In October, current and former management trainees met to exchange ideas. In this article, you can expect exclusive insights into projects and valuable lessons on leadership, mentoring, and career planning.
The digital world never stands still. Technical products develop at enormous speed and user behaviour constantly keeps changing. It is this fast pace that Sebastian Spang loves about his work. “We have to consistently develop our brands’ digital products further while always bearing in mind our users’ requirements”, he says. Spang has been head of mobile & digital projects at BurdaNews in Hamburg since July 2014. Together with his team, he makes sure that established brands such as TV Spielfilm or Fit for Fun are also successful in the digital world. This works well: The TV Spielfilm apps have been downloaded more than 16 million times and rank among the largest mobile platforms in Germany.
Starting his career at Burda as a Crossmedia trainee
When he joined the department of Marketing & Communications six years ago, Sebastian Spang experienced up close what makes the digital world tick and how innovative products change our lives: He started his career at Burda’s Munich location in 2008 and took part in the organization of the digital DLD conference. This career start has remained unforgettable to him: “To be able to gain first-hand experience of a DLD conference right at the beginning proved very instructive. I could make good use of the digital knowledge and the many contacts back then.”
Shaping digital change
After his degree in Media Studies, the 33-year-old made a conscious decision to work for Burda. “Digital change was already very real in 2008. It appealed to me very much to be able to take an active part in shaping this change at a large media company”, he remembers. Today he still appreciates the entrepreneurial spirit at all locations: “Ideas are met with interest at Burda.”
A wide range of perspectives
Spang was able to put his ideas into practice straight after his traineeship: He moved from the river Isar to the Elbe in 2009 and developed concepts for the websites and apps of the Hamburg brands together with Andreas Mauch, who today is managing director of TV Spielfilm & head of digital BurdaNews, among others. “We were given a lot of freedom and were able to re-design the digital products”, Spang says. Today he mainly concentrates on mobile applications. The digital expert takes into account very diverse perspectives when developing new products and improving existing ones, ranging from new sources of revenue to optimized advertising and from good usability to content strategies.
Burda’s familiar and professional atmosphere
He not only likes his professional responsibilites but the chemistry in the company is also right. “There’s a familiar but professional atmosphere at Burda”, he says. During his traineeship and as part of the Basic Management Programme, he was able to build up a network across departments and locations. The new location at Hamburg’s Holzhafen West also contributes to a good atmosphere: “I enjoy looking at the river Elbe from my office window. And a fish roll at lunchtime tastes twice as good at the harbour.”
