About Vlad & Niki

Vlad & Niki is the number one YouTube channel for boys, featuring content for children focused on learning, creativity, fun, and using your imagination. The channel features Vlad, Niki, and their little brother Chris going on adventures in their home, neighborhood, beach, water parks, and other fun locations. The channel also explores everyday activities, such as creating arts and crafts, playing with toys, imagining they are superheroes, and much more. 

Victoria Vashketova, Vlad and Niki’s mom, explains, “I appear in most of the videos, so they have a comfortable, and I hope fun, adult presence, and with Chris who is still young, it’s like having your little brother tagging along, which many kids can relate to. My husband Sergey makes an appearance too. “

As a young child, Vlad enjoyed watching YouTube videos and asked his dad if he would film him making funny videos on his video camera. He agreed, and the entire family began shooting fun short videos on weekends. Shortly after, they began posting them on YouTube, and kids and families quickly discovered the channel. 

Victoria shares, “We were just making videos for fun and had no idea that you could make a living doing this. Vlad was natural on camera, and he loved doing it, so we just continued to make videos. When Niki joined his brother, and the channel grew a lot, we started to take it more seriously as parents, but we still wanted to make it fun for the boys. It’s not a business to them. It’s just something everyone enjoys doing.“

The success of the channel came as a surprise to the family. However, the eye-catching storytelling and activities were relatable and exciting to kids. The videos allowed them to come along on Vlad and Niki’s adventures, creating a compelling draw to the channel. 

The Creative Process Behind Vlad & Niki’s Channel 

The creative process behind Vlad & Niki’s channel involves a lot of organization from both Victoria and her husband, Sergey. 

She shares, “We all contribute ideas for videos and work out what it would take to tell the story. Sometimes we need to create big sets and get props to showcase the things we are imagining.    It takes time now to write the storyboard and plan the shoots. We need to be organized. We have three energetic boys and a new baby girl, so Sergey and I need to be organized.”

Victoria works diligently to coordinate her children’s homework, school day, and school activities, as well as prioritizing time to rest and recharge. 

Sergey oversees parts of production, such as the editing and special effects, to ensure everything runs smoothly. Before the start of the channel, Sergey frequently created videos for his family and friends, giving him a lot of experience in this area. 

This process worked out beautifully for the channel and resulted in many viral videos. Viral videos, such as “Magic Little Driver ride on Toy Cars and Transform Car for Kids,” posted in September 2018, has more than 700 million views today. Another popular video, the Brush Your Teeth Song” video, has around 448 million views. 

After many viral videos from their nearly 500 videos on YouTube, Vlad and Niki’s show is now translated into 18 languages. 

Victoria explains, “We are an international family and have lived in different countries, so we know the value of being able to understand content that relates to your family.  Parents of the children watching appreciate that their kids are learning and being entertained in their own language, and their kids can relate when they understand the content.”

Vlad & Niki Marketing Strategy

Victoria explains that Vlad & Niki’s channel exploded due to viral growth. 

Victoria shares, “Once you get some videos that go viral, word-of-mouth kind of takes over. We review how well a video does and try to use the same storytelling attributes to bring new content to life.  Using comedy in the stories really works well for us – even when it is a message about eating healthy, learning your letters, going to the dentist, exercising, washing your hands, we try to use humor.” 

She adds that they keep everything organic and real regarding what the boys like. This authenticity also inspires the Vlad & Niki toy lines developed with Playmates Toys and Zuru. 

In terms of brand partnerships, the family doesn’t actively look for brand collaborations, partnerships, and opportunities but has pursued opportunities with the help of their representation team. 

Victoria notes, “It was important to the “Vlad & Niki” brand and its longevity to work with a talented team of experienced people who are the best in the industry.   The team includes our managers Reza Izad and Dan Weinstein from Underscore Talent, our international licensing agent Haven Global and our U.S. licensing agent Retail Monster.”

When considering brand collaborations, the most crucial factor is that the boys genuinely like the product. 

She adds, “Like I said earlier, if the boys don’t like something, you can tell in the videos, and we would never want that. So, we look for brands that appeal to the boys and that we know they will honestly have fun with.  Also, as a mom, it is important for us to work with quality brands that parents can trust.”

Ultimately, the brand’s goal has always been creating content for kids to enjoy that is infused with fun, entertainment, and good lessons, so choosing high-quality products that the boys love is crucial to their brand mission. 

Closing Thoughts

Victoria shares that the best metric the channel could ever receive is positive feedback from parents about how much their kids love watching Vlad and Niki. 

She adds, “We have some exciting things coming in 2023 that we have been working on, but nothing that we can announce.  This past year Vlad & Niki started streaming on HBO Max’s Cartoonito – it was an exciting opportunity for our family.”