ZeMKI, Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research

We mourn the passing of our colleague Marco Höhn

Marco Höhn, who began as a research associate and was then for many years a lecturer at ZeMKI, died suddenly and unexpectedly in September 2020.

Marco Höhn belonged to the small circle that from the very beginning with great vigour and commitment built up the area of communication and media science at the University of Bremen.  After studying sociology at the University of Trier, from April 2000 to September 2004 he was a research assistant in the field of media economics at the Technical University of Ilmenau. In October 2004, he moved to the University of Bremen, where he worked first as a research assistant and then as lecturer for communication and media studies with a focus on media economics and media practice. During his professional career, Marco Höhn was also active in the field of cultural and event management, at times with his own event agency.  

With lots of energy, calm perseverance and always in a cheerful mood, Marco Höhn built up the media practice section of the communication and media science courses at the University of Bremen, for which he was responsible until the end. In doing so, he placed a major focus on interlocking university teaching with the media landscape in the state of Bremen and nationwide. Marco Höhn had a foresighted view of future developments. He offered practical advice on the move to digitalization in the media industry, when many educational institutions in Germany were still waiting for this to happen. He cultivated close contacts with representatives from numerous fields of the media sector, who greatly valued his expertise. In the process, he was able to win many of them as lecturers for ZeMKI and our students. All this came together in his involvement in Klub Dialog, a networking platform for the cultural and creative industry in Bremen, where he became a member of the board in September 2018.

Academic teaching and close contact with students have always been at the heart of Marco Höhn's activities. He was a highly popular lecturer among students for his rousing lectures, his diverse teaching concepts, his open ear, his intensive advice and great support. Many – sometimes too many – chose him to supervise their degree theses, a task he pursued with dedication. For Marco Höhn, teaching was much more than simply delivering seminars. He also conceived and organized the "Media Practice" information events, which keep students updated on the job market and where innovative formats like "job speed dating" create opportunities to get together with future employers. Closely connected with the name Marco Höhn is also krosse.info, a cross-media student magazine on topics surrounding culture, media, leisure and society in which many former students of the University of Bremen who later worked in the media industry gained their first journalistic experience.

As a colleague, Marco Höhn was a haven of peace in the hectic academic world. Always ready to talk and with inspiringly profound humour, he stood at our side in many mental "crisis moments". In the sometimes chaotic everyday life at ZeMKI, Marco had everything in view and was – often far beyond the usual working hours – a doer, advisor and problem solver at the same time.

Marco Höhn was a team player (and not just an avowed HSV fan) and was on friendly terms with many of his colleagues at ZeMKI. The soccer betting rounds he initiated will long be fondly remembered, together with his former entertainment skills as a DJ and the frequent outings he organized to concerts and soccer matches.

We will all miss Marco very much.