John S. Hendricks is the founder and former Chairman of Discovery Communications, the global media parent company of Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC and Science, among many other television networks and ancillary businesses and brands. Hendricks launched Discovery Channel in 1985 as the first cable network in the United States designed to provide high-quality documentary programming enabling people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity.

Hendricks was the driving force behind Discovery Communications’ dramatic growth, including the expansion from its core property, Discovery Channel, to global operations in over 220 countries and territories, with more than 2.5 billion cumulative subscribers, 206 worldwide networks and 49 network entertainment brands when he retired in 2014.

Hendricks took early retirement from Discovery in May 2014 to focus fully on CuriosityStream. The venture is run day-to-day by his daughter, Elizabeth North, and is comprised of CuriosityStream, Curiosity Studios and Curiosity Retreats – all with the same commitment to Hendricks’ original vision – to empower people to unleash their curiosity.

CuriosityStream, which launched in March 2015, is home to award-winning documentary features and series, including exclusive originals, spanning science, space, technology, nature, history, health and more. The streaming service features shows with master experts including Stephen Hawking and David Attenborough, stunning visuals and
unrivaled storytelling you can’t find anywhere else.

Curiosity Retreats, launched in 2014 at Gateway Canyons Resort in Colorado, gathers the greatest minds on the planet to teach and share their knowledge with Curiosity Retreat guests about topics in the areas of science, technology, civilization and the human spirit.

Gateway Canyons Resort, also developed by Hendricks and home of the Curiosity Retreats, was voted the #1 Resort in Colorado and #3 Resort in the US by Conde Nast Traveler in 2016, and by Travel + Leisure in 2016 as the “Best in the West”, #5 Best Resort in the U.S. and #16 Best Resort in the World.

A visionary in the media industry, Hendricks has been honored with a Primetime Emmy Award and with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences highest honor, the Governors Award, for conceiving the TLC series, Great Books. He is the recipient of the 2017 Arthur C. Clarke Innovator Award. The Ark Trust named him a recipient of the Genesis Award for lifetime achievement for his efforts in raising awareness around the globe about animal issues. Hendricks has also been recognized as the first corporate leader to receive the National Education Association's Friend of Education award for "innovations in education and technology and greatly expanding educational opportunity for America's schoolchildren."

Hendricks holds a B.A. in history (magna cum laude, 1974) and an honorary doctorate (1991) from the University of Alabama, Huntsville.

Hendricks’ memoir, A Curious Discovery: An Entrepreneur’s Story, recounts the struggles and triumphs of turning his passion for documentary programs into the world’s most widely distributed cable channel and parlaying its popularity into a leading global media company. The book was published by Harper Collins in June 2013.