ABOUT US

Steelhead Communications, LLC, arose in 1999 when Chris Santella and Doug Levin—old grad school chums—surfaced in Portland, Oregon, and combined their diverse talents and good looks to form a writing services company.

Chris Santella has worked in marketing communications since 1985. Before forming Steelhead Communications, Chris worked as a copywriter for several advertising agencies, served as associate creative director for West Group (now part of Thomson Reuters), and led marketing efforts for Summation Legal Technologies. The author of 22 published books, Chris is best known as the writer of the "Fifty Places" book series, which now includes 16 titles, and has over 600,000 hard cover copies in print; the 17th  book in the series, Fifty Places To Practice Yoga Before You Die (co-authored with Diana Helmuth) will be published in the fall of 2021. His first title, Fifty Places To Fly Fish Before You Die, was developed into a television series for World Fishing Network. Chris's writing has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New Yorker, Trout, Outside, Atlantic Salmon Journal, Gray's Sporting Journal, American Lawyer, Middlebury Magazine, Travel and Leisure, Golf, Links, San Jose Mercury News and American Angler among many other publications. Chris is also a member of Portland, Oregon-based Catch & Release, a four-piece roots rock band. Check out their last recording, "The Last Steelhead."  Chris holds an M.B.A. from Yale University, and a B.A. in English from Middlebury College.

 

A more modest and less accomplished man than his energetic, sleep-deprived business partner, Doug Levin has written marketing, media, and advocacy materials for clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, from non-profits to leading trade associations. His signed and ghostwritten work has appeared in numerous publications, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, PAC Professional, and many others. Prior to founding Steelhead Communications, Doug served as senior writer at The Direct Impact Company, now the grassroots arm of Burson-Marsteller. Doug's industry specialties include technology, government affairs, and specialty chemicals. Doug received his Ph.D. in English from Yale University and his B.A., also in English, from University of California, Berkeley. He is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, and his short fiction has appeared in several anthologies and magazines.

Chris book covers