Bonnier Corp. Welcomes Three GROW Participants from Sweden and Finland

Anna-Karin Stockhaus
Bonnier Title/Location: Webmaster, Bonnierförlagen, Stockholm, Sweden
GROW Title/Location: Digital Content Specialist, Winter Park, Florida

What duties do you have while you are at the Bonnier Corp. Winter Park office, and how do they differ from your duties at Bonnierförlagen in Stockholm?
In my Bonnier Corp. role as digital content specialist, I post and create content across the Active Interest Network websites. The content varies from image editing to text, shorter copy writing and embedding videos. This includes social media updates. In addition, I’ve also done newsletter layouts.

In my position at Bonnierförlagen, in addition to tasks similar to those mentioned above, I have project management responsibility for Web development, which includes close contact with the publishers and the technical developers.

The biggest difference is the amount of content that’s available for use online — and, of course, the subjects that I work with. Coming from Sweden, I am the first to admit that I’m a total novice to yachts, kiteboards and marlins. But I’m learning every day. Also, the size of the organization that works digitally is much bigger at Bonnier Corp.

I find Bonnier Corp. to be an amazing organization with an enormously impressive knowledge base available in the building.

What goals would you like to accomplish while you are here?
My aim is to learn as much as possible about some of the new-to-me platforms that are being used, and improve my technological skills in these areas. Another goal that I’ve set is, of course, to produce quality work.

What are you most looking forward to during your stay at Bonnier Corp.?
I’m really looking forward to learning as much as possible about magazine publishing and, of course, networking. I’m excited about the new skills I will acquire, and exploring Florida on the weekends is an added bonus. I’m also hoping to see a real live gator, from a safe enough distance though.

How will you use what you have learned here and apply it back in Stockholm?
Just being in another part of the Bonnier business gives me valuable knowledge about how another media company handles similar types of challenges in such a different way. Magazines and books differ, but we can learn a lot from each other. In addition, I’m certain that I will be an even bigger sucker for open source content-management systems, and that my colleagues back home will get tired of my praise.

Dick Thellmark
Bonnier Title/Location: Creative Director, Sydsvenskan, Malmö, Sweden
GROW Title/Location: Marketing Project Manager, Winter Park, Florida

What duties do you have while you are at the Bonnier Corp. Winter Park office, and how do they differ from your duties at Sydsvenskan in Malmö?
In Sweden, I’m a creative director at an advertising agency owned by Sydsvenskan. Previously, I worked as an art director/business developer for the sales department at Sydsvenskan. I’ve also been employed by a couple of Swedish advertising agencies over the some 20 years I’ve been in this business.

I am honored to be part of the GROW program, and am thrilled to be here at the Winter Park office. My duties are similar here in Orlando, where I’m with Bonnier’s Active Interest Network marketing department, which has about 40 brands and comprises the marine and aviation, travel, water sports and TransWorld groups. Our marketing group includes creative artists and marketing experts, who work together to provide marketing solutions for our advertisers.

So far, I’ve mostly been doing research, gathering information on Bonnier Corp.’s brands, products, advertisers and audiences in order to get an overall understanding. One of the assignments I will be involved in will be to assist in the creation and design of templates for Bonnier Corp.’s marketing material.

The major difference is that this is all new to me and I can appreciate how important relationships are. To know who to turn to when you want discuss or resolve an assignment successfully and rapidly is of great importance.

What goals would you like to accomplish while you are here?
Of most importance to me is to collaborate with people in order to share knowledge and ideas. Getting a new perspective on things helps if you want to achieve groundbreaking, innovative solutions.

What are you most looking forward to during your stay at Bonnier Corp.?
Having a good time trying to enjoy every minute of the day.

How will you use what you have learned here and apply it back in Malmö?
Taking with me all the experiences of collaborating with people in a foreign culture I hope will lead to an improvement of our current strategy. I’m certain it’s going to boost new ideas on how to do things differently and increase our profit.

One of the things I’d like to evaluate when I return is whether cooperation and collaboration between our different Bonnier offices are manageable to a greater extent for common business benefit purposes.

Tiki Murray
Bonnier Title/Location: Logistician, Bonnier Publications Oy, Helsinki, Finland
GROW Title/Location: Associate Production Manager, Carlsbad, California

What duties do you have while you are at the Bonnier Corp. Carlsbad office, and how do they differ from your duties at Bonnier Publications Oy in Helsinki?
At TransWorld, I assist the production managers, processing ads and editorial page files for TransWorld SKATEboarding, TransWorld SURF and TransWorld Ride BMX. I map the issue, compile the book and make sure we have all the materials ready for printing, and that we are on schedule, as I also send and approve the files for print. I work with the sales staff, edit staff and also with the financial department with regards to setting the book size based on revenue and ad pages booked. I also worked at the annual TransWorld SKATEboarding Awards, setting up the venue and working at the door with admissions, which was a lot of fun. Back home in Helsinki, I work in logistics and consumer marketing, providing print and distribution instructions, as well as working with various databases and systems. Here, my work feels somehow more tangible — I get to see the end result of my work in a different, more obvious way. In Helsinki, people only notice my work if something goes wrong — which, fortunately, does not happen too often.

What goals would you like to accomplish while you are here?
I am hoping to get a bigger picture of how magazines are published, and also learn more about the publishing and action-sports industries. I would like to learn about iPad magazines as well, as they are relatively new in Finland.

What are you most looking forward to during your stay at Bonnier Corp.?
Meeting new people and working in a completely different environment. Switching from the world of women’s glossy magazines to action sports is also very refreshing, and I am hoping to learn to surf and skateboard while I am here.

How will you use what you have learned here and apply it back in Helsinki?
I have already learned a lot in a month and, hopefully, I can put that to use. At least, having a bigger picture about what actually goes into creating a new issue will be valuable. Working abroad and getting out of your comfort zone forces you to grow, and I think that will be beneficial as well.