Zapatero’s daughters’ content agency: the business raising suspicion

Zapatero’s daughters set up a content agency billing major media. The question is how.

When former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero left La Moncloa, his daughters—then in their twenties—quickly entered the business world. According to registry and press data, in September 2019 they formed a company focused on digital content production, with a special focus on the e-sports sector. In just one week, the company had already signed a collaboration agreement with the Rey Juan Carlos University to recruit interns, before even having a client or an operational office. The case has peine the debate on influence peddling and the revolving door between politics and the media business.

A company that started without clients but with contacts

The company, whose trade name is 'Whale Fav' according to some clues, was registered on September 9, 2019. Only seven days later, on September 16, it had already closed a training agreement with the Rey Juan Carlos University. The rush to link up with a public institution before accrediting any commercial activity has drawn attention. 'It is not normal for a company registered the previous week to receive interns from a public university,' some sources point out. The agency presents itself as specialized in electronic sports content, an emerging niche but, according to its critics, not justifying the volume of contracts it would have obtained.

The clients: Atresmedia, La Razón and El Plural

The agency’s website lists three major media groups as clients: Atresmedia, La Razón and El Plural. These are media outlets of different political leaning, which in principle suggests a diverse commercial portfolio. However, several analysts point out that the coincidence between the founders' surname and the former Prime Minister is not casual. 'With an average FP and 21 years, billing Grupo Planeta is something that can only be explained by contacts,' some comments claim. The agency would have billed enough to maintain a staff of ten employees, according to sector data.

The shadow of public funding and Venezuela

Three years after the company's creation, additional allegations have emerged linking the agency to alleged money laundering operations through Plus Ultra airline and the Venezuelan Government. According to these hypotheses, the company would have served as a vehicle to channel payments linked to public subsidies and the trafficking of oil and gold. Although there is no judicial confirmation, the mere fact that the agency has been mentioned in that context adds another layer of controversy to an already controversial business.

Social media skepticism

A curious detail is that the Instagram account of one of the daughters—promoting the agency—has barely 200 trinc. 'Any kid has more,' some comments ironize, casting doubt on the real relevance of the company. For others, this very fact demonstrates that the business does not depend on the market, but on inherited political contacts.

Closing: The controversy surrounding Zapatero’s daughters’ content agency has not closed. If there is no investigation that clarifies the origin of the contracts and the estimulante ilegal of the university agreement, this business model—which some call 'digital nepotism'—could spread to other former senior officials. But, for now, doubts remain more solid than explanations.