Podcast
The Promote Podcast
Hosted by ten31 Media · EN
Your Commercial Real Estate Insider guide. From profiles of the biggest dealmakers to skyline-shaping transactions, we bring you the deals, breakdowns and war stories that move the market — for insiders, by insiders. From bad-boy guarantees to CMBS tranche warfare to syndicator sins, we cover it all.
Each week, The Promote Podcast explores three of the most interesting and consequential stories in CRE, taking you well beyond the headlines and into the heart of the action. Hosted by the award-winning “Bard of CRE,” Hiten Samtani, along with no-BS institutional insider Will Krasne. Now a top 80 pod on Apple in "Business & Investing." Also check out our 3x/week newsletter for industry insiders at https://www.thepromote.com/
52episodes
Episodes
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Pinnacle's Bankruptcy Summit & Life Sci's Midlife Crisis
Jan 1400:31:18Summary readyThis week, we’re talking a glitch in the Morse code: MCR has failed to come up with the cash to consummate the take-private of Soho House, setting off a mad scramble. There’s more bad chemistry in the life-sciences space, with the venerable Beacon Capital Partners battling its operating partner and lenders in the space losing patience. And finally, we dive into the most closely-watched CRE bankruptcy auction in the country: The Pinnacle rent-stabilized portfolio in New York. Sponsors: 1) This episode is supported by LoanBoss, the industry-leading debt management software. Featuring one-click covenant testing, instant cash flow forecasting, and our favorite nerdy delight: Live forward curves! Check them out at loanboss.com2) This episode is supported by Bravo Capital, a leading HUD and bridge lender. See how their precision underwriting means quicker approvals and higher proceeds for sponsors by visiting bravocapital.comTo advertise: Reach out to partnerships@thepromote.comFor feedback: Write us at podcast@thepromote.com And please rate us and write a review on Apple.Up your CRE game: Consider becoming a premium subscriber to The Promote to unlock access to expert CRE content. Take 10% off annual subscriptions by using this link: https://www.thepromote.com/upgrade?offer_id=b700858f-21e0-47a2-9695-a93055d3ed15Further reading/listening:Taconic's Lab LeakSoho House’s $2.7 Billion Deal to Go Private Hits a Last-Minute Funding SnagDeathbed for life science incubator? Portal Innovations sues partner Beacon CapitalZohar Levy, the Man who Would be KingBidder For Pinnacle's 5,000-Unit Portfolio Has Ties To CEO Joel Wiener's Brother
SummaryWindy City Tailwinds & Stadium Arcadium
Jan 700:27:54Summary readyThis week, we talk Chicago – America’s Second City is now becoming top of mind for national multifamily players. We break down 2 significant deals: LaTerra’s monster AIMCO portfolio buy and S2’s debut. We then slip into our jerseys and look at the arcane world of stadium development – and all the freebies and surrounding action that comes with it. Finally, we schlep the streets of Brooklyn, where Carlyle & Greenbrook have pulled off a massive Freddie refi of their walk-up empire. Sponsor: This episode is supported by LoanBoss, the industry-leading debt management software. Featuring one-click covenant testing, instant cash flow forecasting, and our favorite nerdy delight: Live forward curves! Check them out at loanboss.comTo advertise: Reach out to partnerships@thepromote.comFor feedback: Write us at podcast@thepromote.com And please rate us and write a review on Apple.Up your CRE game: Consider becoming a premium subscriber to The Promote to unlock access to expert CRE content. Take 10% off annual subscriptions by using this link: https://www.thepromote.com/upgrade?offer_id=b700858f-21e0-47a2-9695-a93055d3ed15Further reading/listening:Deconstructing Data Center Megadeals with DigitalBridge's Marc Ganzi (DB is being acquired by SoftBank)Carlyle Takes the StairsAimco to sell Chicago-area multifamily portfolio for $455 million as REIT liquidatesChiefs Get Largest Public Funding Package Ever For New Stadium In KansasFreddie Walks Carlyle/Greenbrook HomeChicago leads the nation in apartment rent growth amid tight supply
SummaryThe Mayweather Whisperer: Jona Rechnitz (Rerun)
Dec 3100:34:01Summary readyWe're technically off this week. BUT, Business Insider dropped a banger of a read on Floyd Mayweather's tangled financial web, and somewhere at the center of that web is a character of great interest to The Promote Cinematic Universe: Jona Rechnitz was a New York real estate developer who was caught up in a massive NYPD corruption scandal before heading to LA and reinventing himself as a diamond dealer and Mayweather whisperer. Rechnitz is the archetype of a netherworld character who somehow keeps popping up in real estate: the hustler with the incredible Rolodex and fuzzy origin story, someone who manages to whip up controversy wherever he goes but keeps escaping any real consequences. In May, we dove deep into his fascinating story, and we're re-upping that episode here. In the episode, we also take a look at "structural corruption" in the development of supertalls, focused