May 2, 2016 | Home & Real Estate
We sat down with World Red Eye founder Seth Browarnik and progressive real estate developer Avra Jain to discuss the second installment of World Red Eye’s Cultural Exchanges speaker series, highlighting the Miami real estate industry.
World Red Eye founder and celebrity photographer Seth Browarnik launched the Cultural Exchanges speaker series with a mission: to inform, encourage, and inspire Miamians on topics including nightlife, real estate, art, and fashion. Browarnik is doing just that and more with the second installment of his speaker series, “The Next Genesis of Miami Real Estate.”
Sponsored by Perrier-Jouët and Tequila Avión, the Culture Exchanges speaker series will take place on May 5 and bring together Miami’s most prominent real estate tycoons and their protégées to talk about what’s next for the industry. The Related Group’s Jorge Pérez and son Jon Paul Pérez, Dezer Development’s Michael Dezer and son Gil Dezer, and Crescent Heights’ Russell Galbut and nephew Keith Menin of Menin Hospitality will provide attendees with an in-depth discussion on the past, present, and promising future of Miami’s real estate industry. Film producer and Rakontur co-founder Alfred Spellman will return to moderate the second discussion, and will be joined by progressive real estate developer Avra Jain—who is responsible for restoring and reviving MiMo District gem the Vagabond Hotel.
Here we chat with Browarnik and Jain about the event and what attendees can expect.
Why did you decide to highlight the Miami real estate industry for the second installment of Cultural Exchanges?
SETH BROWARNIK: Real estate is one of the most, if not the most, important industries in Miami. We have the biggest power players and we found the niche—the generational hand over of power where it’s kind of this continuation of a legacy.
How have the art and fashion industries impacted the Miami real estate industry?
AVRA JAIN: The arts and culture industries are responsible for the resurgence of Miami in general. It’s elevated the architecture and design for buildings. Miami became a much more conscious city, and put us back on a global stage with designers like Zaha Hadid. It speaks to the market and the developers have stepped up and created really interesting, beautiful things.
SB: As far as where fashion meets real estate, you see Armani/Casa and Fendi Chateau, there are all of these fashion brands that got in the mix with real estate. The growth of everything is going up.
What can attendees expect from the second discussion this Thursday evening?
SB: We’ve seen what Jorge, Russell, and Michael have had to say for years. We really want to show what these younger guys have to say.
AJ: One of the good things about Miami right now is the young people. And it’s not just in real estate, but also in news, businesses, and entrepreneurs. We’re seeing a lot of people choosing to live here. I’m really looking forward to hearing what the next generation has to say. My impression of the next generation is that they are very thoughtful, mindful, and community driven. I’m excited to hear how they’re going to take what their fathers or what the previous generations have done, how they are going to make it theirs, and how they are going to make it relevant to today.
Avra, how does it feel to be a part of Cultural Exchanges?
AJ: It’s amazing! I was honored when Seth asked me. I immediately pulled up the [first discussion] he did—they had it on YouTube—with the nightlife guys, and I thought it was just really well done. It’s always good when you get a group of people in the same industry together and have them tell their stories and have them look back and forward and interact with each other.
SB: We felt that Avra had such a cool energy and vibe and that she could get the personality out of these guys that we really wanted. I’m excited to have Avra up there because she knows what she’s talking about. I think she’s going to touch on things that all of us have questions about as far as where this market is going and where we see this in five or 10 years.
What’s the next "It" neighborhood in Miami?
AJ: Little River. But I think what’s interesting about Miami right now is the idea of neighborhoods. In New York, you have the East Village and West Village and Soho, and then it’s about connecting them. It’s the same thing now in Miami. We have the MiMo District, Little River, Little Haiti, the Design District, Wynwood, downtown, Brickell, and Coconut Grove. I think that they’re all going to do well for different reasons. And I think that it’s good that Miami has this sense of neighborhood—and what’s happening now is that every neighborhood has their own little downtown with their own culture. They look and feel different. And I think this speaks to the diversity of Miami—which I think is one of its strongest characters.
World Red Eye Cultural Exchanges: The Next Genesis of Miami Real Estate. Join the livestream Thursday, May 5 at 8 p.m. on WorldRedEye.com.
