Showbiz Real Estate Elite the Top Agents on Variety 'S List Work with the Most Exclusive Properties in the Buzziest Markets
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FOCUS SHOWBIZ REAL ESTATE ELITE THE TOP AGENTS ON VARIETY’S LIST WORK WITH THE MOST EXCLUSIVE PROPERTIES IN THE BUZZIEST MARKETS: LOS ANGELES, NEW YORK AND MIAMI ICONIC LOOK Josh and Matt Altman repped Alicia Keys in her buy of the Razor House. GARY KASL GARY FEBRUARY 4, 2020 | VARIETY.COM | 87 FOCUS SHOWBIZ REAL ESTATE ELITE ultra-high-end, bespoke real estate. million dinosaur fossil inside. V I D E O One of Makowsky’s earliest projects, a Richards doesn’t attempt to put his 22,000-sq.-ft. mansion in Beverly Hills, own directorial stamp on a production; debuted with a slick promotional video if a client has a vision, he’s happy to help CLINCHES created by Tri-Blend. The gimmicky opu- make it come to life. Still, “I’ve had to lence was on a stratospheric level pre- say no to a couple of really wild concepts viously unseen — there were models sit- … you just have to draw the moral line T H E S A L E ting in a Bugatti, Bentley-branded pillows at some point,” he admits, noting he and a wall of candy. Viewers gawked, and originally passed on filming Opus, a $100 media outlets fell over themselves cover- million estate in Beverly Hills listed with HIGH-QUALITY ing the sexy marketing of the mansion. a marketing video showing nude women, PRODUCTIONS FEATURING And it all worked — the house quickly sold covered in gold paint, cavorting in bed. LUXE PROPERTIES ARE THE to Minecraft billionaire Markus “Notch” (He’s since filmed a PG-rated video for Persson for $70 million, easily smashing the property.) BEST WAY TO GAIN AN EDGE the sale price record for a Beverly Hills And while most comments on his vid- IN L.A. REAL ESTATE home. That’s when Richards’ phone really eos are appreciative, there are those By James McClain started to ring. naysayers who decry the absurdity of a “High-quality videos provide a depth $250 million house with a non-function- of experience that still photos just can’t, ing helicopter parked on its roof. “So, so and are particularly attractive to inter- gross,” one simply commented. national buyers,” says Richards, who Richards welcomes the criticism. After directs, edits and produces all his own filming 110 homes representing a collec- footage. Tri-Blend’s business has boomed tive $4 billion in listing volume, he says even as the market for luxury spec every view, even from hate-watchers, homes has grown soft; video orders from brings his videos closer to achieving viral agents looking to stand out from the pack fame, the kind that L.A.’s Realtors and have morphed from conventional house developers relish. And with seven years tours into full-blown mini-movies with a of experience, he’s now equipped with LOS ANGELES COUNTY’S luxury real estate storyline, models and pricey props, all in the tools to help them make that happen market is among the most competitive the name of grabbing online views. — a YouTube channel that’s accumulated in the world; per the MLS, there are Viral fame is marketing’s holy grail, 41 million total views and 152,000 share- 263 homes currently available with and Tri-Blend clients are known for happy subscribers, for starters. pricetags exceeding $10 million. To close outrageous video concepts. For one “At the end of the day, I can look my a major sale — and to make their listings Lenny Kravitz-designed mansion, Rich- client in the eye and guarantee their stand out — agents have increasingly ards filmed a live Bengal tiger traipsing video will get a minimum of 200,000 turned to high-quality, immersive video through the property. And his latest pro- views,” Richards says. “That’s pretty experiences from specialist producers duction features a mansion with a $1.5 much priceless.” like Westlake Village-based Tri-Blend Media, SoCal’s preeminent production outfit for high-dollar real estate. DINO-MITE! Tri-Blend’s owner Blake Richards fell A Tri-Blend into the business accidentally, thanks to video featured a chance meeting with mega- a mansion with a $1.5 million developer Bruce Makowsky. fossil. “Seven years ago, I was experiment- ing with drone technology at a music concert, back when nobody really knew its full capabilities,” he tells Variety. “[Bruce’s] photographer saw the drone and hired me to take some aerial real estate photos. At the property, I also shot an aerial video, showed it to Bruce, and Tri-Blend was born.” The timing couldn’t have been more ideal. It was 2013, and L.A.’s spec-man- sion boom was in its bright-eyed infancy. Developers were only just beginning to