Hey BK – The Brooklyn Podcast with Ofer Cohen
33 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 22 ratingsHey BK - the show that let’s you get to know the people behind the Brooklyn transformation. Ofer Cohen, Founder and CEO of TerraCRG, has conversations with guests about their vision and love for what they do - all with the backdrop of Brooklyn’s rise to greatness.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Cesar Zuniga, Candidate for City Council District 38
June 02, 2021 04:00 - 27 minutes - 38.4 MBWith the local primaries just weeks away, we continue to focus on the candidates in New York's upcoming election. Ofer talks to Cesar Zuniga who is running for City Council in the district that covers Sunset Park and Red Hook, two of Brooklyn's most important neighborhoods for future development. The son of Mexican immigrants, Cesar has a background in education and serves as chair of Community Board 7, which voted down the expansion of the Industry City complex along the Sunset Park water...
Elizabeth Adams, Candidate for City Council District 33
May 19, 2021 04:00 - 14 minutes - 20.3 MBWrapping up a series on the District 33 City Council race, Ofer sits down with Elizabeth Adams, legislative director for the outgoing Council Member, Steve Levin. Elizabeth grew up in a rent stabilized apartment, and affordable housing is central to her platform that local government can do more to help struggling New Yorkers as the city rebuilds.
April Somboun, Candidate for NYC Council District 33
May 12, 2021 04:00 - 15 minutes - 21.5 MBIn the latest installment of our series looking at the race for the City Council District 33 seat, Ofer sits down with April Somboun. The candidate studied international public policy at Columbia and has worked in marketing and communications. She's a Brooklyn Heights resident, refugee, and working mother who is proud to call herself an outsider in this very important race for the district that covers neighborhoods in Downtown Brooklyn, Greenpoint, and Williamsburg.
Toba Potosky, Candidate for City Council District 33
May 05, 2021 04:00 - 16 minutes - 22.7 MBOfer kicks off a short series focusing on the City Council race for the 33rd district, which has a large slate of candidates vying for the seat. We invited some of the top fundraisers to hear their vision for this diverse district covering Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, and Boerum Hill. The first guest is Toba Potosky, a Brooklyn Heights resident and community activist involved in his own middle income Mitchell Lama complex and public projects from the ren...
Kathryn Garcia, Candidate for NYC Mayor
April 21, 2021 04:00 - 26 minutes - 35.8 MBHost Ofer Cohen sits down with New York City mayoral candidate Kathryn Garcia, a Brooklynite with a fascinating story. Garcia got her start in the Bloomberg Administration, but more recently, served as sanitation commissioner and was appointed food czar for the City’s emergency food program during the pandemic. In our conversation, Garcia lays out her vision for the future and shares her experience as a working parent in New York – and how she had to tackle her own shyness in making the deci...
Robert Cornegy Jr., City Council District 36
April 07, 2021 04:00 - 28 minutes - 39.2 MBCity Council Member Robert Cornegy Jr grew up in Bedford Stuyvesant and represents the neighborhood in the City Council's 36th District. In this podcast, Councilman Cornegy lays out his vision for the city, which includes sitting down with real estate developers, promoting public private partnerships, reforming the city's land use process, and more. Councilman Cornegy, a former professional basketball player, holds the Guinness World Record of tallest politician, and is running for Brooklyn...
Ray McGuire, Candidate for NYC Mayor
March 24, 2021 04:00 - 29 minutes - 41.2 MBHeyBK is back at a time when Brooklyn, along with the rest of NYC, is trying to rebuild all that was lost during the pandemic. This season, Ofer Cohen talks to leaders and political candidates about their vision as the city reopens and rebuilds. In our first episode, Ofer sits down with Ray McGuire, the Wall Street executive running for New York City Mayor. Listen to the former head of Citigroup talk about his experience growing up, how he first came to New York, and his plans to create a mo...
Susan Donoghue, Prospect Park (S3E7)
March 15, 2020 04:00 - 26 minutes - 35.7 MBIn this episode, Ofer sits down with Sue Donoghue, President of the Prospect Park Alliance and the park administrator. At the nonprofit, Sue works closely with the City to help raise 11 million dollars annually and over 50 million dollars in capital funds to improve and operate Brooklyn’s 585 acre park. Seen as Brooklyn’s backyard, Prospect Park was built in 1867 by Central Park’s Frederick Law Olmsted. Much like the rest of Brooklyn, Prospect Park has experienced a rebirth. Some 30...
