THE CONCRETE GROUP · ISSUING AGENCY

THE CONCRETE GROUP · ISSUING AGENCY

A Response to the Boardroom RFP

BOARDROOM

Prepared by The Concrete Group · Confidential

The Thesis

Boardroom stops asking to be recognized.

Every media brand at Boardroom’s stage meets the same ceiling. It can pursue coverage, or it can become the thing coverage is about. Pursuit is a treadmill — it resets every quarter and the return decays. Authority compounds.

Boardroom has already built the harder half. A network reaching over 52 million unique visitors a month. A sports holdings portfolio across three leagues. An Academy Award, an Emmy nomination and a scripted series. A members club, a print magazine and a summit carrying CNBC’s name. That is not a media brand chasing relevance. That is the infrastructure of an institution that has not yet declared itself.

Our recommendation is that it declares itself.

The position: Boardroom becomes the institution that identifies, convenes and celebrates modern influence. Not a participant in the conversation about who is shaping business, entertainment, culture and sport — the standard-setter for it.

Everything that follows is built to make that true.

Executive Positioning

How Rich builds on the role he already owns.

The recognized get covered. The recognizer gets cited.

Rich Kleiman is known today as a builder — the operator behind Kevin Durant and the architect of Boardroom. That reputation is accurate, well earned and largely confined to people who already follow the business of sport.

Twelve months from now he should be known as the person whose judgment confers status.

Three shifts, in order.

Shift 01

From subject to source.

Rich is currently written about. He should be quoted — the voice reporters call when the story is about how talent becomes ownership, how modern media companies get built, and where influence moves next. A point of view is more durable than a profile.

Shift 02

From host to institution-builder.

Rich already hosts rooms that matter. The next move is to make those rooms Boardroom-owned institutions with clear editorial authority, repeatable formats and cultural gravity.

Shift 03

From sports-adjacent to category-agnostic.

Visibility beyond sport does not come from pitching Rich to non-sports outlets. It comes from giving those outlets a reason — a list, a franchise and a perspective that belong to fashion, technology, finance and design as much as they belong to sport.

On the Michael Rubin reference

Rubin’s model is proximity: be in the room, own the room. It worked, and it is now widely imitated. Every founder has a podcast and every room has a step-and-repeat. Proximity has inflated.

Rich’s advantage is that he does not need to buy his way into culture. He has spent a decade building the architecture that lets talent convert fame into equity. That is a thesis, and a thesis is scarcer than a guest list.

We would take Rubin’s ambition as the benchmark and a different mechanism to exceed it. Rubin is in the rooms. Rich should own one.

The System

One system, not six campaigns.

Each platform operates at a different altitude, but all six work together to build Boardroom’s institutional authority.

A Seat at the TableThe always-on conversationDepth, trust and executive voice
10 Minutes in The BoardroomThe public discovery engineExecutive visibility and emerging relationships
Incubation WeekThe member benefitRetention, utility and owned IP
The Boardroom 100The authorityGlobal relevance and editorial power
The Boardroom AwardsThe stageLive spectacle, partnerships and cultural visibility
The ClassroomThe impact platformAccess, opportunity and future-talent pipeline

Sequencing

Six platforms. Two in year one.

This response describes a complete system. It does not propose building all of it at once.

Year one activates the always-on press engine, The Boardroom 100 and one recurring franchise. That is a full program on its own — a globally credible list, a peak earned-media moment, a weekly editorial habit and a disciplined press office running beneath all of it.

The Awards, Incubation Week and The Classroom are year-two platforms. Each moves forward only with a committed presenting partner. That is a condition we recommend, not one we would ask Boardroom to waive.

This is how the system stays credible. A list that lands alongside an awards show that is under-produced is worse than a list that lands alone.

Year One — Activated

  • The Always-On Press Engine
  • The Boardroom 100
  • One recurring franchise — A Seat at the Table or 10 Minutes in The Boardroom

Year Two — Conditional

  • The Boardroom Awards
  • Incubation Week
  • The Classroom

Always-On Press

The Always-On Press Engine

The work between major announcements is what makes the major announcements land. This engine keeps Boardroom visible, quotable and strategically connected every week of the year.

