Manuela Baldauf is the head of digital content development and social media at Bayerischer Rundfunk.
WHAT LED YOU TO START WORKING IN DIGITAL/MEDIA PUBLISHING?
I really love writing — but writing stays writing. While I was studying journalism, political science and American cultural history at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich all the interesting, new, and exciting stuff had to do with digital media. So I joined.
WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
A lot of meetings with a lot of people, never enough time to read things properly.
WHAT DOES YOUR WORK SETUP LOOK LIKE? (YOUR APPS, PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS, ETC.)
I mostly use my smartphones for keeping up to date and my iPad for working. I really like Slack (surprise!) for connecting with people. But I still keep a notepad on my desk, on which I handwrite my to-dos. Nothing beats the satisfaction of crossing out completed tasks.
WHAT DO YOU DO TO GET INSPIRED?
I talk to interesting people of different professional backgrounds and I follow their accounts.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PIECE OF WRITING OR QUOTE?
Impossible to choose — there are so many books and authors I appreciate. For 2018, I’ll go with Paul Celan’s lyrical quote “Grow more Heavy. Be more light.”
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM THAT YOU’RE PASSIONATELY TACKLING AT THE MOMENT?
Content from our partners
Downscaling projects to a manageable size. Being content with many little steps instead of one huge step.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR AMBITIOUS DIGITAL PUBLISHING AND MEDIA PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE JUST STARTING OUT?
There are so many possibilities to publish digitally. Start immediately with a topic you really care about. It does not have to be perfect — just start!
