LakeNET - Todd R. Wagner

Wagner, a film producer and entreapreneur, graduated from IU in 1983. He is founder and chief executive officer of the Todd R. Wagner Foundation and 2929 Entertainment. Prior to that, Wagner co-founded and was CEO of Broadcast.com, leading it to one of the most successful IPOs in history and selling the company to Yahoo! for $5.7 billion in July 1999. At the time of its sale, Broadcast.com was the leading Internet destination for multimedia programming. The company grew in less than four years to more than 350 employees in 11 offices throughout the United States and Canada. Wagner structured the company's private and public financings, including obtaining private financing from companies including Motorola, Intel, Yahoo! and Premiere Radio Networks.

In November 1999, Wagner turned down the opportunity to serve as chief operating officer of Yahoo! to pursue other interests. Wagner created the Todd R. Wagner Foundation to improve the lives of at-risk children and inner-city entrepreneurs.

Wagner also created 2929 Entertainment to leverage his expertise in digital technology and his passion for the movie business. 2929 Entertainment is the parent company of Rysher Entertainment. Rysher owns a substantial film and television programming library, including syndication rights to shows such as "Hogan's Heroes" and "Sex and the City" and the rights to "Star Search." 2929 Entertainment also holds interests in Immortal Entertainment, a diversified music and film production company in Santa Monica, Calif.; Magnolia Pictures, a Denver-based movie exhibition company; and the film Searching for Debra Winger, which was honored at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.

In 2005, two films that Wagner executive-produced were nominated for Best Picture Oscars® in their respective categories, with seven total nominations for 2929 Productions’ “Good Night and Good Luck” and the HDNet Films documentary “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.”