Anna Vaulina

Izimvo is honoured to introduce DStv Online’s Marketing Manager, Anna Vaulina.

Anna recently joined MultiChoice as the DStv Online Marketing Manager. She is responsible for all online marketing of the MultiChoice websites including SuperSport, Vuzu, Mnet, DStv and the new African Film Library.

Be sure to check out the new Mnet website which is currently in beta testing. http://beta.mnet.co.za/

Google Profile: http://www.google.co.za/profiles/AnnaVaulina
Twitter: http://twitter.com/annaling
Location: Johannesburg

Anna was kind enough to answer the following questions for us:

Personal

Q: The all important personal profile. How would a close friend introduce you at a social event? i.e. Name, age, company, interesting fact etc.

A: Well, it all largely depends on who that friend is, friends that I’ve grown up with generally introduce me as Anna or Annaling. I’ve been known to be introduced as the Russian and Ling too. I’ve managed to accumulate a number of nicknames mostly highly suited for short, blonde girls.

In a nutshell, Hi, My name is Anna and I’m clutching on-to the last few days of being 26 and I am Russian. Wait, Estonian, no Russian. Actually I am more South African…

Q: Tell us something that not many others know about you. This could be anything from a phobia to your favorite movie.

A: I’ve attended 7 different schools on two bi-polar continents. I’ve worked as a professional interpreter to earn money at Varsity and used to interpret mining lectures for Russian engineers at Wits and participate in underground coal mining trips. I’m partial to chocolate. I have to smell everything which means I end up with food or whatever else it was I was smelling on the tip of my nose, usually unbeknown to me.

Q: What do you enjoy doing when you want to get away from it all?

A: I have more energy than what I know to do with, so anything outdoors, preferably near water makes me incredibly happy. If I can get out-of-town, a weekend at the coast or in the bush will do wonders for your energy and soul. If it’s just an afternoon in the city I will have to bundle up Boris-the-Magnificent (http://www.twitpic.com/mplc7 ) and head off to Emmarentia for a long stroll.

Q: How would you describe your dream home and where in South Africa would you want it to be?

A: As a future property mogul, the first of my two main homes will have to be on the Atlantic Seaboard between Bantry and Camps Bay, the type with a 180 degree view of the pink Cape Sunset and the ocean, floor to ceiling glass windows and heavy wood or aluminium settings. I want to be able to have friends around and be surrounded by the mountains and the fresh breeze from the ocean.

My second ‘main’ home would be on the Westcliff hill, with a view of the Jacarandas stretching over the Johannesburg horizon and the rolling hills with the CBDs popping out amongst the trees.

My other holiday homes would include: Knysna (with a view of the Knysna heads), Mozambique border and Limpopo so I can be close to the Giraffes. The lions can protect me there.

This question was proudly sponsored by Private Property.

Digital Entertainment in South Africa

Q: Congratulations on your recently appointment as marketing manager of DSTV Online. Can you tell us a little about the position and what attracted you to it?

A: I love being the Marketing Manager for DStv Online. I feel incredibly lucky to be in this position at such a young age and I can’t wait to shape the role and make a difference for the group. I look after all the online marketing aspects of the MultiChoice set of websites, www.Supersport.com, www.Vuzu.tv, Mnet.co.za, www.dstv.com and www.africanfilmlibrary.com amongst others. It’s an incredibly exciting time to be involved in the company as there are a lot of new things coming from the group.

I also look after most of the Mxit presence and advertising, PR and comms for the websites and DStv Online, as well as looking after the internal comms of the DStv Online team. I love the challenge and the volume of work keeps me motivated and out of trouble. We’re also trying out new things in the social media space which is exciting as I feel extremely fortunate to be able to run all these projects and be involved in so many aspects of the company. Obviously not to mention the SEM and SEO campaigns that we are busy putting into place for the sites.

I think originally I was hired to only do the strict online marketing but now my responsibilities have grown to include anything remotely marketing related for DStv Online. I’ve always been a closet geek and the fact that I could be exposed to so many talented people and this innovative online space in South Africa is what originally attracted me to the position.

