Confessions of a happy optimist
The approaching autumn invites everyone to enjoy the remaining summer days and nights and not think about the upcoming school year and work for at least a moment. However, the coming autumn will bring many new adventures and pleasant acquaintances. This time I was looking for an inspiring person among the guys - and I found him! Some know him as the face of "What's happening in Kaunas", others as an inveterate traveler, and still others as a friendly guy who is not short of optimism. Mantas Bertulis - a public communication student, project manager, a die-hard basketball fan, always running everywhere and full of ideas, a warm and sincere guy who currently takes everything or at least almost everything from life.
Do you see life as a glass half full, half empty, or half full of water?
I am a positive person, so it is natural that I am more of an optimist than a pessimist. I believe in my ideas, projects or simply my work, but I try not to be a blind optimist. I really like it when I hear some older people talking about the bad life in Lithuania on public transport, during lunch or somewhere else. Then I start to demonstratively smile ironically and look at that person so that he understands, at least from my look, that such talk only makes me laugh. It is pointless to discuss with such people. I myself do not think that living in Lithuania is bad. The more important question here is – does the person who complains about everything want and make every effort to make his daily life and life better?
Five facts about you that your mother doesn't know.
My relationship with my mother is very good, so I tell her almost everything. If there are things she doesn't know yet, it means she really doesn't need to know them. I know that my mother will read this interview, and when I return home to Šiauliai, I will want to find pancakes baked by her on the table, not a piece of paper with a pen to write an explanation.
A song that describes your typical day?
Pharrell Williams – Happy
What do you do when you have a "shit happens" day?
I take a brush and go clean the toilet. Because if you mess something up, you need to fix it. Of course, sometimes you have no influence on the problems you encounter, but you have to be able to admit your mistakes. Anyway, I'm not a person who gets upset about failures, because I know that next time will be better. I learn from mistakes.
What magical powers would you like to have?
I wish beer would come to me by snapping my fingers.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Work so hard that one day your signature will turn into an autograph.
For you, VMU is…?
University of fair-liberal politics.
What's the craziest thing you've done in your life?
I think that for a crazy person like me, the craziest thing is yet to come. Speaking of crazy things, I've laughed at Paulius Ambrazevičius's joke, been stuck in an elevator with Petras Gražulis, and taken a kebab from Mantas Katleris.
What kind of child were you as a child?
My mother's friends still call me "baby", and little kids on the street still call me "doll", so I haven't really escaped that childhood. I was an active kid who wanted to participate everywhere, but not everywhere accepted me. At school, I was also one of those "patches" who sat at the front of the class. The only difference now is that during my studies, the "patches" sit at the back, where I usually base myself.
You are studying public communication - why did you choose this major?
Since I started working as a journalist while still at school, the range of choices was significantly narrowed. There were only two options – to study journalism in Vilnius or public communications in Kaunas. The temporary capital attracted me more, and I am really happy with my choice.
You work at the company "What's Happening in Kaunas?" What does a typical work day look like for you? What are you responsible for?
Although the portal "What's happening in Kaunas" is the most popular media outlet in Kaunas, it has quite a few people working there, so I have to do a variety of work. I focus mostly on projects, I try to make the "What's happening in Kaunas" brand as well-known as possible, I'm looking for partners with whom I could collaborate and be informational sponsors.
I have been working here since April and have already had the opportunity to collaborate with various projects – “Radistai Village”, “Pavasario Festivalis”, “RAFES”, “Granatos live” festivals, “BalconyTV Kaunas”, “Padžiaujk sofą”, Kauno Hanza dienos, Gatvės sports festival, “Senamiesčio žigogas”, Džordana concert tour and others. I also maintain the Facebook pages “Kas viktas Vilnius”, “Kas viktas Klaipėda”, and together with my colleagues “Kas viktas Kaunas”. I also have to do journalistic work myself – monitor the news flow, go to the scene of the event.
You organize "Different Conversations" - where did the idea of inviting famous people and having them talk in front of an audience come from?
At the beginning of spring, it so happened that I no longer had any work, so I had to think of something quickly. After working in basketball journalism for four and a half years, I already had quite a few acquaintances. I thought that I needed to use them somehow. While riding the trolleybus home, the idea of doing such a talk show in front of an audience just came to my mind. That same evening, I had already found the initial host. We came up with a name. The search for a location and sponsors, negotiations began. I really didn't think that this initiative would gain such momentum.
The first guest was comedian Mantas Katleris. It was a very good choice for a start. His full conversation recording has now been viewed more than 100 thousand times. After that, we started inviting other interesting and famous people, and my circle of acquaintances expanded rapidly. At the beginning of the summer, we moved from the attic of “PuntoJazz” to “Ryšių kiemėlis”, where the number of the audience not only doubled, but also tripled. Now “Kitokiai pasikalajimas” has already been visited by such personalities as Marijonas Mikutavičius, Andrius Mamontovas, Algis Ramanauskas, Andrius Užkalnis, Arūnas Valinskas, Vytaras Radzevičius and others, and the discussions are even broadcast by the DELFI portal.
What qualities should a project manager have?
First of all, it must be a person with a lot of imagination and ideas. He must be interested in everything, he must be able to choose what is useful for your company, who is worth cooperating with. You must get used to the fact that your phone can ring 20 or 40 times a day. It is also important to have acquaintances or the necessary contacts who would connect the components of your project.
