IBH Advisory
Helping organizations earn, elevate, and expand attention.
Visit IBH Advisory →Advisor. Builder. Speaker.
Ilan Ben-Hanan
I've spent my career helping organizations recognize what's possible—and figuring out how to get there.
Current Work
Advising, building, and sharing ideas.
Original Projects
Building ideas that bring people together through play, curiosity, and storytelling.
New Year Calendar · Quintalist · Pundown
Explore projects →Speaking & Media
Panels, podcasts, interviews, and conversations on sports, media, leadership, and innovation.
Watch & listen →About
Drawn to moments of change.
I've always been drawn to opportunities to build: launching networks, forging partnerships, creating new initiatives, and helping organizations navigate moments of change.
After more than two decades helping shape the evolution of sports media, I'm now focused on advising organizations, building new ventures, and sharing ideas that help people think differently about what's possible.
I'm especially interested in work that brings people together, whether around a live event, a cause, a game, or a new idea.
Speaking & Conversations
Stories worth telling.
Stories, ideas, and conversations about sports, media, leadership, and purpose.
A Full-Circle Story
The V Foundation Wine Celebration
Napa Valley · 2026
Nearly 20 years ago, I had an idea: What if ESPN took one week every year and used the power of its platforms to raise money for cancer research?
That idea became Jimmy V Week, which has raised more than $116 million for The V Foundation.
In Napa, shortly after concluding my 24-year career at ESPN, I shared the story of how Jimmy V Week came to be—and, for the first time publicly, the deeply personal chapter that brought the story full circle.
Watch the Full Speech →
▶Watch Full Speech
Selected Moments
From the story.
Coach K
How one moment at a charity event planted the seed for Jimmy V Week.
Jimmy V Week
Turning a simple question—“Why not Jimmy V Week?”—into an ESPN-wide initiative.
Life Had One More Chapter in Store
The personal chapter of the story I had never shared publicly.
A Conversation in Napa
A candid reflection on what victory over cancer really means.
Featured Conversation
The Global Playbook
Asia Society Southern California
A conversation about the future of sports, media, globalization, and fandom.
Speaking inquiries: ilan@ibhadvisory.com
Selected Coverage
Articles, interviews, and profiles from across my career.
The New York Times
College Football's Most Dominant Player? It's ESPN
How programming strategy reshaped college football.
The New York Times
Any Plans for New Year's Eve?
Behind the launch of the College Football Playoff era.
Sports Business Journal
Forty Under 40
Recognized among the sports industry's top emerging executives.
Awful Announcing
Balancing the NBA and NHL Playoffs
An inside look at programming strategy during one of the busiest periods on the sports calendar.
ESPN Front Row
Executive Voice: The NHL Returns to ESPN
How The Walt Disney Company prepared for the NHL's return.
USC Annenberg
Alumni Spotlight
From USC game days to leading ESPN's programming strategy.
Creative Ventures
Original projects and ideas.
Beyond advisory work, I enjoy building products and frameworks that challenge conventional thinking and bring people together.
New Year Calendar
A proposal to redesign the world's calendar while preserving the months and dates people already know.
Quintalist
Five chances to identify the five correct answers. A daily game of trivia, deduction, and pattern recognition.
Play Quintalist →Pundown
A daily contest built around puns, clever connections, and wordplay.
Play Pundown →Impact
Organizations and initiatives I've helped build and grow.
Over more than two decades, I've had the privilege of helping some of the most influential brands, leagues, events, and initiatives earn attention, elevate their profile, and expand their reach.
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