«Meet the Team»: Norman Bandi

Norman Bandi (50) has been Head of NZZ Content Creation, the service provider for journalistic storytelling according to NZZ quality standards, for more than eight and a half years, and as such is the interface for content-driven realisations at NZZone and audienzz. What began as a one-man show in 2016 is now a team of twelve in 2025. Before moving to Falkenstrasse, Norman, a native of Zurich, worked for almost eight and a half years as Business Editor of the «Handelszeitung» (at that time owned by Axel Springer Schweiz, now part of Ringier Medien Schweiz), most recently as head of the «Specials» (supplements) department.

What is your favourite NZZ product?

All products designed and completed by NZZ Content Creation. Especially the inserts in newspaper format, for which my team and I are responsible. This year, we will once again be producing around 30 «Focus» features and at least 10 publisher’s supplements for the «Neue Zürcher Zeitung» and the «NZZ am Sonntag». But well-made sponsored content also fills me with pride, either in our print titles or on our online channels. This content-driven advertising format in the «look & feel» of the relevant medium is created exclusively and conscientiously at NZZ by the experienced journalists and graphic designers of NZZ Content Creation.

How did you get into the media industry?

I learnt journalism from the ground up and completed the diploma course in journalism at the Media Training Centre (MAZ) at the end of the 1990s. At that time the school was still located in the Villa Krämerstein on Lake Lucerne, but now it is right next to Lucerne railway station. My first job was as a member of the editorial team at «Travel Inside», the Swiss trade journal for tourism.

Something less known about you …

In 2002, I was attached to the sixth contingent of the Swiss Armed Forces in Kosovo as Public Information Officer (PIO) of the 160-strong SWISSCOY which formed part of the KFOR peacekeeping military mission. In this leading position as a temporary professional soldier with the rank of first lieutenant, I ensured the flow of information both externally and internally, undertook classic media work as well as looking after journalists from Switzerland during press trips. A further aspect of my work was to act as a liaison officer with the local population, various public authorities and the other 38 nations of the deployment. I also hosted a radio programme once a week called «Good Morning, Swisscoy».

Besides your current job, what do you do so well that people would pay you for it?

For my language skills, at least in German. Malicious gossips claim that I discover errors in texts where there are supposedly none … If it’s not spelling, then it’s grammar or punctuation. There is hardly an image brochure or a menu that does not contain a wrong case or a missing comma – the latter even occurs in AI versions.