Josh Flagg
Josh Flagg | |
---|---|
![]() Flagg in 2014 | |
Born | Joshua Daniel Flagg August 20, 1985 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Occupations | |
Employer | Rodeo Realty[1] |
Television | Bravo's Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles |
Spouse | Bobby Boyd (m. 2017 div. 2023) |
Relatives | Benjamin Platt (great grandfather)
Edith Flagg (grandmother) Herman Platt (grandfather) Len Jacoby (uncle) Jacoby & Meyers |
Website | joshflagg |
Joshua Daniel Flagg (born August 20, 1985) is an American real estate agent, television personality,[2] author, public speaker, media entrepreneur, and contributor to several real estate publications and news outlets.
He is an original cast member on the show Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles on the Bravo television network.[3] The show follows young real estate agents in Los Angeles as they sell high-end luxury residential real estate.[4] Flagg has been recognized by The Wall Street Journal as one of the top-ranked agents in California and the United States and nationally by sales volume and as a top 25 real estate agent by The Hollywood Reporter.[5]
Flagg has authored three books, The Deal: Secrets For Mastering The Art Of Negotiation in 2022, Million Dollar Agent: Brokering the Dream, which was published in 2011,[6] and A Simple Girl: Stories My Grandmother Told Me, published in 2009. Flagg was featured on Forbes' 30 Under 30 in 2012 as a top record-breaking real estate agent.[7][8] He has also been featured on NBC's Today Show,[9] ABC's Good Morning America[10] E!, CBS The Insider, Fox, and Bravo's Watch What Happens: Live[11][12] as well as in the pages of The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times,[13] Forbes Magazine, and Variety, among others.
He has made several appearances on television programs such as "The Wheel," "Meredith Vieira," and "The Doctors." Additionally, he has participated in the opening and closing ceremonies of the US Stock Exchange as well as NASDAQ several times. His media coverage includes features in news outlets like The New York Post, Daily Mail, TMZ, Variety, Real Deal, Los Angeles Business Journal, Huffington Post, ABC News and People Magazine.
Early life and education
Josh Flagg was born on August 20, 1985, in Los Angeles, California.[14] He is the son of Michael and Cindy (Platt) Flagg of Los Angeles. Flagg’s father Michael was President of the highly successful women’s apparel line Edith Flagg, Inc. He is the grandson of philanthropist, electronics executive and Benjamin Platt, founder and owner of the nationwide Platt Music Corporation chain of stores.[15] He also built and owned several buildings in downtown Los Angeles such as the Platt Music Company building at 834 S. Broadway. The building commissioned by Flagg’s great grandfather was built by the famed architectural firm of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Walker and Eisen. It still bears the name PLATT on it. Platt had a fifty-year-long business relationship with Tom May of the May Company chain of department stores.[16]
Benjamin Platt was one of the founders of Hillcrest Country Club, the City of Hope, the Los Angeles Jewish Home and Sinai Temple, along with Candy Spelling’s grandfather Eugene Rosen. Flagg is the grandson of Marjorie and Herman Platt, Chairman of Platt Music Corporation. Herman and Marjorie endowed the Herman and Marjorie Platt Gallery at the American Jewish University in Bel Air. Herman founded Mount Sinai Memorial Park in Los Angeles, CA. where the administrative building is named after him. He was also a major fundraiser for the American Jewish University (formerly the University of Judaism).