Q: Can you tell us about some of the advances DSTV Online has made in recent years?

A: We’ve recently launched www.Africanfilmlibrary.com which is in its Beta stage until early next year. We’ve secured the rights to over 600 African film titles; movies that have made an impact on the African cinematography and in most parts have won accolades for the filmmakers. It is an incredible online space and we have a chance to preserve the African heritage and share it with rest of the world. It will be one of the first fully fledged Video-on-Demand spaces where users can download and watch the movies as a rental service.

Q: DSTV Mobile has been in trial for a number of years. Can you give us an update as to its progress and future plans especially in regard to the 2010 Soccer World Cup?

A: As with the rest of South Africa, everyone has special plans for the 2010 Soccer World Cup and I am sure so do DStv Mobile. Unfortunately I am not privy to all their information, but they are an awesome bunch of people and I’m sure that they have a lot of things up their sleeves.

Q: Can you tell us about some of the features of DSTV.com that we might not know about?

A: e DStv.com forum (http://forum.dstv.com/ ) is incredibly successful. We have a panel of experts throughout the business to answer users questions and it acts as first contact point before users approach the call centre.

It is encouraging to see so many DStv advocates helping fellow members address their queries and help each other out. We monitor the Forum very closely but we allow our users to democratically exercise their freedom of speech, which is not always very welcomed by most corporates and often ends in tough questions having to be answered by the group.

Q: When do you think services such as Hulu.com and the BBC’s iPlayer will be viable in South Africa?

A: This is a tough question, as a lot of the content that these services provide is rights secured for certain geo-locations. Until the content providers change their rights we will not see these services in South Africa. This is a major political and commercial game for the production houses and in this day and age where all the content originators are trying to make online content commercially viable (or not run at a flat-out loss) they will need to see scale and commercial gains before they would launch anything in South Africa.

If you look at online properties like the BBC iPlayer, it is a VOD extension of the BBC brand, which provides the users with a catch-up service. We are not a key territory for them so I don’t see why they would want to spend resources rolling it out in South Africa (but I am not on their board of directors so who knows what they have in store).

Another major shortcoming of the SA online space is the lack of bandwidth. How many times have all of us wondered if we can download that latest episode of Californication or is that going to leave us capped 3 days into the month? What about the irritating buffering beach ball of hell? The speed alone is a barrier to entry into this market. You can’t grow scale for an online property if you only have 10% of the population with limited, handicapped access to the Internet. Imagine watching Egoli on a Vodacom 3G. I’d rather poke my eyes out – on both counts.

I would suggest that you closely watch this space for new video developments in the South African market from our own local brands.

Life in South Africa

Q: Have you or any of your immediate family been affected by crime? If yes, has it changed your perception of the country and the way you and your family live your lives?

A: Is there anyone in South Africa that hasn’t been affected by crime? Has it changed our perception? Of course it has, but I like to think that it does not dictate the way I live my life. Yes, I am more vigilant and may think twice these days before driving into downtown Joburg late at night alone (something I used to do freely in the past) but I refuse for it to get in the way of my life. If anything, I think it has made us be more protective of our country and care so much more about what happens to all of us as a nation.

Q: Have you ever considered emigration? If yes, where do you think you would emigrate to?

A: Yes and No. Yes, because essentially we are immigrants in South Africa as I was born in Estonia. No, because even though I lived in England for a very long short time, I couldn’t think of a better place to live than in South Africa. I feel very sad for the people who fail to see the natural beauty and the business opportunities that this country provides. Wake-up people, wake-up!

Q: If you were given the opportunity of sitting down with the president, what advice would you offer him?

A: Set-up computer labs and educational facilities in low-income areas. Being computer literate and online savvy will take you very far in business and in life and will aid young entrepreneurs to achieve their dreams.

Also I’d thank him for not wearing Madiba shirts and ask him if the shower really helped.

Q: To which three attractions would you first take an international visitor?

