Artifact and The Harlem Collective are two divisions of The Upper Group Development LLC, which owns and manages a portfolio of shared office spaces and residential and commercial properties across Manhattan's Upper West Side.

As Office and Property Manager, I oversaw the full scope of daily operations and communications for nine residential buildings and two co-working facilities housing over ninety private offices and dedicated desks. I acted as the central liaison between tenants, members, management, shareholders, vendors, and service providers, ensuring the seamless flow of all property and operational activities.

In addition to operational oversight, I produced the company's procedural and technical documentation, created all advertising content and materials, and managed both online and print marketing campaigns across the firm's entire portfolio. Specifically, while there I -

• Managed all communication channels between the company's owners, supporting services (cleaning/maintenance) and external vendors (by phone, text, email, video meetings, internal chats).

• Communicated with brokers from other NYC real estate agencies, and NYC's FHEPS/HPD offices when I managed apartments listed under the Affordable Rental/Living Programs.

• Managed the occupancy for private office spaces and desk memberships.

• Coordinated all leasing, move-in and move-out activities.

• Collected, organized and filed in the company resources and tenants' residential platforms leases, contracts and supporting documentation.

• Collected rent using ACH through Buildium (residential/commercial) and Archie (office/commercial leases).

• Monitored monthly rent rolls, created reports and sent out the lease renewl notifications (90-day, 60-day and 30 day reminders - where necessary).

• Created and manage listings on StreetEasy.com (residential) and Craigslist.org (commercial).

• Sent out welcome packages and made key pick-up arrangements.

• Conducted new tenant orientation sessions through video calls.

• Maintained all vendors account and communications (Spectrum, Verizon, etc.).

• Created and managed trackers for ll in-house daily and monthly processes such as move-ins/move-outs, apartment and office inspections, cleaning and repairs.

• Submitted new building registrations to NYC/HPD and annual bed bug reports.

• Greeted all office visitors and office appointments.

• Manage members invoices (rentals, printing, admin, etc.)

• Opened/closed/canceled/suspended member accounts (Archie app).

• Managed the communications with residential tenants, their maintenance tickets, (Buildium), and documentation such as leases, certificates of insurance, personal IDs).

• Scheduled office spaces and apartment tours and inspections.

• Created and maintain the company's procedural manuals and operating documents/spreadsheets such as move-in and move-out trackers, Wi-Fi accounts, physical keys (using Google Sheets/Docs/Drive, Airtable and Box.com).

• Managed members and tenants building access codes (ButterflyMX and Latch apps).

• Monitored the cleaning and maintenance teams' calendars, workflows and performances.

• Ordered and managed office supplies, equipment.

• Communicate constantly with external vendors and suppliers such as IT contractors and internet service providers.

• In line with the above, I maintained office equipment leases and service contracts.

• Scheduled and coordinated conference room usage and meetings.

• Facilitated communication between departments, management, and customers.

• Coordinated the distribution of mail, manage messenger services and package deliveries including owners correspondence.

• Helped users with Wi-Fi connection setups and with printing, scanning, and photocopying documents.

• Booked appointments and conference rooms for company owners.

• Monitored security cameras.

• Wrote the new team member training manuals.

At Brown Harris Stevens, I supported a team of three brokers and ten agents by coordinating the full transactional process and managing marketing, PR, and listing operations. I oversaw advertising strategies, contractual documentation, and database systems that supported both client communications and business development initiatives.:

• Filled out agency agreements, exclusive sales and lease contracts and managed the document flow between brokers, agencies and clients.

• Collected documentation for, and assisted with assembling co-op and condo board packages.

• Coordinated open house scheduling with property owners and the team's sales agents; managed photo/video shoots sessions with photographers.

• Designed industry-specific advertisements and created, deployed and managed print and digital paid ad campaigns (Google/Facebook).

• Edited floor plans for possible alternative layouts that the buyers may be intersted in. In some cases, whre floorplans were not available, I would measure the units and build floor plans for them from scratch.

• Managed a database of nearly 30,000 clients which I used as a master resource for creating segmented, targeted marketing mailing lists.

• Inserted and managed listings in agencies' databases and report on the ads status on syndicated publishing platforms (NYTimes.com, Wall Street Journal, OLR, etc.)

• Managed all communication channels between brokers and their associates: attorneys, investors, managing agencies; create and submit weekly client reports.

• Updated broker profiles and ads on agency websites and social media accounts.

• Managed special-interest projects such as promoting the broker's presences at art galleries in New York, New Jersey and Washington D.C.

My decision to join The Corcoran Group, was entirely based on my interest in capitalizing on my previous experience operating a special real estate advertising niche. However, the position I accepted offered implied incentives beyond my direct interest so, shortly after joining the company, I found myself running the inhouse operations of one of the brokerage's top associate brokers specializing in the luxury and investment properties in New York City. With (supposly) an additional office in London, and someone who belongs to the elite top 1% producers in the world, this broker has also entrusted me with coordinating the entire deal life-cycles of their residential, commercial and investment portfolios.

