NEWS

Residents tell all: Vincent Leemans from DPG Media

07 July 2022 Under one roof

Just a few more days and MindLabs will move. Our ecosystem will relocate into a brand new building in Tilburg's Spoorzone. And not just any building; the complex will be the central point for education, research and business in Brabant. Because we are not going alone; our partners are moving in with us. So that we can meet, inspire and motivate each other. In the section 'Under one roof' we introduce all our new neighbors to you. They tell us about their work, their reasons for moving and the plans they want to implement from our new location. In this edition: Vincent Leemans, deputy editor for Brabant at DPG Media.

Vincent, to start at the beginning: what kind of work do you do exactly? 
DPG Media is the largest media company in the Netherlands, with titles such as NU.nl, the AD, the Volkskrant and Trouw. As deputy editor Brabant, I am responsible for the collaborative editorial teams of the 3 newspapers in Brabant. BN DeStem, Eindhovens Dagblad and Brabants Dagblad. These are: sports, online, research, final editing and print editing. Before that I worked for Brabants Dagblad for almost 30 years. First as a reporter, later in the positions of head of news service and head of innovation, among others. 

Why did you decide to pack up and move into the MindLabs building so soon? 
In recent years the 3 newspapers from Brabant have started to work together more intensively. The sports and online editors have been merged for some time. Representatives of each newspaper form 1 multimedia team of editors. The editorships Sport Zuid and Online Zuid are, together with the editions Tilburg/Langstraat of the Brabant newspaper, already in the Deprez building. Since early July this year, all editors-in-chief in Brabant work together in one place. The reason is that we have such big ambitions that we want to join forces. This requires one central location: the new building in the Spoorzone. We did not want to wait for the completion of the new building next to the LocHal, so we kicked off on 4 July in the Deprez building on Lange Nieuwstraat. That was a kind of dress rehearsal for the final move

How many of your colleagues are moving with you? 
A whole lot, in other words. The MindLabs building will soon have about 75 workstations for us. But because of the flexible form in which we work nowadays, part-time and working from home, there will soon be more than 100 people actually using the new location. For some colleagues from Brabant it is a big change; their place of employment has changed from Roosendaal to Tilburg, for example. And at the same time a number of them have been given a new position, new colleagues or a new boss. It is a different way of working. They have to get used to it, but the promise of the new building makes it something to look forward to. It will be a magnificent building.

Have you worked with other MindLabs partners in the past? Or have you pinned your hopes on the new building? 
DPG Media - then De Persgroep - was 1 of the founding fathers of the ecosystem. So we have been working together for a long time. When we become neighbors, there will be many more connections. For example, with the Fontys Hogeschool voor Journalistiek. They train young talent for work in our industry. DPG Media often has new vacancies. By sharing premises, we as a media company come into contact with the employees of the future at an early stage. And we can also share our knowledge, experience and qualities. 

How does it feel when you walk past the construction site now? 
I have already donned a construction helmet twice to take a look at the new building in the Spoorzone. And then I'm getting excited. The new building is vibrant and centrally located. Daylight enters from all sides, which makes it a light work environment. I know I speak for many of my colleagues when I say that we can't wait any longer. 

Where are you going to sit? What will your view be?  
DPG Media will soon be located on the second floor. One floor above Tilburg University and one floor below Fontys. 

Have you met your new neighbors? Or have you yet to have your first cup of coffee? 
With some neighbors contacts have already been made. And with others we have yet to have our first cup of coffee. But if we share a front door, that will certainly work out well. 

What plans do you hope to realize from your new home? 
The new organizational form, in which the various editorial departments work together, is our first focus. The MindLabs building is better equipped for what we need. And with all those media titles together, the new building will be the media center of the province. 

Are the first boxes already packed? 
First we are going to continue unpacking the boxes in the Deprez building. But we hope to move into the new building by the autumn. Just a matter of crossing the street. 

It's time to wrap up. What's on the agenda for you today? A little daydreaming about your upcoming workplace in the new building? Or are you too busy for that? 
The move-in date to the Deprez building is just behind us, so my schedule is still well filled. But a little daydreaming about the new move; I do make time for that. 

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