About

I’m a creative director, web developer and AI strategist based in New York. I lead AI at Dragon Horse Agency, co-founded the design practice The VL Studios, and founded The Northern Voices — the only English-language publication covering all eight Nordic and Baltic communities across North America. Thirteen years of brand and web work sits underneath all of it.
Creative Leadership
I build brands and the websites they convert on, then wire the AI layer in behind them. At Dragon Horse Agency I lead AI: lead qualification and enrichment, personalised outreach sequencing, automated quoting and intake triage — shipped to production, not slideware, and I will tell you where AI does not belong. At The VL Studios I co-founded a practice that has delivered forty-plus engagements across fashion, legal, wealth management, beauty, theatre and nonprofit, built on Webflow, Shopify, WordPress or custom code, with structured data and technical SEO on nearly every one. The through-line is the same: design that has to sell something, and technology that still holds up after launch.
Valev Laube speaking on stage at a conference panel

Speaking on brand, design and AI — New York.

Beyond client work

I publish and produce. The Northern Voices is an independent English-language publication I founded and run end to end — editorial, build and revenue model. Alongside it: concerts, exhibitions and multidisciplinary performance, from Estonia’s centenary programme at the National Gallery of Art to Dawn till Dusk at the Estonian House in New York. I also compose and play violin; four records released across 2025 and 2026.

Writing

Under my own byline.

Occasional essays, and the odd interview. I founded and edit The Northern Voices, so most of what I publish there goes out under the masthead rather than my name — these are the pieces that carry it.

  1. The Third Generation Problem The grandchildren of emigrants inherit the wish to remember without the fluency to act on it. An argument that choosing a heritage as an adult is a more serious belonging than simply being born into one. The Northern Voices
  2. Hingedeaeg, or the Season We Left Behind On the Estonian autumn season when the dead were expected home — why it did not survive the crossing to North America, and what it would take to keep it again. The Northern Voices
  3. What the Forest Knows That It Cannot Tell You Foraging in an Estonian forest as a case study in knowledge that resists being written down — and what happens to it in an age that can only train on what has been. The Northern Voices
  4. The Night Came Back, and I Had Forgotten What It Was For On light pollution and the quiet disappearance of real darkness — and on what else has been optimised away alongside it: boredom, silence, being unavailable. The Northern Voices
  5. What a Bee Taught Me About Getting Lost on Purpose A bee looping over an Estonian garden is not lost, it is learning the ground. An argument for wandering as method rather than as failure. The Northern Voices
  6. Ashutosh Syngal’s Decentralized Vision for Secure Data in AI An interview on training AI without harvesting the people it learns from: zero-knowledge proofs, trusted execution, and letting individuals own the data they contribute. Cybernews

We chose Valev for his insight and prior design elements to make our law firm website less like a traditional law firm site. His responsiveness, adherence to timelines set often by him and his clear knowledge of how to implement the vision given by the client were precisely what we were searching for and couldn’t be more pleased with the results. I feel it important to say that “I have not done a law firm website before” was part of why we hired Valev. You wouldn’t know if you visited our site. Much success my friend. It’s well deserved. Thank you to Jolie Schwartz for the recommendation!

Alexander Almazan
Founder of Almazan Law

Valev is one of the very unique experts in New York. I’ve had a chance to know him for almost four years now, and after following his professional career, I decided to work with him on my short film production mainly because of his holistic understanding of design, marketing, and production. He has been an essential part in the production of short film “Wildflower” as well as an unreplaceable asset in refining my personal brand. We’re currently collaborating on an upcoming Broadway musical “Kalevala the Musical” which has been a breeze thanks to his understanding of web-oriented design, marketing, and PR. Thank you for your dedication and detail-oriented work!

Kristi Roosmaa
Producer of “Wildflower” film
creative team of Kalevala the musical

Valev was a tremendous help to the Orchard Breeze Companies. Working with us for a company vision, Valev created and enhanced the design of our logo, website and theme that reflected our company’s intent and goals. With Valev’s help, we have captured the attention of new customers and have been able to grow our customer base and our business overall. I have really appreciated our professional relationship.

