Hernan Lopez (entrepreneur)

Last updated
Hernan Lopez
Citizenship American and Argentine
Education Master of Business Administration
Alma mater University of Miami
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur and Media executive
Years active2000-present
Known for Fox International Channels and Wondery

Hernan Lopez is an entrepreneur and media executive known for his contributions to the digital art and podcasting industries. He is the founder and former CEO of the podcast and media company Wondery. [1] From 2011-2016 he was the chief executive officer of Fox International Channels. [2]

Contents

Early life

Lopez was born in Argentina and moved to the U.S. in his late 20s [1] and holds dual American and Argentine citizenship. [3] He attended business school and holds an Master of Business Administration from the University of Miami. [4]

Career

Fox

In 2000, Lopez joined Fox International Channels (FIC) as Senior Vice President and Managing Director. From 2003 to 2008, he ascended to the roles of President for Latin America and General Manager for the United Kingdom within Fox International Channels. [5] Later, from 2011 to 2016, he held the esteemed position of President and CEO of Fox International Channels. [6] Under his leadership the company reached $3 Billion in annual revenue, growing from $100 million in 2002, by the addition of channels, premium offerings and original productions. [2] In 2011, Lopez helped lead the rollout of high-profile television shows to a global audience, shows included The Walking Dead. [7]

Wondery

Following his tenure as CEO of Fox International Channels in 2016, [8] he founded Wondery, a podcast network [9] [10] that produced shows such as "Dirty John," "Dr. Death," and "Business Wars". [11] By 2019, Lopez listed at least 82 podcasts on the Wondery roster, roughly half of which was original content. [12]

From 2018 to 2020, Lopez facilitated the launch of Wondery Plus (an ad-free, paid subscription option) and the Wondery app. [13] Lopez is credited as an executive producer on TV Series “Doctor Death,” “We Crashed”, and “The Shrink Next Door” along with a number of Wondery original podcasts. [14]

In 2018, Wondery raised $5 million from venture capital firms, including Greycroft, Lerer Hippeau, and Advancit Capital. [15] [16] In 2019, Lopez raised $10 million in a Series B round led by Waverly Capital which funded international expansion, new programming development, and technology investments. [17] [18] On December 30, 2020, Amazon announced it would acquire Wondery under their Amazon Music division [19] in a deal reportedly valued at around $300 million. [20] [21] When Amazon's acquisition of Wondery was completed on February 10, 2021, Lopez stepped down as CEO and was succeeded by Wondery's then COO, Jen Sargent. [22]

Other ventures

In 2021 Lopez co-founded Danvas, a VC-backed startup that brings NFTs and digital art into the real world. [23]

In 2024, Lopez launched management consulting firm Owl & Co, a company that helps media and entertainment businesses. [24] One of the company’s first clients is film and TV studio North Road Co. [24]

Controversy

In April 2020, Lopez was charged with wire fraud and money laundering in relation to attempts to win broadcast rights for Fox Broadcasting Company for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups. [25] Lopez maintains his innocence, the trial was delayed to January 2023. [26] [27] In September 2023, the Brooklyn Federal Court overturned Lopez's conviction and granted an acquittal, citing a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States to overturn the wire fraud conviction of Joseph Percoco, an aide to former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, in May that year. [28] [29]

Awards and recognition

In 2013, Lopez was named the Most Influential International Executive by Television Business International. [30] In 2019, Lopez accepted the iHeartRadio Podcast Award for the Wondery podcast, Dr. Death . [31]

In December 2020, Lopez was ranked on Comparably's list of the Best CEOs of 2020, one of 50 CEO's for small to mid-size companies. [32] [33]

Philanthropy

In 2020 he co-founded The Podcast Academy, the association of podcast industry professionals. [34] [35] Lopez has also served as a GLAAD board member. [36]

In November of 2020, he founded the Hernan Lopez Family Foundation. [37] A 501(c)3 entity that seeks to build greater diversity in leadership. [38] Following the acquisition of Wondery, he announced his departure to shift his focus towards philanthropy through his Foundation. [39]

Personal life

From Buenos Aires, Lopez now lives in Los Angeles with his children and husband Scott Velasquez. [4] [40] Scott and Hernan were wed at Hollywood Studios with a performance by Icona Pop. [40]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hulu</span> American subscription streaming service and content hub

Hulu is an American subscription streaming media and content hub within the Disney+ streaming service owned by The Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A&E Networks</span> American media company

A&E Television Networks, LLC, stylized as A+E NETWORKS, is an American multinational broadcasting company that is a 50–50 joint venture between Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company through its Entertainment division. The company owns several non-fiction and entertainment-based television brands, including its namesake A&E, History, Lifetime, FYI, and their associated sister channels, and holds stakes in or licenses their international branches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legendary Entertainment</span> American film studio

Legendary Entertainment, LLC is an American mass media and film production company based in Burbank, California, founded by Thomas Tull along with Jon Jashni, Larry Clark, William Fay and Scott Mednick. The company has often collaborated with the major studios, including Warner Bros. Pictures, Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures and Paramount Pictures, as well as streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. Since 2016, Legendary has been a subsidiary of the Chinese conglomerate Wanda Group and American equity firm Apollo.

