Author: Tamara Mrázová
Story of writer Zuzana Palovič: Slovakia is unique to me, because it is my homeland
Zuzana Palovič, a successful writer born in Slovakia, raised in Canada, dedicates her career to raising public awareness about her Slovak homeland. Thanks to living in many different places, the world has become her home. She turned her knowledge and expertise into various books about Slovak history. How would you describe your job? I would say that I’m a writer, I’m a champion on behalf of my homeland, which is Slovakia. We’re a very young country, and we’ve been waiting for our sovereignty for 1,000 years. I feel like I was born at the right time in history to help codify this nation’s story into a global language, English, and share it with as many people in the world as I can. I GET TO LEARN FROM THE PAST AND THANKS TO THAT, SHAPE THE FUTURE OF TOMORROW. How did you become a writer? I was doing my PhD at that time, and I would always think how sad it was, that after my doctoral studies were over, all the research would only stay in my dissertation. I really wanted it to be used and made accessible to the public. So that’s when the idea of writing a book was born. Me and Gabriela Beregházyová, the co-author, strongIy believe the books will long outlive us. They are a legacy and one day will become an important piece of Slovak heritage. What do you write about? We share Slovakia’s story. Different aspects of the country’s history, but all of our books have a specific objective- to empower and educate Slovaks and those interested in Slovakia. For the greater majority of history, we were under the influence of different empires and regimes, most recently it was the Soviet Bloc and Iron Curtain. We never really had the opportunity as a country to interpret our story and create a narrative. I want to help change that, which is why I partnered with Gabriela. I applied all my experience growing up in Canada and living all over the world with her deep knowledge of growing up in Slovakia to create a powerful national story that is attractive to foreigners and Slovaks alike. Every book has a different target audience. The Legend of Linden is a really great introduction to the history of Slovakia. The book is really ideal for Slovak descendants who want to better understand their heritage and roots. On the other hand, Super Slovaks was written for the younger generation. It’s written for teenagers to better understand Slovak history. MY BIGGEST INSPIRATION WHEN WRITING IS SLOVAKIA. Czechoslovakia Beyond the Iron Curtain is perhaps our most popular book. We get monthly emails from readers that have no connection to Slovakia but they are fascinated to discover how the communist apparatus took over a democratic country seemingly overnight. Then, there is The Great Return, a book I firmly believe will one day be in Slovak schools, educating the youth about the importance of freedom of movement, both in terms of self-discovery but also learning. Lastly, our most recent book, Slovak Settlers, covers the great emigration journey of Slovaks to America at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. This was a unique time in Slovak and American history, when one third of our nation, at one point some 750,000 Slovaks left their homeland in search of hope across the ocean. How would you convince young Slovaks to stay in Slovakia? As far as I am concerned, 10% of our population lives abroad. That is a huge portion of human capital! What is more, some 20% of our university students are studying at foreign universities. This is a tremendous outflux of talent! Many, once they graduate, they stay on in professional jobs, they contribute their energy, skills and mostly minds to a foreign country. I believe it’s good for our young people to go abroad. They need to be exposed to different cultures, to see the world, to experience cosmopolitanism, to learn languages and so on. But I think, it should be in Slovakia’s interest to attract them back. Maybe not all of them, but at least a key part of them. This can be done through outreach, bridge-building with the Diaspora, but also through strategic policies that make Slovakia an attractive destination for entrepreneurs and families. IT IS A VERY SOBERING EXPERIENCE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO SEE THE REALITY OF LIVING ABROAD. What is your favourite part about Slovakia? I love our roots, our agrarian past and common sense and in a way ancient wisdom the people still have. A lot of this has been eroded in the West, but Slovakia only began to experience industrialisation as late as the 1960s. But of course, Slovakia is unique to me, because it is my homeland. It’s my mother culture and language. I feel some kind of loyalty and affinity to this country. I want to serve Slovakia. I want to honour her. I CONSCIOUSLY DECIDED TO SET UP BASE IN SLOVAKIA, BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN THIS COUNTRY’S POTENTIAL. To find out more, visit: https://www.globalslovakia.com/
Max Joseph: The idea of putting a movie together was always really scary, and still is.
