВУ ГЛАВНЫЙ РЕДАКТОР ПОРТАЛОВ
WWW.HELLOMONACO.COM, WWW.HELLOMONACO.RU И ЖУРНАЛА HELLOMONACO. А ЕЩЕ ОНА МАМА ТРОИХ ДЕТЕЙ
И УЖЕ 27 ЛЕТ СЧАСТЛИВА В БРАКЕ.
by its English version. 3 years ago the first edition of Hello Monaco
magazine was published.
© HelloMonaco
HelloMonaco: Olga, how did you come up with the idea of creating
your media company?
Olga Taran: I’m a journalist by profession. Earlier in my career I was
working in television and then started helping my husband with his
business. I thus got «stuck» for 10 years as our family company commercial
director in Russia, and later on, its marketing director in the
United States. A few years ago, we moved from the US to Monaco.
I took a couple of years to get adjusted to a new place, «to build a
nest» if you like. As they say, there are no ex-journalists, so I went back
to my trade. It all started with a news website in Russian, followed
HM: Why Hello Monaco? What was behind your idea of making
a change with this project in the Principality?
OT: Our online platform is designed as a unique resource bringing
all the information to its readers: news, analytics, entertainment and
practical tips. It is not just a website, but a specially developed mobile
application, a newsletter, Facebook, Instagram versions and a printed
magazine. This is not so much a commercial project, but, above all,
an opportunity to bring Monaco residents together in terms of giving
them a unique source of information. Our materials are obviously
carefully checked and preselected.
In this day and age, with an increasing number of media and still only
24 hours in a day, it is not the quantity, but quality that matters. Every
day we are sharing the news of our small country, our community. We
are covering cultural events, preparing analytical information and inviting
experts in various fields: real estate, sports, beauty, luxury etc.
Our events calendar is another very important aspect. I am proud to
say with confidence that it features the most comprehensive list of
daily events happening in the Principality! We are also interviewing
some interesting people and celebrities who live in Monaco.
HelloMonaco, however, is not just a media project as such. I am the
ambassador of the «Change One Life» Foundation in Europe. A special
place is therefore given to charity.
HM: What exactly is the mission of «Change One Life» Foundation?
OT: «Change One Life» (https://changeonelife.ru) was founded
8 years ago by my husband Vyacheslav supported by his two best
friends. During this time, the Foundation has justifiably earned a
sterling reputation in Russia. Its activities are widely known in different
regions across the country; we have recently opened in Ukraine
as well. In eight years, we have filmed over 49,000 videos, each one
about a child waiting for his future parents. Thanks to these video
profiles, more than 18,000 children have found homes. Speaking in
the language of business, this is a very good «conversion rate». Every
third child has been placed in a family! Just imagine, all these children
who left the orphanage to live in a house or apartment, in a real
family with moms, dads, sisters and brothers. We now have nearly
10,000 people helping the Foundation.
HM: It means the Foundation was a success?
OT: Its main mission is helping potential adoptive parents to find
their child within an orphanage. We filmed a great number of video
profiles and many children were adopted thanks to this work. Today,
our Foundation’s ambassadors are famous Russian actors —
40 / Hello Monaco Spring–Summer 2020
www.hellomonaco.com