Sanford (Sandy) Climan

Co-Founder & Chairman

Sanford R. (Sandy) Climan is Co-Founder and Chairman of Hollywood Ventures Group and Founder and CEO of Entertainment Media Ventures, Inc. He is an investor, and producer, and is considered a media visionary.

Throughout his career, Mr. Climan has held senior management positions in the media and entertainment industry. Mr. Climan served as Corporate Executive Vice President and President of Worldwide Business Development of Universal Studios, where Mr. Climan oversaw corporate international strategy, strategic marketing, and five studio operating divisions.  Additionally, Mr. Climan held senior positions in motion picture and television production and distribution at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and its affiliated production companies.

Mr. Climan was the founding head of CAA’s corporate practice, working with global companies including Sony Corporation on its acquisition of Columbia Pictures, Matsushita Electric on its acquisition of MCA/Universal, Credit Lyonnais on its restructuring of MGM, Coca-Cola, NYNEX, Bell Atlantic, Pacific Telesis and other Fortune 500 Companies. Additionally, while at CAA, Mr. Climan was part of the senior management team for 12 years, representing talent that included Robert De Niro, Robert Redford, Kevin Costner, Danny DeVito, and Michael Mann, as well as numerous prominent film and television production companies.

Notable achievements include: Executive Producer of the first digital live-action 3D motion picture, “U2 3D” and Producer of “The Aviator,” directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, for which Mr. Climan was awarded a British Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

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.