Meet Shawn Woznicki

New York native Shawn Woznicki is fascinated by his new workplace, German publisher Ullstein Buchverlage in Berlin. "The people, the building, the location," says Woznicki. "Ullstein Buchverlage is in an amazing location. The building as well is quite impressive. It was once a school but now has been preserved as a historical building, modernized by British designer David Chipperfield."

Woznicki, 28, is an art director in the marketing department at the Bonnier Technology Group at Bonnier Corporation in New York, but he has traded his position to work at Ullstein for three months as part of the GROW exchange program.

"I came to work as a Junior Product Manager but once they saw the work I produced in New York, my role changed," says Woznicki. "Now, I am a web designer for Jahrbuch der Werbung (JdW)/Jahrbuch der Unternehmenskommunikation (JdUK)." The books are a big project at the publisher, showcasing the shortlisted entries and winners in the annual JdW and JdUK competitions in Germany for advertising and corporate communication. For example, this year the JdW book is 880 pages long.

Switching from magazines to books means working at a completely different tempo. "I never realized how fast-paced we were in New York;until I started working at Ullstein," says Woznicki. "The thought process is quite different. We spend a lot of time on concepts before going to the computer. In New York, we have to meet tight deadlines. At Ullstein, there are deadlines, but they are over a longer course of time so we have some time to add detail into the final result."

The pace isn't the whole thing that has taken some adjustment, Woznicki says. "Living in a country where English is not the primary language can be challenging," he says. "I started to learn German before I came and it has helped me out."

But along with the challenges are lots of opportunity, and Woznicki recommends that anyone interested in the GROW program should apply. "It's an amazing opportunity to work abroad, to travel and to really see what it's like not just to visit another country, but to live in it."

Woznicki also believes in taking advantage of the travel opportunities of living centrally in Europe. "There is something new happening every week," he says. "Whether I'm in London, Prague or Romania, I love seeing new, unique places. I also try to plan my trips according to the time of year. I love Halloween, so I'm heading out to Romania to spend the night around Bran Castle, commonly known as Dracula's Castle. Who can honestly say they have done that?"