on a dispute at 432 Park Avenue.NOTE: This is a re-run of an episode that originally aired on 5/14/2025 Episode sponsor: AirGarage – find out more about their full-service parking management solution at Airgarage.comTo advertise: Reach out to partnerships@thepromote.comFor feedback: Write us at podcast@thepromote.com And please rate us and write a review on Apple.Up your CRE game: Consider becoming a premium subscriber to The Promote to unlock access to expert CRE content. Take 10% off annual subscriptions by using this link: https://www.thepromote.com/upgrade?offer_id=b700858f-21e0-47a2-9695-a93055d3ed15Further reading: Inside Floyd 'Money' Mayweather's lavish, debt-filled post-boxing lifeJona Rechnitz Atavist profile and The Promote's CRE-focused summaryHarry Macklowe profile:432 Park lawsuit: Downside to life in a supertall:
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Bluerock's Liquid Death, Soundstage Flops and OZK Walks the Plank
Dec 2400:30:13Summary readyThis week, we talk illiquid death – the Bluerock listing debacle says so much about the mark-to-magic happening in the nontraded REIT market. We then head to Hollywood where showbiz is turning into badbiz for Hackman Capital, HPP and others who went all-in on soundstages. And finally, we head to Charm City to check in on Kevin Plank & Goldman Sachs' Baltimore Peninsula megaproject – MAG is out, Hines is in, and Bank OZK is pissed. To advertise: Reach out to partnerships@thepromote.comFor feedback: Write us at podcast@thepromote.com And please rate us and write a review on Apple.Up your CRE game: Consider becoming a premium subscriber to The Promote to unlock access to expert CRE content. Take 10% off annual subscriptions by using this link: https://www.thepromote.com/upgrade?offer_id=b700858f-21e0-47a2-9695-a93055d3ed15Further reading/listening:Bluerock Total Income Plus - Accredited InsightWhen Your Private Fund Turns $1 Into 60 CentsThis Hollywood Property Mogul Stands to Lose No Matter Who Wins WarnerHines in, MAG at Baltimore peninsula Steve Ross takes his talents to West Palm Beach
SummaryExotic Alts (w/ SomeraRoad's Ian Ross) & Taconic's Lab Leak
Dec 1700:33:06Summary readyThis week, we’re talking exotic alts – the far-flung corners of CRE that are starting to catch serious institutional interest. Think car washes, aviation hangars and the like. We're joined by Ian Ross, managing partner of SomeraRoad, to talk through the fascinating niche of aviation infrastructure and how it's been supercharged by the Big Beautiful Bill. Then, we walk through Taconic Partners' failed grand experiment with life science real estate in NYC – $2B deployed, not much to show for it. To advertise: Reach out to partnerships@thepromote.comFor feedback: Write us at podcast@thepromote.com And please rate us and write a review on Apple.Follow our guest on LinkedIn: Ian Ross Up your CRE game: Consider becoming a premium subscriber to The Promote to unlock access to expert CRE content. Take 10% off annual subscriptions by using this link: https://www.thepromote.com/upgrade?offer_id=b700858f-21e0-47a2-9695-a93055d3ed15Further reading/listening:Taconic Invested $2B To Be NYC's Leading Life Sciences Developer. Then The Market FrozeBonus Depreciation Boom Times in Private AviationNet Leash Car Wash Sales SurgeAUM Gobbling, Explained
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Starchitects, Swedish Whales & an SF Hotel Heist
Dec 1000:33:47Summary readyThis week, we look back at the skyline-shaping impact of 2 starchitects who’ve just left us – Robert A.M. Stern and Frank Gehry – and then jump into a broader discussion about the pros & cons of name-brand architects. We dive into the industrial deal of the year, EQT’s 9M sf sale to Aum gobbler Artemis. And we have an exclusive tick-tock of a hotel megadeal in San Francisco, Newbond & Conversant's heist of 3,000 rooms in one fell swoop – it's a great window of what it takes to get a distressed CMBS trade across the finish line.To advertise: Reach out to partnerships@thepromote.comFor feedback: Write us at podcast@thepromote.com And please rate us and write a review on Apple.Up your CRE game: Consider becoming a premium subscriber to The Promote to unlock access to expert CRE content. Take 10% off annual subscriptions by using this link: https://www.thepromote.com/upgrade?offer_id=b700858f-21e0-47a2-9695-a93055d3ed15Further reading/listening:Hiten on Bloomberg's Odd Lots discussing the ultra-luxury marketInside the Hotel Heist of the YearSixth Street's AUM GobblingPostscript: Robert A.M. Stern, the Limestone JesusPostscript: Frank Gehry
SummaryMailbag: CRE Casting Couch, Return-Immune Investing & Best Dumb-Guy Sectors
Dec 500:20:06Summary readyIn our special mailbag episode, co-host Will Krasne tackles your most unhinged CRE questions: who'd be the dream cast of a CRE version of Million Dollar Listing, the best projects through which to launder funds, and which industry niches are IQ-optional.To advertise: Reach out to partnerships@thepromote.comFor feedback: Write us at podcast@thepromote.com And please rate us and write a review on Apple.Up your CRE game: Consider becoming a premium subscriber to The Promote to unlock access to expert CRE content. Take 10% off annual subscriptions by using this link: https://www.thepromote.com/upgrade?offer_id=b700858f-21e0-47a2-9695-a93055d3ed15
