How to Build and Scale a Massive Business in the UAE

**Tim Elliott** (0:00)
This is Mira Business FM, it's the Morning Drive. And next, we have another chance to talk to a company founder. This is a company with a bit of a difference as well in the particular space they're in. Tatiana Vishnevskaya is the founder of Magnificent Middle East, is better known, I think, probably as MME Media. It's good to see you, good to have you here.

**Tatiana Vishnevskaya** (0:21)
Good morning, Tim, and I'm so happy to be here.

**Tim Elliott** (0:24)
I'm glad that you're happy. Look, I want to start with you, first of all.
I think it's probably fair to say you're quite well known as a TV presenter. You're from Moscow, right? You're from Russia.

**Tatiana Vishnevskaya** (0:36)
Yes, I am. And I'm so happy because I'm your colleague, because I started my career as being a TV, not a TV presenter, but a radio presenter.

**Tim Elliott** (0:45)
Radio presenter.

**Tatiana Vishnevskaya** (0:45)
Yeah, and then I grew to a TV presenter.

**Tim Elliott** (0:48)
Okay, so how did it get started? What was your first radio experience, and how did you get on to your TV experience?

**Tatiana Vishnevskaya** (0:56)
You know, I will tell you, all my family is creative. So my grandmother, my great-grandmother are actresses. And my mother, she's a teacher at the university. So everyone in my family is creative, except from my father's side. From my father's side, they are all in the military. But I started my career straight after university. So I graduated from the Linguistic University, and I found myself at the Business FM. So I don't know why, but I have big attraction to the business processes, despite my family background is creative. So after graduating the Linguistic University, I went to the Moscow State University for TV and radio. So I completed another two years. And then after that, I was invited to do the practice on the first channel in Russia, yeah. And I was a house at in the, as I found myself as a producer.
So basically I started my house at Korea from being a good editor and good producer. And all my teachers, they said, Tatiana, you have to be a good editor and to be a good TV presenter. So basically there was no an elevator to start being a TV presenter.
Yeah, so I had to do great work, you know. And I remember I was just dreaming of becoming an actor, but my parents, they did not allow me. They thought that I should change a bit.
And I started looking what people are doing as being a TV presenter, a radio presenter, what is presenting. And basically, we had a lot of disciplines at our university, at our TV university to complete this extra two years. And I remember when first I was invited to Business FM in Moscow, I saw that the whole editorial is complete and there was no space for me. And the editor-in-chief, he said, Tatiana, if the space will be, I will invite you. And I looked around at the editorial board, and I saw a lot of pregnant women. And I thought, God, please help me.
Please help me. I'm ready to substitute. I'm ready to work two shifts. Well, but at least I'm not stepping on someone's head. I'm not doing anything, how it says.

**Tim Elliott** (3:36)
You see, this is the attitude you have to have, isn't it? In that instance, that I'm ready to give this go, just give me a chance.

**Tatiana Vishnevskaya** (3:46)
That's a good way to be. That was my dream. This is like, I was looking at it with such inspiration, and I was thinking, please, God, give me strength and enough energy, enough professionalism, not to upset anyone, not to make a mistake. Because if you are on air, and if you will make a mistake, this is big failure, and this is, I don't know, for me, it's disaster.

**Tim Elliott** (4:10)
Well, it's news to me, because I've made a few mistakes on air in my time. I've got to be honest. So you started in radio, you went to TV.
What brought you to the UAE? Because you had a great career in Moscow?

**Tatiana Vishnevskaya** (4:25)
I think a horse brought me to the UAE.

**Tim Elliott** (4:30)
Okay.

**Tatiana Vishnevskaya** (4:32)
Yes.

**Tim Elliott** (4:32)
A horse?

**Tatiana Vishnevskaya** (4:33)
Yes.

**Tim Elliott** (4:34)
Okay. It's not the answer I expected, Tatiana.

**Tatiana Vishnevskaya** (4:39)
And I was not expecting to give you such an answer. No.

**Tim Elliott** (4:43)
You're going to have to explain how a horse brought you here.

**Tatiana Vishnevskaya** (4:46)
Okay. So when I finished my shift, reading the political and economic news at RBC TV Channel, that was in 2013, already when I was on TV, friends of mine invited me in Moscow to a horse race.