Natalya Osman biography. The most complete story of the loudest Russian Internet success. In what role?
Natalia Osmann, creator of the #FollowMeTo project and the travel website of the same name
Age: 30 years
City: Moscow
Family: husband – Murad Osmann, with whom they created the #FollowMeTo project 5 years ago
Profession: journalist
Beauty must-have: Moisturizing cream-gel for the skin around the eyes pep-start from Clinique (included in the first beauty-box #FollowMeTo)
Clothing brand: Jesus Del Pozo, Alena Akhmadullina, Ruban, Maya, Nebo
Music: from Ludovico Einaudi to Ray Charles
Fitness: yoga with personal trainer
Place to relax: sanduns
A spacious office “like home”, delicious tea in a Villeroy & Boch cup, everywhere photos of the owner of the #FollowMeTo project. Natasha herself, lively and positive, looks through messages on her phone, eats Milka chocolate with hazelnuts and studies a sample of Chanel No. 5 in the latest Marie Claire.
M.S.: How do you like the new No. 5?
Natalya Osmann: This is both classic and modern. Very cool.
Is social media, on which you and your husband built a business, also a mixture of something seemingly incompatible?
At least they provide opportunities that previously seemed unrealistic. For example, a few years ago, Ivanka Trump contacted Murad and me through social media and began following 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 presidential elections yet. Ivanka was all in social project related to women's business and women's independence. Shared inspiring stories of strong women. This is especially interesting to me; 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?
Can you imagine, no! By the way, good idea. I don’t want to impose myself, I’m probably being modest. But I am convinced that out of Trump’s entire large 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 a certain closed club of “millionaires” social media. If there really is one, then you and your husband are probably in it. How do they get there?
Our friends are some of the most famous travelers - their Instagram is @beautifuldestinations. They have 7.6 million subscribers and a very creative team. A few years ago, the guys started organizing InstaMeet: they gathered talented people from different areas of social media - YouTubers, Weiners - in some pleasant corner of the world. There have already been three such meetings: in Dubai, Las Vegas and this year in India. This is a unique opportunity to communicate and exchange experiences.
By the way, returning to the conversation that in digital everything is possible. There is a Weiner named Rudy (25 year old guy from Rio @rudymancuso who made 4.2 million on YouTube from short videos). I’m standing next to him on one of the InstaMeet evenings, and he’s talking to someone on FaceTime. I hear a familiar voice, automatically turn my head - and Justin Bieber is on the phone! It’s funny, of course, but at that moment I experienced the absolutely childish delight of a girl fan. The story of how all the people on the planet met through a few handshakes on the Internet is even more real and even shorter. It is not so important how many subscribers you have: 30 people, 300 or 3 million. If you do your business with soul, don't think about money and offer a special product, everything is possible.
Of course, I agree with you that not everything is measured by money, but if we are talking about business in digital, is it really possible to count on a contract with a premium brand with a minimum of subscribers?
Having talked 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 advertising campaign. The words of the marketing director made a great impression on me: “We have a whole team responsible for monitoring the Internet. We are constantly looking for, no, not popular bloggers, but ordinary people with cool videos and creative abilities.” You understand, this person can, for example, draw stars in a notebook and post them online. Or sew incredible flowers - whatever you like! This is exactly the kind of special content that advertisers need. This is another unique feature of social networks: talent can be seen by anyone.
Your talent with Murad was noted by Cara Delevingne. She is one of your subscribers.
Yes, of course, I know who follows us. And Kara, and Miranda Kerr, and P. Diddy. We usually write back in direct message “Cool!” or something like that. I insist: don’t be shy, write to people, the Internet has made stars accessible within easy reach.
What can you say about competition in social media? Does everyone like each other too?
It is imperative to study your competitors. Be inspired by people who are moving in your direction! Here good example: There is a famous travel blogger Jay Alvarez. About seven million people have subscribed to his videos. During the meeting, it turned out that he knows all Russian bloggers - both big and small - and communicates personally! I was sincerely surprised: the great one in the world of social media does not consider it shameful to contact someone himself. Good lesson, right?
And in your case, what does it look like in reality?
