Biography
Jeff Kleeman somehow managed to graduate from Yale with a B.A. in English, despite the enjoyable distractions of running the Yale Film Society, producing for the Yale Dramat, and programming the Trumbull College Master’s Teas. Those early experiences in curation, collaboration and production laid the groundwork for a decades-long career in Hollywood. He is currently CEO of Bold Films and has previously held senior executive roles at Paramount Pictures, MGM/UA, American Zoetrope, and A Very Good Production.
Kleeman’s extensive film credits include The Hunt for Red October, Shirley Valentine, Hackers, GoldenEye, The Thomas Crown Affair, The Birdcage, The Judge, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and he has produced more than 1,600 hours of television. He currently serves on the advisory council for UCLA’s Center for Scholars and Storytellers. In 2020, he was awarded an LSX Fellowship from New America and the Jacobs Foundation. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Writers Guild of America, the Producers Guild, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and BAFTA.
Kleeman has served as a YAA Delegate and on the YAA Board of Governors Nominating Committee. He mentors students through the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale and has frequently returned to campus as a guest speaker for undergraduate classes and organizations. As he navigates life’s transitions — from student to husband to father, from coffee-fetcher to CEO — he always finds himself drawn back to Yale. Through his Board service, he hopes to nurture a dialogue that encourages alumni and the university to evolve together, supporting each other’s growth and strengthening the broader Yale community.
