Sports Business
As Kevin Durant’s longtime business partner and one of few executives who’ve created a lasting and robust business portfolio including a media business, both sports teams and emerging leagues, VC investing, and foundation work, RICH KLEIMAN’s expertise is unparalleled. At the same time, his path into sports was unconventional. His candor in breaking down both the business itself and showing how he learned what he knows makes him a truly unique figure in the space.
The Business of Music & Entertainment
From music supervision in film & TV to co-owning a record label with 7x Grammy winner Mark Ronson to managing a wide roster of artists at Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, RICH KLEIMAN is well versed in music trends, cross-over opportunities, and brand marketing.
Working With Top Talent (Sports & Entertainment)
Very few people have as much lived experience in the intersection of sports, hip-hop and culture in the last 25 years as RICH KLEIMAN. From the likes of Mark Ronson to KD to Jay-Z, he’s been able to leverage – and learn from – artists, entertainers, and athletes across all areas of the spectrum.
What it Takes to Be a Mentor in Business and in Life
RICH KLEIMAN talks frequently about what he has learned from his own mentors in the business world, as well as what it takes to be a mentor in business and in life. His perspective is one of always learning from those around you – particularly as someone who has had an unconventional career path and didn’t take the traditional college route.
Brand Growth from the Ground Up
RICH KLEIMAN has built several businesses, including Boardroom, from the ground up and is able to speak on what he’s done right as well as learning from mistakes made along the way.
Mental Wellness
RICH KLEIMAN is very candid about his experiences with mental wellness, both through his family history and personal relationships and in dealing with top-caliber athletes and the pressures they face. He’s able to speak openly about his own experiences and how they connect to his experiences in business.
Rich Kleiman is co-founder and CEO of Boardroom, a sports and entertainment company that includes the flagship media network, Boardroom.TV. Founded in 2019 by Kleiman and Kevin Durant, Boardroom covers the business of sports, music and entertainment, with a special focus on the ways that athletes, executives, musicians, and creators are moving the business world forward. Other projects under the Boardroom umbrella include the critically acclaimed scripted series SWAGGER in partnership with Imagine Entertainment and Apple TV+, the Academy-Award-winning short film Two Distant Strangers (Netflix), and Emmy-nominated documentary NYC Point Gods (Showtime). Most recently, Kleiman announced the launch of Boardroom Advisory, an offering for talent and brands to help them navigate business strategy, content creation, sports ownership opportunities and venture & private equity investing.
Kleiman and Durant are majority owners of Major League Pickleball’s Brooklyn Aces and have made minority investments in Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union, National Women’s Soccer League’s Gotham FC, Premier Lacrosse League, Athletes Unlimited, League One Volleyball, TMRW Sports, and National Cycling League.
Kleiman has been Kevin Durant’s manager since 2013, and co-founder in 35V, which houses over 100 early stage investments across sports, technology, finance, media, and more.
Kleiman serves as the Executive Director of the Durant Family Foundation (fka Kevin Durant Charity Foundation), helping underserved and low-income families and youth across the globe. He also sits on the Board of Directors at New Heights Youth, Inc., a non-profit dedicated to sports-based youth development and education in New York City.
Previously, Kleiman helped launch Roc Nation Sports, where he served as Vice President of the agency founded by Jay-Z. Kleiman started with Roc Nation in 2008 as a music manager representing Mark Ronson, Solange, Meek Mill, Wale, and many others.
My Speaker List