  • Narrative development: Ongoing messaging for Rich, Boardroom and priority executives.
  • Executive profiling: Long-form profiles, interviews, broadcast, podcasts, bylines and commentary.
  • Speaking and visibility: A-list conferences, industry forums, awards, lists, red carpets and cultural calendar moments.
  • Corporate communications: Strategic initiatives, partnerships, executive appointments and new business lines.
  • Relationship building: Sustained engagement with influential journalists, producers, event organizers, founders and cultural leaders.
  • Channel amplification: Translate earned moments into newsletter, social, video, print and Members Club programming.
  • Issues counsel: Senior guidance on reputational opportunities, sensitivities and response strategy.

Incremental Program Budget

$0

The Always-On Press Engine is included in the monthly retainer and leads with earned opportunity. Only pre-approved pass-through expenses, travel or paid amplification sit outside the fee.

Platform 01 · The Boardroom 100

Boardroom’s owned annual recognition of the people shaping the global intersection of business, entertainment, culture and sport.

The Concept

The Boardroom 100: an annual, globally minded list.

An annual, globally minded list of 100 influential builders, operators, creators, innovators and investors—selected through credible editorial judgment, not membership or pay-to-play access.

Positions Boardroom as the recognizer, not just a brand being recognized.

Creates a scalable global platform without requiring immediate international event production.

Builds institutional authority that strengthens future profiles, speaking invitations and partnerships.

Creates a natural bridge into Boardroom’s print magazine, newsletter and digital ecosystem.

A senior editorial voice and connector for the institution—quoted on the purpose of the list, joined by credible selectors and outside voices so the authority is shared, not singular.

Estimated Incremental Budget

$0

When strategy, selection architecture, press launch and earned media use Boardroom’s existing editorial and design resources. Optional outside research, design or content production: $15,000–$75,000.

The Boardroom 100 — PESO & Partnership Model

Paid, earned, shared, owned.

Paid

Presenting sponsor; luxury, financial services, private banking, watches or premium automotive.

Earned

Nominee and honoree profiles, power-list coverage, inclusion discourse and global trade outreach.

Shared

Honoree badges and social toolkits designed for self-amplification at scale.

Owned

Dedicated hub, print package, newsletter feature placement and selection-editorial content.

Credibility Guardrails

  • Visible selection methodology and a credible committee beyond Rich alone.
  • Global and cross-industry representation from year one.
  • No membership requirement and no sponsor influence over editorial inclusion.
  • A first cohort prominent enough to establish immediate prestige.

Platform 02 · A Seat at the Table

Boardroom’s long-form conversation franchise.

A weekly habit that builds trust, familiarity and executive voice. A 45–60 minute conversation series with the people operating at the intersection of business, entertainment, culture and sport—built for the candor and substance that rarely emerge during a press-tour interview.

Rich serves as the flagship host and leading voice of the franchise.

For select episodes, members of Boardroom’s executive team host or co-host based on their expertise and relationship to the guest.

Executive-led episodes are editorially intentional, giving each leader a distinct public lane rather than using rotation for rotation’s sake.

Paired episodes can bring an athlete or artist into conversation with an operator or founder, with the host acting as connector and moderator.

01

Episode

Rotate guests deliberately across business, entertainment, technology, culture and sport.

02

Clips

Use full episodes to build familiarity; use clips to create weekly press and social entry points.

03

Newsletter

Create a recurring ‘Who deserves a seat?’ closing segment that feeds editorial texture into The Boardroom 100.

04

Press Hook

Program executive-hosted episodes around the company’s priority narratives and external speaking lanes.

05

Social Conversation

Guest distribution compounds reach into new non-sports communities.

Paid

Presenting and mid-roll partners across financial services, travel, spirits, watches or technology.

Earned

Clip-led pickup tied to guest news, executive commentary and industry conversations.

Shared

Guest distribution compounds reach into new non-sports communities.

Owned

Full episodes on Boardroom platforms; cutdowns across Instagram, YouTube, X and newsletters.

Estimated Incremental Budget

$150,000–$300,000

Annually for production, editing and distribution. Editorial development, guest strategy and earned-media amplification are included in the retainer.

Platform 03 · 10 Minutes in The Boardroom

Access as a public platform for discovery.