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Sleepless in Seattle: The Martin Selig Story
Dec 300:29:45Summary readyThis week, we dive deep into the maverick career of Seattle skyscraper titan Martin Selig - a true man in full who at his pomp controlled more than a third of the city's downtown, but is now at risk of losing it all. As of this summer, Selig has lost 19 of his buildings to third-party managers or lenders. He’s been unable to make good on over $850 million in loans. We break down his meteoric rise, his ability to survive through cycles that ended the careers of lesser men, and why this time may truly be the end. To advertise: Reach out to partnerships@thepromote.comFor feedback: Write us at podcast@thepromote.com And please rate us and write a review on Apple.Up your CRE game: Consider becoming a premium subscriber to The Promote to unlock access to expert CRE content. Take 10% off annual subscriptions by using this link: https://www.thepromote.com/upgrade?offer_id=b700858f-21e0-47a2-9695-a93055d3ed15Further reading/listening:https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-11-20-fi-194-story.htmlhttps://www.seattletimes.com/business/developer-seligs-one-man-show-plays-well-in-current-downturn/https://www.seattletimes.com/business/martin-selig-helped-shape-downtown-seattle-now-hes-the-face-of-its-office-woes/ https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/29/realestate/focus-seattle-creating-an-office-empire.html https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/developer-donates-922000-to-try-to-get-estate-tax-erased/ WAhttps://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/another-piece-of-seligs-seattle-office-empire-sold-at-fire-sale-discount/Talking Tycoons: Tom Cousins
SummarySonder's Mercy Killing and the Mooch's OZ Misadventure
Nov 1900:31:06Summary readyThis week, we explore why more multifamily REITs are offering themselves up at the altar - there just doesn’t seem to be a real path forward for many of these midsize players in this capital-markets environment. We then look at Marriott’s mercy killing of Sonder and the lessons to take away from yet another high-profile proptech implosion. And finally, the Mooch’s OZ fund was kinda like the Mooch’s White House tenure. Short and painful.To advertise: Reach out to partnerships@thepromote.comFor feedback: Write us at podcast@thepromote.com - we're taking questions for a special mailbag episode! And please rate us and write a review on Apple.Up your CRE game: Consider becoming a premium subscriber to The Promote to unlock access to expert CRE content. Founding memberships open now at https://www.thepromote.com/upgradeProgramming Note: We're off for Thanksgiving Week. We'll see you back here week after that!Further reading/listening:Marriott-Sonder Deal: https://www.thepromote.com/p/the-promote-marriott-s-sonderlust-trimont-grabs-the-crown#inside-marriotts-sonderlust Mooch OZ: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-13/scaramucci-s-opportunity-zone-bet-likely-to-be-zero-for-clients Centerspace: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-11/apartment-landlord-centerspace-is-said-to-explore-potential-saleSonder Winddown: https://investors.sonder.com/news-releases/news-release-details/sonder-holdings-inc-complete-immediate-wind-down-operationsCortland's PE Courtship: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jpms-roosevelt-run-cortlands-pe-courtship/id1801355295?i=1000718664676
SummaryReston Peace, Senioritis & A Capstack Crisis
Nov 1200:32:18Summary readyThis week, we chat about 2 big events in the senior housing space: Blackstone’s fire sale of a $1.8B portfolio and the Sonida-CNL merger. It’s a pretty gnarly business to operate, but there’s lots of room for creative structuring. Next, we look at the behind-the-scenes wrangling at one of Brooklyn’s buzziest projects: Jonathan Landau is attempting to build Brooklyn Heights’ tallest condo, but has a quarter-billion dollar hole to fill. And finally, BXP (aka Boston Properties) is cashing in on legacy assets to fund its development pipeline. Supertalls ain’t cheap! To advertise: Reach out to partnerships@thepromote.comFor feedback: Write us at podcast@thepromote.com and please rate us and write a review on Apple or Spotify.Up your CRE game: Consider becoming a premium subscriber to The Promote to unlock access to expert CRE content. Founding memberships open now at https://www.thepromote.com/upgradeFurther reading:Inside the Capstack on Landau’s Brooklyn Moonshot: https://www.thepromote.com/p/inside-landau-s-brooklyn-capstack-bx-dst-deetsBlackstone Is Offloading a Flopped $1.8 Billion Investment in Senior Housing: https://www.wsj.com/articles/blackstone-is-offloading-a-flopped-1-8-billion-investment-in-senior-housing-4a7b85d9The Nursing Home Power Roster: https://www.thepromote.com/p/nursing-home-power-roster-an-embezzlement-autopsy
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