In May, Douglas Elliman axed Elevate magazine, one of its two big bets on the publishing space and decided to focus on and rejig its other glossy, “Elliman.” Now, that magazine is being overhauled, starting with a big change at the top.
The brokerage terminated Richard Pérez-Feria, the editor-in-chief of its publishing arm, Elliman Media, sources told The Real Deal.
“Douglas Elliman is committed to continuing publication of its widely-read magazine, Elliman, as we move in a new editorial direction,” the spokesperson said. “We wish former editor Richard Perez-Feria great success.”
The magazine‘s content will now tie back to projects and properties being marketed by the firm, sources said.
Elliman Media had been central to an aggressive marketing strategy employed by the brokerage under its former global chief marketing officer, Nicole Oge. Many of Oge’s efforts have been disbanded since her departure from the company last year.
Pérez-Feria told TRD that he was proud of the work he’d done for both Elliman and Elevate.
“No one is disputing the quality of what we produced,” he said. “We created a whole new category of magazine, which was unprecedented, especially in real estate. The fact that they allowed us for 2.5 years to go into this new territory was very exciting.”
He declined to comment on his post-Elliman plans.
At its height, Elliman magazine clocked in at a massive 338 pages, a sign of the massive resources that went into the publishing effort. Competitors such as Compass and Town Residential have also put out magazines, albeit more modest ones.