For the kickoff event this morning, I have decided to invite a special guest speaker, someone who is conversant with the new way of thinking in the age of social media, someone who is inspiring and knowledgable, someone who has the ability to stimulate audience to think differently. I have invited my colleague Adriana Kertzer whose lecture about the current trends at the intersection of real estate, social media, sponsorship, and culture, illuminated such new terminology as ‘affluent influencer,’ ‘favelization,’ the name of her publication, ‘rebranding pot,’ and has left everyone speechless. After years cutting her teeth as a corporate lawyer at Simpson Thacher, Adriana took a sharp turn and became a design entrepreneur (a cross between curator, author and digital strategist). She worked at established New York museums before joining the Obama Administration at the National Endowment for the Arts. It was there that she became fascinated by something called “creative placemaking” (particularly in situations where for-profit real estate intersects with design and cultural gatherings). She spoke about her belief that “Culture” today is being shaped far far far away from large museums and inside surprising types of real estate. She also shared the inside scoop on Olivebridge Cottage, a real estate experiment she recently completed in the Catskills at the intersection of storytelling, added value through influencer coverage and the sharing economy. This is what I call a super successful event where everyone came out thinking a bit differently about the world around us.
