Ivan Ortiz-Diaz
Dear Ana, Daniel, and Axel,
I want to share my deepest condolences over Ivan’s untimely passing. I had the joy of hiring and managing Ivan over the course of his tenure with HBO Max, WarnerMedia, and Warner Bros. Discovery and I will always cherish the opportunity to work with him.
He joined our team at a critical time and brought exceptional experience and skill which he put to work every day in a unique role as our first ever technical operations specialist supporting our ad supported streaming version of HBO Max. Through the launch and ongoing operation of this product, we made the HBO brand – which previously had only been accessible to customers able to pay ~$15 per month – accessible to a whole new set of customers who couldn’t previously afford it and Ivan played a huge part in sharing the impactful stories we create with a broader representation of the U.S. population.
Ivan provided exceptional support and service to our internal teams in executing complex technical configurations and executions that allowed us to serve advertisements on HBO Max in ways that thoughtfully delivered a premium customer experience to our subscribers and evolved our company’s approach to treat the advertising community as valued customers as well.
Beyond all of his contributions to our work, most importantly Ivan was a valued member of our community and was beloved throughout the team and company for his attitude, humor, and kindness. I will specifically remember how much Ivan loved to talk about the delicious foods he was cooking up at home and how he often shared anecdotes to bring levity to our meetings.
We miss him immensely and his loss has had a profound impact on me individually, our team, and our broader company.
Sincerely,
Matt Ilinitch
919-360-7278

Matt Ilinitch
- April 5, 2023
- 6:29 pm
- ID: 116423