Meet the team - Paulina Tervo

I look after our product and content teams, who create our learning platform, and my role includes both product development and content production. I also oversee the development of our systems and processes, our team and their wellbeing. I establish the strategy, editorial and quality standards for our learning platform and help develop business strategy according to Lyfta's vision and mission.

I love working with everyone in our team, and I thrive from the creative aspects of my role, such as storyworld production and film curation, designing our platform and continuously striving to make things better for our users. I also enjoy networking and meeting new people and talking about Lyfta at events.

I've had three careers in my life so far, starting with working in the travel industry, then as a freelance filmmaker and journalist before moving on to my role as Co-CEO here at Lyfta. My current role is definitely the most rewarding and the most challenging!

My experience is varied, from producing and directing documentary films to leading cross-functional design and tech teams, project management and product development. I have also done some public speaking and strategic communication work.

I really believe leading with empathy and having the courage to take risks are two key skills an entrepreneur needs to succeed. As an entrepreneur you have to learn a lot very quickly, especially learning to know what you don't know!

I really loved making the first three Lyfta storyworld series; Awra Amba, Secrets of the Opera and DinnerTime 360, which were all a real labour of love during the six years that it took us to create them. I feel they are all a part of me and therefore close to my heart. But I am so excited now to see the other side; commissioning and curating films for Lyfta by brilliant filmmakers from all over the world.

I think every person has a beautiful story to tell, and I am proud of all the stories we make and share.

Right now I am excited to bring 'Kootyin' from Hong Kong to our audiences. This is the story of a young woman who fights for the land rights of farmers and who works on an oral history project with them. The topic is so important and universal. I believe children and young people will learn a lot from her and maybe see her as a role model. She is an amazing, fearless young woman who sticks to her beliefs and follows her heart.

This storyworld will be released on the Lyfta platform very soon, so watch this space!

I am a globe-trotter so I have many favourite foods. If I had to pinpoint one dish it would probably be 'Som Tam' - a very spicy green papaya salad from Thailand, which, if enjoyed as it should be, will make you sweat and brings tears to your eyes. I like food that is tasty and that challenges your taste buds.

I practise yoga and meditation, as well as swimming and exercise. I love reading, cooking and hanging out with friends. I also love exploring the world and Pre-COVID I was traveling whenever I could, which I hope to do again one day soon. I'm happy that we can still 'virtually' travel with Lyfta!

In 2004, just after graduating from my MA in documentary filmmaking, I had the chance to travel to Ethiopia. While there I met a Finnish woman who worked for a local NGO, providing water and essential services to those living in remote rural areas, and I was lucky enough to be able to join her on one of her work trips, armed with my small video camera. The 4-day trip was one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. We drove for 8 hours across mountains, on dirt tracks full of potholes, to reach communities living far away from any town or city. When we arrived in the villages, we were greeted with both curiosity and delight. Many of the communities had never encountered a white person, and hundreds of children ran after us to surround the car as we stepped out. They giggled and stared. They asked me questions, and some tried a few words in English. The filmmaker in me wanted to take the camera out and record the experience, but I resisted the temptation and enjoyed the moment instead.

A few days later I was told about another community nearby where women enjoy equality with men (unfortunately not generally the case in the region), all children are educated (also not always the case) and the community does not have churches or mosques (very unusual for the region). I was immediately intrigued and wanted to visit, so we travelled about 1.5 hours north of Bahir Dar to reach the fascinating village of Awra Amba. As we arrived, I noticed that there were no children running after our car. It was peaceful and quiet, you could hear birdsong and distant noises coming from weaving machines.

We were greeted by a woman, who offered to give us a tour of the village. She shared the history of Awra Amba, how it came about, the ups and downs they had endured over the 40 years of the village's existence, and most importantly, what they believe in and how they fought to live by those beliefs. It was such an inspiring day and I came away from it thinking that if there was any way for me to come back here I would.

The experience touched me so deeply that I couldn't stop thinking about it in the ensuing months and years and I drew up various plans to try to raise money to go back and shoot a documentary there. Four years passed before I was able to return and the journey to creating the Awra Amba interactive documentary began.

I have chosen the word "serendipity". It means finding something good, without looking for it. It's a word that resonates deeply with me because many of the defining moments in my life and work feel as if they have come about this way. Through an action or an interaction with another person, something unexpected has happened in my life, that has changed me. Visiting Awra Amba was serendipitous, as was meeting my friend Meira, whom I travelled back to Ethiopia with in 2008 to start filming the Awra Amba documentary. Had it not been for her I don't know if I would have gone back there. Years later, it was the Awra Amba documentary that inspired the foundation of Lyfta.