My Interview with Sexy Marina Orlova of Hot for Words, YouTube Sensation

In July, 2008, I wrote an article here about a young woman, Marina Orlova, who was soaring up the YouTube popularity ranks. She had the unique ability to demonstrate word meanings, not a topic that usually appeals to YouTube fans, with charisma, sex appeal and intelligence. Marina not only gained the distinction of a top-rated sexy geek but earned the title of "worlds sexiest philologist" by none other than The New Yorker magazine.

Imagine my surprise when Marina herself not only commented on my article but stayed in contact.

Since then, I've checked back with her . Marina has continued to build her huge fan base with continued appearances on Bill O'Reily's show, the O'Reilly Factor, discussing words like blooter, popinjay and pecksniffian. Not surprisingly, her fan base has also soared due to her regular videos on the YouTube Hot for Words site. Then there is that new book deal with Harper Collins. The book focuses on words, their history and meanings, with a certain amount of spiciness (sex appeal) added to the mix but with plenty of information, too.

I recently asked Marina if she'd consent to an email interview, revealing the business and intellectual skills that have skyrocketed her from her Hot forWords YouTube site to appearances on television and - most recently, that brand new book called (what else?) Hot for Words: Answers to All Your Burning Questions About Words and Their Meanings.

I was delighted when she agreed! I'd already bought my copy of the new book, one showcasing Marina posing on nearly every page, to the probable delight of her male fans (for information about the book and photos, check out Marina's page about where to purchase it at her Hot for Words book info here )

So how did this young Russian woman manage to leave a small town in Russia and end up becoming one of the hottest stars on YouTube, actually getting viewers interested in word origins, philology and etymology? Not only that, but she was voted Sexiest Geek of the Year by Wired Magazine, a Hottest Woman of the Web and appears as a regular on the O'Reilly Factor, often promoting obscure words to the ranks of Google Hot Trends overnight.

Marina Orlova, of Hot for Words, Leaves Russia and Comes to the United States

When I asked Marina about her life, she noted that she knew that she wanted to come to the United States since she was a little girl, a place that seemed so much warmer than her "freezing cold town in Russia." Good weather was motivation enough to want to move to America. But, in order to move to America and become successful, she'd need to learn English. No slouch - and with a strong work ethic driving her - Marina went on to get two degrees, both in Russian and English language instruction. But now what?

"YouTube.com, Check it out"

After a few years teaching and even serving as an au pair, Marina had a stroke of luck when a friend, Charles Como, sent her a short email with the words, "YouTube.com, check it out". Suddenly, Marina's teaching skills, charismatic personality and stunning looks had a perfect outlet - although it may not have been immediately clear how far YouTube and HotforWords would take Marina.

Los Angeles turned out to be the place where she received the fateful email that launched her YouTube career and even more success. After a year of 10-14 hour work days, making videos with no guarantee of financial success, Marina was nominated by Wired.com as the Sexiest Geek of the Year. She won and was absolutely "flabbergasted" - by the way, Marina's video on the word flabbergasted can be seen here on YouTube ) .

At first the YouTube seemed to be a hodgepodge of videos. Marina saw videos ranging from cats' antics to people falling off roofs. Was there a place for her there? Then Marina looked at the number of views on some of videos, with some in the millions. Bingo! She saw the potential to reach a wider audience with her site, Hot for Words (hotforwords).

In Less than Two Years, Marina Orlova and Hot for Words Becomes an Internet Sensation

If some YouTube videos could reach millions of people, Marina thought that she could perhaps reach a "few thousand people". That turned out to be far too modest a goal. At last count, Marina has at least 16,023,867 viewers, 274,452 subscribers and over a quarter of a billion views on YouTube , according to the Hot for Words Website . '' Marina proves that brains and beauty can definitely go together.

Marina notes that she has always had a "strong work ethic" and wanted to achieve her own success. After months of 10-14 hour work days, making videos with no guarantee of financial success, Marina was nominated by Wired.com as the Sexiest Geek of the Year.

Shortly after that, Marina was asked to appear on a television show on Fox called Happy Hour. This was her first television appearance and it was live, seen here . After that, HotforWords - and Marina - became even hotter when a producer from the O'Reilly Factor told Marina that Bill wanted her to appear on his show. She was warned by friends that Bill might be a bit tough on her but she Googled for information on Bill O'Reilly and was reassured to discover that he'd been a school teacher. They had something in common!

So Marina appeared on the show and she and O'Reilly got along just fine. She has appeared at least ten times on the O'Reilly factor, discussing all sorts of words. This also made Marina more recognizable when walking down the street. A recent video about Halloween words was popular and focused on the history of Halloween as well as the origin of terms like Trick or Treat. An archive of all of Marina's O'Reilly factor appearances can be seen online here. Even with his reputation as a tough guy, Marina and Bill are a pleasure to watch, and he never seems too hard on her.

Marina Orlova of Hot for Words Places a Winning Bet on YouTube

Marina's instincts about YouTube became a business opportunity, not just because of luck, but because of Marina's instincts that the site had potential to eventually turn a profit for those willing to put in the time and effort to become successful there.

She was right. Within nine months of her first appearance, Marina was offered the opportunity to put advertising on her Hot for Words videos and split the revenues. The first month, she made $250, then $600 and the $1200. Now she gets 3.5 million views, week in and week out. Marina sees YouTube as a network worthy of giving cable television a run for its money, like having an extra channel to watch.

A Look at Marina's Typical Day Offers Clues to her Success with Hot for Words

I asked Marina about her typical day and realized that she was a woman with a strong streak of organization and discipline. Before she is even awake, she grabs her laptop computer and checks the statistics on the previous day's Hot for Words videos. She compiles the total views on her videos from YouTube as well as the comments from viewers (and, from personal experience, I know that Marina often answers those comments). The she checks emails and reader comments on a related HotforWords website. She gets emails in the thousands daily so he has to quickly decide how to prioritize her replies. Again, I can testify that she responds to as many comments and emails as possible, somehow manages to schedule interviews and tv appearances -and of course, there is her newest book. Clearly, the results of all that hard work have paid off!

Sources:

Sexy Marina Orlova, Almost Too Hot for Words, Uses Her Charms to Promote Philology, jcorn, Associated Content: here
Hot for Words on YouTube: here
Happy Hour interview, Fox here
Archive of Hot for Words O'Reilly Factor appearances here
Information on Marina's book, Hot for Words, here