Steve Hindy, Brooklyn Brewery (S3E6)
February 23, 2020 05:00 - 30 minutes - 41.3 MBOfer sits down with Steve Hindy, co-founder and co-chairman of Brooklyn Brewery, one of the largest craft beer makers in the United States. Steve and his neighbor founded the company in 1988 following a dream to bring brewing back to Brooklyn. Always a pioneer and a risk-taker, Steve made a number of key decisions that helped make Brooklyn Brewery an international success story. As you’ll hear, Steve had faith in the Brooklyn brand from the very beginning and helped put Brooklyn on the map.
Jill Eisenhard, Red Hook Initiative (S3E5)
February 02, 2020 05:01 - 24 minutes - 33.8 MBIn the first episode of the new year, Ofer Cohen sits down with Jill Eisenhard, the Founder and Executive Director of the Red Hook Initiative (RHI). Jill has recently announced that she’s stepping down from the non-profit that she founded in Red Hook, Brooklyn, back in 2002. In their conversation, Jill looks back at her work to empower residents of the City's second largest public housing complex in one of Brooklyn's last industrial neighborhoods, which is home to nearly 10,000 residents. In...
Brad Lander, New York City Council, District 39 (S3E4)
December 15, 2019 05:01 - 27 minutes - 38.3 MBOfer Cohen sits down with New York City Councilmember Brad Lander. Brad’s district spans established neighborhoods including Park Slope and, the once mainly industrial area, Gowanus which is now on the verge of redevelopment. In their conversation, the Councilman talks about his journey as a suburban kid who became fascinated by cities. A progressive Democrat and urban planner, Lander has been a life-long advocate for affordable housing. He's preparing for a run for a City Comptroller in 202...
Carlo Scissura, New York Building Congress (S3E3)
November 24, 2019 05:01 - 24 minutes - 33.2 MBIn this episode, Ofer speaks with Carlo Scissura, President & CEO of the New York Building Congress. Carlo was recently appointed Chair of the NYC Mayor’s committee in charge of evaluating the plan to fix the crumbling BQE. He has been a key player during Brooklyn’s redevelopment and construction boom over the last two decades. Born and raised in Bensonhurst, Carlo is truly rooted in Brooklyn and his career has reflected so. From real estate attorney in Dyker Heights, to chief of staff to th...
Jonathan Schnapp, Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club (S3E2)
November 03, 2019 04:01 - 24 minutes - 33.5 MBOfer meets with Jonathan Schnapp, founder of the Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club in Gowanus. In 2011, Jonathan and his partner Ashley took a spontaneous trip to the Mirror Lake Shuffleboard Club in Florida and returned home inspired to bring the forgotten sport to Brooklyn. Much sooner than expected, they secured a warehouse space and began fundraising for an idea that, at first, not many people could definitively get behind. Today, people from near and far come to visit and fall in love with ...
Ben Schneider & St John Frizell, Gage & Tollner (S3E1)
October 13, 2019 04:01 - 23 minutes - 32.5 MBOfer sits down with two of the Brooklyn restaurateurs breathing new life into the historic restaurant, Gage & Tollner. The restaurant first opened in Downtown Brooklyn in 1879 and shut its doors in 2004. The 125-year-old Brooklyn institution was known for its landmarked decor and impeccable service. In the 14 years since it closed, Downtown Brooklyn has transformed into a lively neighborhood with tens of thousands of new residents. Husband and wife team Ben Schneider and Chef Sohui Kim along...
Chad Dickerson, Etsy (S2E10)
May 26, 2019 04:01 - 23 minutes - 32.3 MBIn this episode of HeyBK, Ofer sits down with Chad Dickerson, the former CEO of Etsy, a multibillion-dollar online marketplace for handcrafted goods based in DUMBO. Chad left Silicon Valley for the young startup in 2008 and led the company - through many hurtles - to become one of NYC’s greatest Tech success stories. Along the way, Chad, who’s originally from North Carolina, fell in love with Brooklyn and in just 11 years found a community in Carroll Gardens.
Dick Zigun, Coney Island USA (S2E9)
May 05, 2019 04:01 - 23 minutes - 31.9 MBOn this episode of HeyBK, we journey to South Brooklyn to one of the most famous places in the world – Coney Island. Ofer Cohen speaks with Dick Zigun, the “unelected mayor” of Coney Island, a playwright, a circus fanatic, and the creator and leader of the annual Mermaid Parade. Dick tells us his story of growing up in a Connecticut town where PT Barnum was once the mayor, and how his love for the circus and the arts brought him to where he is today. Dick has spent decades advocating for thi...