On his father's side, Flagg is the grandson of American (Austrian-born) philanthropist,[17] fashion industry executive and designer Edith Flagg, best known as the first person to import polyester as a fashion textile to the United States.[18] Along with her husband Eric, Edith operated the nationwide women’s apparel line Edith Flagg, Inc which reportedly afforded her a net worth of $100 million dollars. At her death on August 14, 2014 the company had offices across the United States as well as factories in Europe. Corporate headquarters were at the family office building at 400 S. Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills. The 40,000 sq. ft. building was known for the large marquee on the roof that read FLAGG. The Flagg family also had offices on 7th Avenue in New York City. She was later known for her reoccurring role on Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles alongside her grandson.[19]
Flagg grew up in Los Angeles where he attended Brentwood School, a private school in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles. In 2003, Flagg left Brentwood and attended Beverly Hills High School where he graduated the following year.[20]
Career
Josh Flagg commenced his real estate career at the age of 19[21] initially focusing on residential sales in high end neighborhoods such as Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Holmby Hills, and the Sunset Strip. During his high school years, Flagg apprenticed under real estate broker Bruce Nelson at the John Bruce Nelson firm in Bel Air,[22] Nelson, renowned as the "Broker to the Stars" and the Hollywood elite, served as Flagg's mentor from age 16 to 21. From 2021-2024, Flagg was affiliated with Douglas Elliman Beverly Hills. In 2024, he was tapped by Robert Reffkin to join Compass Inc, the publicly traded real estate firm with offices around the country. Flagg is an agent with the Beverly Hills office in 2007.[23]
Throughout his career as a real estate agent, Flagg has had many record sales,[15] including the highest sale in the history of Brentwood Park and a $25 million residential sale in Beverly Hills.[20] He has also been the listing agent for reputable estates including Merv Griffin's Bel Air estate and the Dorothy Chandler Estate in Hancock Park.[24] He has also sold homes to various celebrities including Adam Levine,[20][24][25] Steve Aoki,[26] Shonda Rhymes[27] and Tom Ford.[28]
In 2009, Flagg started working at Keller Williams Westside in Los Angeles, California, where he started "Josh Flagg Estates." According to Forbes, Flagg has sold over $1 billion worth of property during his career.[24] He later began working with Rodeo Realty.[1]
Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles
In 2006, Flagg, along with two other agents, Madison Hildebrand and Chad Rogers, were picked to star in a reality TV series following their careers in the real estate industry. They started filming for the show, Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, and it aired on Bravo in August 2006. The show continued with the original cast until Season 4 when Josh Altman co-starred along with Flagg and Hildebrand.[29]
After Season 6 concluded in 2013, Hildebrand left the show, making Flagg the only remaining original cast member.[30] Flagg and Altman were joined by James Harris and David Parnes for Season 7.[4][31] The series aired its 10th Season in 2017, with Flagg, Harris, Hildebrand and Parnes returning and realtor Tracy Tutor joining its cast.[32]
Other activities
At 14 years old, Flagg began writing a book about his grandmother, Edith Flagg. As her only grandchild, Flagg was close to his grandmother, who was a Holocaust survivor and, later, a fashion industry executive.[18] The book, A Simple Girl: Stories My Grandmother Told Me, was published in 2009. Proceeds from the book's sales go towards the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.[33]
Flagg published his second book, Million Dollar Agent: Brokering the Dream, in 2011. The book is an autobiography that details his personal life from growing up in Los Angeles to becoming one of the city's top real estate agents.[34][35]
In 2012, Flagg started a mobile app called 'Star Maps,' which is a directory of hundreds of properties associated with celebrities in the Los Angeles area.[36] The app uses GPS to direct users and tourists to places of well-known estates or celebrity properties with details about the home and its celebrity-ownership that are cross-referenced with research from the city's public records.[37]
Melissa Rivers presented Flagg with the Next Generation award from the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust in 2013.[38]
Personal life
Flagg lives in Beverly Hills, California, and in January 2013, he purchased a micro-estate above the Sunset Strip from Jeffrey Katzenberg's son writer/producer David Katzenberg.[39] He sold the property in 2015 to Nicolas Pakzad, the son of designer Bijan Pakzad.[40] In June 2015, Flagg bought the estate of Tony award-winning producer Michael Filerman. The estate is located a few doors away from Paul McCartney's home that he bought from Courtney Love, and is located on a street filled with past and present celebrity owners such as Don Johnson, Prince and Ozzy Osbourne.[41] Flagg also owns his late grandmother's penthouse in the Century Towers complex in Century City.[42]
Flagg is openly gay, having come out in March 2011.[43] In July 2016, Flagg proposed to his fiancé, Bobby Boyd, during a flash mob at the Four Seasons Hotel George V.[44] The couple got married on September 10, 2017, at the Beverly Hills Hotel, LA. The couple announced their divorce in March 2022.[45]
Flagg is a collector of fine art,[46] rare automobiles, and one of the largest collectors of Billy Haines furniture in the country.[47][48] He has traveled[49] to more than sixty countries and has an affinity for architecture and home design.
