CNN iReport

 

HELLO, MY NAME IS VAN SINCLAIR. THIS IS A STORY OF PERSONAL REVELATIONS.

 

In the late 1980's, an Arent Fox partner was close friends with - and lived next door to - the general counsel of Black Entertainment Television, the hugely successful broadcast corporation aimed at African Americans founded by Robert L. Johnson.  When a conflict of interest led the BET counsel to seek a recommendation from BET's regular outside counsel for another lawyer to handle a matter, Van Sinclair's name was put forward.  'I was the beneficiary of a happy coincidence,' says Van.  And he took full advantage.  His relationship with Bob Johnson and BET grew to include a broad spectrum of legal work.  'We helped take them private in 1998, sold them to Viacom in 2001, and along the way negotiated deals with restaurants, record labels, magazines, and a variety of other fascinating businesses.'  The post-BET era was even more rewarding, 'We competed for, and won, the Charlotte Bobcats N.B.A. franchise and built a state-of-the-art arena.  In 2003, I became president of Bob's RLJ Companies, the holding company for 20-30 diversified enterprises, encompassing sports and entertainment, financial services and hotels and hospitality.'  Bob's impressive success, Van says, springs from a down-to-earth business outlook all too rare among executives of his rank. (Arent Fox. http://www.arentfox.com/casestudies/BET.pdf) What can black and brown and Jewish proxies and flunkies do for Mormon Incorporated?  We will find out, at ano