Susan Feldman, St. Ann's Warehouse (S2E8)
April 07, 2019 15:30 - 23 minutes - 32.5 MBIn this episode of HeyBK, Ofer sits down with Susan Feldman, the Artistic Director of St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The program’s trajectory is closely linked with Brooklyn’s resurgence. St. Ann’s relationship with Brooklyn as a place and Real Estate as a business is a great model for activating neighborhoods while supporting the arts. As you will hear, the story began in 1979 in a very different Brooklyn. Susan, who had a background in alternative education, was hired to cr...
Jared Della Valle & AJ Pires, Alloy Development (S2E7)
March 03, 2019 05:01 - 22 minutes - 30.9 MBHeyBK host Ofer Cohen speaks with Jared Della Valle & AJ Pires, the founders of Alloy, LLC, a DUMBO-based development and architecture firm. Jared and AJ explain how meeting through a mutual friend turned into a life-long friendship, successful business, and a true Brooklyn story. Their joint passion and ideas about responsible development, keen architecture, open lines of communication, and love for the neighborhood of DUMBO have played a key role in their accomplishments. Alloy is also inc...
Andrew Kimball, Industry City (S2E6)
February 03, 2019 05:01 - 18 minutes - 25.8 MBOn this episode of HeyBK, Ofer speaks with Andrew Kimball, the CEO of Industry City. Since taking over in 2013, Andrew and his partners transformed the largest industrial complex in NYC into a renowned creativity and innovation hub. Andrew gives us the scoop on what it takes to run such a huge transformation project, how sometimes new opportunities take priority over initial strategic plans, the challenges of managing such a massive space, as well as many of the rewarding moments that come w...
Jed Walentas, Two Trees Management (S2E5)
December 23, 2018 05:01 - 19 minutes - 44.6 MBOn Season 2, Episode 5, Ofer sits down with Jed Walentas, the real estate developer behind the transformation of DUMBO, one of the most desirable neighborhoods in New York City. In the mid-90’s, Jed became involved in his family business, Two Trees, and spearheaded the transformation of the area. In their conversation, Jed talks about growing up in a grittier NYC where DUMBO was not merely as exciting as it is today, discovering what it meant for his father to “own a neighborhood,” and about...
Karen Auster, Auster Agency (S2E4)
December 09, 2018 05:01 - 14 minutes - 33.4 MBIn this episode, Ofer sits down with Karen Auster, a key force behind the new Brooklyn experience. During the past two decades, Karen’s Dumbo-based marketing firm, Auster Agency, has helped launch some of Brooklyn’s most exciting projects, including Brooklyn Bridge Park, 1 Hotel, the new Atlantic Antic and now Domino Park. Karen fell in love with Brooklyn after having an ice cream in Brooklyn Heights but it was her role as a mom that helped her find find her path.
Eran Chen, ODA Architecture (S2E3)
November 18, 2018 05:01 - 20 minutes - 46.6 MBEran Chen, Founder of ODA Architecture, speaks with Ofer Cohen about his humble beginnings in Israel to becoming one of NYC’s most renowned architects with an expanding international clientele. Beginning his career designing McDonald’s restaurants, to eventually starting O.P.E.N and creating a mega-museum of street art, he believed that he could bring new architectural perspective to Brooklyn. Eran and his company have experienced unexpected new heights over the years, and have some of Brook...
Dave Maundrell, Citi Habitats (S2E2)
November 01, 2018 19:22 - 16 minutes - 38.7 MBBorn and bred Brooklynite, Dave Maundrell, chats with Ofer Cohen about growing up in Williamsburg and witnessing, first-hand, the changes throughout Brooklyn over the last two decades. Dave has great respect for the history of the neighborhood. He's watched it evolve from its industrial and gang-ridden past in the 70s and 80s, to an artist-driven hub in the 90’s, to what is now a vibrant artful, family-oriented and high-end residential haven. In 2002, Dave founded aptsandlofts.com, a success...
Eric Adams, Brooklyn Borough President (S2E1)
October 18, 2018 04:01 - 17 minutes - 39.1 MBOfer Cohen talks to Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams about his concerns, goals and vision for the ever-changing communities throughout Brooklyn. A born and bred Brooklynite, Eric Adams started his career as a police officer, serving 22 years on the force. He began his political career as a State Senator representing Brooklyn districts. To say Adams has experienced the transformation of Brooklyn first-hand would be an understatement. They talked a lot about real estate, but during their ...
