Yekaterinburg man's journey to US leads to adult film work
In Yekaterinburg, 40-year-old Oleg Ivanov worked in computer graphics production and lived in the Pionerka district. After 2022, together with his wife, son, mother-in-law, and two cats, he risked everything to leave the country, not knowing the nuances of emigration.
First, they stopped in Georgia, and then, via Mexico, they reached the United States, spending their last money to do so. Oleg spoke frankly to E1.RU about the difficulties he faced abroad, how he worked as a handyman, and also shared how he entered the porn industry and how much he earns now.
«No one was waiting for us in Georgia»
In 2021, Oleg«s family suffered a loss — his mother passed away from cancer. Six months later, he inherited her estate, sold the apartment, and made the decision to leave Russia. Nothing held him here anymore — he took all his loved ones with him: his wife, her son, his disabled mother-in-law, and even two cats.
Initially, they considered countries where no visa was required. Therefore, their first stop was Georgia.
In this country, it is possible to obtain a residence permit if a child attends a Georgian school and learns the local language. That«s what they did.
«No one was waiting for us in Georgia, we figured things out ourselves. A Georgian wrote to me on social networks, helped meet us, and bought us SIM cards,» Oleg said. — «After half a year, the child got a residence permit, but we did not. Then we thought about what to do and learned that the mother of our child«s classmate from the Georgian school had gone to America alone via Mexico.»
Oleg knew that one way to move to the US was to get an O-1 visa for individuals with extraordinary ability. However, that would have taken about a year. The family had neither the time nor the money for that, so they decided to reach the States via Mexico.
«We learned there was a route to the US through Mexico. I contacted a lawyer and told her my life story. She explained that we shouldn«t worry, that we had a good case. At the same time, in the US, probably 90% of cases are fabricated,» he said.
«Cartels kidnap and trade people»
Oleg and his family stayed in Georgia for about a year. With their last money, they decided to leave for Mexico and rented an apartment there. Through the CBP One app, which no longer works today, they requested a border appointment with an officer every day. And this, according to the Yekaterinburg native, was a real lottery:
«Every morning starts the same: you wake up, have breakfast, and try to catch an appointment date. We were lucky, we waited only a month, spending all our money. Some people sat there for years, finding work. Some returned because they couldn«t manage it.»
Two weeks before the appointment with the officer at the border, they had to get to the designated place. They traveled to Tijuana — one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Therefore, the primary task was to find a crowded and safe place.
«It was really scary there. I«ve heard stories about how cartels kidnap and trade people. And this, unfortunately, is far from just talk. I personally met a man whose wife and child were taken by a cartel. They let him go, but they were never found,» the Yekaterinburg native explained.
They found a small hotel two minutes from the checkpoint, and on the appointed day at the border, they were met by US officers.
«The whole family was called. The officers only asked: «What is the reason for you being here?» They took our fingerprints, DNA, we filled out all the documents, showed our passports. They gave them back to us, which is a rare practice because usually documents are taken. They gave us a paper saying we had a court date. That court date is a formality, it gets postponed indefinitely,» Oleg said.
«It«s very easy to end up on the street in America»
When the family was already on US soil, they had to figure out what to do next.
Oleg also needed to find a sponsor to whom the first court documents would be sent. His only acquaintance in the US acted in this role:
«This great and noble man agreed and really helped us out, because there were no other options. I had no other acquaintances or friends in the US.»
The Yekaterinburg family decided to get to Los Angeles. They planned to rent a car, but that required a local credit card, which they didn«t have. They managed to get to the city by train, with tickets bought by their acquaintance. He also met them at the station.
«Then began the struggle for survival over a roof over our heads. It«s very easy to end up on the street in America. We learned that we were considered low-income, despite being new arrivals. The state was ready to provide us with aid in the form of money and insurance. They gave us a card for $300–400 to spend on housing and food. Meanwhile, a night in the cheapest motel cost $120,» Oleg shared.
The first period was difficult — they had to borrow money to rent an apartment. The problem is that without a rental history, that«s also hard to do. Here, their friend helped them out again and signed the lease in his name.
America is a car country. It«s no secret that getting around without a car here is very difficult and also expensive. So, on top of apartment costs, car expenses were added.
«To take a taxi to the house next door, you have to pay at least $60. We found guys who sell cars at a very high-interest rate, with huge deposits and terrible conditions. So terrible that after being here for two and a half years, we are still paying off that car,» Oleg said.
