Màxim Huerta


Máximo Huerta Hernández, popularly known as Màxim Huerta, is a Spanish journalist and writer. In June 2018 he was appointed by PM Pedro Sánchez to the post of the Minister of Culture and Sport of the Sánchez government, and resigned one week afterwards due to tax evasion.

Biography

Early life and career

Huerta was born in Utiel, Valencia, as Máximo Huerta Hernández. He graduated in Information Sciences from the CEU San Pablo University and has a Master's Degree in Graphic Design and Editorial Illustration from the Istituto Europeo di Design. He started his career working in radio stations and newspapers in the Valencian Community: RNE's Radio 5 in Utiel and Radio Buñol, or Valencia 7 días and Las Provincias.

Career in television

Huerta first worked in television in 1997, when he joined the regional channel Canal Nou to present and edit the news programmes Informatiu Metropolità and the night edition of Informatiu. There, he was advised to change his name to Màxim to sound more Valencian. He began to work for Telecinco in 2000, presenting and editing the channel's regional programme for the Valencian Community. A year later, Huerta was promoted to the nationwide airtime and became one of the news anchors of Informativos Telecinco, where he remained for five years.
In 2005, Huerta became one of the co-hosts of the morning television show El programa de Ana Rosa hosted by Ana Rosa Quintana. He was part of the show for ten years, until September 2015.
In 2016, Huerta presented the travel documentary series Destinos de película, for Televisión Española.
In 2019, Huerta returned to TVE to host the daytime talk show A partir de hoy.

Career as a writer

Huerta has authored seven novels —Que sea la última vez que me llamas Reina de la Tele, El susurro de la caracola, Una tienda en París, La noche soñada, No me dejes , La parte escondida del iceberg, and Firmamento — a travel book —Mi lugar en el mundo eres tú—, a children's book —Elsa y el mar—, and two illustrated books —El escritor and Partir de cero—. La noche soñada was awarded the 2014 Premio Primavera.

Minister of Culture and Sport

In 2018, the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, elected Huerta as Minister of Culture and Sport. His appointment was criticized by some members of the public due to his previous tweets in which he had said, for example, that he hated sport. He resigned seven days after being appointed due to the revelation of a 2017 sentence that forced him to pay a €365,928 sanction for tax fraud.