Boardroom with Rich Kleiman

Few icons represent New York City like Spike Lee — award-winning director, cultural force, Knicks superfan, and the visionary behind Do The Right Thing. In this exclusive Boardroom May Cover Story, Spike sits down with Co-Founder Rich Kleiman for a powerful conversation covering: The meaning behind May 19th — Malcolm X’s 100th birthday, the anniversary of Do The Right Thing, and the Cannes premiere of his latest film Highest 2 Lowest starring Denzel Washington & A$AP Rocky.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

VISA CMO Frank Cooper joins Boardroom CEO Rich Kleiman to discuss the ever-changing role of the CMO, NYC in the 90s, his journey from entrepreneur to executive roles at Pepsi, Buzzfeed, Blackrock, VISA and more.