Steve Klein

As a new media consultant and sports specialist, Steve Klein brings solid journalism credentials and values, the ability to work and communicate with people, and a vision for the industry to his professional and academic work.

He joined the Advanced Interactive Media Group, L.L.C., in May 1999, expanding the group's practice in the areas of interactive sports and media integration. Steve joins Neil Skene, Steve Sullivan, Martha Stone and Peter M. Zollman in the group, which serves a wide range of media, corporate and university clients.

Steve works with online sports organizations on content and business issues, and with sports teams for general and online marketing. He also works with news, health and media organizations on the issues of integrating online and traditional media staffs and services. His clients have included drkoop.com as Managing Editor for News Operations, Total Sports, SportsTicker, USATODAY.com and the Detroit News.

Before joining the AIM Group, Steve was Online Sports Editor of USA TODAY, the most highly visited newspaper destination on the Internet, from June 1995 until January 1999. His staff at USA TODAY created the most extensive nationwide network of online college correspondents, providing proprietary content for all 228 Division I college football programs and more than 300 men's and women's college basketball schools. Under Steve's direction, the USA TODAY Online sports site was recognized among the most comprehensive and easy to navigate on the Internet. Steve also expanded the site's professional coverage and built a fantasy sports site that was recognized by PC Magazine in its top 100 overall sites in 1999.

Steve possesses a wealth of cross-media experience, having worked for the Lansing State Journal (sports editor), Tennis Magazine (senior editor), Stamford (Conn.) Advocate (executive sports editor), Enterprise Radio (media director), Cleveland Plain Dealer (executive sports editor), Akron Beacon Journal, Cleveland Crusaders of the World Hockey Association (media and public relations director), South Bend Tribune, Wisconsin State Journal and Milwaukee Journal.

As a member of the new media, newspaper and ethics committees of College Media Advisers, Steve has presented numerous seminars for students and advisers since 1996. He has also presented programs at American Press Institute and for Associated Press Sports Editors, and visits several college campuses a year to speak to journalism students and work with classes.

Steve is a journalism instructor at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., and also taught as adjunct faculty at Michigan State University in East Lansing for nine years. While at MSU, Steve completed his Masters in journalism and developed the school's first course in sports journalism, "The Ethical Impulse in Sportswriting." Steve has earned respect throughout the industry for developing aspiring journalists in both print and online media, and has helped place dozens in positions around the country.

After leaving USA TODAY, Steve was Vice President for Content and Development for GolfServ Online, helping the Internet startup company create and implement its strategic plan as well as providing key contacts in helping the company acquire content and online publishing partners.

He is co-founder of sportseditor.com, a year-old organization of more than 200 online sports journalists. Steve is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A. in American Urban History.