Today we’d like to introduce you to Virag Vida.
Virag, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was seven years old when I created (wrote, edited and graphic designed) my first “women’s magazine”. It was made for my family about Barbie dolls and it surprisingly impressed my audience. I remember the feeling of joy and success if creating a “magazine”. All the skills that I needed to use for the creation – writing, drawing, editing – stayed with me. During the years, I got closer to my goals and I earned my MS degree for writing and I collected professional experiences at some entertainment magazines and I became a professional writer/journalist. I am still drawing and painting as an artist and I am editing articles. Also, I’m still enjoying my work, what led me to be my country’s number one American reporter/journalist who covers Hollywood film premieres, award ceremonies, cultural events for several major media outlets of Hungary.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The symbol of my hometown is the Phoenix bird, as it’s been destroyed many times by fire in its history. But the town always survived and has always risen from its dust. I am a nestling of the Phoenix. I had milestones in my life. The biggest one was to leave behind my country, my family, my friends, my success and start it from the beginning in America.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am a freelance writer, journalist, reporter and red carpet host in Hollywood. I started as an international journalist, but later on I had to step front of the camera and working as a reporter on the major red carpet film premiers in Hollywood. I felt that it helped a lot that I trained in the past also as a professional dancer and I got used to be in the spotlight and I knew how to use my body. Shorty, an American producer (Jackie Lewis) found me and ask me to work for her outlet, the BionicBuzz as a red carpet host. I felt very honored because it was the first time to work in English for an American outlet. It was a milestone in my carrier. I had doubts because of my accent, but I keep receiving great feedback as the audience find my questions special and they enjoying my accent. I experienced that to be different in America just makes you more special – what is one thing, what I really like in my new home.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
We lived in the socialist Hungary, behind the iron curtain, but I had a happy childhood. I had a sweet and warm family. My grandparents were very close to me and on my mother’s side they came from noble families and I got the real education from them how to behave as a princess, however the life circumstances was close to poverty that time. My great-grandfather owned the world-famous New York Café in Budapest before the World Wars. The place now is mentioned as the most elegant and beautiful café house in the world. (https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/budapest-new-york-cafe/index.html) My grandfather was a philosopher and writer and my grandmother was a teacher. I spent lots of time with them every day, after school, in their beautiful old apartment in the center of the town. That was the place of freedom and love for me and education from my early childhood. I loved them so much and what I got from them will stay with me till the end of my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bionicbuzz.com
- Phone: 314373021
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: viragca
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vidavirag
- Other: https://marieclaire.hu/author/vida-virag/
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