A recurring video franchise that turns access to Boardroom’s leadership into a public platform for discovery, advice and executive visibility. Entrepreneurs, creators and emerging operators compete for ten focused minutes inside The Boardroom. Members or the broader audience help select participants; winning conversations are filmed, edited and distributed as a flagship short-form franchise.

Rich Kleiman — Center Executives Rotating by Expertise

Executive-Team Evolution

Rich remains a marquee host, reinforcing his role as a connector and operator. Select episodes feature other Boardroom executives matched to the participant’s sector, challenge or ambition.

Visible Lanes

Each executive develops a visible lane of expertise and a library of concise, quotable perspectives.

Proof Points

The franchise creates proof points that support external speaking pitches, panels, interviews and commentary opportunities.

Format

10–15 minutes; intimate, lightly produced and optimized for YouTube and social cutdowns.

Guest Mix

Founders, creatives, operators and periodic wildcard names across music, entertainment and sport.

Membership Mechanic

Members receive nomination, voting or question-submission privileges, making the club participatory and useful.

Paid

Presenting sponsor such as a bank, fintech or business platform.

Earned

Founder profiles, standout advice roundups and trade/startup media coverage.

Shared

Entrant promotion during voting creates built-in distribution and discovery.

Owned

YouTube episodes, newsletter voting, social cutdowns and Members Club layers.

Estimated Incremental Budget

$75,000–$150,000

For an initial 8–10 episode season, depending on production approach. Participant strategy, executive positioning and earned-media amplification are included in the retainer.

Year Two · Conditional On Presenting Partner

Platform 04 · The Boardroom Awards

Where Cannes Lions, Adweek and the ESPYs meet.

An annual live program celebrating the people and brands outside traditional sports that are reshaping the business and influence of sport. The live, sponsorable and camera-ready stage where The Boardroom 100 is unveiled and Boardroom’s authority becomes a cultural spectacle.

FashionTechnology & InnovationMobility & TravelDesign & Architecture

Fashion

Design houses, stylists, footwear and material innovation.

Technology & Innovation

AI, data, wearables and fan experience.

Mobility & Travel

Automotive, aviation and hospitality.

Design & Architecture

Stadiums, training facilities and brand environments.

Rich’s Role. Host or co-host, presenter of the flagship honor and the central executive voice across pre- and post-event coverage.

Paid

Title and category sponsorships, ticketed tables, hospitality and branded environments.

Earned

Nominee coverage, trade storytelling, red-carpet pickup and winner profiles.

Shared

Nominee, presenter, winner and partner amplification across adjacent audiences.

Owned

YouTube/site livestream, recap packages and Members Club pre-event access.

Estimated Incremental Budget

$750,000–$1.5 million

For venue, production, talent, hospitality and content capture. Build only with sponsorship commitments and a phased production plan.

Year Two · Conditional On Presenting Partner

Platform 05 · Incubation Week

A private, member-only offsite where Boardroom’s community builds something real.

Not another summit where people simply talk. An invite-only, multi-day experience bringing together operators, creatives and technologists in small teams to develop a product, campaign or tool, with AI serving as the accelerant.

Creates a premium, high-utility Members Club benefit.

Generates owned intellectual property and documentary-style content.

Produces a tangible earned-media hook: what was built, why it matters and where the idea can go.

Creates a natural presenting role for a technology, AI or software partner when the partner adds clear utility to the build.

Keeps membership value distinct from The Boardroom 100’s independent editorial recognition.

Guardrail

Membership is never a prerequisite for The Boardroom 100. A honoree may later be invited to join; the relationship runs one way to protect editorial credibility.

Estimated Incremental Budget

$250,000–$500,000

Depending on location, duration, participant travel and production. This should move forward only with a committed enterprise or presenting partner.

Year Two · Conditional On Presenting Partner

Platform 06 · The Classroom

Access is the curriculum.

Boardroom has built its business around access—to athletes, entrepreneurs, executives, creators, investors and cultural leaders shaping what comes next. The Classroom turns that access outward: a philanthropic platform presented by Boardroom and guided by Rich Kleiman, with a rotating annual collaborator, that gives the next generation of entrepreneurs and creative leaders access to the people, knowledge, relationships and opportunities that can accelerate a career.

Not another leadership conference. Not a lecture series. A classroom without a campus, where the people building the future teach the people who will build what comes next.

