Boardroom with Rich Kleiman

Latest Episodes:

Episode 36: Alex Honnold on Climbing’s Olympic debut, life after Free Solo, the Oscar-winning documentary about his historic climb, and his new podcast, Climbing Gold. Apr 07, 2021

Show notes

Alex Honnold gained global fame after the release of the film Free Solo, based on his death-defying climb --with no ropes or safety equipment-- of Yosemite Park’s El Capitan. The film captivated audiences, won the 2019 Oscar for Best Documentary, and established Honnold as one of the world's greatest athletes. Though Honnold has not always appeared to revel in the fame the film brought him, he’s made good use of the opportunities. Now, the primary face of his sport, he's expanded the work of his foundation, and has greatly raised awareness for rock climbing. As the upcoming Olympics prepares to feature climbing as an event for the first time, Honnold was likely a big factor in the sport achieving Olympic status. In this episode, Honnold talks to Rich and Gianni about what people get wrong about what motivates elite climbers, why he’s excited about his new podcast series, and the inspiration he's taken from legendary female climber, Lynn Hill. Honnold even invites Rich and Gianni to climb rocks with him in Central Park next time he visits New York City.

Episode 35: Chris Lyons, Managing Partner at Andreesen Horowitz, on launching the firm's Cultural Leadership Fund, harnessing his music business skills in Silicon Valley, and creating a brand in the wine industry. Mar 31, 2021

Show notes

As a Managing Partner at Andreesen Horowitz, one of Silicon Valley's most influential Venture Capital firms, Chris Lyons also runs its Cultural Leadership Fund, the first consisting of 100% African American Limited Partners. To date, CLF has invested in over 65 startups at the intersection of culture and innovation, and across multiple industries including consumer, enterprise, crypto, and fintech. Lyons also created Silicon Valley’s first “influencer network,” establishing numerous strategic partnerships between emerging technology companies and seasoned athletes, entertainers, musicians and corporate executives. In 2019, Lyons was named one of Fast Company's Most Creative People. But Lyons has a very atypical Silicon Valley success story. He started his music business career as a sound engineer for Grammy-winning producer, Jermaine Dupri, and initially went out to Silicon Valley for what he assumed would be a short trip. But in 2013, Lyons landed a position as Chief of Staff to Ben Horowitz, the Andreesen Horowitz co-founder, where his smarts, hustle, and well-developed network accelerated his rise through the ranks. In this episode, Lyons talks to Rich and Gianni about how invaluable his music business background has been to his Silicon Valley success; the seeds of his friendship with Rich and KD; how he ended up founding Italian wine brand, Lyons Wine; and his passion for diversifying the ranks of tech entrepreneurs and VC professionals.

Episode 34: Jimmy Iovine, the legendary music executive and co-founder of both Interscope Records and Beats Electronics, on his compatibility with Dr Dre, the dinner with Steve Jobs he’ll never forget, and his advice to young entrepreneurs Mar 24, 2021

Show notes

Jimmy Iovine’s legendary story was well-chronicled in HBO's 2017 docu-series, The Defiant Ones, but his impact on modern music, the media business, and technology continues to amaze. From his modest origins in Brooklyn, he worked his way up to legendary status as a music producer, working with artists like Bruce Springsteen and John Lennon, then later co-founding Interscope Records where he nurtured artists like Tupac Shakur, Eminem, as well as a subsidiary label, Death Row Records. Iovine would go on to partner with Dr Dre on Beats by Dre, which evolved into Beats Electronics, which was famously sold to Apple for $3 billion in 2014. In this special episode, previously recorded for Boardroom University, Iovine talks about his first music job as a janitor in a recording studio, the time Steve Jobs diagrammed the hardware business for him on a dinner table, his admiration for former Disney exec, Bob Iger, and why the program he and Dr Dre are launching is poised to empower under-served high school students by emphasizing the importance of both technology and design.

*The Boardroom University event was recorded on March 10, ’21, and co-sponsored by USC Annenberg, and USC Iovine and Young Academy.

Episode 33: Ray McGuire on His Trailblazing Path as a Top Wall Street Banker, Advising on Some of the Biggest Merger Deals in History, and Why He’s Running for Mayor of New York City Mar 17, 2021

Show notes

Ray McGuire, former Vice Chairman of Citigroup, is a trailblazing African-American Investment Banker who’s currently running as a democratic candidate for mayor of New York City. As an advisor to global corporations and boards, McGuire has worked on an estimated $600 billion in total deals, including Time Warner’s $108 billion merger with ATT in 2018. Though McGuire grew up in a single-parent household in Dayton, Ohio, his smarts, work ethic, and vision for his future landed him at Harvard, where he earned multiple degrees. But last year, McGuire, a committed philanthropist, stepped down from his position at Citigroup to enter the brutal arena of New York City politics. His campaign has emphasized his unique qualifications to lead the city at this critical time: “New York is in a financial crisis that has exploded into a whole bunch of crises — educational, health and criminal justice. If there is a moment in history where my skill set can help lead, this is it.” In this episode, McGuire shares with Rich and Gianni his 4 P-s for success: “prayer, preparation, performance and paranoia”; how he navigated his path as a trailblazing African American banker in ‘80s and ‘90s Wall Street; his pride in his happily-blended family, including stepson, Cole Anthony, the Orlando Magic rookie point guard; and his vision for leading New York City into a brighter future.

