Irina Sosnovaya

Born in Kazakhstan, Irina came to Moscow to become a journalist. Graduating from the Faculty of Political Science at the Higher School of Economics, she started to work at the main Russian news TV channel in, NTV, when she was only 16. At age 23, she became an Executive Producer for prime-time news and documentary films. Her first documentary movie about the horrors of WW2, "Rzhev," was awarded the leading annual national film award in Russia, Nika. Later she made more than 20 documentary films for various Russian TV channels as a producer. In 2013 she finally realized that there are no independent media outlets in Russia and began making entertainment television programs. She worked as CTC Media's Marketing Director, the leading entertainment TV channel in Russia. Irina became one of the most successful TV series marketers. It was her vision to not only sell, but also to create the company's own TV series. Irina joined the Yellow, Black and White team as a producer and showrunner at Start, a new VOD platform. "Russian Affairs" was the first TV series Irina made as a producer and a showrunner, and it became a sensation within the industry. The project became the first in Russia to be sold on Amazon in the Original and Exclusive sections. Channel 4, one of the largest British TV channels, also bought "Russian Affairs" and put it on air. This successful project was renewed for 3 seasons. It became the most popular on the Start postform and the most talked about TV series of 2019. The second series created by Irina, "Storm," was also a great success. It attained the most popular awards in Russia and took second place in the New York Film Festival in 2020. While working on her latest show, "A Good Man," about the most notorious maniac in Russia - responsible for killing 85 women - Irina met the murderer at the center of the site. She conducted several hours of interviews with him, which ultimately formed a basis of the script. The show was released on the Start platform in August 2020 and was selected to participate in Serial Killer - an international TV festival. In her projects, and as a journalist, Irina continues to raise topical and important social issues, such as discrimination against women in Russia, domestic violence, and social inequality, to help make them a subject of discussion. Irina became a member of the International Emmy Awards jury in 2020 and the pitching team member of the major Russian film festivals Kinotavr and MIFF.