HYBE AMERICA, the US division of South Korea-headquartered entertainment company HYBE, has appointed Gene Whitney as its new General Counsel.
According to the company, as General Counsel, Whitney will oversee HYBE AMERICA’s legal strategy in both North and South America, and “guide corporate governance across all business units, and support the company’s continued growth in international markets”.
Whitney is described by HYBE AMERICA as a seasoned executive with more than two decades at the intersection of music, technology and media.
He has held senior positions at Riot Games, Amazon Music, Meta, SoundCloud, Vevo and Universal Music Group.
Whitney will be based in Los Angeles and begin his role in early January.
His appointment marks the latest high-profile executive hire at HYBE AMERICA.
Just last week, it named veteran music executive Ethiopia Habtemariam, known most recently for heading up Universal Music Group’s Motown Records, as its new President of Music.
HYBE America has also recently appointed veteran communications and marketing exec Johanna Fuentes to the newly created role of Executive Vice President and Head of Communications and Public Relations.
In September, Jenni Pfaff joined HYBE AMERICA as Chief People and Transformation Officer.
Whitney joins HYBE AMERICA from Riot Games, where he most recently served as Global Head of Music Business Affairs and Label Operations.
There, he oversaw the company’s global music strategy, licensing framework, and label operations across gaming, esports, and virtual entertainment.
In this role, according to the announcement on Monday (January 12), he helped “shape Riot’s innovative approach to music within interactive environments and guided dealmaking across a rapidly evolving digital landscape”.
It added: “Throughout his career, he has negotiated, industry-defining partnerships with major labels, publishers, and global rights holders, helping advance new models for content licensing, distribution and artist engagement.”
“His leadership will be instrumental as HYBE continues to expand globally and elevate the value of our artists, IP, and creative ecosystem.”
Isaac Lee
“Gene brings a rare combination of legal expertise, business acumen, and a deep understanding of how music operates across emerging platforms,” said Chairman and CEO Isaac Lee, to whom he will report.
“His leadership will be instrumental as HYBE continues to expand globally and elevate the value of our artists, IP, and creative ecosystem.”
“I’m honored to join HYBE at such a pivotal moment.”
Gene Whitney
Whitney added: “I’m honored to join HYBE at such a pivotal moment.
“HYBE AMERICA is redefining the future of music, storytelling, and global fandom, and I look forward to contributing to the company’s next chapter of innovation and expansion.”
The string of recent appointments at HYBE AMERICA follows last year’s leadership shakeup at the company, which saw Scooter Braun step away from his role as CEO of HYBE America in July.
Braun was succeeded by Isaac Lee, who had been leading HYBE Latin America as Chairman since November of 2023, and took on a wider Americas leadership role with oversight of HYBE AMERICA and its business units, including BMLG (Big Machine Label Group) in Nashville and QC Media Holdings in Atlanta, as well as remaining as Chairman of HYBE’s Latin American operations in Mexico, Miami, and Medellin.
Elsewhere at HYBE America, in October, the company formally launched HYBE LABEL SERVICE (HLS), a services unit the company says has been “specifically designed to bolster the growth of its artists in international markets”.
To lead HLS, Los Angeles-based Ryan Hyeong Woo Noh was promoted to Chief Business Officer (CBO) of HYBE AMERICA, having previously served as Chief Strategy Officer of HYBE’s US division.Music Business Worldwide