What kind of person do you consider to be your authority?
It's hard to find someone who can be your authority in every way. One person can be your authority based on one of their inner qualities, another on their outer beauty, but there is no one whose photo I have hanging on the bathroom mirror. I may sound trite, but I try to be myself – to learn from my mistakes, to create with my own hands and head, and to rely on my intuition.
If you could turn back time… what would you change?
It would be wise to change your mistakes, but if you turn back time and change something, you will never have the same present again. I am happy with where I am now, and all the pitfalls I have experienced have only hardened me.
What connects you to basketball?
Good question. For three and a half years, I couldn’t imagine a single day without basketball. I would wake up and go to bed with thoughts about the orange ball. That’s how long I worked at the basketball news portal “BasketNews.lt”. It is to my former editors Jonas Miklovs and Rokas Buračas that I am most grateful for where I am now. Since I started working as a journalist in Šiauliai, I have almost never missed a single match of the club “Šiauliai”. Before that, I watched the matches from the fan tribune for some time, sometimes I went on trips. I also watched two golden finals of Jonas Valančiūnas’ generation – in 2010 in Vilnius and in 2011 in Riga. Last year, we spontaneously went to the European Championship final in Slovenia. All three finals left indelible impressions. Currently, I am still working as a spokesperson for the basketball club “Nevėžys” from Kėdainiai. Basketball has now taken a lower place in my life, but it has become permanently ingrained in my blood.
You are a travel maniac. What inspired you to travel and explore other countries?
It's so natural to me that I don't even know the answer to this question. It's like buying gifts for Christmas or rolling eggs for Easter. Since the beginning of humanity, traveling has been a normal part of life. I think everyone would travel, but some are limited by finances, others by health, and still others by work. Although others overemphasize the latter, like an anchor on their feet. If work prevents you from traveling, quit your job. Geography has been one of my favorite lessons since I was a child, and if I knew why I was traveling, I probably wouldn't have traveled.
What is the dream country you would like to go to?
Absolutely all of them that I haven't been to yet.
What is the most memorable trip that you will never forget?
I started traveling only last year, so I can’t boast of a lot of impressions yet, but my first serious trip was the most memorable. My student friend Vilias and I set off on the trip with absolutely no plans. We flew from Vilnius to Rome, and had to hitchhike back home. At first, everything was wonderful – we toured Rome, the Vatican, caught up with my friends in eastern Italy, visited Bologna, Venice, but it all ended in Austria. There we received a hefty fine for overstaying our visa, which changed our plans 180 degrees. We decided to return to Lithuania as soon as possible, so we took a bus from Prague and, having paid more than for the flight to Rome, ended up back in Lithuania. True, this trip left an even greater impression because we slept wherever we could: in a tent, at a train station, or even with sleeping bags on the hard pavement of Venice.
In life, do you follow your mind or your heart? Why?
The heart can be guided only in bed, while the mind and logic are the constant companions of a normal person. Every day, we usually have to make millions of decisions. Some are more important, others are mundane or even insignificant. It is normal to think about our decisions, weigh the pros and cons, and weigh them wisely. It is best when both our mind and heart support these decisions.
If I see some homeless person begging for money, I will never give it to him in my life. Not because I have no heart, but because I don't know if he will spend that money on alcohol or cigarettes. I would rather buy him a bag of food. At least then I will know that the money will not disappear into the pond.
What is a perfect evening for you?
It's going out into nature with a group of friends, with whom there will always be something to joke about and talk about. There's a bonfire nearby, sausages roasting on a spit, tents, beer, and good old songs.
What do you plan to do after graduation?
I don't know what I'm going to do next week or next month, so I don't really think about it. My life moves at an intense pace, so planning something would be a futile endeavor.
What good deed have you done for someone else?
I try to do good deeds often, so it would be difficult to single out or emphasize just one. I personally believe that good deeds should be told and advertised. Although others claim that there is no need to brag, I can say from my own experience that kindness is an easily contagious disease.
What are you admiring right now?
I admire young and enthusiastic people who are trying to create, organize, do something themselves, etc. I admire the growing civic and national youth, because I am convinced that Lithuania will have a bright future. I admire my mother, who is a great source of inspiration and motivation for me. I admire Kaunas, which I like more and more every day. I admire everything that is positive, colorful and pleasant to the ear.
What are your weaknesses?
My big weakness is my inability to concentrate. Often, while doing one task, I start another, or while reading a text, I start watching a video. I think this is the effect of social networks. Also, in my opinion, I analyze my mistakes too little, I am quite naive and like to sleep late.
What three things can't you live without?
I couldn't live without beer, women, and a bicycle.
What would you wish for a VMU student?
I would like to wish VMU students to find their own path, to have as little wandering as possible, to make work a pleasure and something you can be proud of. To do good deeds and to announce it publicly and infect your friends with it. Let's create a better tomorrow!
When I interview people, I am always amazed by their interviewees and I am glad that they are not afraid and want to share the joys of their daily lives with others, perhaps inspiring an ordinary student to try something new today. Mantai, best wishes to you and I hope that you will continue to do what you are doing now with such enthusiasm and enthusiasm and share your optimism and kindness with others. Good luck!
Gabriele Stasiunaite
