Rolling Stone on Thursday announced that CEO Gus Wenner will become the outlet’s executive chairman and that Julian Holguin, the former president of Billboard, will become the long-running music magazine’s new chief executive.
Holguin will take over for Wenner, who was promoted to CEO of the magazine in 2022, on Thursday; his father, Jann Wenner, launched the magazine in 1967 and led it for more than 50 years.
“Rolling Stone is poised for continued success leveraging Gus’ deep experience and vision for the brand and Julian’s keen business instincts and passion for innovation,” Penske Media Corporation CEO Jay Penske said in a statement. “Rolling Stone will continue its rich legacy of world class journalism and culture-shaping conversation while creating new avenues for growth.”
Rolling Stone is among several media brands under the Penske umbrella, including Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard. Variety was the first outlet to report the news.
Holguin spent a decade at Billboard, where he started in 2012 as the director of brand partnerships before ultimately working his way up to president from 2020 to 2022. Since leaving Billboard, Holguin has been the chief executive of Doodles, an NFT company that describes itself on LinkedIn as “a next-generation art and entertainment studio reshaping media development, distribution and ownership.” Doodles raised $54 million in a round led by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in September 2022.
“The legacy and enduring impact of Rolling Stone is undeniable, and having the opportunity to broaden the scope and reach of the brand is the opportunity of a lifetime,” Holguin told Variety. “I’m thrilled to join forces with the entire Rolling Stone team to drive its continued evolution and expansion into new and exciting territory.”
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