I’m riding in an elevator, in a car - I look through the direct messages, make acquaintances, study links. Daily. I keep trying to imagine our ideal subscriber - who this person is. 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 Konstantin Ernst’s offer 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 story of yesterday. Why did you do this?
We didn't earn much then. In money. But we began to be recognized in Russia; before that, with the Instagram project #FollowMeTo, we made more noise in the world. Yesterday I stopped by IKEA - the salesman found out and said that I was a “wonderful presenter.” Who knows, maybe there was a desire to dispel the stereotype that everyone goes online. And we, being so brave from the Internet, decided to go to TV. It turned out to be incredibly difficult to pump up the audience - the program was broadcast on Sunday morning, young people, of course, are sleeping at that time. But our episode about Georgia beat all the ratings in the slot. And, of course, many watched the program already on the Channel One website. Based on 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 does what?
We are “in the wings”, I will say so. There are both pros and cons to working with your husband. We would probably see each other very rarely if we worked for different jobs. But sometimes business problems get into personal ones. When we discuss work, I can say: “Murik, why did you tell me that?! I’m your favorite person!” In this regard, it’s not easy for me.
You must have calculated your strategy. How will the Internet develop?
I said a few years ago that everything would move to video format. And now all applications are 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 in a car, on the subway, or walking through a supermarket. Capturing gadgets.
What has really impressed you lately?
At a meeting with Instagram representatives, I received unexpected advice on how to increase my audience. They named me specific people with similar audiences with whom it would be desirable to collaborate.
Team up with competitors?
Including with competitors. Thanks to joint promotions, we will receive an increase in both audience and commercial offers. Unfortunately, in Russia, those who have achieved something have a stereotype of “sitting on their bag.” They won’t talk to anyone again, won’t share anything.
How do you build relationships in the office?
Corporate spirit is important to me. I am for going to the cinema together, for example. Sometimes we go to spas with the girls. In a week we will have team building. As a team, we will paint the big picture. We'll hang it here in our office on Patriarch's Street. We recently launched courses in English, let's study together.
I see you have a round table with chairs a la director’s. For planning meetings, right? We have a similar picture in our editorial office. The chair with what inscription is yours?
Favorite - with the inscription “Makhachkala” on the back. And also “Leonardo DiCaprio”.
Are you inspired by DiCaprio?
I respect him very much. But Fellini is also mine.
Who is the “Crazy Empress”?
Crazy Empress is our SMM.
Hmm, I see. We need to give ours an idea. Where is your office?
I don't have one, and that's okay. I'm constantly on the move, on the move.
What do you dream about?
I want a big family. I really want to see a whale. I've never seen them in the wild. My dream is to star in a James Bond film.
In what role?
Of course, Bond girls! But it seems to me that by the time I start filming, everything will have been rewritten and a girl will become James Bond. I don't mind!
Photo: property of Murad and Nataly Osmann
Creative Dagestani photographer Murad Osmann became famous for his unusual project called “Follow me”.
Murad Osmann was born in May 1985 in Kaspiysk. The early childhood years spent on the picturesque shore of the Caspian Sea forever left a mark on Murad’s consciousness. He grew up creative person and looked at the world through the eyes of an artist. More precisely, a photographer.
This manifested itself in full force after the Osmann family moved to Moscow. At that time, Murad was 5 years old. Growing up, he discovered a wonderful invention of mankind - the camera. His family often traveled, and Murad really wanted to capture the beauty of nature he saw with his own eyes. He always had a camera at hand. Experimenting with filming was Murad Osmann's favorite hobby.
Soon, photography turned from an ordinary hobby into the passion of his life. But after graduating from school, when it was time to decide on a profession, the parents sent their son to London. There he entered Imperial College. Upon graduation, Haussmann graduated as a civil engineer.
Career
The work of an engineer did not attract the young Dagestani. A true artist lived in Murad's soul. Therefore, Osmann chose a different path for himself. Returning from London to Moscow in 2011, he opened his own production company, calling it “Hype Production”. It brought together young like-minded people, professionals who began creating commercials and clips for musical groups and performers.
