On our pages, Ilya Gubanov is a host of entertainment events, concerts, a blogger, a theater actor, a correspondent, an interviewer, and a brand manager.
TOPBRAND Magazine: Your activities are associated with a variety of interesting and modern directions: travel recommendations based on personal experience, creating and publishing motivational materials, personal brand development and PR. How do you envision your new brand platform?
The concept of «I» by Sigmund Freud resonated with me about 10 years ago, even before I delved into my studies in psychology. It is from this concept that everything I do stems: Ilya – iHost, iMotivator, iTravel, and so on. Healthy selfishness and exploring one’s true desires and achieving them are essential for everyone to live a cool life in harmony with themselves. For this reason, I’m very eager to help those who struggle to find their footing, doubt themselves, or feel confused, to understand and align themselves correctly to achieve their boldest dreams.
My new brand platform will bring together all the experience and knowledge I’ve gained, from classical management and working in a large corporation to my career as a host and actor with a psychological background. Let’s call it iBornToBe.
TOPBRAND Magazine: How can one determine what they truly need and distinguish it from desires and achievements influenced by trends and environment?
Ah, an excellent and fundamental question, I must say. I often address it with my clients during sessions. In reality, I firmly believe that the reason why most people achieve very little is that they haven’t decided what they truly want.
Due to negative conditioning from childhood (though nowadays it has become trendy to blame parents for all shortcomings, but spoiler alert: you can and should rectify it yourself!), we often poison our own lives without even realizing it. There are techniques that can help you identify your true desires among the society’s imposed expectations, your «past self», and parental influence. Let’s take the simplest one, let’s call it «iLottery»: imagine that you’ve won 100,000,000 RUB! Write down 50 things on a sheet of paper —what you would do and what you want to buy or achieve. That’s the first step. Then use this list as a starting point and begin working towards it, eventually discovering your genuine desires and understanding the steps required to achieve them.
TOPBRAND Magazine: Successfully engaging in PR for your own brand, what key directions do you consider essential in your PR strategy?
Corporate relations, continuous learning (I adhere to the Platonian principle of «I knew that I knew nothing»), and image creation/maintenance. These are the three main pillars, I would say.
TOPBRAND Magazine: You were involved in the musical «La La Land». Can you tell us a few words about your role in it and the role of the musical in your experience?
«Freedom. Creativity. Theater». These are the three associations I have with this significant project. The musical «La La Land» became the first production in Moscow performed in English with simultaneous translation. It’s a unique pleasure to step onto the stage of the «Dom Aktera» theater and sing and act throughout the performance in a language that is not your native tongue. The troupe, the producer, and I were at the forefront of creating the project «Theatres of the World in Moscow». I take great pride in that. You can find the story of the production on my social media pages.
TOPBRAND Magazine: As a host of various online, TV, radio, and offline activities, could you share how to overcome stage fright?
Anyone can find dry theory through a simple internet search — it’s not a problem these days. I advocate for practical experience. It is crucial to understand what lies behind stage fright for each individual: it could stem from childhood fears, past negative experiences, school ridicule, disapproval from parents, and so on. By exploring the specific underlying causes, I can provide effective exercises and recommendations for overcoming stage fright, improving speech, and reducing fear. I have helped hundreds of people, and I’ll be happy to assist you too!
TOPBRAND Magazine: For you, is the concept of wellness solely for personal development, or do you also promote this system? Can you say that wellness works?
Definitely, I am an ambassador for it: living life to your own pleasure, knowing and fulfilling your true desires while maintaining balance in all areas — this is the key to success. The concept absolutely works, but only if you truly believe in it and take action, taking care of both your physical and mental health. Constantly practice positive actions until they become a habit of «I can». All of this will generate a synergistic effect unless you undermine it 🙂
TOPBRAND Magazine: Your partner is a strong and successful woman, well-known and recognized as one of the most beautiful in Russia. In relation to this, I have two questions: 1. Do you consider yourself lucky, or is it a well-deserved reward? 2. Is there any competition or jealousy regarding each other’s success in your relationship? Why?
I consider myself lucky in general. But behind every «success» lies significant work that often goes unnoticed, with only the tip of the iceberg visible. Healthy competition always motivates me towards achievements, and the drive to prove to myself that I can do it is an excellent motivator. However, competition and jealousy between partners have no place in healthy relationships. So, the answer is no, there shouldn’t be any competition or jealousy regarding success between close individuals.
TOPBRAND Magazine: Your entire activity is somehow connected to shows. But have you ever had a period of hard manual labor in your life?
I believe it is important to engage in activities that bring you joy. By perceiving life as a game, I turn my show into a daily routine, even sometimes from rather monotonous work. Well, and behind every show that the audience sees, there are dozens and hundreds of hours of the performer’s manual and mental labor, which are invisible to the crowd.
From the age of 14, I worked as a promoter, then in university committees, in several volunteer projects and foundations, as a ticket collector, cleaner, copywriter, author of abstracts and articles, screenwriter, pancake baker… Six and a half years in a large corporation, starting as a sales representative who visits 14 sales points in a workday and manually stacks thousands of cigarette packs in the equipment. I’ve had various types of work in my life, and it’s exhilarating!
TOPBRAND Magazine: Why did you decide to move out of the country? How has your life changed after that?
Several factors played a role: attractive projects for bilingual event hosting (simultaneously in both Russian and English), the desire to learn about the culture and mentality of other countries (during my university years, I didn’t take advantage of the option to study abroad, which I later regretted), and now I decided to fulfill my previously unfinished desire, which is what I’m doing. The year 2020 showed us that with sufficient skills, you can be not tied to a specific location. I am taking advantage of this option: I engage in my favorite activities (hosting events, providing consultations, filling my blog) while simultaneously traveling (my main hobby).
In early 2023, I became an ambassador and representative for two major clinics in Istanbul for Russia: Estophia and Dental Bosphorus. And now, in addition to everything else, I can offer a large number of professional services (aesthetic medicine, dentistry, various types of treatments) with partners on the most attractive terms to anyone interested.
TOPBRAND Magazine: You have already received a quality classical education but advocate for the Life-long learning system – continuous learning throughout life. This is truly respectable. Tell us what you are currently learning and what your future plans are.
For me, the desire to continue learning throughout life is the ability to adapt to the ever-changing realities of the modern world and to keep my thinking and intellect flexible. This way, you will always stay on the wave.
In December, I obtained my third Higher Education diploma at the Ostankino School.
Currently, I am:
- improving my English skills (I have been learning it for over 15 years, which provides a solid foundation, but the lack of regular practice takes its toll. Goal: from B2/C1 to C2 in the next six months;
- expanding my knowledge in addition to my master’s degree in coaching psychology;
- regularly engaging in sports and improving my running performance (planning to run a half marathon this summer).
In the foreseeable future:
- considering pursuing an MBA;
- refreshing my memory of the French language;
- wanting to organize more offline events in different parts of the world, enhancing my skills through practice.
