PSInteractive: the importance of being happy
Nadezhda Danabasheva and Juliana Yotova on building a happy workplace with an entertainment giant as a partner
PSInteractive is a Bulgarian company for innovative digital entertainment solutions for partners operating on the digital media market in the German-speaking part of Europe. The products it works on affect the lives of millions and combine bleeding-edge digital approaches with the proven media proficiency of its partners from ProSiebenSat.1. The expertise of PSInteractive lies in web and mobile development combining solutions for live video streaming, video content distribution, unique user interactions, CMS, authentication services, and many more.
As a result, the company successfully competes with well-known and established digital platforms on the market.
All of these would be impossible without the talents of PSInteractive and the team of dedicated managers capable of creating a satisfying work environment that inspires innovation and creative solutions. This is the reason to talk to two women directly responsible for this success, Nadezhda Danabasheva, Site Lead, and Juliana Yotova, Manager People and Culture.
Nadia's career in creating games began as a forum moderator 18 years ago, and today she is the Site Lead at PSInteractive – the Bulgarian R&D unit of 7.1 EG. Meanwhile, she was involved in the successful development and publishing of more than 15 digital entertainment, logistics, and media products on the international market. If you ask Nadia, her superpower is to find talented people and help everyone discover and develop their hidden extra potential and level up. If you ask her close friends and coworkers, she is noisy, confident, and demanding. Nadia is also an autism-awareness activist, a proud mom, and the most experienced escape room player around.
Juliana has been building a career in Human Resources since 2014. She has been part of companies such as SBTech (global sports betting provider), BTi, Via (an on-demand transit company), etc. She has been part of large organizations and has a proven track record of exceeding goals. Juliana has a deep insight into planning, organizing and controlling the activities and actions of the HR department, along with excellent skills in revising and recommending personnel policies and procedures. Highly competent in developing and implementing all kinds of people related strategies and initiatives aligned with the overall business strategy of the company.
What is the most interesting and exciting part of your work at PSInteractive? Why do you call it a happy place?
Nadezhda Danabasheva: When you ask somebody why they are happy, it is never one thing. Even if you win a million bucks, it is never about the money, it is about all the exciting things you can do, all the adventures, all the change you can bring in your life and in the life of the people you love. I would say it is the same principle when you want to build a happy place at work – it is never one thing. You start with finding the right place, the place you know you will have the biggest impact, where your passion and work have meaning and value, and this value will be celebrated and transparent for everyone. You find a place where you can grow, not only on your own but with the team. You will keep pushing each other to be better, to be smarter, where you can grow not only as an expert but as a person. And as in life, it is not only about the money – is it about all the existing things you can work on, you can build and experiment with, it is about the positive change you can provide to your partners and clients and when in the end you can sit with a glass of wine and say to yourself, today was a good day and I made a difference. And this is what I want for all the people I work with and for myself.
Juliana Yotova: For me building a happy workplace is a process, it is something you work hard for every day and is a joint effort, not only within PSInteractive as a team, but in partnering with ProSieben as well. I believe we see it in the little things, in the gratitude of people who recognize your daily hard work, we see it during the occasions we celebrate together because nowadays we value them more, we see it in the achievements of every individual of our company. There are of course ups and downs, still, for me, the most exciting part of my job is being able to work with so many and so different people, each one of them special on their own. Being able to brainstorm on different levels and work towards a common goal with such an intelligent group of people is inspiring.
What are the challenges you face in partnership with an international entertainment giant? How do they help you grow?
Juliana Yotova: What's challenging about having such a strong partner in the entertainment industry is the high bar they set. You cannot be mediocre in what you do. You need to constantly outperform yourself, be brave in your decisions yet smart, be creative and competitive. This constant escape from your comfort zone is what helps you grow.
Nadezhda Danabasheva: I had a conversation not a while back with ProSieben CTO Pavlo Voznenko about how digital is actually quite young if you look into it from a perspective of the humanity timeline. We talked about pioneers in the car industry and how in just 100 years this industry changed the face of the Earth, it gave us opportunities beyond what we have ever imagined. And to be a partner of one of the biggest media giants in Europe you have to be a pioneer, you have to provide solutions that will be proven in time, not obsolete or old-fashioned. It is never easy, but I hope in 50 years when digital is better regulated and will outgrow this "wild wild West" phase we did will be considered a classic. Sometimes providing solutions for millions of people can be scary, but this is the time when I personally remember, I do this with the best people in the business, this is the time to grow, this is the time to be fierce.
What are you most proud of? Is there something that you wish to change in the company?
Juliana Yotova: We are definitely proud of the team. We have an amazing group of people working at PSInteractive, who are so dedicated and also mean so much to each other as team members. This is a culture grown and somehow nurtured on its own. Our job is to just give them the comfort and the safe space to continue being this united. The only thing I would change is the remote work. I believe in live contact, in the exchange of emotions between people when they collaborate, and in direct communication. It is sometimes exhausting to assume what the other person thinks when you text each other via Slack for instance, instead of talking face-to-face and just feeling it.
Nadezhda Danabasheva: I am proud that even in dire situations, we stay together and we "fight" together. There is no hierarchy, there isn’t a "deal with it" or "it is not my job" attitude, sometimes all you need is your people who can sit, brainstorm, make a decision and get back to work, solving the problem. Those are the moments that I remember vividly and that I relive in my head over and over again, there is no better bond, there is no better environment to forge trust. I am proud that we can speak openly on wins and failures, without judgment. Three years ago, when we started the company, the first principle of work that I wanted for us to follow was to own our mistakes and to be able to talk about them openly and without shame or fear. Today, I am proud that our mistakes helped us grow and improve, as Niels Bohr said: "An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made, in a narrow field."
How do you succeed in creating an encouraging, calm environment in the company?
Juliana Yotova: Together with our partners from ProSieben we believe that clear and transparent communication is the key to our employees. Anxiety comes from filling the gaps of information with assumptions. This is why for example every time we announce a new project launch or whatever, we gather beforehand and align on the exact communication plan towards our people and we aim at giving as much visibility as possible on everything that we as a leadership group know. It is an absolute must to constantly give information and interact with your employees even if sometimes the answer to their questions might be "No" or "We don't know yet." It is still information. Communication means that you care.
Speaking about encouragement, I think what we try to convey as a message to everyone in the company is that making mistakes is okay, the goal is to try, to be persistent in what you do as a professional and to know that someone always has your back.
Nadezhda Danabasheva: The industry has changed a lot in the last 20 years. Now it is not only about the job, opportunities, or career. It is about balance, it is about finding that sweet spot where you can be an expert, a parent, a student, a social activist, a sports or video games player, a friend, a traveler. I see that people in IT now want more, not only for themselves or for the company, but for the community, for their city, their country, this world even. And providing those opportunities for our colleagues is so important to us and our partners. It is not only about supporting initiatives that will help the less fortunate, it is not only about charity work, it is the support you can have when you need a mental health day, it is the understanding that you did your best, it is the celebration of all victories because there are no small victories. It is time to study, to go for a walk, to bring your pet to the office, to enjoy our competitive products, and figure out a way to beat them, all this is what I believe makes PSInteractive different and encourages people within.