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Hernan Lopez (entrepreneur)

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Hernan Lopez
Lopez at the 2024 Variety Entertainment & Tech Summit
CitizenshipAmerican and Argentine
EducationMaster of Business Administration
Alma materUniversity of Miami
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur and Media executive
Years active2000-present
Known forFox 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 to 2016 he was the chief executive officer of Fox International Channels.[2]

Early life

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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 a Master of Business Administration from the University of Miami.[4]

Career

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Fox

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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. Following the acquisition of Wondery, he announced his departure to shift his focus towards philanthropy through his Foundation.[38]

Personal life

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From Buenos Aires, he married Dr. Travis Kidner in 2008. [39] However, 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]

References

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  1. ^ a b Wondery, Guy Raz (11 December 2023). "Wondery: Hernan Lopez / How I Built This with Guy Raz - NRC audio". NRC (in Dutch).
  2. ^ a b 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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b 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. ^ "Judge Tosses Bribery Conviction Against Former Wondery Head Hernan López". Insideradio.com. 6 September 2023.
  39. ^ "Pediatrics Group Backs Gay Marriage, Saying It Helps Children". NY Times. 2013-03-21.
  40. ^ a b 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.
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