Hernan Lopez (entrepreneur)

Hernan Lopez
Lopez at the 2024 Variety Entertainment & Tech Summit
CitizenshipAmerican and Argentine
OccupationsEntrepreneur and Media executive
Years active2000-present
Known forFox International Channels and Wondery

Hernan Lopez is an Argentine-American entrepreneur and media executive. He was the president and chief executive officer of Fox International Channels from 2011 to 2016[1] and later founded the American podcast company Wondery.[2] Amazon acquired Wondery in 2021 in a deal reportedly valued at $300 million.[3] Wondery produced series including Dirty John and Dr. Death.[4][5] In 2024, he founded the management consulting firm, Owl & Co.[6]

Early life

Lopez was born in Argentina and moved to the U.S. in his late 20s.[4][7] He holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Miami.[8]

Career

Fox

Before founding Wondery, Lopez spent sixteen years at Fox International Channels. He was promoted to Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Fox Latin America in 2000. He later became President of Fox Latin America and General Manager for the United Kingdom operations before being appointed President and CEO of Fox International Channels in 2011.[9][10][1]

During his tenure, the company grew annual revenue from $100 million in 2002 to $3 billion.[1] As CEO, Lopez oversaw Fox's international television business during a period of global expansion, growing the company's portfolio of entertainment, factual, and sports channels across Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. He also led the global rollout of television shows such as" The Walking Dead."[11]

Wondery

In 2016, Lopez founded Wondery, a VC backed podcast network that produced shows such as Dirty John, Dr. Death, and Business Wars.[12][5][13][14][15][16][17][2]

By 2019, the company listed 82 podcasts on its roster, roughly half of which was original content and grew to become one of the largest independent podcast publishers in the United States.[18][19]

Several Wondery podcasts were subsequently adapted for television. Adaptations of its podcasts included Dirty John, Dr. Death, The Shrink Next Door,WeCrashed, American Sports Story and the Peabody award-winning and Emmy-nominated Dying for Sex. Lopez served as an executive producer on many of the adaptations.[20][5]

In 2020, Lopez co-founded The Podcast Academy, a professional organization for podcast creators and industry professionals. The organization established the Ambies Awards, recognizing excellence in podcasting.[21]

On December 30, 2020, Amazon announced it would acquire Wondery under their Amazon Music division in a deal reportedly valued at around $300 million.[3][22][23] When Amazon's acquisition of Wondery was completed on February 10, 2021, Lopez stepped down and was succeeded by Wondery's then COO, Jen Sargent.[24]

Owl & Co

In 2024, Lopez launched management consulting firm Owl & Co, a company focused on economics for media and entertainment businesses.[25] The firm publishes original research on streaming, the attention economy, podcasting, creator businesses, and emerging forms of digital media.[26][27][25] In 2025, the firm published research estimating the global podcast economy at $7.3 billion; a subsequent report estimated that global podcast revenue reached $9.2 billion in 2025. [25][26][28]

In 2026, Lopez organized the Vertical Media Summit[29] in Los Angeles and argued that vertical video should be a distinct "third audiovisual language," sizing the vertical market at $150B globally excluding China.[30][31][32][33][34]

Lopez was charged in April 2020, in connection with an alleged scheme involving payments to soccer officials for broadcasting rights to international soccer tournaments.[35] Lopez pleaded not guilty to the charges.[5] During the trial, Lopez's attorneys challenged aspects of government witness Alejandro Burzaco's testimony, alleging discrepancies between his trial testimony and statements he had previously made to investigators.[36]

In March 2023, a federal jury convicted Lopez on two counts.[37][38] In September 2023, U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen overturned Lopez's conviction and entered a judgment of acquittal, concluding that the government's legal theory was no longer sustainable following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Percoco v. United States. [39][40][41]

In July 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed the district court's decision. Lopez subsequently filed a petition for a writ of certiorari with the United States Supreme Court.[42][43][44]

In December 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice moved to dismiss with prejudice the case against Lopez stating that dismissal was "in the interests of justice."[45][46]

On May 27, 2026, Judge Chen granted the government's request and dismissed the indictment against Lopez.[47]

Personal life

Lopez married Scott Velasquez at Hollywood Studios in 2023.[8][48] He lives in Los Angeles with his children and husband.

