How a girl from Kazakhstan lives in New York and edits videos for Nike, Puma and Dior

Kamila Daurenova from Ust-Kamenogorsk once wanted to become a doctor, but now she works in advertising and lives in New York. The girl studied at Nazarabayev University and was going to become a surgeon, but her craving for creativity turned out to be stronger. At 24, she works with big names like Nike, Dior, Facebook and Puma. WeProject.

When Camila was 2 years old, her family moved to Almaty, where she finished school at 16, writes Steppes. She entered University Nazarbayeva, but always wanted to be creative. In parallel with her studies, she began to shoot cartoons and created her portfolio. After all, the girl really wanted to realize her dream in America.

Soon she took the documents from the university and applied to universities in the USA, Great Britain and Singapore. Camila's expectations were met: she won a full grant to study at NYU with a degree in cinematography. For Camila and her family, financial support was one of the main factors for admission, since studying at foreign universities was expensive.

The girl says that she was funny when everyone around thought that she was from a very wealthy family.

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“My parents invested a lot in me. They wanted me to study abroad, they borrowed money to pay for my studies at the Miras School. My father knew that I would work. He never forced me to get married early, because he saw me as a purposeful girl, ”Kamila said in an interview.

Education at New York University

Each year in undergraduate studies, students were required to create films of a different genre. Camila's first work was a low-budget short film about a couple who are stuck in time after breaking up.

Internship at MTV

While studying at NYU, Camila completed an internship on MTV. She worked on the popular show Saturday Night Live. In practice, at MTV and Saturday Night Live, Camila edited video content and assisted directors. All this time, the girl worked on her portfolio, which plays a key role in employment.

“I often edit and come up with different ideas for films and clips. Once I made an adaptation of the cartoon "Coraline in Nightmareland". She posted the video on her YouTube channel, where it got two million views. It was one of my first projects, and, frankly, I did not expect such a reaction,” says Camila.

Working with big brands

“I used to think I wanted to be a director. But it is difficult to realize as a director, so I chose editing. I had an internship in this area, and it was easier for me to get a job right away. Gradually I fell in love with this business and since then I do not want to do anything else. Now I edit music videos and commercials. During this time, I was able to work with brands such as Nike, Puma, Dior and others,” Kamila tells WeProject.

Camila has her own studio in a New York apartment. The workflow is structured in such a way that various projects are sent to her, which she can edit. Business processes are handled by the agency that represents it, finds work and negotiates with clients.

“My whole profession is about finding a balance between creative vision and the opinions of others. Often clients come to me knowing that I am 24 years old and their target audience is young people. They follow what is happening, what trends are relevant this season and want to present them in an unusual way. There are times when I stand up for my rights. But the more works in my portfolio, the more they have a desire to cooperate with me,” says Camila.

Another difficulty is crazy deadlines. One day, a girl was editing a music video that was delivered on Friday, but had to be finished on Sunday. She worked two days in a row without sleep. But she is pleased that she does not have to wait several months to see the result of her labors.

“Now they recognize me as an editor, and directors come to me. I understand that I am starting to create my name in New York, ”says Camila.

According to Camila, after graduating from MTV University, where she did an internship, she was invited to work in the state. She worked part-time by editing videos. Then she was noticed by Nike, who also offered to work in their state.

She recently worked on a project for artist Justine Skye and her track In My Bag. According to Camila, the director of the clip, Loris Russier, listened to the opinion of the girl. The video premiered at Times Square, and the work itself got into MTV rotation.

Inspiration

Camila is inspired by other people's projects, photos, events in the world. Her recent work, Madeline, has yet to be published. This is a work about children.

“I really enjoy working with children. They make good actors. The film is built around children and their stories. It's Career Day at Lakeside Elementary, and among those who dream of being a veterinarian, firefighter, and dancer, one kid stands out: Madeline the Exorcist. This little girl is about to expel a guinea pig from her class. The film turned out to be a comedy, but it also has a deeper message: in this way, the girl is trying to understand how to expel an objectionable father who uses psychoactive substances from the family, ”says Camila.

Difficulties of working in America

There are no taboo topics in America, according to the girl. Everyone can write and talk about whatever they want. But at the same time, there is discrimination and infringement of rights.

“When you are a woman in the film industry, you unwittingly encounter unpleasant incidents. Since my environment is dominated by men, it is necessary to fight for your place and a decent salary. But it happens at the beginning, when you graduate from university, you don't have enough experience. And now, having gained experience and having a portfolio, it has become much easier to climb the career ladder. I also worked diligently on an equal footing with everyone and demanded the same attitude towards myself,” says Camila.

Kamila Daurenova has long dreamed of working with Aisultan Seitov and making a video for Scryptonite. The girl actively follows the creative industry in Kazakhstan, so she wants to develop in this direction.

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“I know for sure that I will return to Kazakhstan”

Camila says that it is very difficult to work as a director after film school - you need connections and finances. Now she works as an editor, in her spare time she works as a director. Camila loves her job very much and devotes herself completely to it.

“I know for sure that I want to return to Kazakhstan when I gain financial independence and my own capital. I want to talk about Kazakhstan, but at the moment it is easier to implement my ideas here in America,” says Kamila.