Today we’d like to introduce you to Nina Marinov.
Hi Nina, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started in the film industry somewhat accidentally – as an office assistant at Lennauchfilm, one of Russia’s oldest documentary studios with over 70 years of history. I quickly fell in love with the work and moved up to studio administrator and eventually line producer for documentaries. Some projects were still being shot on 35mm film and edited on editing tables – a legacy way of working that was rapidly disappearing. I was there right at the end of that era.
When I moved to the States in 2012, I had to rethink my career path. Rather than trying to jump straight back into producing in a new country with different systems and processes, I decided to expand my skill set and dove into post-production. Learning to edit gave me a new perspective on storytelling and actually made me a better producer down the line.
Eventually, I started combining both – producing and editing projects – and in 2016, I directed my debut narrative short film, “Beeda after the Wake”, which ended up in the official selection of Atlanta Film Festival. That felt like a full-circle moment.
Now, I’m doing a little bit of everything – directing, producing, and editing. Most of my work is branded content and docu-style projects, with the occasional narrative short thrown in. I genuinely enjoy wearing all the hats because the variety keeps things fresh and interesting.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not a smooth road! Moving to the US meant starting from absolute zero – I didn’t drive, I didn’t speak English, and I had a one-year-old daughter to take care of. It was a lot of juggling. Professionally, I had to learn everything from scratch. The first scripts I produced, I’d read with Google Translate open. Everything from industry lingo to union rules and regulations – I was learning on the fly. In those early years, I took on a lot of unpaid projects just to learn the craft and build my skills in production and post. It was an investment in myself that eventually paid off.
Just when things started falling into place, the pandemic hit and work disappeared overnight. That’s when I started working for a YouTube channel focused on crypto and financial education. The channel took off quickly and we were suddenly operating like a TV network, producing a massive volume of content at high speed. I led the post-production department, which was its own learning curve – managing a consistent team day in and day out is very different from the quick assembly and disassembly of traditional film crews. I had to learn how to be an efficient leader, not just a good producer.
The last couple of years have been challenging for everyone in the industry, but I’ve been fortunate to pivot more toward the intersection of social media and branded content, which has kept me working and creatively engaged.
Through all of it, I’ve learned to trust myself – if I made it this far, I can handle whatever comes next.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I run a production company that works primarily with corporate clients in the finance and healthcare sectors (because being wealthy and healthy is everybody’s goal, right?). We’ve produced videos and campaigns for Fortune 500 brands as well as small businesses, which pays the bills and keeps the business side healthy.
But what I’m really known for in Atlanta’s indie film community is producing passion projects that look and feel polished and professional. I’ve worked on over 20 short films with local filmmakers that have screened at festivals around the globe. For me, this is about supporting stories I believe in – mainly social justice topics and representation. And it’s not just about the end product; it’s about the experience getting there. I make sure everyone on set is fed well, feels valued, and knows their voice matters. I don’t care if a PA has an idea they want to share – I’ll listen, because I believe collaboration makes everything better. There are no unimportant roles on set.
On a more personal level, I direct experimental, lyrical micro short films – and this is where my truest creative voice lives. These shorts let me explore without limitation – my sensitivity, visual language, subconscious workings. I blend poetry, sound, music and movement, because I believe that words are liars. To express something fully, you need other languages. These pieces are abstract by design. This work is for me, not for a client or an audience, it’s a way to explore filmmaking as pure art rather than communication or commerce.
Teaching has also become a huge part of what I do. I’ve been collaborating with RE:IMAGINE, a local nonprofit, for almost 10 years – initially through occasional workshops and master classes, but for the past year, I’ve been consistently teaching advanced post-production classes. I work with high school students, recent college graduates, and young professionals, sharing not just technical skills but the wisdom of navigating a career in this industry. I also teach master classes at Georgia colleges and high schools, and I offer one-on-one career consulting and help emerging filmmakers produce their first short films.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was born in the Soviet Union – a very different time and environment from today’s reality. One of my first memories is from when I was about 3: I decided to visit my dad at work, a couple of miles away. It was raining, so I put on my raincoat and boots, grabbed an umbrella, and set off, confident it would be a great surprise for him. I actually made it to his workplace – only to find out he’d been called home because his daughter was missing. That sense of wonder and need to explore never left me – traveling is still one of my biggest joys.
I was an introverted kid. In my teens, I discovered art house cinema through late-night TV screenings – Bergman, Tarkovsky, Antonioni, Lynch. It was so different from anything I’d seen – but I could feel something deeper there. These films fascinated me in a way I couldn’t quite articulate. The understanding came through feeling rather than words at the time.
Films became my passion, but making them professionally? That wasn’t even a dream I could have. It was so far removed from the life we lived that the idea never even occurred to me.
Now I’m working on my first feature script, which I plan to direct in the next couple of years. The path from that kid to here wasn’t one I could have imagined – and I’m still a bit amazed I walked it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ninamarinov.com
- Instagram: @37nmld
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nina-marinov-5313aa97/
- Other: https://bigearproductions.net
