The creative team from the Kyiv University of Culture has presented a commemorative edition celebrating the 75th anniversary of the rector titled "Mikhail Poplavsky: Life in Photographs."
Through photographs, the three-volume work captures the life journey of the jubilarian – from defeats to victories, from successes to recognition. It reflects the connection between time and events that have changed the country, the main character, and the people surrounding him throughout his life. Each photograph carries historical significance for the jubilarian, the university, the Ukrainian show business, culture, and the country as a whole.
3"Faith is magic. People like Mikhail Poplavsky are often referred to as self-made men. His belief in himself became the driving force behind his relentless pursuit of his unique Ukrainian path. He can confidently be called an innovator and a charismatic visionary, effectively building the future. He creates not by templates and schemes but calculates many moves ahead, paving the way to the future," reads the annotation to the photo albums.
The narrative photographs convey the unique emotions and moods of both the main character and the people he encountered along his journey. They are accompanied by stories and reflections from Mikhail Poplavsky on the moments captured, periods of life, events, circumstances, and memorable aphorisms. Among them are: "Life is a struggle. Without defeats, there are no victories!", "Learn from those you love. Choose your own path! Be unique! Stay true to yourself!", "Find your favorite job and turn it into pleasure", "A leader is strong because of their team", "Only those who conquer life's circumstances become successful", "Nothing excites our enemies as much as our successes."
4Each volume is dedicated to a specific period in Mikhail Poplavsky's biography – from childhood to the present, from personality development to professional and creative achievements.
The first volume includes photographs dedicated to childhood, youth, family, homeland, leisure, the founding of his own business, charity work, personal interactions with outstanding personalities, achievements, and awards. The second volume showcases creative accomplishments: music videos, film roles, books, and television projects.
5The third volume focuses on the rector's main life endeavor – the University of Culture – the University of the Future. A leader who inspires and supports colleagues, as well as educates and motivates students – "Live, love, create, and conquer." This is the life credo of Mikhail Poplavsky, which he has validated through his professional activities.
Through the photographs in the publication, the history of Mikhail Poplavsky's rectorship, the establishment, and the university's rise to popularity under his leadership are reflected.
Starting from the implementation of the PR project "Singing Rector as Technology," which drew public attention to a lesser-known cultural institute, through all-Ukrainian concert tours "From Hearts to Hearts" promoting the university among youth, to the opening of prestigious specialties, and the Kyiv State University receiving the status of a National University of Culture and Arts, to the current stage of development.
6"The main task of every educator is to make students fall in love with them and with the profession.", says Poplavsky.
A separate section of the third volume is "The Rector on Social Media." The emergence of Mikhail Poplavsky on social media 15 years ago marked a new direction in the brand's communication strategy. Today, the rector of the University of Culture has the highest number of followers on Instagram – 8.2 million people, reaching 83% of the Ukrainian audience, 1.5 million on TikTok, and music videos on YouTube garner millions of views.
7"We create trends. My mission is to Ukrainianize social media, to lead creative, ambitious, and promising youth who will create the new history of Ukraine!", says Mikhail Poplavsky.
8In conclusion of the presentation, Mikhail Poplavsky emphasized: "Appreciate each day and create your own future! Understand what you want and do it better than anyone else! Be optimistic! Attack life! Live positively! Let's hold together the Ukrainian wave!"