Rich Paul: Influence, Legacy, and Building KLUTCH · 33:24
In this episode of On Stage, Rich Paul—CEO of KLUTCH Sports Group and Head of Sports at United Talent Agency—joins Zach Leonsis, President of Media & New Enterprises at Monumental Sports & Entertainment, for a compelling one-on-one conversation that spans business, brand, representation, and long-term influence. Recorded on October 29, 2024, at SBJ’s Dealmakers conference in Washington, D.C., this session came just as Paul and Leonsis announced a new partnership between KLUTCH and Monumental—aimed at unlocking new revenue streams and strategic collaborations as Monumental prepares to reimagine Capital One Arena. In this conversation, Paul shares hard-earned wisdom from a career spent building one of the most influential firms in sports—and shaping how athletes think about ownership, leverage, and impact. Highlights include: - The Rise of KLUTCH: How Paul built a platform grounded in trust, truth, and cultural relevance. - Navigating Power & Partnership: What it takes to stay independent while scaling with purpose. - Modern Representation: Why being an agent today means managing media, brand, and opportunity all at once. - Long-Game Thinking: Paul’s take on influence, equity, and the difference between relevance and legacy. - Real Talk: How the business works behind closed doors—and why he’s playing chess, not checkers. Candid, sharp, and evergreen—this is required listening for anyone shaping the future of sports, media, and entertainment. Please find link to attached Rich Paul introduction video that was referenced here: https://youtu.be/QrP5v1rY26A #richpaul #nba #klutch #lebronjames 0:00 - Introduction 1:20 - KLUTCH and UTA partnership 5:30 - Approach to being board member for multiple organizations 8:30 - Athletes and activism 12:00 - Media projects and leading in that space 14:50 - Representing athletes with future focus and not being an "agent" 20:00 - Brand consulting and biggest lesson learned 23:15 - Biggest lesson learned in brand space 24:45 - KLUTCH investing in and representing female athletes 28:30 - WNBA expansion 29:05 - The potential role of AI in building business 30:10 - Buy, sell, hold 32:37 - Outro
August 12, 2025
