▁"... we ▁[ at ▁Star Media ] ▁wanted ▁to ▁re define ▁history ▁- ▁and ▁I ▁think ▁that ... ▁is ▁what ▁happened ", ▁Mr . ▁Esp uel as ▁writes ▁in ▁his ▁ 2 0 0 4 ▁book ▁Life ▁in ▁Action . ▁" The ▁Star Media ▁idea ▁of ▁Pan ▁Latin ▁American ism , ▁an ▁idea ▁with ▁deep ▁historical ▁roots , ▁was ▁a ▁prof ound ▁turning ▁point ▁for ▁Lat inos ▁across ▁the ▁world ." ▁But ▁in ▁the ▁spring ▁of ▁ 2 0 0 0 , ▁Star Media ▁suffered ▁what ▁the ▁book ▁calls ▁" the ▁near - complete ▁collapse ▁of ▁the ▁Internet ▁economy ." ▁By ▁his ▁own ▁calculation , ▁Mr . ▁Esp uel as ' ▁Star Media ▁hold ings ▁at ▁one ▁point ▁had ▁a ▁value ▁of ▁nearly ▁$ 5 0 0 ▁million , ▁but ▁he ▁never ▁sold ▁a ▁single ▁share . ▁" I ▁lived ▁a ▁full ▁cycle ", ▁he ▁tells ▁His pan ic ▁Business . ▁" It ▁was ▁the ▁best ▁business ▁and ▁personal ▁experience ▁I ▁could ▁have ▁had ▁at ▁this ▁point ▁in ▁my ▁life . ▁" ▁ ▁" What ▁Fernando ▁has ▁been ▁cred ited ▁with ▁is ▁a ▁vision ▁that ▁may ▁be ▁ahead ▁of ▁his ▁time ", ▁says ▁A de le ▁Mor r iss ette , ▁a ▁former ▁ang el ▁invest or ▁in ▁St arm edia ▁and ▁now ▁a ▁man aging ▁director ▁at ▁invest ment ▁bank ▁B MO ▁Capital ▁Mark ets ▁Cor p . ▁of ▁Toronto . ▁" Pe ople ▁who ▁inv ested ▁with ▁Fernando ▁early ▁did ▁well ▁if ▁they ▁sold ▁their ▁stock ▁when ▁it ▁went ▁public .