Episode 32: Dan Porter and Zack Wiener, co-founders of Overtime, the digital sport platform, on the launch of their disruptive new pro hoops league, Overtime Elite, and their formula for growing Overtime’s community. Mar 10, 2021

Show notes

Dan Porter and Zack Wiener are co-founders of Overtime, the multi-platform digital sports channel that launched in 2016, then blew up in 2017 when, among other highlights, it posted a block from high school star, Zion Williamson. The Overtime website describes its mission as building the “sports network for the next generation of fans,” but Porter has also revealed the company's ambition to be the biggest global sports network on the planet. Currently, Overtime content has 14 billion views a year, and a global audience of 45 million across all platforms. But in its most audacious effort, the multi-media digital sports juggernaut just announced a new venture that may disrupt the landscape of NCAA basketball. They launched Overtime Elite, a professional basketball league for high school prospects that will pay six-figure salaries, offer equity in the league, and provide college scholarships for players who ultimately opt out of pursuing a career in the NBA. Porter and Wiener talk to Rich and Gianni about the motivations behind launching OT Elite, the advice that KD gave them that helped hone the OTE concept, and what it’s like for the unique co-founder duo (Porter is in his ‘50s, Wiener is in his ‘20s) to combine their generationally-distinct perspectives, experience and networks in forming a dynamic digital brand with global ambitions.

Episode 31: Josh Luber on co-founding StockX, working with Cleveland Cavaliers owner, Dan Gilbert, and his excitement about the trading cards boom. Mar 03, 2021

Show notes

Josh Luber is an entrepreneur, long-time trading card collector, and co-founder of StockX, the on-line sneaker and collectibles marketplace he co-founded with Cleveland Cavaliers owner, Dan Gilbert. Luber talks to Rich and Gianni about his early entrepreneurial leanings, alternating between corporate jobs and startups after getting his MBA/JD from Emory University, creating Campless, a sneaker data company, while working at IBM, and his life-changing meeting with Dan Gilbert where they decided to create a “stock market for sneakers.” Luber also dives into why he thinks it’s a golden age for trading cards, and how that’s led him to the creation of his new venture, Six Forks Kids Club, an alternative asset management company focused on trading cards.

Episode 30: Justin Tuck on his small-town upbringing, VP position at Goldman Sachs, and why Eli Manning definitely belongs in the Hall of Fame. Feb 24, 2021

Show notes

Justin Tuck is a 2x Super Bowl champion and former 2x Pro Bowl Defensive End for the NY Giants. A graduate of Notre Dame, Tuck earned his MBA from Wharton before landing in the Goldman Sachs C-suite. Tuck talks to his good friend, Rich, and Gianni about why he felt so well prepared for a successful career after the NFL, his favorite memories from his Super Bowl victories, what the public gets wrong about why some athletes go broke, and why his former teammate, Eli Manning, absolutely merits induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Episode 29: Mark Jackson. Rich catches up with his childhood hero Mark Jackson. They talk his 17-year career, his leadership qualities and talk openly on him not getting another shot at coaching in the NBA after the Warriors. Feb 17, 2021

Show notes

Mark Jackson is one of television’s best NBA analysts, calling multiple finals for ESPN and ABC, alongside his good friend and former coach, Jeff Van Gundy. A native of New York City, Jackson was a star at St Johns before being selected in the 1st round by the New York Knicks. A 1988 NBA rookie of the year and an All-Star, the elite point guard led several NBA title contenders during a 17-year NBA career. He’s the NBA’s 4th all-time assists leader, ranked right behind Steve Nash, and right ahead of Magic Johnson. Jackson talks to Rich and Gianni about his pride in building a winning foundation as coach of the Golden State Warriors from ’11-’14; his feelings about getting fired by the Warriors before the team went on to win multiple championships; whether he believes there remains an unflattering narrative that’s kept him from getting hired again; and how his father’s example inspired his leadership qualities, resilience and deep faith.

Episode 28: Jamie Patricof on the joys of being an independent film and television producer, and how producing movies is like being a CEO of a startup Feb 10, 2021

Show notes

Jamie Patricof is an accomplished independent film, tv, and documentary producer, and co-founder of Electric City Entertainment. His projects include the films Captain Fantastic (Viggo Mortensen); Blue Valentine (Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling); and The Place Beyond the Pines (Bradley Cooper). Early in the pandemic, Patricof kicked off Lunch With Jamie, a popular Zoom lecture series featuring luminaries from the worlds of politics, sports and Hollywood. In this episode, Patricof talks to Rich (they’ve been best friends since childhood) and Gianni about striking work/life balance; emerging trends in the tv and film business; the entrepreneurial inspiration he gets from his 86-year-old father who recently started a new venture; and his possible plans for running for political office.

Episode 27: Omar Raja on creating House of Highlights, getting acquired by Bleacher Report, and leaving Bleacher for ESPN. Feb 03, 2021

Show notes

Omar Raja was a college student when he started an Instagram account to pay tribute to his beloved Miami Heat, and especially his favorite player, Dwyane Wade. That was House of Highlights, the IG account which mastered the creation of viral NBA-related clips, and transformed social media content for a new generation of sports fans. Bleacher Report hired Raja out of University of Central Florida, and acquired House of Highlights. After greatly expanding its content across multiple sports, House of Highlights under Bleacher became the most followed sports social media brand. Raja’s success caught the attention of ESPN, who hired Raja in '20 to run the social accounts for Sports Center, and work as a digital and social talent commentator. In this episode, the 26-year-old talks about catching the entrepreneurial bug from his father, why he started creating content in high school, the tears he shed walking away from House of Highlights, his goals for the future, and much more.

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