The premise comes from something central to Rich’s own career: proximity changes possibility. Talent matters, but so does understanding how industries work, how decisions get made and how relationships open doors. The Classroom gives emerging talent access to the unwritten curriculum of modern business—the lessons rarely taught in school but essential to building a career.

Turning an idea into a company Negotiating before you have been in the room Building creator equity beyond endorsement checks Turning relationships into a real network Pitching investors and recovering from failure Building cultural relevance without chasing it

The teachers are not traditional professors. They are the people actually doing it.

A selective annual cohort of 25–40 emerging entrepreneurs, creators and future executives, identified through university, community and nonprofit partners alongside an open application. The program culminates in an intensive one-day Classroom experience presented by Boardroom and guided by Rich alongside a rotating annual collaborator.

01

The Business

Rich Kleiman on entrepreneurship, relationships, building Boardroom and lessons from his career alongside Kevin Durant.

02

The Money

A founder, investor and athlete on equity, negotiating, raising capital and building wealth.

03

The Idea

A creator, CMO and entrepreneur critique participant ideas for relevance, resonance and viability.

04

The Room

How to network without being transactional, pitch yourself, follow up and know when to ask.

05

Office Hours

Each participant receives a focused mentorship conversation with one relevant person from the Boardroom network. The program ends not with a certificate, but with an introduction.

The Classroom Fellowship

Select three to five Classroom Fellows from each cohort for a year of meaningful access, potentially including:

  • Mentorship from Boardroom executives
  • Boardroom Members Club membership
  • Attendance at select Boardroom programming
  • Introductions to relevant executives
  • Professional-development funding
  • A paid project or internship opportunity

The promise: The Classroom turns access into applied confidence—and gives emerging talent relationships they can actually use.

Estimated Incremental Budget

$175,000–$350,000

For the annual cohort and one-day experience; optional fellowship funding of $75,000–$150,000 is separate. University, nonprofit and brand partners can underwrite program costs.

The Flywheel

The content & relationship flywheel.

The system discovers people, deepens relationships, confers authority and creates moments the market wants to amplify.

Discover

10 Minutes in The Boardroom

Emerging voices, executive POV and public participation

Deepen

A Seat at the Table

Long-form trust, relationships and editorial texture

Build · Parallel Member Track

Incubation Week

Member value, tangible output and owned IP

Impact · Parallel Impact Track

The Classroom

Philanthropic access, mentorship and emerging-talent relationships

Recognize

The Boardroom 100

Global authority, discourse and honoree amplification

Celebrate

The Boardroom Awards

Live spectacle, partnerships and cultural visibility

The Boardroom 100 gives Boardroom a practical first move toward global authority: identify the people shaping the culture before producing international events around them.

A list can include a founder in Lagos, a designer in Milan or a technologist in Tokyo without requiring a physical event in each market.

Global selection broadens Boardroom’s relationships before international production costs are incurred.

Honoree amplification introduces Boardroom to high-trust audiences across regions and industries.

Year-two Awards, Incubation Week or partner activations can follow the markets where the strongest response emerges.

Editorial Requirement

Global cannot mean a U.S.-first roster with a few international additions. Regional balance and credible outside voices must be built into selection from the beginning.

The Annual Arc

Six platforms, one calendar.

Ongoing

A Seat at the Table

Weekly depth, trust and executive voice

Q1–Q2

10 Minutes in The Boardroom

Public discovery and recurring executive visibility

Spring · Year Two

Incubation Week

Private member utility and owned output

Annual · Year Two

The Classroom

One-day cohort experience and year-long fellowship

Fall

The Boardroom 100

Global announcement and earned-media peak

Fall · Year Two

The Boardroom Awards

Live unveiling, red carpet and sponsorship moment

Always On, Across Every Quarter. Executive profiling, speaking, corporate communications, relationship building, cultural-calendar visibility and channel amplification continue throughout the year.

PESO Architecture

Earned credibility, owned authority, shared reach, paid scale.

Every recommendation is designed to create earned credibility, owned authority, shared reach and paid scale.

Paid

Presenting sponsors; category partners; paid amplification; premium hospitality

Earned

Profiles; broadcast; speaking; trade stories; winner and honoree coverage

Shared

Guest, entrant, honoree, executive and partner amplification

Owned

Newsletter; social; YouTube; podcast; print; site; Members Club; events

The platforms create credible partnership inventory for non-sports brands seeking access to Boardroom’s influence ecosystem—without forcing those brands into conventional sports sponsorship models.