Kevin A. Mayer is an American business executive. He is currently the co-founder and co-CEO of Candle Media. He was briefly CEO of TikTok, and COO of its parent company ByteDance. Prior to joining TikTok, he was a senior executive at Disney for more than 15 years, including as head of Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International.

The Walt Disney Company Portugal was created in 2003 with headquarters located in Lisbon, Portugal, and is the owner of many Portuguese versions of Disney Channels'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annapurna Pictures</span> American independent media company

Annapurna Pictures is an American independent media company founded by Megan Ellison on April 2, 2011 and based in Los Angeles, California. It is active in film, television and theatrical production, film distribution, and video game publishing.

Fandor is a division of the American entertainment company Cinedigm. It is a streaming service dedicated to independent films, documentaries, international titles and classics.

Fullscreen, LLC was an American entertainment company which offered tools, services, and consultation to social media content creators and brands, multi-channel network. It was owned by Otter Media, which is now a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Awesomeness, formerly and best known as AwesomenessTV, is an American digital media and entertainment network company owned by Paramount Digital Studios, a division of Paramount Global. Established in July 2012 by Brian Robbins and Joe Davola, the company operated a network initially focused on children’s programs, teen dramas, comedies, live events and music videos targeting adolescents and young adults.

Tubi is an American over-the-top content platform and ad-supported streaming service owned by Fox Corporation since 2020. The service was launched on April 1, 2014, and is based in Los Angeles, California. In January 2021, Tubi reached 33 million monthly active users. As of September 2023, it had 74 million monthly active users.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wondery</span> American podcast network

Wondery is an American podcast network and publisher of podcasts including Dirty John, Dr. Death, and The Shrink Next Door. Wondery was founded in 2016 by entrepreneur and media executive Hernan Lopez. The company was launched with backing from 20th Century Fox. In late 2020, it was announced that Wondery had been purchased by Amazon Music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FuboTV</span> American streaming television service

FuboTV Inc., operating as FuboTV or Fubo, is an American streaming television service serving customers in the United States, Canada, and Spain and based in Midtown Manhattan. The network focuses primarily on channels that distribute live sports. Depending on the country it is accessed in, channels offered by Fubo may potentially include access to the Premier League, NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, CPL, and international football, as well as news, network television series, and movies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Taberski</span> American writer, director, and producer

Dan Taberski is a writer, director, and producer based in New York City. He is best known for hosting investigative journalism podcasts Missing Richard Simmons, Surviving Y2K,Running From Cops, 9/12 and The Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max (streaming service)</span> American video streaming service

Max, formerly and commonly referred as HBO Max, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Global Streaming & Interactive Entertainment, which is itself a division of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). Max first launched in the United States on May 27, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Cutler</span> American podcaster and business man

Max Cutler is an American entrepreneur, creator, author and businessman best known for founding the podcast studio Parcast in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OBB Media</span> American multimedia production company

OBB Media is an American multimedia production company and vertically integrated content studio founded in 2016 by entrepreneur, director/producer Michael D. Ratner. OBB Media includes five different subsidiaries: OBB Pictures, the film, television, and digital arm; OBB Studios, the company’s facilities and physical production arm; OBB Sound, the podcast division; OBB Branded, the branded content and commercials vertical; and OBB Cares, the social impact division.

The Ambies are a series of awards given in the podcast industry. They are awarded by the Podcast Academy in two overall categories: Show Recognition and Talent Recognition. The winners, who receive a gold statue holding a microphone and wearing headphones, are selected by a vote from Podcast Academy members. The awards and the Podcast Academy were established in 2020 with the inaugural ceremony held on May 16, 2021, hosted by Cameron Esposito.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Roku Channel</span> Free streaming video service

The Roku Channel is an over-the-top video streaming service owned and operated by Roku, Inc. Launched in September 2017, the service is offered in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Mexico. The Roku Channel tops U.S. viewership for free ad-supported streaming TV, and reports 120 million viewers as of 2023.

Sharon Tal Yguado is an American media executive.

Steve Boom is Vice President of Audio, Twitch & Games at Amazon. Before that, he was the Vice President of Amazon Music.

