Hi, I’m Martina Mustafova.
I'm Martina Mustafova — a writer and cultural consultant based in Sofia, Bulgaria. I work with filmmakers, authors, game developers, and institutions who need someone who understands how stories carry — and sometimes damage — the cultures they depict.
Writing has been both my craft and my way of understanding the world for as long as I can remember. My work has taken me through very different worlds: international corporate environments, activism and community work, cultural research, Jungian psychology, technical writing, creative consulting, and long-form nonfiction.
At first glance, these experiences may seem unrelated. To me, they are not. They all taught me to look beneath the surface. To ask why people behave the way they do. Why certain stories survive. Why some symbols have power for thousands of years. Why societies create outsiders. Why certain characters resonate with us. And why the stories we tell often reveal things about ourselves that we never consciously intended to say.
CULTURE, PSYCHOLOGY & STORY
My particular area of interest lies where culture meets psychology.
I am fascinated by collective patterns: the beliefs, fears, symbols, myths, stereotypes, and stories that shape people without them necessarily being aware of it.
And I am even more fascinated by how individuals respond to these collective patterns.
This is also what informs my approach to storytelling. I believe culturally authentic storytelling is not simply about getting someone's clothes, language, food, or customs right. It is about understanding how a person sees the world. What do they fear? What do they value? What does their community consider sacred? What stories do they inherit? And what stories do they reject?
pixar animation studios
Advising on Romani representation together with my husband Pepi Mustafov, as part of a Cultural Advisory group.
consulting experience
United NAtions
Writing consultant for internal documentation, communication, and procedures for the e-delegate devision in the New York office.
Novelists & Authors
Female psychology, Balkan and Slavic mythology, Jungian archetypes, fairytale structure.
Screenwriters & Game developers
Character formation, Hero's Journey, cultural symbolism, world-building.
Activism & Community work
My consulting work is inseparable from my community work. I don't write about marginalized cultures from the outside — I've spent years alongside them.
RAZLIV ORPHANAGE (2013-2017)
Part of a volunteer group in Hewlett-Packard that organized regular educational and interactive activities for the 40+ children in the orphanage in Razliv, Bulgaria.
BUWEDDA UGANDA (2014-2015)
Online Communications Manager for the nonprofit organization BUWEDDA UGANDA which is working with ill, disabled, and marginalized women in Uganda.
UNA bulgaria (2016-2018)
Coordinator of projects for social inclusion of refugees as part of the United Nations Association in Bulgaria, more specifically language exchanges and cultural events.
ATD FOURTH WORLD (2020-2022)
Part of a volunteer group organizing educational and creative workshops for children in the Zaharna Fabrika Romani community - where I ended up meeting my now-husband and creative partner Pepi Mustafov.
Before moving fully into writing and creative consulting, I spent more than a decade working in the corporate world, including international teams, crisis response, project management, and client-facing roles.
I hold an MBA from Henley Business School and a Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English.
I have also studied memoir and nonfiction writing, writing for activism, and scriptwriting.
Alongside my professional career, I have been involved in activism, refugee integration, community work, and projects supporting marginalized communities.