Charity
Flagg serves on the Board of Governors of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Jewish home. In 2016, he co-chaired the "Rock for Research" event for Cedars-Sinai.[50]
See also
References
- ^ a b Mark David (February 11, 2015). "Josh Flagg of 'Million Dollar Listing' Lists Sunset Strip Cottage". Variety. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- ^ "Josh Flagg On Ryan Serhant: 'Ryan May Be Good In NYC But He's In My Territory'". Inquisitor. September 18, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ Kimberly Nordyke (October 14, 2013). "Million Dollar Listing LA: A look inside the agents' own homes". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ a b Tierney Bricker (June 23, 2014). "Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles Casting Shakeup and Premiere Date Revealed—Who's in and Who's Out for Season 7". E! Online. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ "THR Lists Hollywood's Top 25 Real Estate Agents". The Hollywood Reporter. December 5, 2013. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ Ann Brenoff (March 31, 2011). "'Million Dollar Listing' Star Josh Flagg Sells More Than Homes". AOL. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ "30 Under 30 Real Estate". Forbes. 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ Joanne Davidson (June 14, 2012). "Million Dollar Listing's Josh Flagg at Colorado AIDS Project event". The Denver Post. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ "'Million Dollar' advice on selling your home". NBC. August 6, 2013. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ Pflum, Mary; Murphy, Eliza (August 28, 2013). "New Real Estate Trend Uses Hollywood-Like Videos to Help Sell Your Home". ABC News. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ "Josh Flagg & Madison Hildebrand". Bravo. 24 July 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
- ^ "MDL: LA". Bravo. 14 September 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
- ^ "Top real estate sales of 2016: L.A.’s record year included two $100-million sales" Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
- ^ Laura Schrefler (September 19, 2013). "Haute Secrets: 'Million Dollar Listings' Broker Josh Flagg". Haute Living. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
- ^ a b "Josh Flagg" (PDF). Top Agent Magazine. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 7, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
- ^ Mullaney, Julia (2020-08-11). "'Million Dollar Listing:' Josh Flagg's Real Estate Fortune Is Only a Fraction of His Net Worth". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
- ^ "RG-16.10.01.03. Birth certificate for Edith Faierstein; reissued on 30 August 1976; includes translation | Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust". lamoth.info. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
- ^ a b Lauren Weigle (October 29, 2014). "Edith Flagg, Josh Flagg's Grandmother: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
- ^ Erin Weinger (August 13, 2014). "Edith Flagg, 'Million Dollar Listing' Grandma, dies at 94". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Josh Flagg: Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles". Millennium Magazine. February 10, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
- ^ Rachel Abrams (March 9, 2013). "Bravo's million-dollar Realtor Josh Flagg talks high-rise living and the importance of reputation". Culture Map Dallas. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ Ruth Ryon (August 13, 2006). "Go-going away from the Valley". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ Intersimone, Jenna (2021-11-10). "Celebs Who Sold Homes For Much Less Than They Bought Them For". House Digest. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
- ^ a b c Dan Schawbel (July 28, 2014). "Joshua Flagg: Entrepreneurship Lessons From A Top Real Estate Agent". Forbes. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ Lily Harrison (26 October 2012). "'The Voice' Judge Adam Levine Buys $4.8M Beverly Hills Bachelor Pad - Take a Peek Inside". CelebBuzz. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
- ^ Lauren Beale (October 9, 2014). "Steve Aoki sells Hollywood Hills West home with studio". Los Angeles. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- ^ Plagianos, Irene. "TV Hitmaker Shonda Rhimes Buys Los Angeles Home for $4.6 Million". Retrieved 2018-02-28.
