Short Vita: Prof. Michael Schwertel
Prof. Michael Schwertel, born in 1973, is a Professor of Media Management, producer, creative director and speaker with a focus on Artificial Intelligence, robotics, digital media and innovation. He gives workshops and talks on AI in media, marketing and business. In his academic work he teaches innovation, social media, creativity and data-driven communication and combines theoretical knowledge with extensive hands-on experience. As an early pioneer in digital image processing, HDTV, stereoscopy, augmented reality and early AI applications, he has often been several steps ahead of his time.
Extended Vita: Prof. Michael Schwertel
Prof. Michael Schwertel has worked intensively with a wide range of media formats for many years. His projects include designs for cinema, TV commercials, short films and animation as well as real-time and interactive AR and VR applications on the web. If something moves and triggers a reaction in the viewer or user, it is part of his transmedia portfolio. His clients include Telekom, Deutsche Bahn, ZDF, ARD, WDR, RTL, Sat.1, ntv and Bertelsmann. During his studies at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne he travelled several times to Los Angeles and England to work on Hollywood productions at PDI, Disney Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks. Both during and after his studies he founded and managed media companies (blurmedia, Power Toons) where he produced and marketed his own projects. Since 2007 he has been a member of the nomination committee and jury of the Grimme Online Award, scouting new internet trends. In 2024 and 2025 he served as a juror in the “Children and Youth” category of the Grimme Award.
Professorship at CBS International Business School
Since 2011 he has held a professorship in Media Management at the CBS International Business School in Cologne, teaching in the fields of marketing, artificial intelligence and digital innovation.
Courses Taught
At CBS International Business School, Prof. Michael Schwertel teaches in English. His courses include Advanced Media Management, Digital Marketing, Marketing and Innovative Technologies, Content Creation and Storytelling, Strategic and Social Media Marketing, Future of Media, Digital Storytelling, Start-up Management, Entrepreneurship, Media Production, Media Finance, Animation Production, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.
Excursions
He regularly leads excursions with students to media companies, agencies and technology firms. Destinations have included Google Hamburg, Microsoft Cologne, IBM Cologne, DMEXCO, Ubisoft, Berlinale, WDR, Deutsche Welle, RTL, BBC, Framestore, Manchester Metropolitan University, Warner Studios, Paramount Studios, Oscars.
Industry and Practice Partnerships
Cooperations include German Economic Institute (IW), Eyes & Ears of Europe, and numerous organizations in media, business and technology.
Research Projects
Research focuses on embodied AI, exoskeletons, robotics, AI in journalism, immersive XR, simulations, with research travel to Stanford d.school, Google, HP, Pixar, SAP.
Guest Lectures and Keynotes
Talks delivered at Eyes & Ears of Europe, German Journalists’ Association, Global Media Forum, BSD.
Awards and Committee Work
Jury member at the Grimme Online Award, Grimme Award, and the Cologne Chamber of Commerce (IHK).
Master’s and Bachelor’s Theses
Supervised more than 250 theses on media, digital innovation, AI, robotics, marketing, storytelling and data-driven communication.
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