Oksana Strutynska: “I allow myself to think as a criminal, a victim and a detective”

Director and head of the scripted-reality “The History of One Crime” was born on June 1, 1982 in  Kyiv (Ukraine).
After graduating from high school, she began her studies at the Kyiv International University and received a higher education in the field of journalism.
In 2000, she started her professional career as an assistant director and subsequently transferred to the director of the installation of studio projects. After it, everything was happening quite dynamically: director of documentary and special projects for TV channels and production studios.
Since 2015, she started collaborating with production studio IVORY Films as director and head of the reality project “Patrol.” Currently, she is the director and head of the scripted-reality “The History of One Crime.”

We decided to launch a new section, where our staff will be interviewed about their work, their nightmares and their dreams. It often happens that you have been working alongside a man for years and you have no idea of what this person really is, their dreams and fears. So they decided to start with a soft but very courageous girl who deals with men's murder and crime projects. Oksana Strutynska has been working in IVORY films since 2015. Work on the production began with the reality project “Patrol,” where she was the leader, and now runs the scripted-reality “The History of One Crime,” which has already five successful seasons. Additionally, in March, Oksana celebrates a significant date of creative activity - almost a step to the anniversary - 19 years on television! In an interview, she told what the audience never knows, whether she sees night horrors about work, and which of her relatives watches the scripted-reality “The History of One Crime.”

- What is the best that happened to you over the years of work on the project?
- The first thing to say is the project itself. This is both the best and most interesting. At each stage of the project launch, we set new goals and solved complex tasks. And these are really the best moments in the project itself. Because small victories are what develops us all the time and makes the project interesting. Therefore, I have not lost the passion and enthusiasm of the project. And yet I want to note one of the best moments is that I have a team of professionals with whom I am ready to create new projects of any complexity.
- When was the last time you wanted to cry with joy?
- I'm not emotional, but if there are tears of joy on my face, then it will most likely be connected with my family. I want to smile, not cry with joy, especially at work. This is due to the fact that the team is a huge body, and if somewhere there are tears, then part of the body may not understand what kind of tears are these. Therefore, at work there are no tears, in any form.
- What does the viewer not know about your project?
- And never will know! The viewer does not know how the collective of “HOC” loves its project, cherishes it, lives in it without pausing from 2016 to this second... Only for the viewer in this project, I allow myself to think as a criminal, a victim and a detective... The viewer does not know how our stories are created, the viewer does not know how each series is edited to the taste of our viewer. The viewer does not know how many people are behind this project, that is, “HOC” is not only a standard set of actors, it is a huge enterprise that prepares each series. As well, the viewer does not know that we know the portrait of the viewer, we know who watches us, the habits of the viewers, what is expected of us, etc. We, like real detectives, follow the preferences or non-acceptance of something or someone in the series of “HOC.”
- If you have a nightmare about the work, what is in it?
- I don’t have nightmares, they are mostly prophet dreams, and they are more terrible than nightmares, and it's better for you not to know about them. Therefore, it is difficult to answer this question and fill it with a correct and honest answer. The only thing I can say is that if you are having nightmares about your work, it means something is wrong there, there may be “holes” that need urgent attention.
- What should not be done even for the sake of the highest ratings?
- To make a product that you do not like, that does not bring you pleasure and does not give rise to development. When you clearly understand the target audience of your product, there will always be good ratings! You should not lie inside a project in order to keep someone’s emotional balance, it’s now worth living in illusions and experimenting. Perhaps the experiment will increase a part of rating, but the TV industry is a mathematics and a clear science, so it's worth following the rules, analysing successes and loses.
- Who would you be if you did not work on television?
- I would be a pathologist or a landscape designer. The first, of course, is fantasy and joke, but landscapes and plants is a real hobby that switches the brain from work to rest.
On March 1, it was 19 years that I was working on TV, and I can say with certainty that I am happy with the projects, people, and no mater how hard I tried to turn from the TV-road, go, rest... there will always be a producer who will offer something interesting, new, and then I plunge into a new project.
- Which of your friends is watching your projects and for what criticizes?
- My grandmother has probably watched all the “HOC” series, she sometimes asks where is this or that actor and for what reason he is not there any more. Also, mother, grandfather, nephews (and I have a lot of them) watch it. There are no critics, there are constant questions: are these stories real? when will I have a weekend? and how can they get to the “HOC” set?
- If your child wants to work on television or in the film industry, what will you say?
- I will say: “Do it!” I will not be able to talk out of the sphere I love... In addition, I will do my utmost to ensure that my child receives the necessary knowledge. Look at Hollywood, there are entire dynasties of actors, directors, and producers. We should have that too. The dynasty in the profession is an experience of generations.
- What will you do in retirement?
- I will write detectives.
- What do you dream personally?
- Peace in Ukraine!