Hernan Lopez (entrepreneur)
Hernan Lopez | |
|---|---|
| Citizenship | American and Argentine |
| Education | Master of Business Administration |
| Alma mater | University of Miami |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur and Media executive |
| Years active | 2000-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 former chief executive officer of Fox International Channels, the founder and former CEO of Wondery, an American podcast network and publisher of podcasts and the co-founder of Danvas.
Personal life[edit]
Lopez was born in Argentina and moved to the U.S. in his late 20s[1] and holds dual American and Argentine citizenship.[2] He attended business school and holds an Master of Business Administration from the University of Miami and lives in Los Angeles.[3]
Career[edit]
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.[4] Later, from 2011 to 2016, he held the esteemed position of President and CEO of Fox International Channels.[5]
Following his tenure as CEO of Fox International Channels in 2016,[6] he founded Wondery, a podcast network[7][8] that produced shows such as "Dirty John," "Dr. Death," and "Business Wars".[9] On December 30, 2020, Amazon acquired Wondery under their Amazon Music division[10] in a deal reportedly valued at around $300 million.[11] Following the acquisition, he announced his departure from Wondery to shift his focus towards philanthropy through the Hernan Lopez Family Foundation[12][13] and co-founded Danvas, a VC-backed startup that brings NFTs and digital art into the real world.[14]
In 2020 he helped create The Podcast Academy,[15] the association of podcast industry professionals; subsequently. In November of that year, he founded the Hernan Lopez Family Foundation.[16]
Controversy[edit]
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.[17] Lopez maintains his innocence, the trial was delayed to January 2023.[18][19] 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.[20][21]
References[edit]
- ^ Wondery, Guy Raz (11 December 2023). "Wondery: Hernan Lopez / How I Built This with Guy Raz - NRC audio". NRC (in Dutch).
- ^ Bensinger, Ken (10 March 2023). "Former Fox Employee Convicted of Bribery for Soccer Broadcast Deals". The New York Times.
- ^ "Podcast transcripts, sponsors, and audience data - Podscribe". app.podscribe.ai.
- ^ Winslowpublished, George (27 June 2011). "Hernan Lopez, President and CEO, Fox International Channels". Broadcasting Cable.
- ^ Tuchman, Robert (4 October 2022). "Hernan Lopez on How Success Happened at Wondery". Entrepreneur.
- ^ "Wondery CEO who built a podcasting powerhouse vows to fight federal corruption charges". Los Angeles Times. 9 November 2020.
- ^ "21st Century Fox jumps on podcast bandwagon". www.ft.com.
- ^ Jarvey, Natalie (13 January 2016). "Hernan Lopez Launches Podcast Network After Leaving Fox International Channels". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Honeycutt, Shanté (29 March 2018). "Podcast Startup Wondery Raises $5 Million". Billboard.
- ^ "Wondery to join Amazon Music". About Amazon. December 30, 2020. Archived from the original on December 30, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- ^ Hirsch, Lauren (30 December 2020). "Amazon Buys Wondery as Podcasting Race Continues". The New York Times.
- ^ "Judge Tosses Bribery Conviction Against Former Wondery Head Hernan López". Insideradio.com. 6 September 2023.
- ^ Tuchman, Robert (4 October 2022). "Hernan Lopez on How Success Happened at Wondery". Entrepreneur.
- ^ "Wondery Founder Hernan Lopez Trades Podcasting For The Digital Art World". Insideradio.com. 28 December 2021.
- ^ Jarvey, Natalie (14 February 2020). "Podcast Playlist: Industry Executives Team to Launch Podcast Academy, Awards Show". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Television, The Daily (4 September 2023). "Jueza federal de EEUU derriba condena contra ex ejecutivo de Fox, Hernán López". The Daily Television (in Spanish).
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Fighting Bribery Charges, Lopez Says it's 'Not Surprising' Companies Want to Buy Wondery". dot.LA. 2020-11-19. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
- ^ "Trial of Fox executives in FIFA case delayed to January". AP NEWS. 2022-05-09. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (3 September 2023). "Judge Tosses Conviction of Ex-Fox Exec Hernan Lopez in Soccer Bribery Case". Variety.
- ^ Chitwood, Adam (2 September 2023). "Judge Tosses Conviction of Former 21st Century Fox Exec Hernan Lopez in FIFA Bribery Case". TheWrap.