Content production and operations manager Denys Sokoriev couldn’t be happier for the success of the preschool YouTube series he works on, Vlad & Niki. The immensely popular live-action show just celebrated its fifth anniversary and has 96+ million viewers on their English channel.
“Since I joined the company in 2020, the Vlad & Niki brand has had explosive growth–being part of a rapidly growing company is a fantastic experience,” he told Reel 360 News. “As I expand my skills and talents, I am truly proud to display them in our videos and see the positive reactions from our audience.”
Sokoriev has been tasked with numerous duties over the years, and has learned invaluable tips on running a successful business.
“When I first started, I had a lot to learn about creating educational content for a preschool audience. Now I oversee everything – from the idea’s concept to the final edit. My responsibilities are procuring the best equipment and hiring a talented team of people to bring the Vlad & Niki videos to life,” he said proudly.
Thankfully, Vlad and Niki’s parents, Sergey and Victoria, are very supportive of me, and are happy I have learned so much. The teams’ confidence in me is uplifting and makes me ready to come to work every day.”
Creativity is vital to the Vlad & Niki brand, which has over 330 million subscribers worldwide, said Sokoriev.
“Coming up with interesting video ideas is always a fascinating process. We anticipate that our main English channel will reach 100 million followers later this summer, which will be a significant landmark moment for us and all creators… it will make us think bigger and better!”
Sokoriev, who is originally from Ukraine, loves how education gets seamlessly blended in with fun. “We got great feedback from our viewers when Vlad’s mom taught the kids about colors via water balloons
and help them learn the alphabet Vlad and Niki Learn English Alphabet with pools | ABC.”
REELated:
The imaginative show, which was created by Trend Media LLC, was nominated for a 15th Annual Shorty Award in the Best Video category. The Vlad & Niki brand also received Best Web Series for Kids’ by the National Parenting Product Awards (NAPPA); the 43rd Annual Telly Awards’ “Silver Winner in Children’s Video;” the 26th Annual Webby Awards “Honoree in the 2022 Social Category;” 42nd Annual Telly Awards’ “Bronze Winner in the General Children’s Online;” and International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences’ 10th Annual Lovie Awards “Outstanding Work Shortlist” category.
Their Zuru Toy ‘Surprise Egg” won the silver prize in Toy Shop’s UK’s 2021 Independent Toy Awards Silver Prize in ‘License of the Year.’
“While creating top-quality content for our audience is our number one goal, it’s especially nice to be acknowledged by peers in the industry,” acknowledged Sokoriev. “There is a lot of competition for creators in the children’s entertainment and education space, and we can never settle for doing less than our best.”
Being nominated at events like The Shorty Awards give the company a little boost, noted Sokoriev. “That illustrates to us that we are doing things right and inspires us to work even harder.”
With the boys out of school soon for their summer break, Sokoriev has been busy planning what’s next. “We will create a lot of fun content in the next few months. We go on exciting adventures every year, so expect this summer to be no different!” Sokoriev enthused. (Expect to see more mystery boxes Vlad and Niki Mystery Boxes Challenge in the future!)
Shooting at different locations allows the series to try new things, which the boys “love,” said Sokoriev. “We will also release videos that capture the essence of this year, and take our viewers on escapades that will open up their imaginations and inspire them to make their summer dreams come true.”
With over 180 billion total views, and content streaming on HBO Max, Sokoriev and his team ongoingly love to try new things. “Every day, the ‘Vlad & Niki’ channels worldwide add new viewers, which gives the team a sense of responsibility to create fresh content that sets the bar higher for every video. We are always thinking about how we can create bigger and better content that wow our audience and move the brand forward.”
While creating videos is always challenging, working with the boys and their parents, ongoingly makes the work fun. “I feel part of their family, so anytime I am stressed, I remind myself that I get to create amazing content for kids around the world with people that I care about,” he said.
Colin Costello is the West Coast Editor of Reel 360. Contact him at colin@reel360.com or follow him on Twitter at @colinthewriter1
