‘There are always flops, and it's part of the job to keep learning’

Dennis Horn, who describes himself as a “nerd on duty” and a digital expert, deals with the journalism of the future. He works on innovation projects at the WDR Innovation Hub. “There are always flops,” says Horn. “But that’s part of the job.”

Werksgelände: What do you actually do as a digital expert at the WDR Innovation Hub?

Dennis Horn: The WDR Innovation Hub has the task of preparing WDR for all the things that are coming its way: new trends, new technologies, new digital developments. We conduct trend research, launch innovation projects, develop prototypes and disseminate the knowledge we gain throughout the organization – from the editorial teams to technology and management. I also report on many of these topics on television and radio.

What experience or talents should you have for the job?

It’s hard to say exactly, because our team is made up of very different people with different experiences and talents. A sense of project management helps. But also, the journalistic skill of explaining complex relationships simply – because that’s exactly what we have to do when we have to explain to people at WDR what new things are coming their way. But we also have people in the team who come from administration, IT or marketing, and that’s what it’s all about: bringing together very different experiences and talents.

It has always bothered me how slowly media companies in Germany react to digital developments.

- Dennis Horn

What appeals to you about your job?

As a journalist, I have been working for radio and television for many years. However, as someone who reports on digital developments, I have always been disturbed by how slowly media organizations in Germany are reacting to them. With my job at the WDR Innovation Hub, I can make a difference – and at the same time I am automatically always at the forefront of developments. That’s a privilege.

What are the biggest challenges in your job?

Breaking up the old structures. Media companies often still work in traditional hierarchical structures- an analogue culture prevails and the knowledge of how profound the change we are currently undergoing has still not arrived everywhere. The biggest challenge for me is the mix of mediation, lobbying and in-house politics – which has nothing at all to do with what people usually imagine working in an innovation team to be like.

What has been your biggest flop on the job so far, and what have you learnt from it?

There are always flops and it’s part of constant learning. But my biggest flop was a rather ambitious project in a media company that would have had an impact on many editorial teams and colleagues. It failed in the end because there was resistance at management level – and it wasn’t because of the idea, but because of how much this idea would have changed. I have learnt that innovation works better in small steps.

Dennis Horn

… is a digital expert at ARD and Innovation Manager at the WDR Innovation Hub. Together with an interdisciplinary team, he tracks trends and social developments in the hub and explores exciting and challenging questions such as which trends actually benefit journalists and editors.

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