Boardroom with Rich Kleiman

Latest Episodes:

Francisco Lindor on Juan Soto, Mets Pressure, & The Future Of MLB Aug 06, 2025

Show notes

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor sits down with Rich Kleiman to talk about the pressure of playing in New York, the blockbuster addition of Juan Soto and his $756M contract, and why the Mets might finally be taking over the city.

Paolo Banchero On Injury, Being A Big Fish In A Small Market And Everything Jordan Brand Mar 13, 2025

Show notes

Orlando Magic Power Forward Paolo Banchero's path to superstardom wasn't linear. Never considered a viral sensation, Banchero took Coach Mike Krzyzewski's early advice to go to Duke if he wanted a chance to become the NBA's #1 overall draft pick, a dream fulfilled in 2022. Banchero shares this and more in the newest installment of Boardroom Talks, where he sits with Boardroom Co-Founder Rich Kleiman to share his battle back from injury this season, how the chemistry of the Magic has evolved throughout his hiatus and return and how they're working toward a star-packed parity in the NBA similar to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in Boston or Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray in Denver. Later, the two discuss how the role of the NBA star has evolved from Michael Jordan to LeBron James and into present day stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards as well as how the latter, Edwards, shared an instrumental belief on how the playoffs are a unique beast of competition. Banchero also gushes over his love for Duke Basketball, his admiration for Duke phenom Cooper Flagg and what's next for his quest of becoming a perennial All-Star in the league.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber Continues To 'Break Glass' With The League Mar 13, 2025

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MLS Commissioner Don Garber welcomes Boardroom into the MLS’ New York City office. In conversation with Boardroom Co-Founder and Philadelphia Union Part Owner Rich Kleiman the Major League Soccer commissioner discusses how an early job with the NFL jump started his career. Then, the duo discuss the nuances that come with managing sports owners, the impact of superstardom on the league brought on by players like Lionel Messi and David Beckham, how the AppleTV streaming partnership paved the way for other sports teams to follow suit and more. Later, Garber shares insights on the scalability of the league and the archetype of the modern fan, health and safety of its players, what fans can expect from the 2026 World Cup where he likens the global event to the NFL’s Super Bowl and so much more.

How Raising Canes Founder Todd Graves Built A Billion Dollar Chicken Finger Empire Feb 27, 2025

Show notes

The Grand Marshall of the 2025 Super Bowl Parade, the face of a billion dollar chicken finger empire and a pillar of his community, Todd Graves has dedicated his life to building his business and solidifying it as a great place to work. In conversation with Boardroom Co-Founder Rich Kleiman, the Raising Canes founder is fresh off of successful Super Bowl and All-Star Weekends where his brand could not be missed alongside some of the biggest names in sports, entertainment and culture including Kevin Hart, Kevin Durant, Cardi B and more. Graves gets into the origin of his empire, sharing how a failed business plan in college and negative feedback from local banks gave him the motivation to go out on his own and raise the funds to build his company in early years. He also shares some of his biggest lessons of his journey, from being rattled by the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina to the speed of growth he underwent. Later, Graves discusses the importance of making sure his employees feel valued and see a valuable growth trajectory within Raising Canes and how while he isn't interested in a traditional franchise model, he's found success in rev-sharing models with one of the biggest names in entertainment - Post Malone. Lastly, Graves gives a nod to many of the professional athletes and Caniacs aligned with his brand, from Joe Burrow to Saquon Barkley, Graves shares how the athlete mindset, motivation and discipline serve as staples to the way be shapes his own personal philosophy.

Carmelo Anthony, Quavo, & Bose CEO Jim Mollica Talk Basketball, Music, & Business With Rich Kleiman Feb 20, 2025

Show notes

Over the 2025 All-Star Weekend, Boardroom and Bose hosted an intimate conversation in San Francisco for an audience of business, entertainment and sports power players. The conversation, led by Boardroom CEO Rich Kleiman, was a deep dive into the intersection of sports, music and culture, driven by Carmelo Anthony, Quavo, and Bose CEO Jim Mollica - three individuals who know the space best. As a newly minted NBA Hall Of Fame inductee, Anthony's storied career gave him the ability to reflect on how much the business has changed to become more collaborative through the years, a sentiment that Mollica can agree with from a corporate perspective. Mollica shares how his team in the music space has committed to partnering with music lovers across several sectors, including the brand's partnership with Minnesota Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards. Quavo, a Grammy-nominated music icon, also shared how many of his most popular hits and career moments are deeply reflective of the NBA culture he was raised on, showing again how the ties between all of these individuals remain intrinsically tied.