Max Joseph, a name synonymous with cinematic creativity and innovation, has left an indelible mark on the world of film. He delighted his audience with the newest documentary “15 minutes of shame” directed by him in cooperation with Monica Lewinsky. He visited Slovakia, and we got the unique chance to meet him. In the interview, he mentioned: Why he chose Slovakia, His biggest inspiration when filmmaking, His journey to become a director, His own definition of success. What did you expect from Slovakia? I had studied in Prague for four months when I was 20 years old. I spent a lot of time travelling the Czech Republic and was always curious about Slovakia. I also have a cousin who lives in Prague, so I am happy to go visit him after my tour in Slovakia. I am even interested into making a movie about Czechoslovakia during World War 1, which led to Czechoslovakia becoming a democratic state. I was immediately excited to do some research on that, by simply coming here. What was your biggest inspiration when creating a movie about online bullying and behavior on social media? In past years I witnessed the rise of online toxicity and hatred in the form of trolling, pylons, revenge porn, harassment. It was gradually getting worse and worse, turning into a fever. Nowadays, normal people are getting sucked into the anger and the outrage daily, it’s almost like a phenomenon. There exists this kind of anger that is meant to tear anyone apart. Sometimes deservedly so, and sometimes not. I was curious about what happened to all of the individuals shown in the movie. I wanted to know what is it like to be in the eye of storm and what truths about humanity could that discover. “Why do we like seeing people getting taken down? What is it in us that makes us like that kind of stuff?” We needed 90 minutes to uncover all of the hidden systems of the online world. What kind of content gets amplified and why, how do social media companies benefit from drama, but primarily, how can we let this perfect storm grow and incubate all over the world. Can you describe your journey into filmmaking? I used to be a child actor for a while. I was in the school plays and went to some auditions. What really prevailed was my uncle working for Jim Henson. He made his career look so much fun, not like the boring jobs of other adults. I wanted to discover the magic behind the filmmaking. Instead of playing video games like my peers, I would use my dad’s camera to film little scenes and them put them to music using my computer. That is how I got into editing. I always had one and only question: Who is this mysterious person whose name is the most important name in a movie, and yet, you never see them? “It all starts with the coolest hobby from your friend group and develops into something big.” What are the biggest life challenges that you have to overcome? It was the whole realization that maybe I bit off more than I could chew. The overthinking thoughts that maybe I’ve misspent all this money. Maybe I’m going to let everyone down. Maybe it’s all taking me too long, and now I have to make it all even better when I finish it. It is a never-ending spiral. You can’t train yourself into getting used to it. With all of this worrying, I always need to keep in mind, that I have been in these struggling positions before, and I always got through them. It might take longer than you expected, but you have to keep on going. That’s the process. How would you motivate young people striving for success? It all depends on how you define success. Getting the success is one thing, but continuing to be successful requires a lot more than just a hustle. Hard work and drive can only take you so far before you burn out. Especially, if you are a film person, you have to make sure you are experiencing non film-related things in your life. It’s tempting to only focus on what you love. Get out of your comfort zone and indulge into different topics. If you don’t know anything about living life, you’re not going to make good movies about living life. Go and put yourself out there. “Have a real life. Do things in real life. Make mistakes and fail in real life.”
Linked in star, Jasmin Alić about his career: “Even the world’s biggest experts become approachable thanks to Linked in.”
