‘It's hard to find good editors in the audio sector’
Laura Terberl is head of audio and video at Süddeutsche Zeitung. Her job requires problem-solving expertise, says Terberl. “I can’t do that; I’ve never done that before.” is not something she wants to hear from her team.
Worksite: What do you actually do as head of audio and video at SZ?
Laura Terberl: Communicate a lot! I’m responsible for ensuring my two teams work well together and collaborate well with the rest of the editorial team and the Süddeutsche Zeitung. This requires a lot of coordination. I’m constantly developing our strategy with my colleagues, conceptualizing new projects and taking care of annoying things like invoicing and ordering technology. And sometimes I’m also involved in operations: I edit scripts and host Instagram Reels and the podcast Das Thema.
What experience or talents should you have for the job?
Problem-solving expertise! I don’t want to hear the phrase ‘I can’t do that because I’ve never done it before’ in my teams. Our working environment is constantly changing and you have to be able to adapt to that. Our editors should have a good education in journalism (journalism school or traineeship), as well as some experience in audio or video journalism.
What appeals to you about your job?
I work every day to ensure that more people realize what great journalism we do at Süddeutsche Zeitung. That motivates me – I want it to make time-consuming research worthwhile in the future too. I also enjoy the fact that I have so much creative freedom and can set topics myself.
It's really hard to find good producers and editors in the audio sector right now.
- Laura Terberl
What are the biggest challenges in your job?
Sometimes it would be nice if nothing happened for two or three months: no new algorithm on Instagram, no new video platform, no new podcast format. You must keep a close eye on the competition and can’t rest on your laurels. It’s also really difficult to find good producers and editors in the audio sector at the moment.
What has been your biggest flop on the job so far, and what have you learnt from it?
Whew, there are quite a few. You have to get used to making the wrong decisions from time to time and be able to put up with it. What I would definitely do differently today: delegate more and better, start fewer projects but complete them more successfully. Ask for help more quickly. Escalate problems to the bosses in a more targeted manner. And much more …
Laura’s tips for the next generation
Get the best out of every internship. I’ve done a lot of internships that didn’t help me much. Looking back (as someone who now supervises interns myself), I have to say that I wasn’t a particularly good intern either. So, here are my tips: Communicate right from the start what you want to learn during your internship and what is important to you. Ask if you don’t understand something. Let them know if you have run out of tasks. You won’t be annoying (if you are, they’ll tell you), you’ll make it easier for the team to employ you.
Laura Terberl
… is head of audio and video at the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Following her traineeship in the SZ’s video department, she set up the new audio team and produced various audio formats. Terberl also hosts the research podcast ‘Das Thema’.
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