Jaan Lazberg

Our team created promotional videos, live streams, highlights, and instructional content for real businesses outside the university, including a children's clothing store, a scent machine brand and other small university projects. I learned and gained hands-on experience in:

1. Client responsibility – Managing real business expectations as a producer.
2. Production leadership – Planning, ideating, and facilitating collaboration while maintaining detailed documentation.
3. Audio engineering – Mixing, mastering, and ensuring high-quality recordings for interviews and background audio.
4. Camera operation – Working with professional equipment for high-quality visuals.
Each project I switched between different roles and learned main thing - precise writing agreements in form of a simple after meeting e-mails are key to mutual understanding.

We developed and executed marketing and communication plans for a short documentary, a mental health magazine, a yoga brand, and several smaller projects in teams of 3–5 people. During my studies I have passed exams, learned and practiced:

1. Market analysis – Conducting PESTEL and competitive research.

2. Audience insights – Segmenting target groups, creating personas, and gathering user feedback through interviews.

3. Strategic marketing planning – Defining SMART objectives, positioning strategies, and tactical execution.

4. Content marketing – Creating content for Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

5. Performance evaluation – Measuring success through engagement metrics and campaign analysis.

6. Communication – Crafting partnership proposals and giving pitches.

Individually or in pairs, we developed financial and business plans for creative projects, including a short documentary, a food-sharing app, and a business report on Activision Blizzard, alongside smaller initiatives. I also successfully passed finance and management exams. learned and practiced:
1. Annual statement analysis and report – Evaluating revenue streams, cost structures, key channels, and partnerships while analyzing financial performance using key metrics like ROA and ROE.
2. Market and user research – Conducting interviews to identify customer needs, pain points, and market demand, ensuring alignment between business strategy and user expectations.
3. Business model development – Structuring key business components, including customer segmentation, value propositions, revenue streams, core activities, key resources, and partnerships, along with cost structure analysis.
4. Concept validation – Testing business feasibility through user feedback and Figma prototypes, refining the concept based on real-world insights.
5. Financial and strategic planning – Developing first-year revenue and cost projections, financial forecasts, and risk assessments to ensure long-term sustainability and viability.

In a team of three, we organized university-wide Winter Celebration and Halloween events, accommodating hundreds of attendees and coordinating dozens of volunteers. Despite organizing only two events, I gained valuable experience in:

1. Event planning & documentation – Creating schedules, mood boards, budget spreadsheets, and workflow documentation.
2. Stakeholder communication – Managing team coordination, client collaboration, and securing partnerships and sponsorships.
3. Production management – Handling audio recording and mixing, operating cameras, and overseeing volunteer and team management.
4. Volunteer coordination & scheduling – Assigning roles, creating day schedules, and ensuring smooth on-site execution.

The key takeaway was that event planning requires precision, with every detail documented and arranged well in advance.

In my 3-week intensive course at Northern Arizona University, our team of 14 students produced a 30-minute live show about the region’s wildlife and nature. This experience provided hands-on TV studio and live streaming training, teaching me how to plan, organize, and execute a professional broadcast within tight deadlines and large teams.

My main role was host together with my classmate, however I practiced all key roles in studio, including:

1. Hosting & scriptwriting – Preparing and delivering engaging on-air segments.
2. Audio engineering – Mixing and ensuring high-quality sound for hosts and field recordings.
3. Location scouting & field production – Identifying and preparing outdoor filming spots.
4. Camera operation & live direction – Shooting on location and inside the studio.
5. Teleprompter & floor directing – Managing on-air pacing and guiding the host’s delivery.
6. Technical operations – Assisting with lighting, graphics, and live switching.