- ^ Hopkins, Kathryn. "Tom Ford Drops $39M on a Fashionable Los Angeles Home". Retrieved 2018-03-01.
- ^ Rob Owen (January 31, 2011). "'Million Dollar Listing' returns minus a cast member". Community Voices. Archived from the original on December 23, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ Kevin O'Donnell (June 20, 2014). "Madison Hildebrand: Why I'm Leaving 'MDLLA'". Bravo. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ "First Look at 'MDLLA' Season 7". Bravo. June 23, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ "WATCH: Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles' Return Features a Fiery Realtor Showdown: 'He's an Unethical Wimp'". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2018-02-28.
- ^ "Authors Corner: Josh Flagg Dishes on His New Book A Simple Girl". The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. September 25, 2009. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ "Gay Real Estate Mogul Josh Flagg Talks Love, Life and Million Dollar Houses in Out Front Colorado Interview". Out Front. March 23, 2011. Archived from the original on December 23, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ "Million Dollar Listing's Josh Flagg comes out gay". Chicago Pride. March 24, 2011. Archived from the original on December 23, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ Daniel Miller (June 6, 2012). "Sayonara, Star Maps! Bravo Reality Star Says He Will Put Them Out of Business". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ Ann Brenoff (April 13, 2012). "Star Maps? Josh Flagg Has An App For That". Huffington Post. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ "The Museum of the Holocaust Celebrates Josh Flagg". Bravo. Archived from the original on April 18, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- ^ Adrian Glick Kudler (August 2, 2013). "Million Dollar Lister Josh Flagg Buys David Katzenberg's House". Curbed LA. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
- ^ "'Million Dollar Listing' Star Cashes In By Selling Playhouse For String of Celeb Kids". TMZ. March 4, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- ^ Neil J. Leitberg (June 6, 2015). "'Million Dollar' development in Beverly Hills". LA Times. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
- ^ Mark David (August 2, 2013). "David Katzenberg Sells Sunset Strip Digs To Josh Flagg". Variety. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
- ^ SDGLN EXCLUSIVE: Josh Flagg comes out on Bravo's “Million Dollar Listing,” reveals his boyfriend, discusses memoir
- ^ Aurelie Corinthios; Brittany King (July 18, 2016). "Million Dollar Listing: LA's Josh Flagg is Engaged to Boyfriend Bobby Boyd". People. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
- ^ Brody, Lanae (March 14, 2022). "Josh Flagg and Bobby Boyd Are 'Hanging In' Amidst Divorce, Says MDLLA Co-star Tracy Tutor". People Magazine.
- ^ "Josh Flagg, The Man Behind The Million-Dollar Lifestyle" Bella. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- ^ "I bought it at Christie’s" Christies.com. Retrieved 2018-06-24.
- ^ "Million Dollar Magnate: Josh Flagg" Archived 2018-07-20 at the Wayback Machine Viyet. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- ^ "21 Unstoppable Real Estate Hotshots" Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-06-24.
- ^ "1ST ANNUAL ROCK FOR RESEARCH SUMMER CONCERT" EG Vodka. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
External links
- Living people
- 1985 births
- American people of Romanian-Jewish descent
- Television personalities from Los Angeles
- Beverly Hills High School alumni
- American real estate brokers
- American gay men
- American LGBT businesspeople
- Gay Jews
- Gay businessmen
- LGBT people from California
- People from Beverly Hills, California
- Participants in American reality television series