About

About Jody Lazarski

For NJ Production Guide:

Jody S. Lazarski
*2021 Garden State Film Festival's Educator of the Year

Founder of Lazarski Productions, LLC-lazarskiproductions@gmail.com /973-223-0649
Available as Production Crew in the following roles:
*2nd Associate Director
*Stage/Floor Manager
*Production Coordinator
*Production Assistant
*Consolation for Educational CTE Mentorships
*Adjunct opportunities teaching Video / Film Production
*Daytime availability only during July-August
*All year availability for one day/freelance photography or videography events, weekend events or remote Adobe Premiere editing projects

Jody is a Audio/Video Production Instructor at Passaic County Technical Vocational Schools District (PCTVS) where she teaches Video Production III & IV since 2015 and is responsible for the instruction content for students grades 11-12. She is also the Advisor of the Video Club and under her instruction her students have created award winning films featured in the Passaic County Film Festival, Montclair Emerging Filmmakers Festival, ACTE/NASA HUNCH Video Competition, Ramapo Film Festival, Kent Place Film Festival, Ocean City Film Festival, NY Young Filmmakers Film Festival, most recently, the Garden State Film Festival, and the Alliance for Women in Media’s Gracie Awards. The Gracie award was also an honor she was awarded while a student at Montclair State University for a student documentary she co-produced called “Out of the Broom Closet.” Additionally, her students also compete in the Digital Cinema, Broadcast News, TV/Video Production and Audio Production SkillsUSA Competitions, and more recently, have become affiliates of the Student Television News organization competing in various STN contests. Besides promoting their work competitively, she also advises students in the creation of video projects the NASA HUNCH Culinary and Engineering Competitions as well as various school events, sports and assemblies. Students in her class create a monthly show called, “The Bulldog Blast” (formerly Tech Monthly) as well as a news-magazine style show called “Tech Talk” where students perform the various responsibilities of running a multi-camera studio and control room. Her students operate various video cameras, tripods, audio and lighting equipment. Please check out her students’ work on their class Youtube Channel: TECH TV! Goals of her instruction include teaching students about news, elements of story, phases of production, video signal flow, proper equipment use, setup, production crew job roles, as well as editing in software including Adobe Premiere, After Effects, Audition and DaVinci Resolve. Prior to working at PCTVS, Jody worked as a Digital Media Instructor at Westwood Regional Jr./Sr. High School, and as a TV Production Teacher at PAAAS & Plainfield High School. In 2019, she was selected as Passaic County Technical Institute’s Educator of the Year.

Life Before Teaching…
Before becoming an educator, Jody was a Television Production professional in various roles, including an Associate Director and Stage Manager, before becoming a teacher. She stumbled upon her love of teaching while working as an adjunct professor at Seton Hall University's Pirate TV teaching a TV I level studio course while she freelanced in the industry. Her roles in television include:

TRU TV (FORMERLY COURT TV): Associate Director, January 2007- November, 2007 (staff) / Dec, 2007-Jan, 2008 (freelance) Assignment Desk News Production Coordinator, March 2005-Jan. 2007
SETON HALL UNIVERSITY-Adjunct Professor, TV Studio I, Fall 2005 & Spring 2006
FREELANCE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR:
MTV News, MTVU, MTV’s Direct Effect, MTV Overdrive, New York, NY-June 2005-July 2006
FUSE TV, (Various shows- SURS/FList) New York, NY-September 2005-July 2006
Food Network’s 30 Minute Meals with Rachel Ray New York, NY-October 2005
NBC Universal’s Home Delivery, New York, NY-October 2004
College Sports Television Network (CSTV)-October 2003
FREELANCE Work:
Stage Manager, Hockey, Tennis, Basketball (Devils/Islanders/St. John’s, etc)-October 2005-July 2006
Font Coordinator, PGA.com-27th Annual PGA Championship, August 2005
Font Coordinator, 32nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, May 2005
Font Coordinator, 29th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, May 2002
Room Director, Junket Productions, King Kong, December 2005; The Secret Window, February 2004
Room Director. Junket Productions, Something’s Gotta Give, December 2003
FOX SPORTS NET/NEP, “I, MAX” with Max Kellerman-AD, April, 2004-February 2005-staff
THE MAURY SHOW-2nd AD/Technical Production Coordinator, July 2001-April 2004-staff
MSNBC-Control Room/Research Production Assistant, May 2000-May 2001-Perma-lance
MSNBC’s Special Edition with Laurie Dhue; Crime Files; MSNBC Investigates
MSNBC Intern, January 2000-May 2000 Headliners and Legends with Matt Lauer
ABC, INC. Corporate Communications/ Synergy Department Intern, March 1999-Aug 1999
Honors and Affiliations:
• Gracie Allen Award, AWRT: Honorable Mention, “Out of the Broom Closet” for Montclair State University, 2000
• Achievement in Producing, Outstanding Producer/Writer-Broadcasting Department, Montclair State University, 2000

Professional Education:
Boise State University, MA in Educational Technology & Technology Integration Specialist Cert., 2015
St. Peter’s College, Alternate Route Education Program, 2009
Montclair State University, BA Broadcasting / Minor: Journalism, 2000
Caldwell College-Communications Major, 1998
Passaic Valley Regional High School, Little Falls, 1996