Marina Kovaleva Public figure, producer Country: USA

Marina Kovaleva: Biography of a Public Figure and Producer

Marina Kovaleva, a renowned public figure and producer, was born in Odessa. Raised by her grandparents, she developed a deep love and respect for them, which she still feels to this day, even though they have long passed away.

After completing high school in Odessa, Kovaleva's educational journey took her to Siberia, where she studied at the Irkutsk State University named after Zhdanov. She later finished her education in Leningrad at the Zhdanov Leningrad State University. During her time in Leningrad, Kovaleva worked as an ethnographer at the Museum of Ethnography of the Peoples of the USSR, a place with which she still maintains a close friendship.

In 1979, Marina emigrated to the United States. In an interview, she recalls being amazed by the world of American museums, which was completely unknown to her in the closed Soviet Union. In 1980, she managed to secure a position at the Brooklyn Museum, where she worked in the costume and textile department for about three years. Interestingly, Marina had no knowledge of the English language when she first started her job.

When government employees faced job cuts, Marina Kovaleva was almost deprived of her position. However, her colleagues vigorously advocated for her, and she was able to continue her career in the museum field. Despite maintaining her job, she became deeply contemplative during that time and eventually decided to pursue her idea of creating a tourism business. In May 1982, her small business, initially conceived as a local enterprise, took off. Surprisingly, within a few months, the business began to grow rapidly. "People Travel Club" eventually became a leader in the American tourism market for Russia and Eastern Europe. In 1997, the agency became part of the largest American company, "Glavs Travel." Meanwhile, Marina gradually shifted her focus towards production and PR activities.

One of the most significant moments in Marina's life was her friendship and collaboration with Galina Volchek, with whom she worked on several grand projects. One of these projects was bringing the theater "Sovremennik" to the United States. Despite the skepticism towards the success of having a Russian theater on Broadway in 1996, Marina and Galina's idea proved to be a triumph. Marina and Galina served as co-producers of the project. The Russian theater was honored with a "Drama Desk Award," and Marina Kovaleva was named "Producer of the Year."

In 1999 and 2000, Marina Kovaleva collaborated with Konstantin Ernst on the project "Old Songs About the Main Thing" at Radio City Music Hall. During the same period, she actively participated in organizing city festivals in New York for Russian, Tibetan, and other ethnic groups.

Additionally, Marina worked on organizing the "Russian Film Week in New York" and in 2002, she came up with the idea for the "Russian Beat" project, which was featured in the Sunday edition of the "Daily News" newspaper. In 2004, Marina organized the 10th anniversary edition of the "Golden Gramophone" at Radio City Music Hall.

In 2005, Marina was a producer for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Victory Day in New York, as well as arranging Telebridge events for war veterans. Since 2003, she has been a permanent producer of the "Russian Heritage Festival."

In 2009, Marina worked on the 1st joint Russian-American Book Fair. That same year, she became the initiator and main organizer of the law on the Russian language in cooperation with the Governor of New York State. As a result, starting from that year, all electoral materials in cities with populations of one million or more in the state of New York are translated into Russian. Marina organized a ceremonial event to commemorate this achievement.

Marina Kovaleva is known for her optimism and zest for life. According to her own admission, she is always ready for interesting encounters whenever she steps out onto the street. Her daughter Rina, who is her business partner and closest friend, holds a significant place in Marina's life. Marina divorced her first husband, and her second husband is an American television producer. However, each has their own separate business ventures.