Financial Services / Fintech

Best fit: Boardroom 100; 10 Minutes; A Seat at the Table.
Founder access, influence and business-building credibility.

Technology / Enterprise AI

Best fit: Incubation Week; Awards.
Tooling, innovation and tangible product output.

Luxury / Watches / Spirits

Best fit: Boardroom 100; Awards; A Seat at the Table.
Association with taste, leadership and cultural influence.

Mobility / Auto / Aviation

Best fit: Awards; Boardroom 100.
Premium access and relevance at the intersection of sport and culture.

Hospitality / Business Travel

Best fit: Awards; Podcast; Incubation.
Executive audience, experience and convening.

Education / Professional Services

Best fit: The Classroom.
Early-career access, workforce development and measurable social impact.

Measurement & KPIs

Authority, recognition and access beyond impressions.

Success should be measured by the authority, recognition, access and commercial momentum the program creates.

DimensionIllustrative Measures
Earned mediaQuality and volume of profiles, interviews, broadcast, commentary and corporate coverage; message pull-through; sentiment
Executive visibilitySpeaking invitations, moderator roles, list and award recognition, red-carpet and cultural-calendar access
Audience & reputationBranded search, share of voice, executive name recognition, non-sports audience growth and qualitative perception
Owned & socialEpisode reach, completion, subscriptions, newsletter conversion, clip performance and partner/guest amplification
Strategic relationshipsNew relationships with media, producers, founders, event organizers, brands and global influencers
Commercial valueSponsorship interest, member conversion/retention, partnership pipeline and repeat platform participation

Final targets should be set after a baseline audit and alignment on the approved program mix.

What The Concrete Group Brings

Senior communications counsel built for this overlap.

Senior communications counsel built for the overlap of business, culture, media, talent and high-visibility moments.

  • More than 20 years of experience executing executive positioning, media relations and culturally relevant brand communications.
  • Direct relationships across business, entertainment, technology, lifestyle, culture and trade media.
  • Founder-level strategic attention and a senior-led operating model.
  • The ability to connect narrative strategy with earned media, talent, partnerships, events and owned-channel amplification.
  • A point of view that treats relationship building and cultural access as strategic communications—not add-ons.

We have done this before.

This brief asks for two different disciplines. Executive thought leadership that travels beyond a home category. And fluency with founders, executives and talent at the altitude where culture is decided. Most agencies can evidence one of them.

Proof 01 · Executive Thought Leadership

Tensor — from category introduction to category authority.

Tensor launched in August 2025 as an ambitious challenger in personal autonomy. Within six months, strategic communications had repositioned the brand as a production-ready leader in personal Level 4 autonomy—shifting the narrative from the promise of autonomous ownership to the proof of real-world commercialization.

Coverage expanded well beyond automotive trade press—reaching business, technology, financial, luxury lifestyle and design media—and positioned Tensor executives as go-to voices on AI, safety and the future of mobility.

1.8B+

Earned Media Impressions

$125M+

Earned Media Value

400+

Earned Media Placements

ReutersBloombergBusiness InsiderThe Los Angeles TimesBBCAxiosCNETMashableFast CompanyHaute LivingComplex

Why It Matters Here

This is the assignment Boardroom is describing, already executed on a twelve-month clock: an executive team moved out of its home category and installed in the business, technology and culture press as the authority on a question the market was still forming.

Proof 02 · Talent-Led Cultural Campaign

Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words — star power converted into outcome.

A documentary campaign built on a coordinated date announcement and trailer release, strategic positioning pieces with talent, a virtual press day with the director, and comprehensive event PR across an LA IMAX premiere and multi-market screenings. Momentum was maintained even in windows without direct talent participation.

230+

Editorial Placements

3.8B+

Impressions

#1

On Prime Video, Debut Week

Why It Matters Here

Executive visibility at this altitude runs through talent, culture, premieres and red carpets. This is proof that TCG operates in those rooms with a press discipline behind it—and can hold a news cycle open when the principal is not available.

