Professional
In their early 20s people rarely know what they want to do in life. The main character of our story, Virginia Records manager Stanislava Armoutlieva, is an exception. Having trained to become an actress, she became the head of the local representatives of the worlds biggest musical company.
Back then, Armoutlieva was a young woman who liked theatre, cinema and dance and enjoyed reading Tennessee Williams, Harold Pinter and Sam Shepard, but had little conception of the music business, marketing, finances or intellectual property. It all began when I met an extraordinary German, Michael Kunstman, who quickly decided that I had the potential to be a fighter. He started convincing me that [the age of] 21 years were sufficient time for me to take my life in my own hands and make my first important decisions. I had to decide whether I really wanted to be an actress and whether I was ready to run the risk. Could I bear someone constantly directing me or would I prefer being a director myself? He offered me the chance to start Bulgarias first entirely legal musical company and entrusted me with enormous responsibilities.
Having almost no knowledge of English, Armoutlieva taught herself from a heap of text and grammar books. I had to overcome my nature and learn to communicate freely with all kinds of people who were often older and more competent than me. Starting with just three people, Virginia Records has become one of the biggest companies in the Bulgarian music business.
Entering the companys offices offers an insight into its success. Immediately you feel as though youre on the premises of a well-greased machine, although the machine metaphor is not entirely pertinent because it excludes the human touch. Beehive is probably a better word to describe the scene because just like in a beehive everyone there knows what they are doing. Here, however, we should exclude the queen bee element from the equation as Armoutlieva does not believe in vertical hierarchy. Everyone calls her Sani, short for Stanislava. I prefer to try to be part of my team, rather than act like the big boss. It just doesnt seem very efficient practice to me. Occasionally, of course, I have to undertake a less pleasant role because I have more responsibilities than other people, but I am very much a part of the group and I dont really believe in hierarchy, she says.
Armoutlievas employees are her most important capital, as she describes it. She says shes always willing to do a lot for them. I personally dont need special motivation when I work and I try to surround myself with like-minded people. She admits that she doesnt have a recipe for recognising trustworthy people, whether employees, partners or artists. I trust that ball in my stomach, which we often call intuition, she says.
There are great differences when working with Bulgarians and other nationalities, Armoutlieva admits. Most foreigners I liaise with work in civilised markets. Unfortunately, thats not the case here yet. There are some purely cultural differences as well.
As a manager of a musical company, one of Armoutlievas most important battles is against piracy. Since its creation, Virginia records has contributed to several very important amendments in Bulgarian legislation such as the ratification of the Rome and Geneva Conventions and the incorporation of intellectual property theft into the Bulgarian Penal Code. Armoutlieva is chair of the management board of the Bulgarian Association of Musical Producers (BAMP). Asked whether victory over piracy was an achievable goal, Armoutlieva says it may never be completely feasible. We want to achieve creativity to have a field of expression and we want cultural industries to be able to create new products.
Personal
The young theatre-loving woman has grown into a busy businesswoman who has to balance a demanding job with family responsibilities. How she does it, I dont know, given that there are only 24 hours in the day. However, I can guess Armoutlieva seems to be one of those people who somehow stretches her time so that she can fit everything in. Our conversations proved it. Short as our interview was, Armoutlieva considered all her answers carefully, creating a calm and peaceful atmosphere. Her conversation betrays little sign of time pressure or tension. Witnessing this phenomenon is quite an experience in todays stressful world.
Armoutlieva says that at the end of the day, she feels that her work is accomplished when final results bear fruit. We all work in the name of specific goals and specific results, even if the end product gives satisfaction rather than material benefits. Having a successful career always raises the question of what a woman wins and loses on the way to the top. And how do you define success? To me, success is a very complicated configuration of harmony in my private life and the opportunity to do something I love and which changes me everyday, makes me independent and, in a way, free, says Stanislava. This balance can be very difficult to achieve. I dont say that I have achieved it, but Im striving for it (...) Sacrifices are made everyday. Nevertheless, Armoutlieva reveals that she lives with her dream man and the two daughters she always wanted. They always forgive me when I fail to be a good mother or wife, she says.
If its true that behind every successful man is a strong woman, perhaps we should wonder who stands behind a successful and strong woman. One marvellous man, usually, Armoutlieva says. Finding support in your private life is vital because our work, especially my work, is quite outrageous and hostile. You need a safety valve, somewhere to escape to and examine what is happening to you during the day in a completely different light; a different, less dramatic point of view, is very important to survive in the stress we are exposed to.
Do your children realise that you actually have a cool job? Yes, I think so. They realise that its something nice because they like music. The only discussion we keep having about my job is why I come home late almost every day. This is something difficult to explain. I blame myself frequently, saying that there is nothing worth robbing time from them, but even so I do it more often than Id like.
Managing a company and a family leaves little spare time. During her rare moments of free time Armoutlieva goes to yoga or gymnastics, enjoys a massage or escapes somewhere for a few days with her husband. And if you have ever wondered what music a musical company manager listens to, the answer is Chambao, Tomatito and Jan Garbarek. Still, theatre remains one of Armoutlievas greatest loves. Deep down, Ive never quit theatre completely, I dont discount the possibility I may be tempted by it again, she says. But when it comes to dreams, Armoutlieva wishes to achieve greater internal peace and to continue affording the luxury of having a good family and successful career. Dont we all?
Snapshot
The manager: Stanislava Armoutlieva
The job: Manager
The company: Virginia Records
In brief: Virginia Records was founded as the Bulgarian representative of what was then, back in the early 1990s, the worlds biggest musical company, PolyGram. Since 1999, when Universal Musics owner Seagram bought PolyGram, Virginia Records has been an exclusive Bulgarian partner of Universal Music Group. The group unites, under one umbrella, some of the most successful labels in the world, publishing names like U2, Andrea Bocelli, Elton John, Metallica, Luciano Pavarotti, Eminem, 50 Cent, Sting, Bon Jovi, Enrique Iglesias, Rammstein, Mariah Carey and Black Eyed Peas, among others. Besides Universal Musics catalogue, Virginia Records also represents the independent labels Roadrunner Records, Magic Records and V2.
