Marina - founder and hands behind the project
Raised in Moscow, Russia, Marina moved to Toronto, Canada at the age of twelve. As an immigrant, she always struggled in her identity and that feeling began to grow as she started traveling in her mid 20's.
The more she observed the differences worldwide, the deeper her fascination grew with how culture shapes our identities, influences our perspectives on the world, and impacts our relationships.
Marina initially began sharing her experiences through blogging and a few years later she filmed her very first video, while working abroad in Latin America. Unfortunately, that video was a disaster, as were many of her early videos, but she had found a passion she has never felt before.
Two years later she left her teaching job to pursue Youtube full time. The initial years were confusing and challenging—with only a handful of subscribers, no film background, and no income... she wasn't sure she would ever make this into a full time career.
A good friend suggested she get a remote job teaching English online to Chinese students. This would give her the flexibility she needed. She would wake up at five in the morning, get through the work day by 10am and then she was back at the computer working away at her channel.
Fast forward a few years, and Marina was now managing the channel with her team. The first few years were a fast success - the channel's series "You know you're dating..." was a home run and her studio themed videos performed exceedingly well. Marina's goal was to keep her face off-screen and to focus on others to tell the stories, but Covid changed that.
The series that were once a hit were no longer getting the traction online and the rise of online competitors got exceedingly high. "Faceless" channels had to work twice as hard to stay relevant and she was faced with a choice - to keep her channel "faceless" and to post frequently to stay afloat or to focus on what she actually wanted to do. Which was to tell stories. To share observations. To give real value.
She needed to put herself back into the channel.
Today you will see that the channel features perspectives from around the world along with Marina's cultural observations. The theme is the same - Dating Beyond Borders aims to explore how culture shapes identities and relationships. How are we all different but the same? How does our cultural lens shape our life? Why do you fall for someone from another culture but struggle to maintain that relationship?
It goes without saying that Marina remains deeply passionate about the topic and plans to build a robust community of international enthusiasts who share her dedication. Are you one of them?
Follow her on Instagram: www.instagram.com/datingbeyondborders
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@datingbeyondborders.
Check out her weekly podcast where she interviews people from around the world
Don't miss her book, "Sex Before Coffee: A Guide to Dating in Scandinavia."