About Boardroom

Boardroom is a sports, media and entertainment brand co-founded by Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman and focused on the intersection of sports and entertainment. Boardroom’s flagship media arm features premium video/audio, editorial, daily and weekly newsletters, showcasing how athletes, executives, musicians and creators are moving the business world forward. Boardroom’s ecosystem encompasses B2B events and experiences (such as its renowned NBA and WNBA All-Star events) as well as ticketed conferences such as Game Plan in partnership with CNBC. Our advisory arm serves to consult and connect athletes, brands and executives with our broader network and initiatives.

Recent film and TV projects also under the Boardroom umbrella include the Academy Award-winning Two Distant Strangers (Netflix), the critically acclaimed scripted series SWAGGER (Apple TV+) and Emmy-nominated documentary NYC Point Gods (Showtime).

Boardroom’s sister company, Boardroom Sports Holdings, features investments in emerging sports teams and leagues, including the Major League Pickleball team, the Brooklyn Aces, NWSL champions Gotham FC, and MLS’ Philadelphia Union.

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How Will Welch & GQ Are Redefining Masculinity

Last Updated: April 26, 2023
GQ’s Global Editorial Director and Editor in Chief of GQ US sat down with Rich Kleiman for the most recent episode of “Out of Office” to discuss the iconic magazine’s global brand, the evolution of masculinity, and much more.

This week, newsstands across the globe are flooded with the collection of GQ’s iconic Men of the Year covers. In the United States, this year’s selection includes Formula 1 sensation Max Verstappen, comeback actor of the year Brendan Fraser, and Zoë Kravitz. Collectively, the three covers demonstrate the range of GQ’s reach and holistically echo the vision that the magazine’s Global Editorial Director and Editor in Chief of GQ U.S. Will Welch has for the legacy brand.

Click here to listen to the full episode

Since Welch took over his current position in 2021, he has sought to intertwine the global brand. However, at the center of it all — and he would argue at the center of “culture,” more generally — lies fashion.

“Everyone wants to be seen as creative, and fashion is where all that can come together,” Welch told Rich Kleiman on the most recent episode of Out of Office.

The two long-time friends discuss a wide range of topics including:

  • The creation of a global vision for GQ
  • The evolution of men’s fashion
  • The process of selecting GQ’s “Men of the Year”
  • The ever-changing standards for masculinity and its evolution in the post-Me Too era
  • The need for re-imagined leadership
  • The future of GQ Sports

Click here to listen and subscribe to “The ETCs” with KD and Eddie and “Out of Office” with Rich Kleiman.

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Bernadette Doykos

Bernadette Doykos is the Senior Director of Editorial Strategy at Boardroom. Before joining the team, her work appeared in ELLE. She previously served as the head of evaluation for a nonprofit where she became obsessed with systems and strategy and served as the curator of vibes and extinguisher of fires for the design thinking firm Stoked. She is constantly plotting a perfect tunnel ‘fit and a playlist for all occasions.

About The Author
Bernadette Doykos
Bernadette Doykos
Bernadette Doykos is the Senior Director of Editorial Strategy at Boardroom. Before joining the team, her work appeared in ELLE. She previously served as the head of evaluation for a nonprofit where she became obsessed with systems and strategy and served as the curator of vibes and extinguisher of fires for the design thinking firm Stoked. She is constantly plotting a perfect tunnel ‘fit and a playlist for all occasions.