Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hava Schultz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Hava, thanks for joining us today. What’s been one of the most interesting investments you’ve made – and did you win or lose? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)
When I decided to establish Hava Media, it meant a whole lot more than just making aesthetic visual content (not to downplay that; creating content is a lot of work).
To me, deciding to found and grow a media business meant promising to do whatever it takes to make it happen— to fully commit. And that means investing the time and money required to make it happen.
Because I don’t broadcast my other job online (I am in my twelfth year running a professional private tutoring business), I have found that many people assume I work on Hava Media full-time. And, they’re not entirely wrong— I put nearly full-time hours into Hava Media.
Working two businesses can look like 13-hour workdays during high times, and I usually work 6 days a week. It’s a lot, but until I can financially afford to work just one business, this is the choice I’m making because I’m not willing to give up the media business.
That said, I’ve cycled through some pretty intense burnouts. After living in New York City for over a year, one rainy night I found myself sobbing across the street from my apartment building. I felt frustrated and hopeless because no matter how many ways I’d rearranged my schedule, I couldn’t successfully maintain my tutoring business, uphold a long-distance relationship, make friends in New York, create lots of quality content, work on important tasks to grow my new business, and, you know, take care of myself. The fact is— there was more to do than I could ever get done, and there was more to do than I could fit into my schedule to bring Hava Media to a level of success.
I needed help. So I asked myself, “What is the task that, if outsourced, would buy back the most time for me?” There was a clear answer— video editing.
I like video editing fine— at a low-key hobby level, and I’d classify myself as a decently speedy intermediate editor. Even so, it is a highly time-consuming task, especially at the volume that I wanted to create content in this increasingly video-centric digital world.
That said, video editing is a valuable skill, and it doesn’t come cheap. I’d done some research historically, always longing for the day I’d be able to hire help. So I knew I’d have to take a serious look at my finances to figure out how to swing this— not “if” I could swing this— “how” I could swing this. I was at my breaking point. This HAD to happen. I continued to shed tears as I navigated doubt around making this happen, but after figuring out the money, I contacted the company that seemed most aligned to meet my needs. Fast forward, and I’ve been working with this company for about 11 months. They have taken the burden off where I needed it. I am just as busy as I was before, but now I can actually work on the business (not just in the business). There’s always more that could get done than I actually can get done, but I’m able to tackle enough tasks outside of creation that Hava Media can truly get up and off the ground. I’m building a media business; it’s amazing to now have time to work on both the media AND the business!
Plus, I may be an intermediate editor, but now that I’ve got advanced professionals editing and reviewing my work, the quality of my work has increased too. It’s been rewarding to work with a team— the finished products are a result of collaboration… WE did it!
I don’t feel alone anymore… because I’m not alone anymore. I have support in my business, and we have forged meaningful working relationships. Their help has also opened up time for me to build a foundation of friendships in New York, which has been an important contributor to my personal happiness.
Working with my editing team has given me the opportunity to grow as a creator. I seek their feedback, ideas, and industry insight. I’ve felt more confident branching out to work with new equipment. (Since we started working together, I’ve invested in two cameras, a teleprompter, and a microphone setup, knowing I’m not alone as I embark on these learning curves.)
The burnouts, frustration, fatigue, and lack of personal needs being met was really painful. It led me to a push-come-to-shove situation, which was far from easy. It demanded courage and short-term sacrifices (especially financial) to find the help I’ve needed for the success of my media business and my personal happiness. But what’s more important than those two things? Answer: not much.
So, while this is a large investment that I continue to make, it’s been worth every penny, and in the end, I’ve reaped benefits beyond just the time that it’s bought back. I’ve heard other industry professionals say that having a good video editor is “gold”, and I’m grateful that I’ve stuck gold.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
Hava Media, LLC provides visual entertainment through photos and videos centered around discoveries in NYC and personal style.
As a curious creative, DISCOVERY is my thing. I’m always on the lookout for a new place, a fresh experience, useful products, etc… and then I share my best discoveries with my audience!
On Instagram I often share these finds through reels and even photo carousels. This includes restaurants, activities, outfits, and more. (I’m working on some fun recurring content types to launch on Instagram to provide even more value, so stay tuned!)
In long-form YouTube videos I bring my audience into the exploratory experience, discovering interesting spots in NYC right alongside me.
I absolutely love waltzing through life with a whimsical, positive energy, learning about my world, and packaging my discoveries into a creative piece of entertainment that inspires other people to go discover their worlds too!
If this sounds like a journey you want to join, see you on Instagram and YouTube!
The ‘Gram: @hava.media
The ‘Tube: youtube.com/@hava-media
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
Because everyone consumes content, for some reason, everyone seems to think they know what it takes too. Or, they severely underestimate the workload that goes into even seemingly simple pieces of content that they enjoy. From my experience, it’s the people who actually pick up a camera, open an editing software, do something— who have the most respect and appreciation for what creators do.
Consider the fact that the BEST pieces of creative work are so seamless that you couldn’t even guess what all went into making it happen because you don’t notice it— it’s just good! (Example— if the audio of the video sounds smooth, you are only focused on the message coming through, be it dialogue or music; the behinds-the-scenes audio work, be it an equipment setup and/or fine tuning in post-production, go unnoticed.)
That said, people don’t need to understand those behind-the-scenes skills and tasks to recognize and respect the work that is done. I don’t know much about the job of accountants or lawyers— and unless you work in the field, you probably don’t either— but we all agree that their job isn’t easy, and we’re not going to make bold claims or judgments about what they should/shouldn’t do.
Essentially, viewers see the final result— what’s in front of the curtain, not the challenges and magic going on backstage.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
As someone always on the lookout for new information, ideas, and perspectives, I have consumed a lot of material in the forms of books, articles, videos, and podcasts. A book I have read (and reread more than once) is “Everything is Figureoutable” by Marie Forleo. Although I enjoyed the book, her message didn’t entirely click until my second read… at which time I felt the epiphany, and I started living this philosophy.
This book is a page-turner, and the audiobook is fun since Marie narrates it herself. Hearing Marie’s stories and learning helpful strategies for implementing this attitude has been both inspiring AND a real-game changer. Entrepreneurship— and life in general— comes with a lot of unknowns and challenging situations. Believing that “everything is figureoutable” lays the groundwork to figure it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hava.media
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hava.media/
- Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/havaschultz
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hava-media