Please welcome HelloMonaco and Olga Taran!
HelloMonaco is a news and leisure website in Monaco, launched a few years ago, in English and Russian languages. To learn more about her plans, we met the owner of this popular project, Olga Taran. Olga is a professional journalist with experience on Russian television and in marketing with a financial company on Wall Street.
Olga, how did you come up with the idea of creating HelloMonaco?
To begin with, I’d been living in Monaco for the last few years. I noticed that there are several magazines and newspapers presenting Monaco in one way or another. However, there was no online resource that would present the daily life of the Principality, share its key economic, social and cultural events on a day-to-day basis.
There are some monthly, but mostly quarterly editions. They cannot therefore be the information resource every Monegasque person starts and finishes their day with. HelloMonaco has filled this niche. Our website is designed in such a way that the reader gets direct access to all the resources, whether news, analytical data, entertainment or just useful information. We offer a specially designed website, a mobile application, an e-mail subscription, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
How do you ensure the novelty and relevance of your information?
We have built good friendly relations with the official institutions of Monaco. We thus receive our information first-hand. We are one of the few media presences officially registered in Monaco. Being a local resident myself, I am, so to speak, at the very epicentre of events and in direct contact with my readers. It is much easier for me to understand the demands and requirements of our audience. After all, I am a typical representative of this not very typical audience.
Why isn’t it typical?
Let’s be honest. The Principality of Monaco is a unique place on earth. Not everyone can afford to live here. Not everyone will be welcome in this country. People who have achieved success in many different areas live here. Not only businessmen and financial people, but also athletes, artists, scientists, statesmen and famous art personalities are Monaco residents. These are all people of different nationalities and religions, with a different cultural heritage and traditions. They all live in this small territory of 2 square kilometres. The concentration of interesting people in the Principality is amazing! Moreover, this is a monarchy that imposes certain business practices and rules of residence. They are to be known and respected!
What is unique about the website?
We are striving to keep it at the highest professional level. The information part or “content”, its quality and presentation, are all very important to me as an editor and journalist. Much attention is therefore paid to the choice of topics and methods of presenting information: news, reports, interviews, market reviews, financial ratings, analytical materials, event announcements, essays on historical topics and journalistic insights.
What can you say about your audience?
HelloMonaco is designed for quite wealthy readers. 50% of our audience consists of Monaco and Côte d’Azur residents. The rest are those who regularly visit this place – businessmen and tourists from Europe, Russia, and Ukraine. As soon as we launched our English version, our audience became significantly bolstered by English-speaking subscribers from the UK, the Netherlands, Scandinavian countries, Belgium, Germany and even the United States. We are a young website that is experiencing a period of rapid growth. We have big plans and much remains to be done! If you want your company, product or service to be known in Monaco, our portal is what you need.
One year ago , first issue of HelloMonaco magazine was released. Let’s just say that the concept of this magazine is unique, a complete novelty on the Cote d’Azur.
Tell us about another project which you are launched recently – Monaco Words of Wisdom?
As I said , Monaco is a unique place in the world. But in the wider public’s mind, the names Monaco and Monte-Carlo remain synonymous with casinos, Formula One, luxury yachts, Grace Kelly and offshore tax havens.
All this matters, of course, but it’s residents of the Principality who truly make this place unique.These are the movie stars and artists, outstanding sportsmen, businessmen, entrepreneurs,scientists, philanthropists and art collectors.
They are different nationalities with a different personality and outlook on life. They literally live side by side. We may well say that Monaco is probably the prototype of a state of the future where multi – cultural people live and create together. We also will talk with eminent guests of the Principality who visit Monaco with concerts and tours or come here on vacation.
Our new project “HelloMonaco: MWW” will introduce you to the residents of the Principality who have achieved a lot in life and definitely have something to share with this world. They are invaluable resource, vital to our mission of building a library of human wisdom, the focus of which will be on the answers to those questions which are life changing. We are all ponder these eternal and pressing questions about the purpose of life, success, well – being, money and more.
The framework of our interviews is very simple: 1 question – 1 answer – 60 seconds. Our goal is to make the MWW library easy to access and browse. That’s why we’ve contained our answers into bite-sized videos. So no matter where or how busy you are, it’s easy for you to get your daily dose of philosophy and perspective.
The most interesting interview we publish in the HelloMonaco Magazine.
You are also a representative of the “Change One Life” Charity Foundation in Monaco. What does it stand for?
“Change One Life” (www.changeonelife.ru) was founded 5 years ago in Russia and has also been operating in Ukraine for the last 2 years. What is our mission? We create short video profiles for children who live in orphanages. To this date, we have made 39,000 videos, and 13,000 children have found a family with our help.
I am sure that helping children find a family will resonate in the hearts of Monaco residents. It cannot be otherwise! There are so many people who are not indifferent and caring parents who are well aware that a child must live in a family, not in an orphanage. I understand that not everyone can adopt a child, but helping one find his or her way home, anyone can do that.
Just help us film a video about him and then share his story with all your friends, through your social networks. That’s how thousands of happy parents learned of the existence of our video database. Please follow the link to see what we are doing in Change One Life foundation:
If you want to help us to film a video, please click the link below: https://changeonelife.ru/donations/
Olga, could you share your 5 basic life principles?
It is not a simple question, but I will try:
1. Sometimes actions are better than words. I make decisions quickly. This approach works the best for me. If I like an idea, find it inspiring, I go for it straight away. And I find solutions while implementing it into life. I prefer not to waste too much time analyzing and reflecting. I begin to act while I am still boiling with enthusiasm.
2. Always searching for new friends and acquaintances. They say that true friends are those whom you have known from the cradle. I do not quite agree with that. I’m always looking for new, interesting, successful people from whom I can learn. There are many of those in Monaco. I also intend to write about them at HelloMonaco.com.
3. You don’t have to be a genius, just be persistent. Men are the ones designed to be geniuses. They are revolutionaries, inventors, and pioneers. The strength of a woman is in being stubborn and continuously persevering her goal. My husband is a genius! I am just stubborn.
4. Not a day without sports. It’s only been 5 years since I started exercising regularly. Before, I would always find excuses not to go to a fitness club or for a run. Like many, I bought an annual subscription to the sports club, which I would only use at the time of purchase. These days, my sports ‘menu’ includes interval trainings, kick-boxing and stretching. I keep looking for new sports activities and try to exercise at least 4 times a week. Regular exercise is hard work, based on a strong motivation. In return I get charged with positive energy for the whole day. I am highly efficient and, most importantly, inspired. And good health comes as a package with these workouts.
5. If you are asked for help, then help! I like helping. No matter how, whether just advice or kind words of encouragement to a friend who is sad about the complexity of life. Being useful is very cool and very nice! That is why helping the Foundation “Change One life” is a necessity for me. Each child whose life is saved makes me happier, gives a special meaning to my life. I will keep doing everything I can. I am also counting on the support of my friends, acquaintances and readers.
Please contact me at olga@hellomonaco.com, see you in Monaco!
