Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report

BerlinRosen, the public relations/consulting powerhouse that has long represented the developers of Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park, this year was ranked fifth in City & State's The 2023 Political PR Power 50 . The subheading to the 1/9/23 list is "The top communications gurus and masters of spin in New York politics" and, indeed, such high-priced firms not only shape the answers from their clients, they shape the overall environment. As I wrote 11/24/16, an analysis of the "agents of the city" email document dump showed a fevered January 2015 response by BerlinRosen to an op-ed (only only) in the New York Times criticizing the effort to bring the 2016 Democratic National Convention to the Barclays Center. "How many immediately surrounding local businesses can we get lte's [Letters to the Editor] in today?" wrote firm co-founder Jonathan Rosen to colleagues and advisors to Mayor Bill de Blasio on 1/21/15, the day of my essay. "How many do we...

I'm pretty sure the below is an automated tweet, complete with exclamation point and it's not unlikely that the public relations firm BerlinRosen seeks staff from the nonprofit/governmental sector that is City Limits' bread and butter, but... New job posting from @BerlinRosen ! The Vice President, Commercial Real Estate PR will lead daily client relations, plan and execute day-to-day project deliverables, support and lead junior staff, and conceptualize strategies, pitches and media placements. https://t.co/7Ha5fzKenG — City Limits (@CityLimitsNews) September 3, 2022 Let's just remember that "conceptualize strategies, pitches and media placements" means spinning, misleading, obfuscating, and more on behalf of real-estate clients, not the public interest. For example, as I  wrote  last September, while covering the story of the 840 Atlantic development, I noticed pro-project essays in the  Brooklyn Paper ,  amNY , and the  Brooklyn Eagle , likely written and/or...

BerlinRosen, big p.r. firm in New York repping Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park, as well as numerous other clients and campaigns (and projects like 840 Atlantic Ave. ), has 500-plus clients, 250-plus staffers, and three offices.  And, unscathed by brushes with scandal connected to its sorta-lobbying role with Mayor Bill de Blasio, it's going gangbusters.  In November, PR Week named it the country's top agency. From BerlinRosen : With a team of 250+ strategists, the firm has significantly grown over the past years and now represents over 500 clients including Samsung, Color Of Change, Brookfield, SEIU, GLAAD, Mozilla, Singapore Airlines, UNICEF USA, Audible, Cornell Tech, Northwell Health and the Me Too Movement.  ...In a brief summary of the firm’s accomplishments over the past year, PRNews Platinum PR Awards shares: “During the pandemic, BerlinRosen and industry peers formed NY Forever to mobilize New Yorkers in charitable activities. This year, the firm also launched its E...

There's a curiously un-bylined op-ed in the Brooklyn Eagle,  Subject to Inspection: Brooklyn Spaces and Issues , with the subheading "Key Conversation in 35th District Council Race: Affordable Housing." The lead: A proposed 18 story apartment building at 840 Atlantic Avenue, at the corner of Atlantic and Vanderbilt Avenues, has set off a vigorous debate in Council District 35. At issue, is less about the acceptability of the site for conversion to housing (it is difficult to argue credibly that converting a McDonalds and parking lot into much needed housing at any income level is a bad idea, particularly a project proposing that nearly one in three apartments is set aside as deeply affordable in perpetuity). But the debate seems to be centering on at what height the building should be allowed to go up to, approximately 15 stories or approximately 18 stories. How on earth the everyday pedestrian on Vanderbilt will be able to tell the difference, remains a puzzling questio...

Jerry Seinfeld, Amy Schumer, Billy Porter and More New Yorkers Join Campaign to Rebuild City , the Hollywood Reporter told us yesterday, presaging a parade of stars: "New York’s comeback depends on New Yorkers," say founders Risa Heller and Jonathan Rosen in a joint statement. "We are eager to help our neighbors play a meaningful part in building New York’s future — by supporting locally owned small businesses, looking out for our unemployed restaurant workers, applauding our essential workers and caring for families battling homelessness. We are excited about this project and confident in the city’s resilience."  ...NY Forever states its mission as cheerleading for NYC, getting New Yorkers engaged and partnering with nonprofits to help New Yorkers in need. "Facing unprecedented challenges, New York City needs to turn this moment into a city-defining triumph. To do so, we wanted to build an inclusive brand to inspire all 8 million New Yorkers," says the gr...

