Model, TV presenter, online celebrity the beautiful Anneliya Garifulina has also been a part of the cryptocurrency community almost from the start.
Anneliya moved to Moscow from Taipei two years ago, after having worked on Taiwanese TV and obtaining a sizeable army of fans. Hanging out with friends who work in the IT industry, she has been familiar to the crypto-world since as far back as 2011.
Furthermore, she is engaged as a Blockchain ambassador at Botanico, the crypto-first model agency providing the environment for women to integrate themselves with the crypto community. Botanico also offers to hire models and delegate them authorities for ads and promotion. This will help to draw attention to the project making the Blockchain industry more vivid.
Today, Cointelegraph spoke with Anneliya Garifulina about Blockchain and what it has to do with modeling.
Cointelegraph: What was your first reaction after becoming a Blockchain ambassador?
Anneliya Garifulina: When Botanico asked me to join their Blockchain ambassador campaign, I thought that now I am on the topic everyone is talking about. That’s pretty cool.
CT: What did you do in Taiwan? We know you worked there for quite a while.
AG: The first time I visited Taiwan, I fell in love with the country and the culture. At some point, I decided to move and stayed there for five years. I started learning Chinese and managed to start speaking it after two months of studying.
CT: Is it required for a model working in Taipei to learn Chinese?
AG: Not really. But I was a featured guest on a Taiwanese talk show for students, so I had to speak to draw attention to my personality. It worked out because I got quite popular on Facebook.
CT: Anneliya, your experience seems extraordinary, but how on earth did you get interested in Blockchain?
AG: I personally google pretty much everything because I am curious. Technology never scared me and I never had trouble, let’s say, setting up a router by myself. I got familiar with Bitcoin back in 2011.
CT: Who introduced you to the crypto industry?
AG: I have many friends who work in the IT industry, and I am pretty sure I first heard the term Blockchain from them when it was not as spread-out as now.
CT: What is your personal understanding of Blockchain?
AG: I know that it helps with transactions and operates as a set of blocks with data. Globally, I think it is not the technology of future; it’s the technology of now. I think it’s really cool. From what I see in the media, it will influence the world pretty soon.
CT: Have you heard the recent news on China banning ICOs?
AG: Yeah, that’s another interesting thing. China is basically trying to ban money and power. The government got scared of such a vast expansion and I think, eventually, it may lead to the prosperity of the black market.
CT: Since you are familiar with the nation and its traditions, what is your personal opinion on the impact of the ban?
AG: From my experience of Chinese mentality, the Chinese will find a way to be in the business even if it’s banned. That’s how it works. As far as I know, a quarter of all funds raised by ICOs are Chinese. It seems like they believe in the industry the most, and the ban might not stop them.
CT: Botanico helps models introduce themselves to the Blockchain industry. How do you think Blockchain ambassadors themselves can help the industry in return?
AG: It’s a legit idea. Beautiful faces are needed for Blockchain and the models are happy to help. Blockchain needs to be popularized. Lots of people think that it is a market trend and it will be dead by the end of next year. We, models, are here to break the bias of Blockchain by drawing attention to the market. It is beneficial for both the models and the market.