A: Three attractions would never give this country justice. Can I make it three days? Sweet. And money is not a concern of course…

Day 1: Wake up at the Ellerman Villa in Bantry Bay and take a helicopter trip over the Cape Peninsula to stop for lunch in the winelands with some highly drinkable wine like Kanonkop. Afternoon on Table Mountain followed by cocktails in Camps Bay and dinner at one of the many scrumptious restaurants.

Day 2: Miraculously wake up in Johannesburg at the Saxon and go on a tour through the chaotic CBD and Soweto. I’d probably take them to dinner at Moyo at Melrose Arch only because of its palatable touristy atmosphere.

Day 3: Wake up at Singita or Royal Malewane in the bush and spend the day with the lions and the giraffes in their natural habitat. I think you’ve not lived until you have been charged by 20 elephants and a wounded buffalo. True story.

Life in Johannesburg

Q: What are favorite venues for a great night out?

A: Well, that depends on the company, but I would say dinner at Cilantro or one of the other Parkhurst restaurants, followed by some drinks and takkie squeaking at Gin and Tokyo Star. Sinfully dark and full of art and film students you are guaranteed a fun night out.

Q: What do you most enjoy about living in Johannesburg?

A: I love the rawness and the organized chaos that is Johannesburg. You never know what or who you’re going to encounter on a routine trip to pick up the milk. Out of all the places I’ve lived in the world, I feel incredibly at home in Johannesburg.

Q: Favorite restaurant for a lazy Sunday afternoon lunch?

A: Once again, depends on company. For a more formal day out, nothing beats the opulent Saxon brunch. For an informal get together with friends a picnic at the botanical gardens or if I lived in the Western Cape I would head up to Kalk Bay for a luncheon. I’m also inclined to say home with loads of nice home cooked food, something I don’t get enough of these days!

General

Q: What are some of the more interesting ways that DSTV Online is making use of social media?

A: We’ve incorporated social media into all the online properties that we look after. We also have a social network underpinning a lot of the M-Net local production websites which have been very successful especially with shows like the Big Brother Africa and on Vuzu.tv as they allow users to connect, comment and interact with each other and the websites.

Q: If you were able to pick anyone as your mentor, who would it be and why?

A: I could never just pick one. I’d like to think that everyone that surrounds me has something that I can learn from, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses and I like to identify strengths that others have and learn how I can incorporate them into my own life, personal and professional. I would love to leave a legacy like Anna Wintour, Maria Ramos or Mother Theresa. Ok, we know the last one aint gonna happen…

Q: Favorite channel and show on DSTV?

A: Is it wrong of me to confess that I don’t own a TV? I’m planning on changing that shortly but my life is either online or completely offline, I watch most of the video online or in the comfort of my own time and will, at friends houses. Show wise I would have to pick the Big Bang Theory and Californication. Mighty Boosh is still one of my all time favourite shows.

Q: One book that you would make required reading for all matric pupils?

Q: Where’s Wally? Happy spotting! I would suggest anything on emotional intelligence or any of the more popular business books just to show the young kids that with enough drive you can achieve anything you put your mind to!

But at that age none of the business books will resonate with you, so I would like to make sure that it is compulsory to study global history and the political and economic mistakes so that we don’t produce the next Hitler, Bob or Sarah Palin.

Q: Favorite South African brand?

A: Julius Malema. Never has one adult made such a joke out of a youth organisation. Hours of amusement.

Q: Who would you most like to read about on Izimvo?

A: Shabir Shaik, ask him how his golf swing is going. Trevor Ncube ( http://twitter.com/3bucn) on his view of what Zim needs in order to turn around its economic conditions.

Anna together with a number of popular South African web personalities made local and international headlines in June when the Ford Ranger they were traveling in collided head-on with an aeroplane. The group were traveling home after a freeboarding outing near Krugersdorp. Fellow Izimvo interviewees, Mike Stopforth, Nic Haralambous and Don Packett were also at the scene of the accident. Luckily no-one  was seriously injured.

A massive thank you to Anna for taking the time to answer our questions. We’d like to wish her every success for the future.