"I've been doing this for a long time, and I think the people that I work with are aware of what they're getting -- it's not a surprise to them," the real estate broker explains to ET of keeping television a part of his brand. "They're excited that it's now on Netflix, so they can watch it on their phone anywhere in the world and, yeah, we have international clients, that was a big part of it for me, in kind of deciding which network to work with, you know? We have clients that are in Mumbai, Johannesburg, Korea and Norway, so I asked them like, 'Where are you?Where do you consume your content? Where will it be the best for us to be able to promote your properties?' And sure enough, Netflix is be all, end all."
The result is Owning Manhattan , a series not far off from MDLNY , but wholly focused on Ryan's brokerage, aptly named Serhant. Season 1 dropped Friday on Netflix, quickly securing its spot in the streamer's coveted "Top 10." The series is more Buying Beverly Hills than Selling Sunset , with more focus on the business dealings of the brand rather than the in-office drama, though that creeps in, too.
"One of the things that's very, very important, to me is ... Owning Manhattan is deals, it is deals and closings," Ryan makes clear. "It's firings, it's quittings, it's hiring. It's, like, the ups and downs, the crazy, everything in between of buying and selling property in New York City. It does not stop. It's a lot."
Ryan Serhant stars on Netflix's 'Owning Manhattan.'
Unlike MDLNY , Owning Manhattan features very little of Ryan's at-home life with wifeEmilia Bechrakis and their daughter, Zena . Ryan's already told that story, he says.
"I think anyone who's been watching me since Million Dollar Listing started in 2012, so-- I mean, it's almost 12 years now, I think -- the ability to see from mid-20s realtor, dating, trying to figure out how to make an income and pay my rent, to now being CEO, managing a staff of 150 people, managing 600 agents -- dealing with everything all at the same time -- I think is a really, really unique viewpoint to follow," he explains.
Ryan compares narrowing down his employees to the dozen or so featured on Owning Manhattan to The Hunger Games , withChloe Tucker Caine, Jade Shenker, Tricia Lee Riley, Nile Lundgren and Jonathan Nørmølle proving to be some of the standouts.
"Jade is really, seeing how she operates in life was really eye-opening for me, seeing Chloe-- it took me by surprise, Jonathan, you know, Jonathan's a tricky one for me he," Ryan rattles off reviewing the group. Jonathan (spoiler alert!) ultimately lost his job at the brokerage before season 1's end, due to what Ryan felt was unprofessional behavior with clients. Netflix cameras captured his firing.
"I haven't spoken to Jonathan," Ryan reveals. "When I let him go, we shot it all in real time. Like, real time, he ripped his microphone off, you know, stormed out and haven't really spoken to him since. ... But I don't burn bridges. If he has a buyer for one of our listings, or we have a buyer for one of his listings, I'd love to do a deal. You never know what the future could hold."
Maybe (and that's a strong maybe) Jonathan will finally bring a buyer for the Central Park Tower penthouse, a listing Ryan opened up to a select few at the brokerage that failed to sell by season's end.
"I'll keep you posted," he teases of the listing's current status. Maybe that means in (a yet-to-be announced) season 2, during which Ryan hopes to show more of the ins and outs of the brand he's built.
"Our company is based in a clubhouse," he notes. "Season 1 was very focused on the agents, as it should be. There is so much drama-- I'd say even more drama with this staff. Like, there's a reason people love the show The Office .There's a reason why people love Suits .Like, there's a reason when you take all the drama of real estate, and then you have the employees, there's stuff that I really wanted to do that we just didn't have time for that I'd love to, like, once you meet our president that we finally hired, or our CFO, you know, these people are, they're a lot."
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