Sanford R. Climan
Sanford R. (Sandy) Climan is the CEO of Entertainment Media Ventures, Inc. Founded in 1999 by Mr. Climan, EMV is active in media investment and strategic advisory work, with a focus on innovative technologies and entities that are currently impacting the traditional boundaries of business, media, and entertainment.
Mr. Climan is the chairman of Hollywood Ventures Group, which he co founded with Glenn Gainor. Hollywood Ventures Group is an entertainment consulting firm headquartered in Hollywood. He is an investor, producer, and is considered a media visionary.
Throughout his career, Mr. Climan has held senior management positions across film, television, and corporate media. He served as Corporate Executive Vice President and President of Worldwide Business Development at Universal Studios, overseeing international strategy, strategic marketing, and five studio operating divisions. He also held senior roles in motion picture and television production and distribution at Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios and its affiliated production companies.
Earlier, Mr. Climan was the founding head of the corporate practice at Creative Artists Agency, advising global corporations including Sony Corporation, Matsushita Electric, Credit Lyonnais, Coca Cola, NYNEX, Bell Atlantic, and Pacific Telesis. During his twelve years in senior management at CAA, he represented leading creative talent including Robert De Niro, Robert Redford, Kevin Costner, Danny DeVito, and Michael Mann, alongside major film and television production companies.
Mr. Climan has served as a bridge between Silicon Valley and Hollywood since the mid-1990s, and has been an active venture investor, board member, and senior advisor to numerous entrepreneurial companies in media, technology, fintech, and healthcare.
Mr. Climan serves on several charitable boards, including the American Cinematheque, the UCLA School of Theater Film & Television, and the World Arts Forum of the World Economic Forum. From 2008-2012, Mr. Climan served as a member of the Advisory Committee to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mr. Climan has served as an advisor on entertainment and media to the World Economic Forum and its Annual Gathering in Davos, Switzerland, and is a member of the philanthropic Advisory Board of Lifestyles Magazine. For over twenty years, Mr. Climan served on the board of The Fulfillment Fund, the leading organization for mentoring at-risk high school students in Los Angeles. Mr. Climan was awarded an Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2018 and serves as a member of the Advisory Committee to the Ellis Island Honors Society.
Mr. Climan holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School, a Master of Science degree in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry from Harvard College.