Steve Hendershot: author, reporter, producer, speaker

Video games and venture capital. Craft beer and colorectal disease. Fintech, falcons, fossils and funeral homes. Arena football. 

I've written about all of it. And loved writing about all of it. I'm happiest when I'm deep-diving into some new trend or unfamiliar industry. Sure, I can get a little obsessive, like when I tried to keep up with a death-defying bike messenger for an afternoon, or when I flew to Japan to interview a reclusive artist. But the extra-effort bits often are what make a story special; the fact that they're usually also the most fun is a nice bonus.

This portfolio consists of more than a hundred articles, videos and podcasts spanning 15 years—so, yeah, it's on the maximalist side. You'll find hall-of-famers, celebrity chefs and star entrepreneurs, along with the bike messenger, the falconer and countless other characters.

Over the years my work has received a host of local, regional and national awards, including multiple Peter J. Lisagor Awards for excellence in Chicago journalism, as well as the Content Marketing Institute's Content Marketing Awards. Speaking of content marketing and strategy, I also run an agency called Cedar Cathedral Narrative Studio that produces a range of multimedia content. 

Thanks for visiting. Enjoy the tour, and holler if you've got a project that could benefit from a little obsessive reporting.   

Start here: a recent highlight, my book, a podcast and my all-time favorite profile

Book: "Undisputed Street Fighter"

NAMED ONE OF THE "BEST VIDEO GAME BOOKS MONEY CAN BUY" BY NINTENDO LIFE — I went a little crazy for my first book project, conducting more than 70 interviews and traveling to Japan for the first translator-brokered interviews of my career. The result was the deepest of deep dives into the video game series Street Fighter, one that delves into every nook and cranny of the series' 30-year run. From its quirky origins to its domination of the 1990s arcade scene, I covered it all—plus extended detours into anime, action figures, and modern tournaments.