Jon Klein is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning media executive who blazes new frontiers of technology, audience engagement, and storytelling.
He is co-founder and CEO of HANG Media, a cutting-edge streaming platform that enables millions of sports fans to watch games on TV alongside top athletes and celebrities. From 2018 – 2019 he served as president of Vilynx, an artificial intelligence platform for media companies that was acquired by Apple.
As president of CNN/U.S. from 2004 – 2010, Klein revived a struggling brand by integrating technology to support in-depth journalism. Many of Klein’s innovations – including the “magic” touch screen wall, the first-ever Facebook livestream (Obama’s 2009 inauguration), and the first integration of Twitter as a newsgathering tool – have become media industry staples. They also helped CNN to attain record ratings, while doubling profits and winning multiple Peabody, Emmy, and DuPont Columbia awards.
Prior to CNN, Klein founded The FeedRoom, a pioneering online video aggregator that created the first-ever over-the-top streaming product (CBS March Madness on-demand), giving birth to the direct-to-consumer video industry.
Previously, as executive vice president of CBS News, Klein oversaw 60 Minutes, restoring the program to ratings and profitability growth through improved relevance. He also created the Emmy-winning series 48 Hours Mystery, now in its 27th season. As creator of the CBS non-scripted series Before Your Eyes, Klein helped to usher in the reality television revolution.
A sought-after media analyst who appears frequently in leading print, television, and digital outlets, he recently served as media consultant to the acclaimed HBO drama Succession. Klein sits on the board of directors of Belden (NYSE: BDC), a global supplier of enterprise connectivity and cybersecurity solutions. He volunteers as president of the board of directors of Brown University’s digital media workshop, WBRU, having graduated Magna Cum Laude in history from Brown, where he was chosen by the student body to deliver the Commencement address.
Featured in: Tuesday General Sessions (12/12)
