Politico taps Overly as editorial director of Politico Live

Annie Allen, executive producer of Politico Live, sent out the following on Monday morning:

Good morning and Happy Monday to all,

I am excited to share the news that Steven Overly, one of our newsroom’s sharpest journalists on the fast-changing policy landscape, is joining the POLITICO Live, North America team as our Editorial Director, effective immediately. He will be responsible for shaping the editorial content of each POLITICO Live event, working closely with editors and reporters throughout our newsrooms and other members of our Live division to ensure each event showcases POLITICO’s unmatched reporting and analysis.

From the first moment I met Steven, it was abundantly clear he understood the central mission of POLITICO Live: to convene the most influential stakeholders for urgent, news-driven conversations that add depth and context to the policy debates shaping our nation’s future.

Steven shares the belief that while POLITICO Live’s events are the physical, in-person manifestation of our incredible journalism, they must also be multi-platform experiences that live across social media, video, audio and our newsletters and stories. He is also driven to vault our live journalism business to new heights with creativity and an unwavering commitment to excellence.

Steven joined POLITICO in May 2017 to cover the tech industry in the wake of the 2016 election. He reported on the onslaught of Washington probes into data privacy, disinformation, online speech, market competition and online safety – and how Silicon Valley responded. He then pivoted to the international trade and economics beat at the dawn of the Biden administration.

Most recently, Steven helped create and launch the POLITICO Tech podcast two years ago. He has now served as the host and producer for all 381 episodes, including on-stage interviews at POLITICO events, the U.K. Embassy in Washington, the U.S.-Canada Summit in Toronto, CES in Las Vegas, and the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. He also currently teaches courses on journalism and media relations to master’s students at Johns Hopkins University.  Steven will continue to host the podcast for the time being as he transitions to this new role.

Steven joins the Live team at a moment of incredible momentum.  Over the past year, we have produced the CNN-POLITICO Grill at both the Republican and Democratic Conventions, our kickoff to the First 100 Days event and First 100 Days policy breakfast series, the POLITICO Pub at the Munich Security Conference and more. Dozens of senators, members of Congress, presidential candidates, administration advisers and officials, policymakers, CEOs and world leaders have joined our journalists on our stage. Our live interviews break news in real time, driving global headlines and cementing POLITICO’s dominance in the political reporting stratosphere.

Steven will report to me and work closely with Jessie Niewold, the executive director of POLITICO Live, North America. Please join us in congratulating him!

Annie