To most Canadians, Sam Sniderman is simply known as Sam the Record Man, after the chain of stores he established in the 1960s. To many Canadian musicians, though, he is cherished as a supportive friend, an entrepreneur who used his promotional skills to help boost the careers of icons such as Anne Murray, Gordon Lightfoot and The Guess Who. Record Man provides a glimpse behind the ruthless businessman persona that was only too familiar to Sam’s competitors. From humble beginnings, Sniderman built a legendary record-store empire. But his life and career have been as tumultuous as the music industry he helped pioneer. We see how his quick wit, business prowess and aggressive sales tactics kept him on top of the industry, but we also see a generous, more sensitive side that endeared him to his friends and to the Canadian music industry, which he went out of his way to promote. Record Man features interviews with Sam’s family - including his brother and business partner, 95-year-old Sid Sniderman - and Canadian music industry executives. Musicians Gordon Lightfoot and Natalie MacMaster also talk about Sniderman’s support of Canadian talent, while filmmaker David Cronenberg fondly recalls the prestige he enjoyed while working at Sniderman’s downtown Toronto store as a teen.