“Making the Unknown Known.” Since 1999, Michael Kleiner Public Relations and Web Design have offered one-stop shopping for a consistent image through public relations and web site design. He has added app development to this suite, creating a triple play for clients. His target audience includes authors, small businesses, non-profit community organizations and special events. Clients also benefit from the fact that Michael Kleiner is an award-winning author and writer himself, as well as being an advocate in his community. His memoir, Beyond the Cold: An American’s Warm Portrait of Norway, received first prize in the 2009 Beach Book Festival, and Honorable Mention in the 2009 New England, Nashville, London, Los Angeles and Do It Yourself Book Festivals. The book traces the development of his affinity for the country, people and culture of Norway – although he is not of Norwegian descent — through four decades. He lived in Norway for a year with his family when he was 11, and has returned six times as an adult, reuniting with friends and accumulating new experiences. These experiences have helped to shape the person he has become, and shows that a year a child spends in another country is not just another year of childhood.
Mr. Kleiner also received the 2003 The Communicators Award of Excellence in Feature Writing, and in the same year, the Home-Based Business Advocate of the Year for Region 3 (PA, DE, MD, VA, DC, WV) from the U.S. Small Business Administration. He was also integral in creating an Infinity Publishing author’s community.
His strengths are media relations and placement. He likes to think creatively and strategically in publicity, and “beyond the book store,” which is essential now with so few book stores left. The Internet offers a wealth of opportunities not only for promotion, but for potential engagement with readers. Among his author clients have been Dr. Lois Young-Tulin, for three books of different genres, Sophie and Me: Some of these Days (about her relationship with her great grand aunt, vaudeville, movie and singing star Sophie Tucker); The Granny Nanny Guidebook, and The Ghost of Leon Trotsky, an historical novel; and Israeli Author Eva Etzioni-Halevy, who wrote a biblical novel, The Song of Hannah. He promoted her 14-appearance U.S. tour.
Prior to opening his own business, Mr. Kleiner was Director of Communications at Abington Friends School in Jenkintown, PA, where the highlight was publicizing the activities around the 300th anniversary of the school in 1995-96; Sports Information Director at Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science (now Philadelphia University) where he undertook two national media campaigns around the men’s basketball coach’s pursuit of coaching victory milestones, and a sportswriter at Montgomery Newspapers, a chain in suburban Philadelphia. Mr. Kleiner has a B.A. in Journalism and History from Rutgers University, and an Ed.M. in Educational Media from Temple University. He is a member of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association, Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, Norwegian American Chamber of Commerce Philadelphia, Sons of Norway and Norwegians Worldwide. Book topics of interest are: non-fiction; memoir; travel; multicultural; Jewish culture; history; sports; biography. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, and 15-year old twins.
