REAL ESTATE NEWS

A&E is taking a gamble on commercial real estate, putting an industry usually confined to boardrooms and brokerage offices onto primetime television. The network’s upcoming reality series, The Real Estate Commission, set to premiere October 12, follows Todd Drowlette, managing director of Titan Commercial Realty Group, as he navigates the ins and outs of closing deals. For a field that rarely makes it into pop culture, the show’s debut marks an unusual crossover between CRE and reality TV.

“So many people don’t realize commercial real estate brokerage is a thing,” Drowlette told GlobeSt.com. He hopes the series will demystify the business, inspiring potential investors who might not realize that opportunities can start on a small scale—like purchasing a strip mall for a few hundred thousand dollars. He also believes the show may encourage residential brokers to consider a transition. “There are so many residential real estate agents who want to do commercial real estate, but they have no idea how to do it,” he said.

This isn’t Drowlette’s first attempt to merge real estate and video. On Facebook, he once produced an elimination-style series featuring contestants with no CRE background competing for a position in the business. With A&E’s platform, he hopes a wider audience will grasp the surprising accessibility of investment opportunities in commercial properties, from warehouses to retail centers. “I hope it piques their interest,” he said, “but that they’re smart enough not to go into it alone.”

Industry professionals are watching with cautious optimism. “The plus of a show like this is visibility,” said Aviva Sonenreich, managing broker at The Warehouse Hotline in Denver. “People will finally see how CRE shapes communities and the economy. The minus is the risk of it being watered down into just another reality TV drama. If it leans toward the truth, it can reinforce the authority and trust that professionals in our field work hard to earn.”

Drama, however, may be unavoidable. “In one of the first production meetings, someone said, ‘What are we going to do about drama?’” Drowlette recalled. “These are multi-million dollar deals.” After only a week of filming, he said, producers realized the inherent tension comes from the deals themselves. “When you see everything that goes into it, people are shocked.”

Still, some in the industry worry a reality TV lens could oversimplify a complex business. “The difficulty is that, like most reality TV, it will probably focus on drama and high-stakes scenarios,” said Shawna Guevara, managing director at Landmark Structural Builders. “CRE is much more than big leases and national brand deals. It’s zoning issues, permitting delays, construction cost increases, and working with dozens of stakeholders to make a deal happen.” Those details, she added, are rarely camera-ready but are what truly define the business.

Source: GlobeSt/ALM