Last week, City & State NY published  The 2021 Political PR Power 50 , its second annual ranking. Such lists are both arbitrary, as well as advertising-driven, but they provide a reasonable benchmark regarding influencers in our midst. The summary: As politicians, government officials, business executives and nonprofit leaders navigate these turbulent times, they are turning to savvy PR professionals to help get their message across, whether it’s highlighting their responses to the pandemic, drawing attention to demands for social justice or simply maintaining connections with employees working remotely. Another way of putting it: many of the messages and articles you encounter regarding major projects like Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park--say, "Brooklyn’s Pacific Park moves to fast track," as I wrote in October 2019--are mediated through a public relations firm. Note that this list focuses on "players directly involved in the world of New York politics and policy,...

Sure, there was some chatter yesterday about Atlantic Yards in the wake of Amazon's surprising decision --I and others would have bet on renegotiations--to pull out of plans to build a campus in Long Island City. I'm surprised too... but Amazon hadn't bought a money-losing basketball team it had to move to Brooklyn or a deal it had to revise post-recession (or purportedly blighted land to be acquired via eminent domain) — Norman Oder (@AYReport) February 14, 2019 That was former Forest City Ratner executive Ashley Cotton, who's still working on Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park government relations (I think) as an executive at L&L MAG. Amazon had invested relatively little in Long Island City. Not only did it not have a team it had to move, it hadn't started buying land, sometimes at inflated prices and with money borrowed at high interest rates. So it had much less pressure to close the deal. Thing is: had Amazon gone ahead with its campus, it likely could have-...

From the New York Observer, 12/14/18,  The Most Powerful PR Firms of 2018 , which assesses a "holistic" view of the agency's year, not merely revenue or size: 1. BerlinRosen Last Year’s List: 29 Employees: 144 Leadership: Valerie Berlin and Jonathan Rosen, principals and co-founders Founded: 2005  Last year, we thought unwelcome publicity surrounding work for Mayor Bill DeBlasio muddled BerlinRosen’s reputation. After a gangbusters 2018, it’s clear the agency’s left that cloud behind—BerlinRosen now feels unstoppable. The firm cemented towering client relationships like Google’s Sidewalk Labs project in Toronto, mega-developers SL Green, Forest City, and Brookfield , tech educator General Assembly, and automaker BMW. Plus, they nabbed the World Trade Center project from Rubenstein. BerlinRosen’s hospitality practice keeps booming—think the Wythe, JFK’s TWA Flight Center Hotels and Marriott’s Autograph Collection. The firm’s been just as potent in its massive caus...

City & State New York yesterday published its Brooklyn Power 50, The most influential people in Brooklyn , focusing on those who influence government but who are not within it. (Here's the print issue , which is, of course, full of ads from the institutions/employers behind the winners, which is why the descriptions tend to be sunny.) Thus they bypassed the obvious candidates, as noted in the lead: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is identified with Brooklyn. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, the Senate minority leader and the most powerful Democrat in Washington, D.C, was born and raised there. Other high-profile political power brokers--Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, New York City Public Advocate Letitia James, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams--also hail from the borough. Unsurprisingly, several on the list have some ties to Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park and, perhaps unsurprisingly by now, the mostly highly-ranked person closely connected to the project, former Forest City Ratner/F...

I have an article today in City Limits based on the "agents of the city" email trove that the mayor's office was forced to release, which it did last Thursday, just before the long weekend, De Blasio Emails Shed Light on how ‘Affordable Housing’ is Packaged for the Press . From the lead: The emails (below), pried loose after a lawsuit by NY1 and the New York Post, also show how media events are staged, and why consultant BerlinRosen —both unpaid advisor and a paid consultant to de Blasio’s Campaign for One New York nonprofit, which operated 2013-16—might be prized by real estate developers aiming to stay on good terms with de Blasio.... Though the Mayor’s Office claimed, as cited in the court decision, that the “withheld documents relate to communications in which Mr. [Jonathan] Rosen was not acting on behalf of any clients nor interests they represent,” but rather offered advice “represent[ing] solely the interests of the Mayoralty and the City,” clearly there were ove...

As I  noted  last year, developer Bruce Ratner, who was  ranked #45  in City & State magazine's 2016 annual Power 100 list, left the list, and he hasn't returned to the 2018 list . But two firms that have served as consultants or lobbyists for Forest City and Greenland Forest City Partners retain their clout. From the article: VALERIE BERLIN / JONATHAN ROSEN Principals, BerlinRosen THIS YEAR'S RANK: 26 CHANGE: Down 7 LAST YEAR'S RANK: 19 Being trusted outside advisers to Mayor Bill de Blasio is this public relations team’s best asset and greatest liability. Candidates hiring BerlinRosen for campaigns open themselves to criticism for the firm’s ties to investigations into de Blasio’s fundraising. But since no charges were brought, the co-founders can laugh straight to the bank. They’ve continued selling the mayor’s message to the city while helping guide de Blasio to re-election, and also consulted on Laura Curran’s successful Nassau County executive campaign...

