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35V
Kevin Durant (co-founder)
Rich Kleiman (co-founder)
Rich Kleiman recalls that when he and Kevin Durant first set out to build a business together in 2016, they immediately recognized the need to operate with patience. Thirty Five Ventures, now stylized 35V, began making investments in sports and sports-related properties, and in 2019 launched Boardroom, a media brand that sits squarely at the intersection of sports, culture and entertainment.
“What we realized early was that because there were so many stories to tell, and so many great filmmakers, and that every athlete had a level of platform that they could bring their own storytelling to, that having a brand was the way to cut through,” said Kleiman, who was previously a vice president at Roc Nation. “That was really the genesis behind building Boardroom and building it slowly: What is our voice in this kind of very crowded landscape?”
Boardroom has since become the umbrella brand for a blog, a newsletter, podcasts — “Out of Office with Rich Kleiman” and “The ETCs with Kevin Durant” — and a slate of original content. Kleiman, Durant and 35V Chief Marketing Officer Sarah Flynn have been producers on projects such as the Apple TV+ feature series “Swagger,” Showtime documentaries “NYC Point Gods” and “Basketball County: In the Water”; and the Oscar-winning short film “Two Distant Strangers,” among others.
And in July, Boardroom partnered with CNBC to host Game Plan, a new sports and entertainment conference. This year’s inaugural event featured speakers such as David Blitzer, Stan Kroenke, Jimmy Pitaro and Clara Wu Tsai. Kleiman says the event is one of several new “physical activations” planned around the Boardroom brand, which is now looking to align with new talent and explore new verticals.
“The original metrics for us were impact, credibility around our brand, awareness for the brand and audience. Now it’s about continuing those things but building a scalable, sizable business,” said Kleiman. “Putting Game Plan on is part of our media strategy, potentially advising more talent through the platform is part of our media strategy, telling short-form stories, long-form stories, the newsletter; all of it is part of building the community. Being able to build different verticals of the business will be the success now, and you have to make it a profitable business.” — Chris Smith
