Richard Silverman-Bio
Richard Silverman has over 35 years of combined experience in the entertainment, sports, corporate development, hospitality and specialty retail industries. He has served in a variety of roles, including Founding Principal, Producer, Writer (WGA), Artist Manager, President, CEO, senior management advisor, Board Member and in a multitude of corporate advisory capacities over the course of his diverse career.
ReCre8 Entertainment Group
In 1985, Mr. Silverman began his career in the entertainment industry, where he provided artist management, music and video production, concert promotion, music publishing, and tour management services to a variety of well-known international entertainment artists and clients. As a principal, he helped to develop a record label (Acme Records) and film production company (Generation Films) in conjunction with Disney and then co-founded a software firm called GEO-Emblaze that served entertainment multimedia companies such as Disney (various titles), Saban Entertainment (Power rangers), and Simon and Schuster (educational software). Mr. Silverman has worked with such artists as George Michael, Prince, Teddy Pendergrass, Luther Vandross, Martin Lawrence, Chris Rock, and represented premier songwriters such as Diane Warren and Steve Cropper over the course of his entertainment career.
Artistically, Mr. Silverman has had the unique and keen ability to focus on emerging trends and markets far before most have even seen them coming. This is evident with the film project he produced in partnership with Working Title Films. The movie “We Are Your Friends” starring Zac Effron, is a film based upon an original script that Silverman wrote focused upon a young aspiring DJ finding his way through the world as both a man and an emerging artist. This film is deeply based in the world of EDM (Electronic Dance Music) and is the fist of its kind to focus upon the resurgence of the EDM movement and it wildly popular global appeal. The story is centric to fulfilling a dream no matter what the odds against it coming to fruition may be.
The current film that Mr. Silverman has produced is starring Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales, Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman-and is a film based on the actual experiences of a military veteran named Kyle Hausmann-Stokes (writer/director) and his personal struggles with PTSD and the issues related to veteran suicide-ideation and survivor guilt. The film is called “My Dead Friend Zoe” and is slated for theatrical release in early 2025.
Mr. Silverman has also formed P.O.P. FILMS (stands for “Projects Of Purpose”) with his fiancé Paula Lalanne with the focus upon a slate of films based upon true stories of exceptional humans and personal stories that caused events that changed our world for the better. These projects are meant to open hearts and minds and create some positive change in the world at large through sharing these stories of great purpose, determination and courage. P.O.P is also producing podcasts that are also focused on positive messaging and topics of interest to todays audience.
GenR8 Group- Corporate Consultancy and Advisory
In his corporate career Mr. Silverman specializes in developing and implementing innovative and creative brands and revenue growth concepts, turnaround initiatives, and repositioning strategies as well as overall management of businesses from top to bottom.
In 2007, Mr. Silverman became a key member of the restructuring and turnaround advisory team at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, NV. After overseeing the successful transfer of ownership to the property’s lender through a Deed In Lieu in 2008, Mr. Silverman assumed operational control of the property. Mr. Silverman served in the capacity of President, and CEO, and Chief Operating Manager, and was responsible for complete oversight of all functional area heads for over three years at the property. He has developed and led a number of performance improvement and revenue enhancement initiatives at the property, overseen its major renovation projects, and personally created new F&B outlets and special events for the property. In addition, he has assisted in the marketing of the property for sale on behalf of the owner (a leading money center bank). The property consists of 2.5 million square feet, 2,000 rooms, 10 food and beverage outlets, a 1,900 seat theater, 50 lane bowling alley, 250,000 square feet of convention and meeting space, 120,000 square feet of casino space, and has over 2,300 employees. The property also had two nightclubs and an outdoor pool club venue which book major DJ talent into the market such as LMFAO and other groups never before seen in the market.
In 2001, Mr. Silverman started working in the hospitality industry, and was engaged to direct the repositioning and sale of the Aladdin Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Mr. Silverman worked with the Head of the secured creditors and was responsible for a number of entertainment and food & beverage concepts, and in marketing the property to a number of buyers, including the Bay Harbour Management group that ultimately acquired the property and developed the Planet Hollywood concept that exists there today. After the sale, he continued to develop plans and concepts for Planet Hollywood, as well as The Las Vegas Hilton, the Desert Passage Mall, and The Fairmont Hotel New Orleans (in association with Robert Small). Among these concepts were nightclub and pool “day club” concepts, which were never executed previously in the Las Vegas market. Mr. Silverman formed partnerships with club brands such as CroBar and Nikki Beach with the intent of bringing Miami and Ibiza style nightlife to Las Vegas.
Silverman has provided advisory services to the Yucaipa Companies, a premier Los Angeles based investment firm that has completed over 30 billion in mergers and acquisitions (principle Ron Burkle and Richard D’Abo), on their Cieva Digital Picture Frame business and the internet e-commerce site “Checkout.com”. Silverman played an integral part in the restructuring of the debt of both companies as well as reworking all of the partnerships and vendor agreements. He has provided advisory services for Gabriel Brenner (BIG Brenner Investment Group) and famed Dallas restaurateur Phil Romano wherein he was pivotal in the acquisition of a gourmet food concept called Eatzi’s. Mr. Silverman assisted in the financial restructuring and sale of the 10-store business unit, which were generating in excess of $45 million in annual sales.
Mr. Silverman worked with New York Hedge Fund owner James Chanos (Kynikos Funds) in the ideation of a hospitality company with the core focus being celebrity chef driven restaurants and Casino nightclub operations to be deployed in the Las Vegas marketplace. He developed concepts with noted chefs such as Morimoto, David Burke,
Alfred Portale, Charlie Palmer, and the iconic Sparks Steakhouse in NYC.
In 1997, Mr. Silverman created the first specialty retail environment focused exclusively on the video game industry for Viacom’s Blockbuster Entertainment division. His “store- within-a-store” concept (branded GameScape) increased video game and related merchandise sales by over 7x, and was reported to be the most successful beta test in Blockbuster’s history. This concept was adopted by a number of other specialty retailers, including GameStop (NYSE) and Wherehouse Entertainment (who Silverman built over 30 stores with). Mr. Silverman also created the “previously Played” model for video retail and developed the parameters for the comprehensive data capture dimension to their point-of-sale software which helped create the necessary margins for this retail model to work.
PERSONAL
Mr. Silverman has served on the board of directors for The Shriners Organization’s PGA Gold Tournament and charitable event in Las Vegas as well as the board of St. Jude Children’s Hospital Organization. He is excited to also have recently joined the Advisory Board of the MBA (Military Basketball Association.
Serves on the ADVISORY BOARD for Legion M Entertainment for the past six years. Legion M is a fan-owned production platform that is the most successful JOBS ACT platform in existence.
Mr. Silverman graduated from the New York University in 1985 receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy (WSUC) and a Minor in Film.
He is the proud father of three amazing and independent young women.
