BIO
Albina Nikitina is a Russian Media Producer at Square One in Winnipeg, CAN., where she leads the Russian-language project Ella’s Backyard Vlog. However, her role extends beyond producing as she is also deeply involved in scriptwriting, film directing, and video editing.
Albina’s journey in media production began during her studies in video production at Moscow State University of Culture and Arts. In 2005, while still a student, she joined the Ella’s Backyard Christian kid’s media ministry team, immersing herself in various aspects of production and gaining comprehensive knowledge of the project. Over the years, Albina has been instrumental in the creation of several video projects. She has worked as a film director assistant for “Ella’s Backyard,” a scriptwriter, film director, and video editor for “Mushroom Tales,” and has undertaken multiple roles, including scriptwriting, film directing, video editing, and post-production editing for both Land of the Golden Sun (based on the Pilgrim’s Progress) and Ella’s Backyard Vlog. Her continuous efforts in developing the Ella’s Backyard YouTube channel have been pivotal in its success.
At the heart of her work is a deep passion for serving God and communicating the Good News of the Gospel. Albina excels in using storytelling as a fun and creative medium to reach and inspire people. Her commitment to her faith and her craft makes her an invaluable asset to Square One World Media and a beacon in the world of Russian Christian media production.
INNER VIEW
Kathleen Cooke: Tell us about someone who influenced your life and changed your direction.
Albina Nikitina: The people who have most influenced my life are my parents. While I always felt connected to their work in Christian radio ministry, I never imagined following in their footsteps to become the main producer of a Russian media project.
In the late ‘90s, while facing serious health issues, my mother spent much time in prayer and studying God’s Word. During this period, she received a supernatural vision about starting a children’s puppet TV show that would be broadcast on TV, shown in cinemas across Russia, and reach children worldwide. Initially, my father, who had several years of radio production experience but none in video, was skeptical. Nevertheless, they prayed about it, and gradually, God began to do miracles. People with the necessary equipment and TV production expertise came forward, others donated puppets, and many invested their faith and finances into the Ella’s Backyard project.
That marked the beginning of our journey.
Little by little, I became involved in the production and developed a love for it. Over the years, God opened various doors for this children’s TV show. It was broadcast on numerous local TV channels across Russia, on satellite TV, and even had live events. The project was showcased in cinemas and community centers. In 2011, Ella’s Backyard won a national award as the best educational children’s TV program. Today, Ella’s Backyard thrives as a YouTube channel with over 560 videos, accumulating more than 5.2 million views and 17.5K subscribers and reaching audiences in 90 countries. These numbers are particularly remarkable for a Christian children’s YouTube show in Russian.
My parents’ passion and dedication have deeply influenced me. Their unwavering commitment to their vision and their faith in God’s guidance has been pivotal in shaping my path and inspiring me to become a part of this meaningful project.
Kathleen: God tells us to GO and be an influence in the world. Why is this important?
Albina: In Russia, it’s common for children to have their cell phones from grade 1, and sometimes even earlier. Since kids often use public transport to get to school, cell phones enable parents to stay connected with their children. Additionally, phone data is very affordable, allowing many children to access the internet and watch YouTube on their smartphones, even during school recess. Unfortunately, parental control over what children watch is often lacking. This can lead to serious issues at an early age, including incidents where children in grades 3-4 have been exposed to pornography during school breaks.
I believe God has called Christians to be a presence in this vast ocean of information and videos and not to disconnect ourselves from social media but to bring the influence of God’s love and light through it worldwide. Our channel attracts many kids and teens from atheistic families. Some initially come to our channel with disdain but then find themselves watching one video after another. But we are not afraid of hateful comments. We see it as a wonderful opportunity for us to interact with people, and they begin asking interesting questions. We recognize that our role is to sow the seeds, praying that God will complete the work.
It’s incredibly encouraging to hear stories from our viewers about how God is working in their lives. For instance, one viewer shared that he initially came to our channel intending to dislike it. However, after some time, a friend invited him to church, where he experienced a change of heart and repented. He returned to our channel not only to apologize for his previous harsh words but also to express his gratitude for the impactful project we’re undertaking. There are many more stories like this and hearing them is deeply inspiring for us.
Kathleen: You and your parents had to overcome much fear in starting this media ministry. How do we begin, break through, and finance it? What would you tell someone who is struggling to break through the fear of launching something new and innovative?
Albina: Since 2019, Ella’s Backyard production team has undergone significant changes, which were substantial and challenging. My parents retired, and my brother and I found ourselves starting from scratch in a new country, relocating our production from Russia to Canada. This move felt like a step into the unknown. To add to the challenge, the COVID-19 pandemic struck just as we were gearing up to start recording. The ensuing lockdowns made it feel as if we were losing our footing. It was an extremely difficult period.
What sustained us through these times? Primarily, it was our focus on the Lord, standing firm on the Word and the vision He had imparted to us over the years. This focus helped us overcome fear and anxiety. Prayer and trusting God in every step were our only ways forward. Often, the power of prayer is underestimated, but I believe it was essential for the strength to accomplish what we did. And God was with us every step of the way. In retrospect, I am amazed at how God encouraged us and prevented us from panicking or failing.
I would also like to extend my gratitude to my brother Garri, Square One World Media, and the many supporters who stood by us during this time. We had to rethink the concept of our project, figuring out how to record with a minimal number of puppeteers on set while still keeping the project engaging for kids and teens. This led us to the idea of creating an apologetic puppet vlog for kids and teens, adopting a format more suited to YouTube. We use science, music, archeology, video games, and much more to guide our viewers toward Jesus and encourage them to study God’s Word.
Kathleen: What have you learned about forgiveness and forgiving when you’ve been wronged or when you were emotionally hurt?
Albina: Lately, I’ve been reflecting deeply on the topic of forgiveness. It’s a challenging concept, particularly when you feel wronged and misunderstood. For me, it’s especially difficult because I often feel the urge to prove that I’m right, that I don’t deserve such treatment, and that I haven’t done anything to warrant it. However, God has been teaching me to see the bigger picture. He’s shown me that even when I need to calm down and forgive or ask for forgiveness (even if I believe I’m in the right), He will see my humble heart. He turns my weaknesses into His strength.
We recently addressed this topic on Ella’s Backyard Vlog. I aimed to illustrate what unforgiveness can look like and how it can take hold of our hearts and lead to more significant issues in our lives. It begins like a snowball that you want to throw at someone else. Snowballs vary – some are light, causing no harm and disintegrating easily, while others can be hard and inflict pain. This is similar to how we hurl hurtful words at others. Over time, our small snowball of grievances grows heavier and larger until it becomes too burdensome to lift. Eventually, bitterness can engulf us like an avalanche, leaving us buried under a pile of unforgiveness. This can cause problems in other relationships with those we love and care about.
God teaches us to forgive others as He has forgiven us. It’s a tough journey, but we need to focus our hearts and efforts on this and continuously seek God’s help in every step.
Connect with Albina:
https://www.squareoneworldmedia.com/ellas-backyard