References

  1. 1 2 Wondery, Guy Raz (11 December 2023). "Wondery: Hernan Lopez / How I Built This with Guy Raz - NRC audio". NRC (in Dutch).
  2. 1 2 Maglio, Tony (2016-01-11). "Fox International Channels CEO Exits Amid Worldwide Consolidation". TheWrap. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  3. ↑ Bensinger, Ken (10 March 2023). "Former Fox Employee Convicted of Bribery for Soccer Broadcast Deals". The New York Times.
  4. 1 2 "Podcast transcripts, sponsors, and audience data - Podscribe". app.podscribe.ai.
  5. ↑ Winslowpublished, George (27 June 2011). "Hernan Lopez, President and CEO, Fox International Channels". Broadcasting Cable.
  6. ↑ Tuchman, Robert (4 October 2022). "Hernan Lopez on How Success Happened at Wondery". Entrepreneur.
  7. ↑ Littleton, Cynthia (2011-10-04). "Fox takes tentpole strategy to TV". Variety. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  8. ↑ "Wondery CEO who built a podcasting powerhouse vows to fight federal corruption charges". Los Angeles Times. 9 November 2020.
  9. ↑ "21st Century Fox jumps on podcast bandwagon". www.ft.com.
  10. ↑ Jarvey, Natalie (13 January 2016). "Hernan Lopez Launches Podcast Network After Leaving Fox International Channels". The Hollywood Reporter.
  11. ↑ Honeycutt, Shanté (29 March 2018). "Podcast Startup Wondery Raises $5 Million". Billboard.
  12. ↑ Power, Denise (2019-01-29). "Hernan Lopez". www.uschamber.com. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  13. ↑ Spangler, Todd (2020-06-23). "Wondery Launches Its Own Podcast App, Aiming to Drive Up Subscriptions (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  14. ↑ "Hernan Lopez | Producer, Executive, Actor". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  15. ↑ Porch, Scott (2018-06-27). "Is the "Netflix of podcasts" moment finally here?". Fast Company.
  16. ↑ Jarvey, Natalie (2018-03-29). "Podcast Startup Wondery Raises $5 Million (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  17. ↑ Amore, Samson (2019-06-27). "Podcast Network Wondery Raises $10 Million Round Led By Waverley Capital". Los Angeles Business Journal. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  18. ↑ Spangler, Todd (2019-06-29). "Podcaster Wondery Banks $10 Million, Taps NatGeo Vet Declan Moore for International Push". Variety. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  19. ↑ "Wondery to join Amazon Music". About Amazon. December 30, 2020. Archived from the original on December 30, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  20. ↑ Hirsch, Lauren (30 December 2020). "Amazon Buys Wondery as Podcasting Race Continues". The New York Times.
  21. ↑ Tuchman, Robert (4 October 2022). "Hernan Lopez on How Success Happened at Wondery". Entrepreneur.
  22. ↑ Spangler, Todd (2021-04-01). "Podcast Studio Wondery, Now Owned by Amazon, Plans to Double Staff This Year". Variety. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  23. ↑ "Wondery Founder Hernan Lopez Trades Podcasting For The Digital Art World". Insideradio.com. 28 December 2021.
  24. 1 2 Littleton, Cynthia (2024-03-27). "Wondery Founder Hernan Lopez Launches Owl & Co. Consulting Firm Focusing on Media and Technology". Variety. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  25. ↑ "Ex-Fox Executives Stay Free on $15M Bonds After Arraignment for FIFA Scandal Charges". Sports Illustrated. April 9, 2020. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Fighting Bribery Charges, Lopez Says it's 'Not Surprising' Companies Want to Buy Wondery". dot.LA. 2020-11-19. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  27. ↑ "Trial of Fox executives in FIFA case delayed to January". AP NEWS. 2022-05-09. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  28. ↑ Spangler, Todd (3 September 2023). "Judge Tosses Conviction of Ex-Fox Exec Hernan Lopez in Soccer Bribery Case". Variety.
  29. ↑ Chitwood, Adam (2 September 2023). "Judge Tosses Conviction of Former 21st Century Fox Exec Hernan Lopez in FIFA Bribery Case". TheWrap.
  30. ↑ Clarke, Stewart (2013-01-23). "Latin Media Leaders: Fox's Billion-Dollar Man".
  31. ↑ Dudley, Joshua. "The iHeartRadio Podcast Awards Show Was Not Much Of A Show". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  32. ↑ Murphy, Coral. "CEO rankings: Amazon's Jeff Bezos doesn't make the cut; Google's Sundar Pichai returns to top 3". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  33. ↑ Comparably. "Best CEOs 2020".
  34. ↑ Jarvey, Natalie (14 February 2020). "Podcast Playlist: Industry Executives Team to Launch Podcast Academy, Awards Show". The Hollywood Reporter.
  35. ↑ "Podcast Producers Are Creating Their Own Version of the Oscars". Bloomberg.com. 2020-02-14. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  36. ↑ "The Gay Latino Behind a Podcast Empire". www.advocate.com. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  37. ↑ Television, The Daily (4 September 2023). "Jueza federal de EEUU derriba condena contra ex ejecutivo de Fox, Hernán López". The Daily Television (in Spanish).
  38. ↑ "Hernan Lopez Family Foundation Financial Overview, Employee Count, and Competitors". Apollo.io. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  39. ↑ "Judge Tosses Bribery Conviction Against Former Wondery Head Hernan López". Insideradio.com. 6 September 2023.
  40. 1 2 Wed, Equally (2023-01-05). "Wondery and Danvas founder Hernan Lopez marries music supervisor Scott Velasquez in West Hollywood wedding". Equally Wed - LGBTQ+ Wedding Magazine and Wedding Vendor Directory. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.