TEDxVitosha · Keynote
Finding meaning beyond successWatch on YouTube ↗
The Story
From Varna to Hollywood, the long way around.
Julian’s path was anything but linear. National swimming champion. Straight-A student at a Spanish high school in Varna. With no idea what he wanted to do in life, he went on to study Business in Tilburg. After one day realizing acting was an “actual profession”, he moved to London to pursue his dream. He burned his BA degree and threw it out the window, shouting:
“There’s no Plan B. Burn the boats!”
There was no Eastern European blueprint, so he decided to become the first. No example, no problem. Becoming the example, and then using his position to open doors for other Bulgarian artists, was his dream: discovering and managing the talent of Maria Bakalova during her early years in Hollywood, then producing and acting alongside her in Triumph, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and became Bulgaria’s official Oscar submission.
Driven by a mission to export Bulgarian culture internationally and challenge stereotypes, Julian’s story shows where following your bliss and trusting your heart can take you, when matched with the courage to dream big and the discipline to put in your 10,000 hours. That journey, told with humour, honesty, and craft, is the engine behind every talk he delivers, shaped to fit the room in front of him.
Discipline
An athlete’s mindset, applied to a creative life.
Reinvention
Three careers inside one career, and still challenging new frontiers.
Identity
Representation, exporting Bulgarian culture, and the long fight against typecasting.
Persistence
What it actually takes to move from Sofia to global stages.
