Hal Bastian and Scooter — July 2019
Hal Bastian Inc.
For real estate related matters, please email Hal at Hal@majorproperties.com
Phone: 213-440-0242
Hal Bastian is 37 year commercial real estate professional, who has spent over 27 years helping to create the Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) Renaissance.
In February of 2020, Hal was recruited by Major Properties in DTLA to be its Executive Vice President, returning him to his commercial real estate brokerage roots. Hal focuses his time on retail and hospitality transactions, as well as development deals.
Hal will continue, on a limited basis, to offer the following services through Hal Bastian Inc., which he began in October of 2014:
-Consulting Services, including any kind of project or advocacy in DTLA, which Hal can do personally or in association with one of thousands of people he knows in every kind of industry;
-Specialty DTLA tours for all kinds of audiences, including real estate developers, investors, bankers, convention and affinity groups, as well as employee team building; and
-Video Content, in collaboration with Ryan Morris (who produced California Gold for Huell Howser), for websites, social media, personal profiles and histories, as well as their video show, “What’s Up, Downtown?” which can be seen on YouTube or at halbastian.com.
From December of 2001 to September of 2014, Hal was the Director of Economic Development for the Downtown Center Business Improvement District (DCBID) and became its Executive Vice President.
Some of his accomplishments at the DCBID included: facilitating the building of over 22,000 housing units; leading tours and producing special events that recruited thousands of new residents and resulted in the construction of dozens of new commercial and mixed-use developments; and recruiting over 300 new businesses, including Ralphs Fresh Fare, Bottega Louie and Whole Foods.
In 1994, he joined Cushman & Wakfield in DTLA and before joining the DCBID, Hal served as the leasing director of The Old Bank District, the first adaptive reuse loft apartment project in DTLA, where he popularized a dog friendly Downtown, with the help of his Golden Retriever, Buddy. In 1983, Hal began his career as an office space and retail broker at Julien J. Studley, Inc.
Hal, fondly referred to by many as “Mr Downtown and the “Mayor Of Downtown,” lives in DTLA, two blocks south of City Hall, with his faithful dog, Scooter.
"Everything You Always Wanted to Know About
Dog Massage (But Were Afraid to Ask)"
"Dog Day 2017"
"Talking with Angels (July 2017 Update)"
"About That Joe's Logo"
"When The Angels Fly Again"
"The NEW L.A. State Historic Park"
"Turning Art into a Profession"
"Talking with Angels"
"What Would Karl Do? Karl Strauss Brewing Company"
"New Year 2017 at Central Library"
"The World's Largest Thrift Store"
"Hal to Win Friends..."
"The Magic Candidate"
"Uli"
"The Blind Girl"
"Scooter's Very Own Episode"
"Otium's Chef Timothy Hollingsworth"
"Keep it on the LEVEL"
"Showboat"
"FIGat7th Part 3: TASTE Food Hall"
"Resinate, Resonate!"
“Gym Etiquette for the Extraordinarily Self-Involved”
“Wine Tasting Basics”
“San Antonio Winery: Behind the Scenes”
“Fogo de Chão vs. Hal”
“FIDM Redux: Star Wars”
“Fan-tastic FIDM”
“FIGat7th Part 2: Kids Club”
“Ross Cutlery: Quick Cut”
“FIGat7th Part 1: Farmers Market”
“To the Republic, with Maccheroni We Stand”
“Say “Hi” to Whole Foods”
“Miripolsky”
“Ricebar”
“Hal’s Transitions…”
“Dog Day”
“to the sky…”
“the Market”
“The Bloc”
“What’s Up, Downtown? with Hal Bastian” (2015) is a brand new series about the rebirth of Downtown Los Angeles. Our aim is to tell the positive stories of today’s Downtown in an ongoing series seen regularly throughout the year.
The series will visit a wide range of subjects from small shops to large-scale developments, cultural festivals, nightclubs, and special events. From Chinatown to the Old Bank District to L.A. LIVE, the possibilities are endless!
“What’s Up, Downtown?” is produced by Ryan Morris, who for 8 years worked alongside Huell Howser, host of PBS’s “California’s Gold.” The segments are hosted by Hal Bastian, a familiar face to Downtown who has been a leader in the Downtown Los Angeles Renaissance for over 20 years.
For many in Los Angeles and beyond, Downtown is still a distant and unknown place. Our mission is, quite simply, to be the first in telling the expansive stories of Downtown’s many different neighborhoods.
“What’s Up, Downtown?” will be funded by sponsorships.
If you have an interest in learning about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Hal at hal@halbastian.com.
Our Current Sponsors:
Athena Parking
Barbara Bundy
The Edison
Frank L.A.
Jeff Lee & Clare Bronowski
Jennifer Foster
Onni Group
Shaffer Team at George Smith Partners
Tina Karagias
Holland Partners Group
The Orpheum Theatre
On October 1, 2014, he founded his own consulting practice dedicated to building an even better DTLA and helping other downtowns to use the best practices he has developed for DTLA in their city centers.
As a consultant, Hal provides many services including: introductions, referrals to vendors and professionals; networking opportunities and strategic partnerships; underwriting and development advice; VIP, large group, market overview and underwriting tours; venue recommendations for special events, to name just a few areas of his expertise.
From December of 2001 to September of 2014, Hal served as the Director of Economic Development for the Downtown Center Business Improvement District (DCBID) and rose to become its Executive Vice President.
In his role at the DCBID, Hal directly recruited and/or facilitated the recruitment of office users, retailers, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, amenities, developers, investors, equity, debt and residents to DTLA by building confidence in the marketplace and is referred to by many as “Mr. Downtown” and/or the “Mayor of Downtown.” He knows over 12,000 people in DTLA.
His accomplishments at the DCBID were many, including: helping to facilitate the building of over 22,000 housing units, including both traditional and loft-style apartments and condominiums; creating and leading tours and producing special events that helped recruit over 35,000 new residents; recruiting over 300 new businesses, including Ralphs Fresh Fare, Bottega Louie, Whole Foods and Urban Outfitters; producing three special events in New York City targeting the investment bank community to encourage investment in DTLA developments, including both residential and commercial projects; serving on the Downtown Neighborhood Council; and advocating for the community.
Hal began his career as an office space and retail broker at Julien J. Studley, Inc., entered the DTLA marketplace as a retail broker for Cushman & Wakefield and just prior to being recruited to the DCBID, Hal served as the leasing director of The Old Bank District, the first adaptive reuse project in DTLA that converted historic office buildings into loft-style apartments.
In his role at the Old Bank District, Hal created a “dog friendly” community with the help of his Golden Retriever, “Buddy,” ultimately resulting in the thousands of four-legged friends who can now be seen with their humans walking the vital and alive streets of DTLA’s many neighborhoods.
In 2015, Hal created a new web based show about all the great things going on in DTLA, including residential and commercial developments, new restaurants, bars and nightclubs, old favorites and most importantly, the people. The program can be seen at halbastian.com
– Residential Development
– Commercial Development
– Office
– Retail
– Hospitality (restaurants, bars, nightclubs and hotels)
Services include:
– Strategic Planning
– Market Intelligence
– Introductions & Referrals
– Underwriting, Group and Private tours
– Marketing Strategies
– Government advice
– Tenant Recruitment
– Special Event Venue Recommendations
– Best Practices for other Downtown areas
– Custom Video Production
Hal Bastian Inc.
Downtown Revitalization Consulting
James Oviatt Building
617 S. Olive Street #908
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Phone: 213-440-0242