«I«ve been on all the roofs of Los Angeles»
At first, they had to survive on an «immigrant diet.» The family went to food banks — organizations that help low-income people. There, Oleg was given various products — meat, vegetables, fruit. Sometimes they got lucky — something tasty and interesting.
Despite the state aid, the money wasn«t enough to pay for the car loan, apartment rent, and food for four people. There was no free time left: Oleg got a delivery job and simultaneously attended mandatory English language courses.
«We already had money for rent, probably around three thousand dollars a month. But that«s well below the poverty line. For our family, the poverty line is seven thousand dollars,» Oleg explained.
After working in delivery, the Yekaterinburg native learned that Russian-speaking handymen — essentially «Mr. Fix-its» — are highly valued in America. On social networks, he found a specialist named Anatoly from this field, who taught him the basics:
«We agreed that I would ride with him, help, and he would pay me $150 a day,» Oleg said about the work conditions.
The first saved money was enough to buy tools. For his first order, he earned $1,800. Later, Oleg got a job as a laborer for a property management company.
«The company was run by three Jewish brothers. Then payment delays began, reaching ridiculous situations where I had to block their car with mine near the office so they wouldn«t run away from me. I worked with them for four months,» he said.
Soon, by a stroke of luck, Oleg received an offer at an air conditioning repair company:
«Income sometimes reached $10,000 a month. If I got into installing air conditioners, it would have been even more, up to $15,000. Few people, actually, earn that kind of money consistently. I«ve been on all the roofs of Los Angeles and on the roofs of some stars.»
«I ended up in a company, sort of like Google, only in the porn sphere»
With the onset of winter, orders became fewer — then Oleg started looking for work again. He stumbled upon the first video director vacancy he found, which involved developing VR content.
«They called me and said: «We must warn you, we don»t make entirely simple VR content, it«s for adults.» I decided to agree. First — computer graphics, I find that interesting. Second — it«s safer than crawling on roofs, where almost anything can kill you: from scorpions in basements to falling off a roof,» he shared.
After the interview, the Yekaterinburg native was hired by a company where Russian-speaking specialists mainly work. Now Oleg edits and assembles filmed scenes so they can be viewed in a virtual reality headset:
«First I take everything that was shot, then I clean the sound and edit it. We take first place in porn awards. The volume of work is colossal, but I«m used to it. I have a five-day workweek, paid vacation, which is an unheard-of luxury for America. The management, probably out of Russian generosity, decided to have New Year»s holidays. In America, they«ve never even heard of such a thing.»
«I left with the thought that I would never return»
Now Oleg lives with his family in Beverly Hills. His 13-year-old son Andrey attends the school where Angelina Jolie studied, and his wife Olga is training to be an AI specialist and finishing English courses. She also works part-time in delivery.
«Our combined income is now somewhere around $10,000–11,000. Our apartment costs $4,000 a month. Plus all sorts of payments: car loan for two cars — $1,000 bucks. We also pay a loan for the lawyer — $500 a month. Our phones are also on credit — I pay $250 a month. Utilities aren«t expensive here — $150. The rest goes on groceries,» Oleg shared.
The family is still in the status of «asylum seekers.» In this situation, there are two options — their case goes to the judicial or immigration system. Within three years they could get approval, but this period could be extended.
«When they approve your political asylum, you automatically get a green card. According to the rules, you cannot return to the country the US is protecting you from. Now we can«t even leave America. But I left with the thought that I would never return,» the Yekaterinburg native added.
Oleg admitted that he only misses two things from Yekaterinburg — snow and EZhK mayonnaise.
«Americans are slim, beautiful, athletic people»
There are many stereotypes about life in America: crime, poverty, and a love of fast food. However, according to Oleg, none of this is true. For example, in the States, he feels safer than in Yekaterinburg:
«In America, the level of safety, by feel, is much higher than anywhere in Russia. Beverly Hills is one of the safest neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Besides the police, private security works in the city.»
Oleg was also surprised by Americans themselves, or rather, their appearance. He noted that they all look sporty and fit.
«Americans haven«t been eating fast food for a long time. They are slim, beautiful, athletic people. Models and movie heroes walk around us. George Clooney, Tom Cruise — they are ordinary people who live here. That»s just how Americans look,» he added.
According to Oleg, the state in the US helps low-income people and does a lot to give a person a chance to get back on their feet.
«The people who end up on the street here are those who aimed for it — punks, nonconformists, drug addicts. These people receive financial aid, all medications, there is free housing for them, but they don«t want to live like that. And there is also a tiny percentage of the insane: America is a very reactive country. All changes happen instantly and affect absolutely everyone. For some, this leads to mental illness,» Oleg said.
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