ScreenME Podcast
The ScreenME Podcast is all about entrepreneurship, particularly within the creative and media industry.
Through her accessible, easy-to-understand approach, the host, Ulrike Rohn, engages in captivating conversations with individuals who bring inspiration and knowledge to the world of entrepreneurship, including start-up entrepreneurs and those dedicated to teaching the entrepreneurial mindset.
Hailing from Tallinn University, where Ulrike Rohn is Professor of Media Management and Media Economics, this podcasts caters to both students and teachers in the creative field and the media.
For university students, the ScreenME Podcast offers a platform to learn from inspiring role models who share their unique journeys into startup entrepreneurship. Some of these guests are recent graduates, providing relatable and practical insights for those embarking on their entrepreneurial endeavors.
For university lecturers and teachers, the ScreenME Podcast serves as a valuable resource to glean experiences, insights, and tricks for facilitating and fostering an entrepreneurial mindset in students.
Tune in to explore the multifaceted world of entrepreneurship through engaging conversations that transcend the boundaries of academia and industry.
The ScreenME Podcast is brought to you by Tallinn University and it's Baltic Film Media and Arts School (BFM) and made possible through the EU-funded Horizon 2020 project on Screen Media Entrepreneurship, ''ScreenME'' (no 952156).
ScreenME Podcast
#35: Navigating different roles and experiences: Film student, film producer, startup founder. A talk with Lennart Mathias Männik (co-founder SetVox, BFM alumnus)
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In this episode of ScreenME, Ulrike Rohn speaks with Estonian film producer and SetVox co-founder Lennart Mathias Männik about the connections between filmmaking, creative education, and startup entrepreneurship.
Lennart reflects on his journey from studying Film Arts at Tallinn University's Baltic Film, Media and Arts School (BFM) to completing a Master’s degree in Culture Management at the University of Tartu, where his research examined the Estonian film industry’s challenges beyond funding, including work conditions, shared priorities, and the need for stronger dialogue between creative professionals and decision-makers.
The conversation then turns to SetVox, a smart communication tool for professional film sets that was born not from a fixed business plan, but from a bootcamp experience at Jõhvi Ida Hub with former BFM coursemates. Lennart explains how the team moved from creative collaboration into the startup world, why film production and entrepreneurship may have more in common than they first appear, and how SetVox aims to reduce miscommunication on set by linking walkie-talkie systems with smart devices, live transcription, and clearer information flows.
Lennart also discusses the mindset shift required when moving from the slower development cycles of film to the fast pace of startup incubation, the value of teamwork, and the role universities can play in preparing students for diverse creative careers.
The episode offers practical insight into media entrepreneurship and shows how problems encountered in everyday film production can become the starting point for new tools, ventures, and ways of working.
Key Quotes
“The biggest takeaway from BFM has always been the people, the environment, and the possibilities to participate in different projects.”
“Coming from a creative background, you always have to rethink your idea and revalidate it again and again. In startups, it works in a similar way.”
“In filmmaking, development can take five to eight years. In startups, people ask where you will be in six months. That tempo is something I am still learning.”
Lennart Mathias Männik is an Estonian film producer and graduate of the Baltic Film, Media and Arts School (BFM), whose work bridges creative vision with international collaboration. His short films Twin Turbo, Christmas Day, and Come Sit With Us have screened at renowned festivals including Camerimage, Black Nights Film Festival, Uppsala Short Film Festival and FilmFestival Cottbus. Lennart is known for combining a strong artistic sensibility with precise, strategic production leadership. He is particularly drawn to stories that explore connection, identity, and the human need to belong. His documentary Venice of the East premiered on Estonian National Television further expanding his work into the documentary field and national broadcast platforms.
Keywords
ScreenME, Lennart Mathias Männik, SetVox, BFM, Baltic Film Media and Arts School, film production, Estonian film industry, media entrepreneurship, startup, creative entrepreneurship, film technology, film set communication, walkie-talkie transcription, Tehnopol, Ida Hub, film accelerator, cultural management, University of Tartu, creative industries, audiovisual innovation
Host: Ulrike Rohn
Sound: Tanel Kadalipp (episode 1-14), Sangam Panta (episode 15 -
https://bfmentrepreneurhub.tlu.ee/screenme-podcast/