Full Case Studies

Download the case studies (PDF)

9 pages · ~2.9 MB

Full case studies supplied as a separate document.

Senior Team & Rate Card

Market-aligned senior team.

The account is structured around five senior executives and specialists, supported by a dedicated project manager. Monthly allocations are planning assumptions and flex according to news cycles and priority moments.

Person / RoleStandard Hourly RatePlanned Monthly Allocation
Nicole Marzan — Senior Lead, PR + Partnerships / Account Lead$400/hour16 hours/month
Kate Nelson — Senior Lead, PR$400/hour12 hours/month
Jesse Nicely — Cultural Strategist$300/hour10 hours/month
Lauren Drescher — Social Media & Influencer Relations$300/hour10 hours/month
Louis Roger — Creative Director$325/hour10 hours/month
Whitley Ngo — Project Manager$185/hour25 hours/month

Modeled monthly total: 85 hours | Standard rate-card value: $25,175

Rates are agency billing rates reflecting senior expertise, agency overhead and the integrated nature of the assignment; they are not employee wage equivalents.

The retainer steps with the program.

A twelve-month retained partnership centered on earned media, executive visibility and senior strategic counsel. The fee is structured in three tiers tied to platform activation, so that senior capacity grows with the work and Boardroom never funds capacity it has not activated.

Tier 01 — Foundation$25,000 / month

The always-on press engine, executive positioning and media relations, plus development of The Boardroom 100. Modeled at 85 senior hours per month against a standard rate-card value of approximately $25,175. Annual agency fee: $300,000.

Tier 02 — Activation$35,000 / month

Begins the month a recurring franchise enters production. Adds editorial development, guest strategy, episode-driven press cycles and expanded executive positioning across the wider leadership team. Modeled at approximately 118 senior hours per month.

Tier 03 — Institution$47,500 / month

Begins the quarter a live platform enters production. Adds event communications, partnership and sponsor-facing counsel, red-carpet and broadcast management, and honoree and nominee press operations. Modeled at approximately 160 senior hours per month.

Why the Retainer Steps

The platforms in this response carry production budgets between $75,000 and $1.5 million. An agency fee that stays flat while the program triples is not a discount — it is a staffing risk, and it is the most common reason ambitious programs underdeliver in year two. The escalation is written into the structure so the commitment is transparent from the first day rather than renegotiated under pressure.

No tier activates without written approval of the underlying platform. Boardroom controls the pace.

  • A senior press office for Boardroom’s biggest ideas—clear narratives, fast counsel and earned-media execution
  • Executive visibility that puts leaders in the right rooms, from commentary and bylines to stages, lists and cultural-calendar moments
  • Partnership counsel that connects communications strategy to sponsors, talent, creators and priority relationships
  • Hands-on senior leadership across strategy, creative oversight, project management, reporting and moment-by-moment decision-making
  • Third-party production, venue, fabrication, talent, creator and vendor fees
  • Travel and entertainment, newswire distribution, paid media and on-site staffing beyond the agreed team allocation
  • Production budgets for proprietary platforms, approved individually and potentially offset through sponsorship or brand partnerships

Competitive Positioning: Direct access to five senior specialists plus dedicated project management—without the junior-team dilution common in larger agency structures.

The Boardroom x Visa Talks panel

Closing

We are not proposing six disconnected campaigns. We are proposing the institution Boardroom can own.

A globally credible annual list. A live stage that crowns it. A weekly podcast and short-form franchise that build relationships and executive visibility all year. A private offsite that makes membership useful. A philanthropic platform that turns access into opportunity. And an always-on press engine that turns every element into sustained authority.

Boardroom becomes the place that identifies, convenes and celebrates modern influence—and Rich Kleiman and the executive team become recognizable voices at the center of that system.

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The Concrete Group The Concrete Group nicole@theconcretegrp.com Offered On Behalf Of Boardroom
Appendix — RFP Requirements Coverage
RFP RequirementWhere Addressed
Overall positioning thesis§02
Narrative and example tactics§06–§15
Rich’s 12-month public identity§03
One-year roadmap§14
Executive-team visibility§06, §08–§10
Measurement and KPIs§16
Team structure§18
Budget and engagement§18
Relevant case studies§17

Final content check: the deck is substantively complete once final case-study examples and the approved mix of optional production investments are confirmed.