Infestival of 2024 in Slovakia did not disappoint a single participant. Hundreds of people came to gain some valuable information about the world of a famous business social platform called Linked in. We enjoyed the meaningful talks and interesting speeches given by famous Linked in speakers. One of whom, was a well known star of mentioned social site- Jasmin Alić. We got a chance to interview him. He talked about: his career experience, benefits of his job, Linked in power, effect of social media on others. What do you do for living? Right now, I’m a content coach specifically for Linked in creators. I used to be a copywriter and I believe that is what most people know me for. I am still one though, but my main stream is the Linked in coaching. I have to tell, it’s going amazingly well. What are the best aspects of your job? The thing I love the most is definitely the flexibility I am given. I can pick my “when”, my “where”, my “how” and my “how much” as well. For me this aspect is more than crucial, since I am a single father and I spend 90% of my time with my son. Another aspect I enjoy would be the fact that I am able to reach people in places I couldn’t have imagined existed before. ” I SIMPLY ENJOY THE FUN THAT COMES WITH MY JOB.” Have you met anyone special thanks to Linked in? Honestly, I meet so many amazing people every single day online. Whether it’s the ones with whom I want to work or just simply my followers in the comment section. Then later, when you finally get to meet them in person, you feel like you have a genuine relationship with them. For example Richard van der Blom is one of the biggest Linked in stars on the planet. We’ve known each other for years but we have never sat down in person. This conference is the first time we had a chance to do that and the connection is simply there. “I DISCOVERED THE BEAUTY OF NETWORKING.” What are the tips you would give someone, when starting a Linked in profile? The most important thing is to pick a lane, where the person feels strongest at. Don’t post anything about everything. Giving your audience 15 different topics, makes it hard for them to connect with you. They don’t know what to follow you for. Pick two or three themes and stick to them. The other thing is investing your time into commenting every single day. Engage with the audience. A lot of people simply don’t understand the power of comments. Everyone feels like they need to post, but that is not necessarily true. The best way to increase your reach is networking and connecting with others. “Linked in is different from other platforms, because it thrives on building relationships instead of consuming content.” What is your favourite social media? I’m not going to say this just because it’s my job, but it truly is Linked in. It’s definitely because other platforms make you feel bad. People there feel discouraged. It’s a constant drama and negativity. On the other hand, here, on Linked in, everyone tries to represent themselves the best way possible. They get to have civilised conversations, be nice to each other and show what they are good at. What I also love about Linked in is that people post for free. I can learn from world’s greatest experts. For instance, I learned how to sell without selling. To this day I have never written a sales post nor mentioned my services in a single post. I understood that if people like you, they are willing to work with you and they reach out first. What was your dream job when you were a kid? I always wanted to be a rapper. I’ve already accomplished that. I was touring, having concerts, appearing in newspapers and television every day. But after a while, even though I enjoyed that job, I realised that that particular lifestyle wasn’t for me. I simply redirected my creativity elsewhere into marketing and copywriting.
Leadership style by board member at Slovak Telekom Mladen Mitić
Telekom launched a fresh new services Magenta 1 and Magenta Moments, and we were there to hear about all of their benefits. We got the chance to interview a board member at Slovak Telekom- Mladen Mitić. Not only did he explain the perks of brand new Telekom services, but he as well described his leadership style and relationships he has with his colleagues. Could you describe what are the main purposes of the programs? To be honest, we’ve been dealing with a lot of ideas in Telekom. We worked with various plans but all of them shared the same important value: Simplifying our offering and making it more appealing to our dear customers by giving them more benefits. Offer them everything, they are looking for. That’s what the new programs are about, about enjoying all of the benefits we implemented. We realised that one household needs a combination of various services fulfilling needs of all members. For example, we offer streaming services, travel discounts, shops benefits, restaurant coupons and much more. A customer can choose from this wide variety. What is your favourite benefit of the programs? Overall, I believe it’s the flexibility that stands out for me immensely. If you get bored of the package of benefits you firstly picked, you can just simply change it up anytime. It’s not about technical combination. Our point is to enhance the family experience so that everyone is satisfied. I have a daughter myself. One evening I am watching Game of Thrones and the other one I have to switch to watching cartoons with her. My personal favourite would be the traveling one, though. There are lots of flights from Bratislava and Vienna and after Covid, Slovaks are simply back to it, including myself. How would you describe working as a leader in Slovak Telekom? At first, I worked as a young manager in my home country Serbia. Later, I continued my work journey in Norway, Denmark and Germany. I was used to this hierarchical and aligned organisation of things. I didn’t support this type of leadership and I changed giving orders into discussion. What I want my colleagues to know, is simply, why we operate the way we operate. I allow them to take part in making decisions. I enjoy that they are taking responsibility of their own actions and own up to them. “My coworkers should take the glory for their own success, even though I am their leader.” How do you like Slovakia? I lived in Scandinavia for many years and a working life here, in Slovakia is totally different. Even though, I totally loved living in Norway or Denmark, I can tell that I am more than satisfied to live in a Slavic country now. Similar language, similar culture, similar traditions. People are smiling and they are super nice. I call this a “Slavic soul”, because I am one myself. We somehow give off the same vibe. What do you think makes a good boss? A boss is somebody who can be trusted and a person that trusts others. Someone who will give you the opportunities and provide enough space for self-development. If colleagues get lost or suffer from a personal crisis, a good boss should become a mentor and help them out to get on the right path. It’s not only about getting the work done, but also about the human aspect. I let them make mistakes and instead of punishment, I offer them help. “I was always lucky enough to have bosses, who trusted me and helped me with moving forward.”