Eric Olsen (writer)
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Eric Olsen (born August 5, 1958) is the founder, editor-in-chief, and publisher of broad-based online critical magazine
Blogcritics Blogcritics is a blog network and online magazine of news and opinion. The site was founded in 2002 by Eric Olsen (writer), Eric Olsen and Phillip Winn. Blogcritics features more than 100 original articles every week, and maintains an archive of a ...
and author of local Cleveland blog Cleve-blog. His primary site, Blogcritics, has gathered together over 2,000 authors on a wide variety of topics and is a widely read news/information site with over 64,000 unique visits per day, and 50 new articles and reviews posted daily on a variety of topics.


Early life

Originally from
San Pedro, California San Pedro ( ; ) is a neighborhood located within the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay and Los Angeles Harbor Region, Harbor region of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los ...
, he is a graduate of Wittenberg University with degrees in
political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
and
philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
.


Career

Over the last 20 years, Olsen has written for print and online publications on a wide variety of topics, from popular media to politics, and his work has appeared in ''
Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...
'', ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'', ''
Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political r ...
'', '' Option'', ''
The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio; it is a major national newspaper. In the fall of 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily an ...
'', the '' Akron Beacon Journal'', ''Hear/Say'', MSNBC.com, Cleveland.com, and other outlets. His book publications include ''Networking In the Music Industry'' (with Jim Clevo, Rockpress, 1993) and ''The Encyclopedia of Record Producers'' (with Paul Verna and Carlo Wolff, Billboard Books, 1999), a definitive work in the field featuring original interviews, bios, and discographies of over 500 of the leading producers in recording history. Timothy White, former Editor-in-Chief of ''Billboard'' magazine, called ''The Encyclopedia'' "one of the truly indispensable reference books on the annals of the music industry." Rock historian and author Barney Hoskyns ('' Rock's Backpages'', ''Waiting For the Sun: Strange Days, Weird Scenes & The Sound of Los Angeles'') described it as "a landmark publication ... the ultimate guide to the sonic architects, alchemists and just plain old artisans." Rock historian and author Ira Robbins (''
Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...
'') said "this exceptionally well-researched and far-ranging book shines a long overdue spotlight on the often unsung heroes of recorded music." Olsen also compiled, produced and wrote the liner notes for the ''Straight Outta Cleveland'' CD collection (Oglio, 1995), which
Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
called in
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
"a thoroughly entertaining hodgepodge of songs by Cleveland bands from the Raspberries and the James Gang to
Devo Devo is an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs ( Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a No. 14 ...
and Pere Ubu," which captures "the spirit of the city ... very well indeed." Olsen, who owned and operated the Olsen Entertainment DJ company in Los Angeles in the 1980s, appeared as a music critic on WJW, Fox 8 TV in Cleveland, and created/hosted the ''Cool Tunes'' radio show on WRQK 1990–1994, WENZ 1994–1996, WAPS 1999–2002. In 2008, Olsen and his partners sold Blogcritics.org to media property Technorati.com and worked as the publisher and editor-in-chief to both Blogcritics.org and Technorati.com's newly re-launched original online media content site until September 2010. On April 24 of 2011, he and his wife Dawn Olsen, along with writer Andrew Morton, launched TheMortonReport.com. As CEO and co-founder of TheMortonReport.com, the Olsens will be working side by side with Morton to bring original quality content to the Internet, focusing on celebrities, entertainment and popular culture. Olsen was named a Trendsetter on the AlwaysOn/
Technorati Technorati is a search engine and a publisher advertising platform. Technorati launched its ad network in 2008. In 2016, Synacor acquired Technorati for $3 million. The company's core product was previously an Internet search engine for search ...
Open Media 100—a "power list of bloggers, social networkers, tool smiths, and investors leading the Open Media Revolution," in 2005.


Personal life

He resides in Cleveland, Ohio, with his wife and four children.


Published works

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References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Olsen, Eric Living people American male journalists American bloggers Wittenberg University alumni 1958 births 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male bloggers