Today, “Hype Production” by Murad Osmann is a huge number of different projects in the field of media production. The company cooperates not only with domestic customers, but also accepts foreign orders. Nike, Beeline, Martini, McDonalds, Huawei, Rostelecom, Baileys, Visa, Lego are just some of the companies that have used the services of creative producers brought together by Murad Osmann under one roof.
As for the domestic show business, here too many stars turned to the Hype Production company for help. Among the most famous performers are Noggano, Sensei, and others. Stars order from the specialists assembled by Murad Osmann not only music videos, but also professional photo sessions.
Not long ago, Murad Osmann and his colleagues began a new type of activity: the company produces young directors and looks for new talent among young people. And back in 2015, “Hype Production” began making films. The company has already produced two films – “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 seems to never part with. The young photographer took pictures of many of the sights that Barcelona is so rich in. Natalya wanted to see more beauties, and she pulled Murad by the hand. He continued filming. This is how the first photo turned out, where Natalya is captured from the back, and in front is one of the architectural monuments of Barcelona.
Looking through photographs taken in Spain, the couple caught the novelty of the idea, immediately realizing that photographs of this type and format were a new word in photography. Since then, Murad and Natalya Osmann take similar photos every time they travel around the world. They photograph various landscapes or architectural landmarks of the places they visit. In all the photographs, only the back of Natalia Osmann and the hands of young people are visible.
The acquaintance with world landmarks in the form of such photographs was appreciated by thousands of subscribers to Murad and Natalia’s account in "Instagram". This is where all the photos are posted. London, Paris, Singapore, Venice, Tokyo, Bali – this creative couple took the guests of their account everywhere. 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 collected 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 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 fans of their “FollowMeTo” project. The engagement photo instantly received more than 100 thousand likes.
The wedding took place in the summer of 2015 in the Moscow region, at the Zhavoronki estate. The creators of the #FollowMeTo photo project invited their best friends to the celebration, among whom were such famous personalities as Ilya Stewart and Evgenia Linovich. He led the ceremony.
The celebration turned out to be unforgettable. During the ceremony, fabulous decorations appeared on the territory of the estate: a staircase to the sky, clouds, flocks of birds and a huge Pegasus. Chamber music from Harp Sound sounded all the time.
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 was choreographed by.
The young creative photographer Murad Osmann of Dagestan origin became famous for his famous photo project “Follow me”. He and his girlfriend Natalya travel around the world and record their travels from an unusual perspective - the girl leads the guy by the hand around the planet...The early years of Murad Osmann
Murad Osmann was born on May 15, 1985 in the Dagestan city of Kaspiysk. Spending his childhood and youth on the shores of the Caspian Sea, contemplating beautiful natural views, Murad early learned to look at the world creatively. Mountain landscapes and virgin nature always attracted Haussmann, he always sought to capture them.When Murad was 5 years old, the family moved to Moscow. Here the talent of the young artist was revealed in full force. Haussmann discovered the magic of photography. In his youth, he experimented a lot with the camera. After graduating from a Moscow school, his parents sent their son to study in London. There Murad entered the Imperial College to study as a civil engineer.
Professional activities of Murad Osmann
Possessing a creative mind, the idea of working in Murad’s specialty did not appeal to him. So he picked up the camera again and began to create. However, despite the abundance of photo sessions and millions of frames shot, Murad Osmann still does not identify himself professional photographer. He considers photography more of a hobby than a job.After returning from the UK to Russia, in 2011 Murad opened his own production company in Moscow called “Hype Production”.
"Hype Production" is a young company of creative professionals that works in the field of television, creating commercials and music videos. The company has a huge number of diverse projects in the field of media production. "Hype Production" cooperates with both local and international customers. Nike, Beeline, Martini, McDonalds, Huawei, Rostelecom, Baileys, Yota, Visa, PSBank, Lego, KFC, Orion Express - these and many other companies are customers of Hype Production.
Also, the professionals of the Hype Production team have shot many videos for such performers as Dima Bilan, Timati, Sensei, Mumiy Troll, Vlad Sokolovsky, MakSim, Noggano, Max Korzh, Lumen and others. “Hype Production” also has a lot of professional advertising photo shoots with the participation of stars.
