dionis schmidt
hello, world i’m — Media & Community Lead
about me
Founder and editor-in-chief of Paprika, an independent people-curated music
media: five years, a 32-person team of curators, ~33K followers on Instagram
and 4.7K on Telegram, events in three cities, a print magazine and a map of
music places. I build communities around taste: I recruit and lead volunteer
teams, design formats and rubrics, run partnerships with festivals, museums,
labels and venues, and turn an audience into events and products. Also three
years producing digital projects for startups.
tbilisi · remote | 23 y.o.
highlights
tg @dionis_schmidt
Paprika · people-curated music multimedia, 2021–now
ig @dionis.schmidt
32 curators, three rebrands, #PaprikaSupports for emerging local artists.
mail deniskostyukov@gmail.com
in linkedin.com/in/denis-kostiukov Paprika Map · community-built map, 2026
50+ local curators mapping 215 music places in 8 cities.
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Partners ips · 202 4–2026
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lan ua es
0 5 info partner and interview series; MMOMA lecture course; Cisterna ×
Signal 2 2
T-Bank; Beat Film Festival.
russian — native
english — C1
Silent Riot · community-funded print issue
64 backers, 227,950 ₽ raised for a 120-page magazine.
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e perience # 1
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Paprika Ma a ine, music multimedia / Editor-in-Chief | 08.2021 – present
Founder
• Grew Paprika from a personal page into a people-curated multimedia: ~33K on Instagram, 4.7K on Telegram, 4,000+
Telegram posts.
• Led three rebrands — from a public page to a media about good music to people-curated music multimedia — and designed
its formats, rubrics and identity.
• Built a 32-person curator team through open calls (100+ applications per round), interviews and a CRM, with free movement
between roles.
• Produced and edited reels reaching up to ~3M views; produced the Paprika Talks podcast; launched #PaprikaSupports for
emerging artists.
• Initiated 25+ collaborations: Signal, MMOMA, Cisterna × T-Bank, Beat Film Festival, fābula HQ, KURS Radio, Grain, GOST
Zvuk, PRSTRNST, aaa.magazine.
• Turned the audience into events and products: ~10 events, a showcase festival (~400 guests), a print magazine, postcards in
10+ shops, a paid community.
• Built Paprika Map with 50+ local curators across 8 cities.
—> page 2
experience #2
Agent Issues, print magazine, Paris Social Media & Brand Strategy | 2025
• Ran social media, then brand strategy for the magazine's rebrand; designed posts and covers.
experience #3
Yomoho, go-to-market studio for startups Project Manager / Creative Producer | 2022 – 2025
• Produced campaigns, landing pages, promo videos and Telegram bots for startups, incl. two years with a hyperlocal delivery
startup and co-projects with Russian Post and Tochka Bank.
• Ran identity and website projects and customer interviews; coordinated designers, developers, marketers and video
producers.
experience #4
Studio__4321, design studio, Amsterdam Creative Direction (freelance) | 2025 – 2026
• Concepts, identity choices and presentations for music and event brands.
fyi fyi
hard soft
Editorial direction: formats, rubrics, tone of voice Taste & curation: I choose what's worth attention
Community building: curator networks, open calls, paid Leadership without pay: I keep volunteer teams motivated
community Ownership: I take projects from idea to result
Content: Instagram, Telegram, reels, podcasts, playlists Communication: honest dialogue with artists and partners
Partnerships: festivals, museums, labels, media Feedback: I give and take it without ego
Brand building: mission, audience, identity (3 rebrands)
Events & print: from concept to delivery
education
Plekhanov Russian University of Economics 2021 – 2024
speciality: management in social and innovative entrepreneurship
you can learn more about Dionis Schmidt by writing here: tg @dionis_schmidt
mail deniskostyukov@gmail.com