How Athletes Have Created the Next Generation of Media Companies | Boardroom x All the Smoke Productions Nov 19, 2024

Show notes

Join Rich Kleiman and NBA champion turned media mogul (and podcasting OG) Matt Barnes as they break down the business behind building the next generation of media companies.

Matt shares how he and co-host Stephen Jackson turned a simple idea into an award-winning podcast that transformed athlete storytelling and broke down barriers in sports media.

Highlights:

The Origin Story: How All The Smoke began with candid, barbershop-style conversations.

Challenges & Triumphs: Navigating media business deals and overcoming initial skepticism.

Cultural Impact: The show’s role in shifting perceptions on cannabis and athlete voices in media.

Partnerships & Growth: Insight into structuring deals with Showtime, iHeart, and their leap to self-sufficiency with DraftKings.

New Media vs. Old Media: The shift in athlete-driven content and what it means for the future.

How Mike Will Made-It Revolutionized Music with Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, Future & More | Boardroom Talks Nov 12, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Boardroom Talks, Rich Kleiman sits down with super producer Mike Will Made-It to explore his groundbreaking career. Mike breaks down how Atlanta's musical legacy influenced modern sound, why genre-blending is key to his success, and the powerful impact of artists like Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, and Future. Plus, he shares his thoughts on the role of Artificial Intelligence in music, the mystery behind streaming numbers, and how industry icon Jimmy Iovine shaped his approach to making hip hop accessible to the mainstream.

Don’t miss this candid conversation with one of the industry's most influential producers!

How Wallo Built a Million-Dollar Business After Prison | Boardroom Talks Oct 03, 2024

Show notes

Wallo267, host of Million Dollaz Worth of Game and New York Times bestselling author of Armed With Good Intentions, didn’t achieve success overnight. In this episode of Boardroom Talks, he sits down with Rich Kleiman to share the raw truth about relationships in prison, the unlikely characters he met, and the mental strength he developed during his decades behind bars. Wallo reveals how those lessons taught him everything he needed to know about marketing, building relationships, and growing a business. He also dives into his business partnership with Barstool and reflects on whether money truly solves life's biggest problems.

How the Coinbase CEO Sees The Future | Boardroom Talks Jun 27, 2024

Show notes

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong joins Rich Kleiman for an all new Boardroom Talks. This conversation dives into the early aughts of Armstrong's journey through the business world, a journey that led him from Bay Area Bitcoin meetups to the Silicon Valley staple Y-Combinator, a place where his idea for the future of cryptocurrency truly came to life. Armstrong stresses how the early stages of cryptocurreny, much like any new innovation, including Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX, continues to be riddled with peaks and valleys, but that the utility will always be there for those who need it. Throughout the highs and inevitable volatility, of the bitcoin ecosystem, Armstrong discusses how he's striving to do good in the world, empower the younger consumer of cryptocurrency and foster an environment that helps people have autonomy over their money in the digital space.

Taylor Rooks' Dreams Came True & She's Striving For More | Boardroom Talks May 30, 2024

Show notes

Host, Sideline Reporter and Journalist Taylor Rooks is everywhere. From Thursday Night Football on Amazon, NBA on TNT, her show 'Taylor Rooks X' on HBO Max and her newest venture, a brand new podcast with fellow host Joy Taylor called 'Too Personal,' Rooks has spent her life and career solidifying her significance. In this episode of 'Boardroom Talks' with Boardroom Co-Founder Rich Kleiman, Rook's discusses her beginnings as a correspondent at the Big Ten Network right out of college and how that experience left her hungry for an even bigger stage, how she made her way to the New York market to continue to evolve her career and where she'd still like to go. Later, the duo discuss how her good friend Sue Bird helped play an integral role in understanding discrepancies within the coverage of women's sports, where and how media still continues to fall short and the differences in how men who play basketball at the highest level are viewed versus their WNBA colleagues. Lastly, Kleiman and Rooks dive into the culture of NBA player podcasts, the differences between covering the NBA and the NFL and how her new podcast, 'Too Personal' is a place for women to create the same kind of thoughtful and polarizing conversations their male counterparts have in the media everyday.

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