Doug Steiner, Steiner Studios (S1E9)
July 11, 2018 04:00 - 16 minutes - 37.3 MBJersey-born real estate developer turned fully-immersed Brooklynite, Doug Steiner, meets with Ofer Cohen to share his story about developing Brooklyn, and the creation of Steiner Studios, the largest movie studio outside of Hollywood. The state-of-the-art film and television studio at the Brooklyn Navy Yard opened six months after Doug advocated for film tax credits in New York City and helped create a boom for production on the East Coast. In their conversation, Doug is thoughtful about his...
Jonathan Butler, Smorgasburg (S1E8)
June 01, 2018 04:01 - 18 minutes - 42.5 MBEver since he moved to Brownstone Brooklyn in the early 2000s, Jonathan Butler's entrepreneurial projects have fostered a unique Brooklyn brand, which has since spread to other cities. He's the creator of some of the borough's most transformative projects, including 1000 Dean, and co-founder of the Brooklyn Flea and the food market Smorgasburg. The blogger who started Brownstoner, shares his story with Ofer Cohen as they reminisce about the early days of Brooklyn's transformation. In their c...
David Ehrenberg, Brooklyn Navy Yard (S1E7)
May 16, 2018 04:01 - 17 minutes - 39.3 MBDavid Ehrenberg is the President and CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. In his conversation with Ofer Cohen, he shares his excitement about the Navy Yard’s mission and his experiences while managing some of the most complex and important revitalization projects in America.
Jacqui Williams, 99 Solutions (S1E6)
May 02, 2018 04:01 - 17 minutes - 39.6 MBOn the sixth episode of Hey BK, Ofer Cohen catches up with Jacqui Williams, a real estate lobbyist working on some of Brooklyn’s biggest projects. Jacqui lets us into her remarkable life story - from some dark moments in her past, living homeless on the streets of New York City, to becoming a power player in some of the most important approvals of real estate projects across the city. This is a true New York come-back story at the forefront of Brooklyn’s renaissance.
Regina Myer, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership (S1E5)
April 18, 2018 04:01 - 18 minutes - 43 MBRegina Myer is President of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, a local development corporation that is tasked with supporting Downtown Brooklyn's emergence as a center for innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship, as well as a world-class cultural, education, residential destination. Regina moved to Brooklyn in 1991 and over the last two decades was instrumental in the growth and transformation of Brooklyn. She spearheaded the rezoning of neighborhoods like Greenpoint and Williamsburg, an...
David Belt, New Lab (S1E4)
March 21, 2018 04:00 - 18 minutes - 41.4 MBDavid Belt, Co-Founder and CEO of New Lab, speaks with Ofer Cohen about the path that led him to the aspirational real estate development work he is involved with, in the intersection of art, technology and architecture. From his early years touring with a punk rock band, through the idea of converting dumpsters into swimming pools, to creating the largest, advanced tech hub on the East Coast, David is a true example of how, and why, it is an inspiring time to be in Brooklyn.
Toby Moskovits, Heritage Equity Partners (S1E3)
March 07, 2018 05:01 - 17 minutes - 25.2 MBHey BK Host, Ofer Cohen, chats with Toby Moskovits, President of Heritage Equity Partners. Toby speaks about growing up in Brooklyn and how she was able to “beat the odds” to gain success and credibility in the commercial real estate industry. She also touches upon her interest in the Williamsburg and Bushwick markets, and what drives her to continue investing and developing in Brooklyn.
MaryAnne Gilmartin, Barclays Center & L+L MAG (S1E2)
February 12, 2018 17:30 - 16 minutes - 24.4 MBMaryAnne Gilmartin graduated from university and was given an Urban Fellowship, an opportunity in NYC to experience public service. It was here that Gilmartin realized her passion for real estate and development. Very early in her career, MaryAnne met some of NYC’s most powerful developers. While balancing parenting and running some of Brooklyn’s most complicated projects, Gilmartin proved to be a true force and visionary. Shortly after this podcast was recorded, MaryAnne, the developer that...
David Kramer, Hudson Companies (S1E1)
February 12, 2018 17:00 - 16 minutes - 26.6 MBDavid Kramer, a true Brooklynite and President of Hudson Companies, speaks with Ofer Cohen about his path to becoming a developer in New York City and more specifically, Brooklyn. Tune in to hear why David moved back to NYC from L.A. to follow his dream. The conversation touches on how he started in the business and was able to build such a diverse mix of projects, to completing five New York City marathons while tossing a Nerf football and how his team celebrates office victories.