Steve Enders
Sunnyvale, CA
senders[at]yahoo.com
Summary of Qualifications
Senior web product and editorial professional with more than a decade of experience in a variety of media, including fast-paced web production and product management. Well-rounded background with demonstrated ability in strategic planning and implementing focused goals that balance editorial needs with business growth. Skills include developing high-profile online multimedia products, project management, writing and editing, as well as managing editorial budgets and staff. Excellent eye for detail, design, and accuracy. Strong understanding of web technologies and emerging trends, and excellent ability to manage multiple projects within deadlines.
Professional Experience
Tonic Inc., Mountain View, CA (Nov. 2008 - present)
Editor & Director of Content, Tonic.com
Hold a primary role in overall corporate strategy, editorial and content development, product and project management, building proprietary content management system, and more. Helped launch Tonic.com, a leading "good" news website. Responsible for editorial strategy and content operations while managing full time and freelance editorial staff producing daily, original content for Tonic.
- Work with CEO and president to define corporate strategy, and set and meet aggressive content, traffic, monetization and other company goals.
- Built editorial team and oversee full-time and contract editorial staff of editors, writers, and freelancers, producing dozens of daily content pieces for Tonic.com.
- Set editorial standards, style and tone guidelines, and content trafficking procedures to ensure timely delivery of content appealing to target market while maintaining site's tone and voice.
- Oversee development and management of content syndication partnerships with third-party sites including HuffingtonPost, Yahoo!, Current TV, Discovery Networks websites, and more.
- Assist in developing and implementing SEO and social media strategy that has resulted in a 1000% increase in traffic to the site which continues to grow month-over-month.
- Planned and arranged on-site news, live blogging and feature coverage of the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative.
Yahoo! Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (2004 - 2008)
Sr. Product Manager, Yahoo! News
Had a leading role in transforming Yahoo News into a multi-million dollar business while establishing Yahoo not only as a content aggregator, but as a content creator. Yahoo News is consistently the web's number one online news destination with over 50 million unique monthly users worldwide, and is among the top five most trafficked sites at Yahoo.
- Expanded Yahoo! News as a media brand and led development and launched groundbreaking original content and multimedia projects including: 60 Minutes on Yahoo! News, Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone, The 2008 Democratic Presidential Candidate Mashup, 2008 Elections coverage, and more.
- Launched high-profile, high-impact and award-winning websites with multi-million dollar advertising campaigns and in partnership with top-tier sponsors including Good Morning Yahoo! and others.
- Created and maintained the first comprehensive streaming video strategy and roadmap for video product and platform development. Managed day-to-day video operations.
- Through a series of strategically based but relatively small product tweaks, turned the site's video offering into a multi-million dollar business that topped 140 million streams per month.
- Managed relationships with multiple content providers/partners, large and small.
- Certified scrum master with advanced Agile product development training. Applied these techniques to lead product development and improve the team's efficiency.
TechTV, San Francisco, CA (2000 - 2004)
Lead Online Producer
Duties included managing a team of web producers for TechTV's most popular web destinations and companion TV shows, and also managed "Tech Live" news website. Working in conjunction with show producers, talent, and staff, the sites' goals were to mirror, promote, and add value to daily television broadcasts and specials.
- Created and managed key content and streaming video relationships with Yahoo!, ABC News, and others.
- Helped drive content strategy and websites for coverage of the then-emerging digital music debate. Served as reporter and editor for site content, and managed team freelancers.
- Developed effort to enhance network's editorial voice which resulted in steady increase of monthly visitors to the website.
- As a television writer and producer, played a key role in a daily, live technology news and debate program. Duties included writing show scripts and production, line production, research and reporting, and more.
Click Magazine, Menlo Park, CA (1999-2000)
Editor
Supervised editorial staff, freelancers, designers, and teamed with publisher and advertising staff to launch, publicize, and build readership of new magazine.
- Developed and maintained key relationships with industry leaders, prominent business executives, and tech industry organizations. Made numerous public and promotional appearances, helping to increase number of subscribers by 5 percent in 10 months.
- Formed partnership with the Silicon Valley World Internet Center to distribute magazine directly to key executives and upper-level managers in exchange for advertising access. Saw first increases in advertising, and editorial well during this time.
- Established editorial advisory board and interviewed prominent business executives and community and political leaders.
Metro Newspapers, San Jose, CA (1997-1999)
Assistant Editor, staff writer
Wrote numerous articles and assisted with special editions for Metro, Silicon Valley's alternative newsweekly. Regular contributor to feature and news sections of the paper, while also reporting for three community newsweeklies owned and operated by Metro.
- Assistant editor, Saratoga News, winner of the 1999 California Newspaper Publishers Assoc. Award of General Excellence. Covered Saratoga city government, edited other writers, and helped develop op/ed section.
- Staff Writer, Cupertino Courier and Sunnyvale Sun, two of the largest news weeklies in Silicon Valley. Responsible for covering Cupertino and Sunnyvale city governments and school districts.
- Awarded by Cupertino City Council for reporting series on deteriorating race relations within the city, and for teaming with city in community workshops to ease tensions.
New Times, San Luis Obispo, CA (1996)
Intern at San Luis Obispo's alternative newsweekly
- Wrote more than a dozen articles, including two cover feature stories.
Awards and Honors
- Yahoo's Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone awards included (partial list): National Press Club Award, best web site 2007; Webby Award for best news video site (2007); TIME Magazine (2006) 50 Coolest websites.
- 1999 California Newspaper Publishers Association (CNPA) General Excellence award.
- Winner of two 1998 CNPA awards for Spot News and Community Service journalism.
- Recipient of a "Laurel" from the Columbia Journalism Review for an investigative article exposing waste from Cal Poly university agriculture programs and its impact on San Luis Obispo's watershed.
- President, California Intercollegiate Press Association (CIPA), 1997. Organized annual convention for 250 journalism students.
- 1997 Winner, Glen Smith Award for excellence in journalism, the top award of Cal Poly Journalism department. Winner, Cal Poly Journalism Department Head Award for leadership in journalism.
- Editor-in-chief of Cal Poly's Mustang Daily newspaper, 1996-97.
Technical Skills
- Certified scrum master and advanced Agile product development methods.
- Working knowledge of major web technologies including XML, CSS, PHP, Perl, JavaScript, (X)HTML, AJAX, and more.
- SEO and SMO strategy and implementation.
- Various content management systems, and newsroom wire management services.
- Publishing, editing and content production software including Photoshop, Flash, Dreamweaver, blogging platforms and more.
- Associated Press style and The Chicago Manual of Style.
- Website: http://endopolis.com
Other Interests
I enjoy spending time with my family and anything that takes me outdoors including photography, surfing, snowboarding, and hiking.
Education
B.S., Journalism (News & Editorial), California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA. Minor in Political Science/International Relations.