Katya Soldak

Katya Soldak
Катя Солдак
Katya Soldak standing on a road with a bicycle bearing the logo Citi-Bike
Soldak in 2016
Born
Katia Soldak

1977 (age 46–47)
NationalityAmerican, Ukrainian
Alma materColumbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Occupation(s)Author, journalist, documentary filmmaker
EmployerForbes
Known forEastern Europe-focussed journalism
Notable workThe Long Breakup (documentary)
This Is How Propaganda Works (memoir-essay)

Katya Soldak[a] (born 1977 in Kharkiv) is a New-York-based journalist,[1] documentary filmmaker, and author of Ukrainian origin.[2] She is currently the editorial director for Forbes Media's international editions, focussing on Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet territories.[3]

Early life and education

Soldak was born and raised in Kharkiv, Ukraine. [4] While attending H.S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University Soldak worked for one of the first independent TV stations in Ukraine in the 90s.[5][6] From 2001 to 2003, Katya Soldak studied at Emerson College.[7] In 2008, she graduated from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism with a Master's degree in digital media.[8]

Career

After graduation, Soldak began work as a journalist, covering issues related to Eastern Europe. Soldak worked for CBS News and various production houses in New York City, before she started her career at Forbes Media.[1] There she holds the position of an editorial director of Forbes Media's international editions, with the focus of Eastern Europe and anything related to Post-Soviet states.[3] Her work is also seen in NewsBreak, Forbes Argentina, BEAMSTART, and Forbes Ecuador.[9]

She is the author of the memoir-essay "This Is How Propaganda Works", which chronicles her experiences growing up in the Soviet Union. The essay was released on December 20, 2017.[10]

Soldak directed the in 2020 released documentary The Long Breakup.[11] Since Russia started all-out war on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the film developed an international following with dozens of film screenings often accompanied by discussions and fundraisers for Ukraine in North America and Europe. The film has been a subject of screenings in universities and human rights organizations, prompting discussions about Ukraine, Russian war crimes in Ukraine and Russian propaganda internationally.[12] A number of European TV channels aired "The Long Breakup" translated into local languages, such as French, German,[13] Spanish, Greek, Dutch, Polish, Russian, and Hebrew.[14][15][16]

In 2021 Soldak created podcast series From Socialism to Capitalism about life in the 1990s in the former Soviet Bloc countries.[17]

Since the escalation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, she's been covering the news in Ukraine daily. Soldak frequently speaks publicly about the war in Ukraine, Ukrainian identity, media and importance of Ukrainian perspective in covering news.[18][19][20]

During the 2022 World Economic Forum in Davos Soldak moderated a panel Defending Freedom From The Frontlines[21] with Ukrainians remotely connecting from the battlefield, for Ukraine House Davos. The panel featured Maryna Babchynitser, the Correspondent Officer of the Operational Battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine; Yehor Cherniev, Malcolm Nance, and Oleh Sentsov. During the 2023 World Economic Forum Soldak moderated a panel at Ukraine House Davos titled "Defending Our Freedom: Ukrainian Bravery on the Frontline, which featured lawyers Yegor Firsov and Masi Nayyem, Yulia Paevska (Taira), and Illia Samoilenko (Gandalf)[22]

On March 3, Soldak took part in the Night of Ideas in New York speaking on Ukrainian identity and covering the war.[23]

Personal life

Soldak lives and works in New York City with her daughter.[14]

Bibliography

  • Soldak, Katya (2013). FROM OLIGARCH TO PRESIDENT?: Mikhail Prokhorov is a tycoon in Russia, Jay-Z's partner in Brooklyn-and a strong candidate to eventually replace Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin, a prospect the billionaire is turning into his full-time job. FORBES. ISSN 0015-6914. OCLC 830786147.
  • Soldak, Katya (2014). OLIGARCH IN THE MIDDLE As Russian troops roll in, Ukraine's second-richest man, Victor Pinchuk, must choose between his head and his heart. FORBES. ISSN 0015-6914. OCLC 5562078782.

