Mikhail Galustyan
Mikhail Sergeyevich Galustyan (, , born 25 October 1979 as Nshan Sergeevich Galustyan) is a Russian showman, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Mikhail Galustyan was also a former participant in KVN and a show called "Comedy Club". Awards Champion League KVN 2003, Winner of the Summer Cup of KVN 2004, 2005, 2009. Biography. Mikhail Galustyan was born in the resort town of Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union in southern Russia. Galusyan's ethnology roots back to the city of Trabzon in modern Turkey, which used to be populated by a large Armenian community. His paternal grandfather, along with his  12 siblings escaped the Armenian Genocide during the early years of the 20th century and moved to Sochi, what was a Black Sea coastal town in the Russian Empire. Galustyan's mother originates from Armenia. Being ethnically Armenian, Galustyan is of Hemshin origin, a branch of the ethnic Armenians who in the past or present have been affiliated with the Hemşin district in the province of Rize, Turkey. When Galustyan was in kindergarten he participated in activities such as singing, dancing, and reciting poems. During his early life, Galustyan attended Sochi school, where he practiced the piano and began to  hone his skills in a music class. He was also engaged in the puppet theater in the judo section at the Palace of Pioneers. After the fifth grade, Galustyan transferred schools at his parents' instigation. At his new school he performed in a play on the stage. Galustyan's role in the play was Winnie-the-Pooh. By the time Galustyan was in the 10th grade, he had joined his school's KVN. Eventually, Galustyan became the captain of the school's KVN team. His team went on to defeat all their opponent schools during the regionals and won in  СГУТиКД (Sochi State University of Tourism and Resort Business). In 1996, Galustyan graduated from school and went into medical school, where he had studied to be an "assistant-obstetrician". After graduating from college, Galustyan entered the Sochi State University of Tourism and Resort Business with a focus in Social Pedagogy. In 1998, Galustyan joined his university's "Start" KVN team and took part in the Voronezh League, in which he helped the team reach the finals. After the performances in Voronezh, the team received an invitation to the Highest League for KVN in Moscow from A. V. Maslyakov. Galustyan was  eventually expelled from the institute for serious lapse in attendance as his group was on tour and were performing up to three shows per day. In 2002, Galustyan became the leader of the team, "Baked by the sun". In 2003, the team won that season's championship. During this time, Galustyan also met his future wife, Victoria. And in 2004, "Burnt by the sun" won the KVN Summer cup and repeated this success in both 2005 and 2009. In 2011, Mikhail became a student of the Kutafin Moscow State Law University. Galustyan was a torchbearer for the 2014 Winter Olympics  in his hometown of Sochi. He participated on the last day of the torch relay from Olympia to Sochi in what has been recognized as the largest and longest relay in the history of the Winter Olympics. Galustyan stated, "I'm proud and delighted that I helped my country and my hometown Sochi welcome the 22nd Winter Olympic games.”