Nadezhda Vasilyevna Ismayilova was born on 14 January 1938 in the city of Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. In 1962 she graduated from the Faculty of Philology of Azerbaijan State University, and in 1968 from the screenwriting and film studies faculty of the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography (Moscow). She began her career at Azerbaijan Television in 1959. From 1975 to 1984 she worked as Deputy Editor-in-Chief at the "Azərbaycanfilm" studio. From 1985 to 1987 she worked at the "Azərtelefilm" creative association of AzTV. She was the author and host of the television publicist programs "Dalğa," "Həftə plyus," and "TV Kuryer."