construct contemporary mega-homes, and they hadn’t yet grasped the power that social media could wield. Makowsky, a successful businessman who cashed out of his handbag company for hun- dreds of millions, had just moved from New York to L.A. and was eager to make a splash in his second career: developing 88 VARIETY FOCUS SHOWBIZ REAL ESTATE ELITE LOS ANGELES JOSH ALTMAN AND CINDY AMBUEHL BEN BACAL SANTIAGO ARANA ERNIE CARSWELL MATT ALTMAN The Cindy Ambuehl Group CEO/ Founder of Revel Managing partner, Douglas Elliman The Altman Brothers at at Compass Real Estate The Agency Beverly Hills Douglas Elliman Beverly Sold 694 Walther Way, Brent- Biggest ’19 sale was $94 Ranked No. 7 in the country, Part of Elliman’s Sports & Hills wood (listed at $12 million), rep- million, with Bacal representing Arana has closed over $2 billion Entertainment Division, The brothers opened their new resenting both buyer and seller. the buyer of Bruce Makowsky’s worth of real estate, reps star Carswell in 2019 did $287 Beverly Hills office last year and Client was producer-songwriter 924 Bel-Air Road. New listings clients LeBron James, Lady million-plus in sales volume their 2019 total sales volume Mikkel Eriksen. “Despite all include a $49 million Holmby Gaga and Larry David. He with 97 transaction sides. He was $451 million, adding to the political turmoil and trade Hills mansion, next door to developed a spec home oppo- sold the iconic Brady Bunch their $3.25 billion sales volume uncertainty, not much seems Playboy Mansion; relaunching site the house he developed home in Studio City for a year-to-date. With celeb clients to get in the way of California's 1231 Largo Vista at $32 million, and sold to James, purchased record-breaking price to HGTV; including Kim and Kanye West, immense real estate market. up from previous asking price by Formula One racing heiress/ Katie Perry’s 7310 Mulholland Alicia Keys and Norman Lear, California is moving into the of $30 million; and 1895 Rising socialite Petra Ecclestone. Dr. mansion for $9.4 million; the stars of Bravo’s “Million rank of fourth of the United Glen Road at $13.99 million. Recent sales include 23768 Aaron Eckhart’s 2320 Gloaming Dollar Listing Los Angeles” had States’ largest economies, with He also launched Rila, a free Malibu Road offered at $19.5 Way home in Beverly Hills for notable 2019 sales including Los Angeles home prices rising real estate listing app. “2019 million, a double-ender, and $3 million-plus; handled the the Razor House’s $24.995 mil- 7.4% over the last 12 months. ended on a record-breaking Windsor Smith’s Brentwood purchase of Armie Hammer’s lion record-breaker in La Jolla With millennials buying and high note, setting us up for an house at $36 million. “The lux- Hancock Park mansion at $4.7 (they held the listing and also baby boomers selling in L.A., optimistic 2020. We will see the ury L.A. market is very healthy million; and sold one of Steve repped buyer Keys); the $39 interest rates continue to rise of homes actually being and we have a big influx of very Martin’s Beverly Hills homes for million Norman Lear estate; and remain low. A record 18.7 mil- sold on social media, and large affluent buyers — from London, $2.2 million. “The biggest trend a $19.9 million record-break- lion Californians are employed, land plots being snatched up New York, Silicon Valley, Boston is that developers are divorcing ing sale in Hawaii. “It’s a great wages are rising, and they’re as they become fewer and far — all looking in the $10 million from the boring white stucco time to be a buyer looking for ready to buy homes! Every day between,” he says. “Co-living is and up range, and we have the boxes they’ve built for the past real estate in the L.A. market is a great day to buy and sell in trending for millennials where- supply here,” he says. five years, as no one wants in 2020. Lots of opportunity,” L.A.,” she says. as mega-millennials are the them anymore. New homes they say. driving force of personalized now have much more warmth real estate transactions taking and interesting architecture,” place over social media.” he says. JORDAN COHEN CHRIS CORTAZZO Re/Max Compass Crowned by real estate trade The Malibu native and local real web site Inman as the top estate icon has over $5 billion luxury agent of 2019, he broke in sales and has been the top two big records: the $35 mil- Malibu agent for 17 years. lion sale of the Thousand Oaks Active listings that include a estate of Legendary’s Thomas Guy Dreier-designed beach Tull — a Ventura County record house at 33256 Pacific Coast — and a $22.2 million deal in Highway, Malibu (listed at $65 Hidden Hills.