From PRWeek's 4 0 Under 40 awards , published 8/1/17 Jonathan Rosen Principal and cofounder, BerlinRosen, 38 Jonathan Rosen was only 26 when he cofounded BerlinRosen with Valerie Berlin in 2005. The duo built an agency on the idea there was a market for companies, organizations, and candidates looking for a PR firm that operates with the speed and intensity of political campaigns. Over the past 12 years, BerlinRosen has grown from a two-person shop started in an NYC apartment to a 110-person firm with offices in New York; Washington, DC; and Los Angeles. It also touts a client base composed of the world’s top companies, nonprofits, foundations, and candidates. Few, if any, agency founders or principals Rosen’s age are running firms the size of BerlinRosen or achieving the same level of success. He led public affairs and comms strategy for the 13 leading philanthropies, including the Ford Foundation, where he was behind the Detroit "Grand Bargain" to settle the city’s ba...

The next person working on p.r. for Atlantic Yards/Pacific may soon be hired, thanks to this BerlinRosen ad , which I've excerpted below and then posted in full as an impage. So it's worth taking a look. I've highlighted some sections for emphasis. The text below is verbatim. Account Supervisor, Cities & Real Estate- NYC New York, United States Full-time BerlinRosen, a leading national strategic communications firm, is seeking an Account Supervisor to help our rapidly growing Real Estate practice meet a wide range of communications and public relations goals for our real estate , economic development, hospitality, architecture and design clients who are shaping the future and landscapes of major cities across the U.S. - like New York, Los Angeles - and beyond. The position is ideal for dynamic candidates with 4-6 years of relevant experience in strategic communications, journalism, real estate and government. Excellent writing skills and media relations exper...

The New York Observer's 50 most powerful public relations firms in America lists three that have worked with or still work on Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park. They include DKC  (at 3), SKD Knickerbocker (at 26), and Berlin Rosen , which is at 27 after last year being ranked at 4. From the text: How plugged in is Berlin Rosen? Founder Jonathan Rosen is one of five outside “Agents of the City” on Mayor Bill de Blasio’s payroll. SVP Dan Levitan is chief spokesman for Hizzoner’s 2017 campaign. Eric Schneiderman’s PR guy, Andrew Friedman, joined the firm last year. Oh, and Berlin Rosen got subpoenaed as part of federal inquiries into de Blasio’s fundraising. BR’s still got boldface clients like Santiago Calatrava, the Ford Foundation, Forest City Ratner and UNICEF. But its legal woes, and the mayor’s well-publicized stumbles, have us wondering if the firm’s allegiances are working against it. BerlinRosen is still going gangbusters for Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park. Which, occasiona...

BdB: “Rosen’s never talked 2me, since I’ve been mayor, about a client” @observer @erinmdurkin @InsideCityHall Really https://t.co/zciaMcdkWf pic.twitter.com/hGeN0AZj51 — Norman Oder (@AYReport) November 29, 2016 He actually said that? @yoavgonen — Norman Oder (@AYReport) November 29, 2016 @AYReport @yoavgonen sure did https://t.co/O3vIBes0zt — Erin Durkin (@erinmdurkin) November 29, 2016 Oh, didn't BdB write "Cc'ing Rosen since he represents Barclay's Center"? Not "Cc'ing Rosen since he's such a thoughtful dude." @yoavgonen https://t.co/AhubbPLmTb — Norman Oder (@AYReport) November 29, 2016 By the way, note the coverage *after* I raised some of the issues (for which I was not credited): 11/25 Post ;  11/29 Post ; 11/29 Post ; 11/29 WSJ ; 11/29 Daily News; 11/29 Post editorial .

A pre-Thanksgiving document dump in response to a lawsuit from media outlets shows the consultant BerlinRosen and its co-leader Jonathan Rosen intimately involved with its client Mayor Bill de Blasio, which raises questions because the firm also represents firms doing business with the city, like Forest City Ratner, which then owned a majority share in the Barclays Center operating company. Notably, the documents ( posted in full by NY1 ) show BerlinRosen and mayoral advisors, in January 2015, feverishly responding to my online op-ed in the New York Times arguing against having the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Brooklyn, drafting op-eds, letters, and tweets from supportive public officials and business people. "How many immediately surrounding local businesses can we get lte's [Letters to the Editor] in today?" wrote Rosen to colleagues and de Blasio advisors on 1/21/15, the day of my essay.  "How many do we have ready to pitch a counter story to ny1 ...