While there the nature of workload was of high intensity and involvement, a fact which gave me the opportunity to learn and execute deal routines that most real estate professionals would achieve in probably close to two years. During that time I processed listings and contracts valued at $20M+ (verifiable). In addition to creating and processing all the legal and industry documentation required for the full-cycle of each transaction, I managed all communication channels with the broker's associates: attorneys, buyers, seller, investors, other brokers, property management companies and building owners. I also wrote copy, inserted and maintained listings in databases, managed the broker's calendar, team's junior real estate agents' schedules, did buyer searches, created broker/buyer itineraries and coordinated with vendors: payroll processor, cleaning services and outsourced photographers/staging studios.

My involvement at Halstead (before it was absorbed by Brown Harris Stevens) was purely a design project where my main responsibility was to create and manage the print and digital marketing campaigns for one of their top rental market producers. With nearly twenty years in the business, this broker was a recipient of the Producers Council Highest Volume of Transactions Award, and a well respected member of the Certified Senior Relocation Agent Gold Circle.

My interest in working with this broker was influenced by the opportunity to become part of, and bring my contribution to their aggressive proposal to grow the business in a challenging market. On their part, they were looking, in particular, for the expertise in business rebranding. In addition, while the broker had a sustained rental activity at 'street level', their presence in the digital space was - virtually - invisible. This was another factor that caught my interest in working at Halstead. During this project, I-

No matter what I had my hand in, my work performance was evaluated equally with the same high degree of appreciation by agencies' managing directors, their member brokers and teams, by all their wonderful support departments/staff and agent, as well as by their clients - the buyers and sellers.

Here's what one of my former colleagues sent me to use as a reference letter.

"I had the pleasure of working with Dan for more than three years, collaborating on a range of projects that required exceptional coordination, communication, and strategic insight. Throughout our time working together, Dan consistently demonstrated excellence in advertising, project management, and workflow organization-seamlessly blending creativity with analytical precision to deliver outstanding results.

With a career spanning publishing, advertising, academia, and artificial intelligence, Dan brings a uniquely multidimensional perspective to every initiative. His expertise in B2B and B2C communications, governance, and both corporate and social media strategy allows him to build meaningful bridges between technology, creative industries, and people. Whether managing marketing campaigns, coordinating cross-functional teams, or developing business strategies backed by meticulous data and spreadsheet analyses, Danut approaches every challenge with professionalism, clarity, and vision.

What truly distinguishes Dan is his calm leadership and steady temperament. Even in high-pressure environments, he remains composed, focused, and solutions-oriented-qualities that inspire confidence and collaboration among colleagues. His entrepreneurial mindset, critical thinking, and exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, reflect his ability to align strategic goals with effective execution.

Across his diverse and accomplished career, Dan has proven to be a thoughtful leader and a dedicated professional who combines intellectual depth with creative energy. I am grateful for the time we worked together and look forward to future opportunities for collaboration. Any organization would benefit greatly from his strategic insight, composure, and unwavering commitment to excellence."

Andrea Langen, Real Estate Development Controller (formerly at Artifact)
Planning Office for Urban Affairs (POUA)
Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Today's real estate advertising services run on AI-trained algorithms. In this new environment, effective property advertising and marketing are essential to a broker's success. A well-marketed property attracts more qualified prospects, generates greater exposure, and increases the likelihood of securing favorable lease or sale terms in a shorter timeframe. Why don't you have a look here at what I mean >

AI-generated LISTING PHOTOS

What you see below are photos I created for commercial real estate sales presentations using AI. The series started with a photo I took of a real office and which I first stripped of furniture by asking a model to follow my instructions. Following that, I wrote specific prompts detailing the purpose and client profile for each proposed presentation. Lastly, I fed the prompts to a Large Language Model (that was already trained on specific ad stylesheets) and asked it to edit my original photo and complete the new images.

original photo


desks removed


real estate sales office


commercial real estat broker


managing director's office


CEO's office


boardroom


law or investment firm


private equity office


startup business office


architects office with reception


newsroom

HIGHLIGHTS OF MY PERFORMANCE

During my eight months supporting the broker's operations at The Corcoran Group, I coordinated and processed listings and contracts totaling over $20 million in verified transactions.

One of my key contributions was streamlining the broker's daily operations by transferring a significant portion of their administrative and transactional workload to my management. This allowed the broker to focus on business growth, client acquisition, and deal negotiation—resulting in a marked increase in productivity and closed transactions.

Another major contribution came from applying the research and analytical skills I had developed earlier in my advertising career. I conducted in-depth market research and prepared tailored comparative reports, presentation decks, and digital brochures (PDF) that were customized for each buyer or investor inquiry. These materials consistently proved instrumental in facilitating faster, more confident sales decisions.

By the time I transitioned out of the role, the broker's active portfolio had more than doubled, and both the volume of active listings and the number of closed contracts were continuing to grow steadily.

BEFORE REAL ESTATE

Before venturing into the dynamic world of real estate, I spent more than twenty five years in the publishing and advertising industries. That experience not only honed my skills in marketing, content creation, and client communications, but also gave me a unique perspective on the power of real estate as a content-driven industry. It was this combination that inspired me to bring my expertise into real estate, blending operational knowledge with creative marketing strategies.

You can explore more about my professional background here.

RéSUMé

Download my résumé here.