How a Kazakh woman united neighbors at World Cup 2026 and conquered the UGC market

Zhemis lives in the USA, creates UGC content for American brands, and will attend a World Cup match for the first time this year. In this article  El.kz explores how her video featuring tickets to the Uzbekistan national team's game went viral, surprising even herself.

Bleachers without borders

"Honestly, I didn’t expect this kind of reaction at all. For me, that video was very natural because attending the World Cup has been a personal dream. I’ve never been to a football match in such massive stadiums," Zhemis says.

When ticket sales opened, she and her husband immediately searched specifically for the Uzbekistan match. There was no calculated plan for viral reach.

The video resonated with people for a different reason. In the comments, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, and Kyrgyz people appeared, all writing essentially the same thing: Finally, I see our own people in the stands.

"When I saw the reaction from people in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, I realized that so many people are missing that sense of unity," she explains.

The World Cup is taking place in a country where football has long played second fiddle to basketball and American football. But Zhemis says the situation is changing.

"You can see it growing now - brands are launching campaigns, themed products are appearing, along with events and merch. There’s more conversation. We are used to being spectators of major world events, but now we are becoming a part of them. I think people from Central Asia are entering this story very loudly right now, and it’s cool," she says.

For Zhemis, this feeling is unfamiliar but important. Emigration changes the perspective

"When you live at home, you sometimes notice the differences more. When you move away, you start to notice the similarities," Zhemis says

"Before, I would have said I am first and foremost Kazakh. Now I say - I am Kazakh and part of a large Central Asian community. Here, people often don’t divide us as strictly as we divide ourselves," she adds.

150 videos and a market she didn’t know

"The biggest myth is that everything is easy in America and money is easy to make. Immigration is an incredibly energy-consuming process," Zhemis says.

Recently, she and her husband moved from New York to another state and had to figure everything out from scratch again: every state has its own laws, school rules, healthcare, and document requirements.

It was in America that she discovered UGC (User-Generated Content) creating videos for brands to use in their advertisements. In one year, she has filmed more than 150 videos.

"I sometimes see my own ads on the internet. The ones I filmed myself," she laughs.

Now, women from Kazakhstan, Turkey, Norway, and the US come to her for consultations. Their questions are always the same: where to find brands, how to start, and how to build oneself through content.

The American client wants trust, not perfection

"Yes, a high-quality image is important, lighting, sound, composition. But a perfect image without emotion doesn’t work," Zhemis explains.

The American market is built on trust and concrete results: conversions, clicks, and audience reaction.

"UGC sits somewhere between blogging and marketing. You shouldn't just film a product beautifully; you have to understand the psychology of the viewer, storytelling, and how a person makes a purchasing decision," she says.

That’s why during her consultations, she covers everything at once: from camera settings to finding orders and building a personal brand.

Identity as an asset

"I used to think that my accent, appearance, or cultural background might get in the way. Now I think the opposite. The American market loves stories and different points of view. My identity is my advantage," says Zhemis.

She is developing an online store featuring goods from Central Asia: tubeteikas (traditional caps), felt bags, and art prints by Kazakh artist Nurlan Kilibayev.

"I enjoy telling stories about my culture through content. I want to show that national culture can be modern, stylish, and interesting to a global audience," she explains.

Moving opened up opportunities she never expected, and she says she considers it her mission to put them to good use.