Notes

  1. ^ Ukrainian: Катя Солдак, romanizedKatia Soldak

References

  1. ^ a b "THE LONG BREAKUP". unaff.org. United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF). Retrieved 15 March 2023. Soldak...works through two revolutions, and endures a war
  2. ^ Veilleux, Hayley (March 10, 2022). "They Didn't Know Which Way to Go". lithub.com. Literary Hub. Retrieved 16 March 2023. Katya Soldak, Forbes editorial director and documentary filmmaker...who grew up in the country
  3. ^ a b "Katya Soldak, Forbes Staff". Forbes. Retrieved 18 March 2023. Katya Soldak is the editorial director of Forbes Media's international editions... Her strongest focuses are Eastern Europe and anything related to Post-Soviet territory.
  4. ^ "Refuge in a bookstore". www.bostonglobe.com. BostonGlobe. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  5. ^ "Ukrainian Film Club Discussion: "The Long Breakup" (10/21/20)". library.columbia.edu. Columbia University. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  6. ^ "Почему фильм ДОЛГОЕ ПРОЩАНИЕ обязателен к просмотру". youtube.com. current time doc. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Film Katye Soldak: Ispovijest sovjetske pionirke ili kronika ukrajinske netranzicije". jutarnji.hr. Jutarnji. 21 November 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  8. ^ "2008 Master's Projects". library.columbia.edu. Columbia University. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  9. ^ "Katya Soldak's Profile". muckrack.com. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  10. ^ "This Is How Propaganda Works: A Look Inside A Soviet Childhood". forbes.com. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  11. ^ "What does it mean to be Ukrainian enough?Documentary "The Long Breakup" tackles question of Ukrainian identity". The Ukrainian Weekly. October 2021. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  12. ^ "'The Long Breakup' gives context to conflict in Ukraine". startribune.com. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  13. ^ "Themenabend zum Krieg in der Ukraine". ARTE Presse (in German). Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  14. ^ a b "Фильм "Долгое прощание" ( the film "THE LONG BREAKUP")". golosameriki.com (in Russian). Voice of America. 22 April 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2023. Солдак...Имеет дочь (Soldak...has a daughter)
  15. ^ "Film Katye Soldak: Ispovijest sovjetske pionirke ili kronika ukrajinske netranzicije". jutarnji.hr (in Croatian). 21 November 2020. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  16. ^ "קטיה סולדק, שכתבה את המאמר, היא אמריקנית ממוצא אוקראיני ומנהלת התוכן של המהדורות הבינלאומיות בפורבס בארה"ב. סרטה "The Long Breakup" מוקרן בימים אלהבמרכז תרבות אניס, בתל אביב-יפו". forbes.co.il (in Hebrew). 9 June 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  17. ^ "From Socialism to Capitalism". podcasts.apple.com. Katya Soldak. 22 November 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2023. Forbes journalist Katya Soldak...hosts a series of conversations with...people who experienced life during the transition from socialism to capitalism
  18. ^ "A year of reporting from Ukraine: 'Magnitude and proximity made this story different'". pressgazette.co.uk. 23 February 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-28. Katya Soldak, editorial director of Forbes' international editions, is Ukrainian herself and has been working with the Forbes Ukraine team from New York. She said they, and other Ukrainian journalists, "know Ukraine in and out and have this ability to provide the angle that is not clouded by the Western perspective.
  19. ^ "Katya Soldak and The Long Breakup: The story of decolonization and the end of an empire". Rashkin Report / Рашкiн Рапорт. Retrieved 2023-03-28. Katya Soldak is a New-York-based journalist and the editorial director of Forbes Media's international editions. Katya is the director of the documentary The Long Breakup and the author of the memoir-essay This Is How Propaganda Works. She spoke about her movie with Yuri Rashkin for Rashkin Report.
  20. ^ "Ukraina mojego dzieciństwa. Opowiada Katya Soldak – dziennikarka i reżyserka filmowa mieszkająca w Nowym Jorku". innpoland.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  21. ^ "Ukraine House Davos 2022 – Day 1 – Defending Freedom on the Frontlines". YouTube.
  22. ^ "UKRAINE HOUSE DAVOS OPENS FROM JAN 16–19 IN DAVOS. STELLAR PROGRAMME OF EVENTS AND SPEAKERS". www.ukrainehousedavos.com. 2023 UKRAINE HOUSE DAVOS. Retrieved 21 March 2023. AGENDA: Tuesday...Defending Our Freedom: Ukrainian Bravery on the Frontline, Moderator Katya Soldak
  23. ^ "Night of Ideas New York". nightofideas.org. Retrieved 2023-03-28. Documenting the War in Ukraine