David Tanner
Founder of Orchard Breeze Companies

Valev Laube is a genius at what he does. He is not only fantastic to work with, the ideas he brings to the table are always intuitive, specific and forward thinking. He is an irreplaceable asset to the Kalevala the musical brand, truly standing behind it all. From content creation, management and creative and brand design, he does it all. He can make an artist tell the story they want, across multi-media platforms in a way that helps them stand out. His creative talent is multi-faceted, and the way he navigates the world of tech and social media, while also applying his creative eye is an awe inspiring experience to have the pleasure of working with.

Johanna Telander
Composer of Kalevala the musical

Valev is a talented, detail-oriented, highly responsive brand designer & developer, and he has been a fantastic employee-partner to Marquee Brand Builders! One of the things we most appreciate about Valev is the time he takes to understand ours/clients’ visions, goals and objectives, and then translate that context into meaningful, engaging design. Digital savvy as well, Valev is a well-rounded asset and we’re delighted to have him on our team!

Lori Yuhas
Founder of Marquee Brand Builders

Valev is a skilled designer with a thorough understanding of aesthetics. He provides graphic content with both form and function. He is a pleasure to work with.

David Englert
Marketing manager at UR Ventures
Specialties
AI Strategy & Automation
Practical AI for sales and marketing teams: lead qualification and enrichment, personalised outreach sequencing, automated quoting, intake triage and internal tooling. I scope what is worth automating, build it, and hand back something your team can actually run. Engagements and pricing on request.
Contact
Brand & Web
End-to-end brand identity, web design and development, and eCommerce — on Webflow, Shopify, WordPress or custom code. Structured data, technical SEO and analytics come as standard, not as an upsell. Forty-plus engagements across fashion, legal, wealth management, beauty, theatre and nonprofit.
Contact
Publishing & Editorial
I founded and run The Northern Voices, an independent English-language publication covering Nordic and Baltic communities across the United States and Canada — the only outlet reporting on all eight in one place. I own the editorial, the build and the revenue model, which means I can advise on all three.
Read The Northern Voices
Cultural Production
Concerts, exhibitions and multidisciplinary performance — from Estonia’s centenary programme at the National Gallery of Art to Dawn till Dusk at the Estonian House in New York, which toured Florida and Maryland. Producing, music direction, curation and the campaign around it. Speaking and panel appearances on request.
Contact

Career

The short version.

2025 —Director of AIDragon Horse Agency
2024 —Founder & EditorThe Northern Voices
2019 —Co-founderThe VL Studios
2025Marketing DirectorNordic Artists of New York
2023–24Project ManagerConnective Web Design
2022Creative DirectorZEX Zuper Experience
2017–18Web & Multimedia DesignerMarquee Brand Builders
2016–18Creative DirectorEstonian Cultural Days, New York

Recognition & education

2024Juror, ONE Screen Short Film FestivalThe One Club for Creativity
2020Forbes 30 Under 30, United States — nomineeForbes
2014–18BA, Digital Media Studies & Studio ArtsUniversity of Rochester
Loading the résumé…
Download the full résumé (PDF)

Public appearances

Photographs from the room

Performances, festival panels, exhibition openings and award nights, photographed as they happened — in New York, Estonia and across North America. The place to look if you need a press photograph, or just want to see the work outside a browser window.

Valev Laube in a floral blazer presenting beside a lectern in a bright, book-lined roomValev Laube with an actor on the red carpet at the Roosevelt Island Film FestivalValev Laube and another man holding gold flame awards at a NYCTVF step-and-repeat
Browse the gallery

Valev Laube

Valev Laube is a creative director, web developer, and AI strategist based in Tallinn and New York City. He leads AI strategy at Dragon Horse Agency, co-founded The VL Studios, and founded The Northern Voices, the only publication covering all eight Nordic and Baltic communities across North America. Estonian-born. Forbes Under 30 nominee. Young European Heritage Makers Award, European Commission, 2022.
Work
PortfolioServicesContact
Art & music
ArtMusicGallery
Words
PressAboutThe Northern Voices

© Valev Laube 2019–2026
Tallinn and New York City
info@valevlaube.com

Web Design by Valev Laube