T-killah ft. Sailor - Ask a Question (Directors - Murad Osmann, Ilya Stewart and Artem Mikhaenkin)
In addition, the company does not stand still and is engaged in producing young directors and searching for new talents. Now such producers and directors as Egor Abramenko, Oleg Trofim, Ilya Naishuler, Mikhail Lokshin, Roman Zhirnikh and others work together in a team with Osmann.
Murad Osmann and the “Follow Me” project
The point of the project is that Osmann films the back of his girlfriend Natalia, who travels around the world. Behind her are various landscapes of world attractions of various countries. 
The first image was taken in Barcelona, Spain in the fall of 2011. As Murad said, completely by accident: during one of the excursions, he photographed the surrounding landscapes. The girl Natalya, who accompanied him on the trip, got tired of waiting for the always busy young man and she pulled him by the hand. However, even then Murad did not give up and continued to take photographs. So, the first photo from a wonderful series appeared. While looking through the pictures, Murad and Natalya “caught” the idea of creating an interesting photo project. Since the guys love to travel a lot, very soon their collection of photographs grew to the size of almost a photo exhibition.
Now the couple thinks through the composition of all new photographs together. Murad and Natalya have already visited and photographed places such as Venice, Tokyo, Paris, Bali, London, Singapore and many others. All places in the photographs are easily recognizable.
Follow me - Murad Osmann
Over time, Murad Osmann began posting photographs on the Internet. In particular, in 2013, his Instagram account gathered several tens of thousands of subscribers, and the name of its owner became known throughout the world. Now Osmann has more than 250 thousand subscribers and fans of his work around the world. Each new frame posted on the Internet is instantly “pulled away” into in social networks and receives thousands of enthusiastic comments and high ratings. In addition, Murad has a lot of followers who take pictures in this way. Thus, a photo project that was not even planned became a global mainstream.
Personal life of Murad Osmann
Murad is not married, but he has a girlfriend, Natalya Zakharova. She is a journalist and editor-in-chief of the website begoody.ru. She is present in all the photographs of the “Follow Me” project. True, her face is almost never visible, always only her back. 
In July 2014, Murad proposed to his girlfriend as part of his famous Follow Me project by posting a photo of his engagement. In an hour, he received 100 thousand likes. The girl agreed.
Murad Osmann today
Now Murad is preparing another Internet photo project. His goal: to once again show the beauty of our planet and the people who live on it - everyone is different, but each is interesting in its own way.Murad Osmann is a creative photographer, Dagestan by origin. The young man became popular thanks to the “Follow Me” project, the co-host of which is also Murad’s wife, Natalya Osmann.
Murad was born on April 15, 1987 in Kaspiysk, where he lived with his parents until he was five years old; subsequently the family moved to Moscow. This is where his passion for photography manifested itself, but, at the behest of his parents, he had to master the specialty of civil engineer at Imperial College, located in London.
Creative activity of Murad Osmann
However, Murad was sure that his calling was to take photographs (and the young man was not mistaken - this will become clear a little later), so upon returning to Russia at the age of 24, he opened Hype Production in the capital - a production company.
Today “Hype Production” is a set of projects in the field of media production, accepting orders not so much from domestic ones (Dima Bilan, Ilya Lagutenko, Vlad Sokolovsky, etc.), but from foreign projects, for example, Nike, Beeline, Lego, etc.
Surely you are wondering what the “Hype Production” project is? Its meaning is as follows: the photographer takes a photo from behind his partner Natalia, achieving an interesting effect - it turns out that he shows the audience various landscapes from the corners of our planet. By the way, the project has already attracted the attention of about five million subscribers from all over the world! “Hype Prodaction” undoubtedly attracts viewers with its mystery.
Of course, any project that intends to become popular all over the world, in any case, encounters different opinions, criticism, and ill-wishers... Murad and Natalya were no exception - there was a time when the couple even wanted to abandon their “brainchild,” but the guys withstood this difficult test and the project is now being implemented as a model for fashion college students in London.
But how did this project come about, you ask?
