# John Skipper

> John Skipper is an American media executive who co-founded Meadowlark Media in 2021 with broadcaster Dan Le Batard, building a sports-focused content studio around podcasts, documentaries and the 'Sports Explains the World' franchise. Best known as president of ESPN from 2012 to 2017, where he greenlit 30 for 30, Grantland, FiveThirtyEight and The Undefeated and negotiated multibillion-dollar rights deals, Skipper began his career in magazines at Rolling Stone before spending two decades at Disney. He later served as executive chairman of the streaming service DAZN and stepped back from day-to-day leadership at Meadowlark in 2025 while remaining on its board.

- **Role:** Co-founder and board member, Meadowlark Media
- **Organizations:** Meadowlark Media, DAZN Group, ESPN, The Walt Disney Company, Backstage Media, Verance Capital
- **From:** Lexington, North Carolina, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A., English Literature, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, M.A., English Literature, Columbia University
- **Known for:** Greenlit and championed ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary franchise., Launched editorial ventures Grantland, FiveThirtyEight and The Undefeated at ESPN., Negotiated major sports rights deals including a nine-year, $12 billion NBA contract and a $7.3 billion College Football Playoff agreement.

## Career timeline

- **1980s** — Began his career in magazines at Rolling Stone, starting as an executive assistant before being promoted; also worked at Us and Spin.
- **1990s** — Became senior vice president of Disney Publishing Group.
- **1997** — Named senior vice president and general manager of ESPN The Magazine, whose first cover carried the word 'Next.'
- **2005** — Named executive vice president of content at ESPN.
- **2012** — Became president of ESPN Inc. and co-chairman of Disney Media Networks.
- **2017** — Resigned as president of ESPN after roughly two decades at the company.
- **2018** — Named executive chairman of DAZN Group, the international sports streaming service.
- **2021** — Co-founded Meadowlark Media with Dan Le Batard as CEO.
- **2022** — Struck a partnership with Backstage Media and expanded into documentary and unscripted programming.
- **2025** — Stepped down as CEO of Meadowlark Media while remaining a board member.

## Achievements

- Greenlit and championed ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary franchise.
- Launched editorial ventures Grantland, FiveThirtyEight and The Undefeated at ESPN.
- Negotiated major sports rights deals including a nine-year, $12 billion NBA contract and a $7.3 billion College Football Playoff agreement.
- Co-founded Meadowlark Media and secured a first-look deal with Apple TV+.
- Developed the 'Sports Explains the World' franchise of documentaries and podcasts.
- Led ESPN's early and aggressive push into digital media.

## Latest updates

- **2025-05** — Reported to be leaving as CEO of Meadowlark Media after four years, while remaining involved as a board member.
- **2025-11** — Reflected on his career in a public 'Ask the Author' conversation covered by The Daily Iowan.

## Links

- Website: https://meadowlark-media.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/john-skipper
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johndskipper/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/MeadowlarkMedia/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/john-skipper
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-16