Lopez founded the Hernan Lopez Family Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports rising professionals and entrepreneurs through grants, training and mentorship.[49]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Maglio, Tony (2016-01-11). "Fox International Channels CEO Exits Amid Worldwide Consolidation". TheWrap. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  2. 1 2 Jarvey, Natalie (13 January 2016). "Hernan Lopez Launches Podcast Network After Leaving Fox International Channels". The Hollywood Reporter.
  3. 1 2 Hirsch, Lauren (30 December 2020). "Amazon Buys Wondery as Podcasting Race Continues". The New York Times.
  4. 1 2 Wondery, Guy Raz (11 December 2023). "Wondery: Hernan Lopez / How I Built This with Guy Raz - NRC audio". NRC (in Dutch).
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Wondery CEO who built a podcasting powerhouse vows to fight federal corruption charges". Los Angeles Times. 9 November 2020.
  6. ↑ Littleton, Cynthia (2024-03-27). "Wondery Founder Hernan Lopez Launches Owl & Co. Consulting Firm Focusing on Media and Technology". Variety. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  7. ↑ Bensinger, Ken (10 March 2023). "Former Fox Employee Convicted of Bribery for Soccer Broadcast Deals". The New York Times.
  8. 1 2 "Podcast transcripts, sponsors, and audience data - Podscribe". app.podscribe.ai.
  9. ↑ Tuchman, Robert (4 October 2022). "Hernan Lopez on How Success Happened at Wondery". Entrepreneur.
  10. ↑ Winslowpublished, George (27 June 2011). "Hernan Lopez, President and CEO, Fox International Channels". Broadcasting Cable.
  11. ↑ Littleton, Cynthia (2011-10-04). "Fox takes tentpole strategy to TV". Variety. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  12. ↑ Honeycutt, Shanté (29 March 2018). "Podcast Startup Wondery Raises $5 Million". Billboard.
  13. ↑ Porch, Scott (2018-06-27). "Is the "Netflix of podcasts" moment finally here?". Fast Company.
  14. ↑ Jarvey, Natalie (2018-03-29). "Podcast Startup Wondery Raises $5 Million (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  15. ↑ Spangler, Todd (2019-06-29). "Podcaster Wondery Banks $10 Million, Taps NatGeo Vet Declan Moore for International Push". Variety. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  16. ↑ Amore, Samson (2019-06-27). "Podcast Network Wondery Raises $10 Million Round Led By Waverley Capital". Los Angeles Business Journal. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  17. ↑ "21st Century Fox jumps on podcast bandwagon". www.ft.com.
  18. ↑ Shaw, Lucas; Gurman, Mark; Bloomberg. "Apple, Sony both discussed buying podcast network Wondery". Fortune. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  19. ↑ Power, Denise (2019-01-29). "Hernan Lopez". www.uschamber.com. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  20. ↑ "Hernan Lopez | Producer, Executive, Actor". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  21. ↑ "Podcast Producers Are Creating Their Own Version of the Oscars". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 2026-06-30. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  22. ↑ Tuchman, Robert (4 October 2022). "Hernan Lopez on How Success Happened at Wondery". Entrepreneur.
  23. ↑ "Wondery to join Amazon Music". About Amazon. December 30, 2020. Archived from the original on December 30, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  24. ↑ Spangler, Todd (2021-04-01). "Podcast Studio Wondery, Now Owned by Amazon, Plans to Double Staff This Year". Variety. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  25. 1 2 3 Littleton, Cynthia (2024-03-27). "Wondery Founder Hernan Lopez Launches Owl & Co. Consulting Firm Focusing on Media and Technology". Variety. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  26. 1 2 "Video Adoption Propels Global Podcast Sales to Record High of $9.2 Billion". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 2026-05-21. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  27. ↑ Patton, Tess (2026-06-05). "Microdramas Are Exploding: Here Are 5 Ways People Are Talking About Them". TheWrap. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  28. ↑ Shaw, Lucas; Carman, Ashley (May 7, 2025). "Podcast Industry Is Twice as Large as Previously Estimated". Retrieved August 19, 2026.
  29. ↑ Earl, William (2026-05-08). "ReelShort CEO Joey Jia Set to Speak at Owl & Co.'s Vertical Media Summit in Hollywood". Variety. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  30. ↑ Lopez, Hernan (2026-07-10). "Vertical Media Takes its Place Alongside Film and TV as a Powerful Audiovisual Language". Variety. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  31. ↑ Davies, Cerys (2026-06-17). "Made for your phone, now playing before the movie: Microdramas hit the big screen". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2026-08-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  32. ↑ Adler, Maxwell (2026-06-25). "Films like Backrooms and Obsession Suggest There's A Direct Route From Social Video to Hollywood". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  33. ↑ Whittock, Jesse (2026-08-19). "Vertical Video Economy Worth $150B, Even Without China – Owl & Co". Deadline. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  34. ↑ Littleton, Cynthia (2026-08-21). "Vertical Media on Track to Generate $150 Billion in 2026 as the Booming Sector Fights Crowded Content Field and High Subscriber Acquisition Costs". Variety. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  35. ↑ "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.
  36. ↑ United States v. Full Play Group, S.A., et al. (E.D.N.Y. February 13, 2023).
  37. ↑ "Fighting Bribery Charges, Lopez Says it's 'Not Surprising' Companies Want to Buy Wondery". dot.LA. 2020-11-19. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  38. ↑ "Trial of Fox executives in FIFA case delayed to January". AP NEWS. 2022-05-09. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  39. ↑ Spangler, Todd (3 September 2023). "Judge Tosses Conviction of Ex-Fox Exec Hernan Lopez in Soccer Bribery Case". Variety.
  40. ↑ Chitwood, Adam (2 September 2023). "Judge Tosses Conviction of Former 21st Century Fox Exec Hernan Lopez in FIFA Bribery Case". TheWrap.
  41. ↑ "Federal judge throws out convictions of former Fox executive and marketing group in FIFA case". AP News. 2023-09-02. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
  42. ↑ Culver, Rachel (2025-11-05). "Congress neglected its legislative authority again. SCOTUS has a chance to fix it". Pacific Legal Foundation. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  43. ↑ "United States v. Full Play Grp., 15-CR-252 (S-3) (PKC) | E.D.N.Y., Judgment, Law, casemine.com". Case Mine. Retrieved 2026-08-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  44. ↑ "US prosecutors seek to abandon soccer TV rights corruption case". AP News. 2025-12-10. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  45. ↑ "US Attorney Dropped FIFA Bribery Case at Trump Official's Behest". 2025-12-19. Archived from the original on 2026-07-06. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  46. ↑ Spangler, Todd (2026-05-29). "Court Formally Clears Hernan Lopez, Former Fox TV Exec and Wondery Founder, of Bribery Charge". Variety. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  47. ↑ "Federal judge drops charges against ex-Fox executive in soccer corruption case". AP News. 2026-05-27. Retrieved 2026-08-20.
  48. ↑ 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.
  49. ↑ Roberts, Andrea Suozzo, Alec Glassford, Ash Ngu, Brandon (2013-05-09). "Hernan Lopez Family Foundation - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. Retrieved 2026-08-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.