Completely spontaneously - the couple spent their vacation in Spain, Murad did not part with his camera for a minute. His goal was to capture absolutely everything in every detail. Natalia, of course, wanted to explore Barcelona more than wait for her lover. And then, in one of those moments when she pulled her lover’s hand... the camera clicked again!
After some time, while viewing the pictures, the couple noticed spontaneous photo and realized that the shot turned out not so bad. They decided to continue making similar pictures and became incredibly popular around the world.
Celebrity personal life
Murad and Natalya at the very beginning of their acquaintance were more like partners engaged in common cause, a hobby, rather than for a couple in love. In the “Follow Me” project, the couple played the main role - Natalya was a model and actress, and Murad was a photographer and producer. They met through a mutual friend, and Murad immediately found her on social networks.
The important thing is that their “period of recognition” lasted quite a long time - the girl did not even give her phone number right away, and for a long time the young people met only in a cafe for breakfast, and also went to various events. An interesting fact is that Murad purchased the ring long before he proposed to his beloved - almost a year (10 months).
The young man also did not neglect traditions and got down on one knee with the girl’s family - in Izhevsk, where he had taken her shortly before. Fans who enthusiastically followed the project were pleasantly surprised that the couple was engaged.
And finally, in the early summer of 2015, the couple got married. And even despite the solemn atmosphere and the “legal day off,” the couple managed to give their guests, among whom were celebrities (Svetlana Ustinova, Ilya Stewart and others) and fans of their work, another photo from the “Follow Me” series. And the host of the ceremony was Artyom Korolev, a famous VJ, TV presenter and actor.
I would like to believe that the “Hype Prodaction” project will delight us for a long time, and young people will continue to engage in their “brainchild” with the same enthusiasm - to open up more and more “horizons” for us, still taking pictures from behind backs.
- instagram.com/muradosmann
- vk.com/followmemurad
"Follow Me" is a series of photographs created by Murad Osmann. The photographer became famous throughout the world thanks to his project “Follow Me”. In the footage, a charming, slender girl seems to be pulling her hero along with her. Today, Osman has hundreds of followers who strive to capture life's unforgettable moments. Murad photographed everything beautiful and posted it on his Instagram account. In just a matter of months, hundreds of thousands of Internet users visited the author’s page. People really liked the beautiful pictures that Murad captured.
"Follow Me"
Murad Osmann and his girlfriend Natalia Zakharova filmed hundreds of beautiful landscapes. The extraordinary photographs were enjoyed by millions of people around the world. In the footage, Murad holds his girlfriend’s hand against the backdrop of recognizable landmarks around the world. The lovers captured the best moments in Bali, Singapore, Hong Kong, Venice, Moscow, Tokyo, Paris, London, etc. The creative couple could not even imagine what was possible for such short term become so popular. The “Follow Me” project has captured the hearts of many millions of people around the globe.
Biography
Born in 1985 in the city of Kaspiysk (Dagestan, Russia). This city is located on the shores of the Caspian Sea. On some forums it is erroneously written that Murad Osmann is Dagestan by nationality. There is no such nationality! More than 54 nationalities live in Dagestan. The only thing we can say for sure is that he is Russian! Since childhood, Murad showed interest in everything beautiful. He admired the landscape of the mighty mountains and the beauty of virgin nature. In 1990, Murad’s family moved to the capital of our homeland, Moscow. It was here that Murad became interested in photography. In 2001, Murad entered a university in England. Soon he received a diploma in civil engineering from Imperial College London. Murad Osmann founded his production company Hype Production in 2011. Despite his overwhelming popularity, Osman does not consider himself a professional photographer.
The mysterious stranger in the footage is Murad’s girlfriend Natalya Zakharova. Natalya was born and raised in Izhevsk. Graduated from Izhevsk University. Beautiful and cheerful Natasha is a journalist by profession.
Let's wish this creative couple love, good luck and creative success!
Anastasia
Just awesome! It seems nothing complicated, but the photos are just super! Clearly the guy has talent! And he chooses very beautiful landscapes.
I personally don’t understand how it was possible to become famous throughout the world thanks to such mediocre photos!
Artem - you yourself are mediocre! Murad has very good taste and he knows what photos evoke high feelings in people.