Latest news with #Gersh
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Joe Gersh thinks Melbourne is falling behind Sydney. And he knows how to fix it
Why? 'Because it invigorates … it's meant to be very good for you,' he says with enthusiasm, but adding that he is sceptical of the benefits. 'I'm, as you know, turning 70. I say 70 is the new 50,' he continues. Saint Haven pilates classes three times a week have got him within his ideal body mass index range. 'I don't know what fate has in store in terms of health, but until it tells me, I'm full steam ahead. I can't imagine anything, any fate worse than not having something to do – a new challenge every day.' Gersh, who describes himself as centre-right, is executive chair of specialist real estate investment firm Gersh Investment Partners, a former senior partner at Jewish law firm Arnold Bloch Leibler, a director of right-wing policy forum The Sydney Institute, and governments of both stripes have appointed him to numerous board directorships, including the Reserve Bank payments system board, Artbank and the Australia Council. The lawyer-turned-businessman enjoys making connections. Ex-treasurer Peter Costello is a friend from university. He sat with publisher Louise Adler and businesswoman Carol Schwartz in his English class at Mount Scopus College. Seek co-founder Paul Bassat was his articles clerk at ABL. When I moved to Melbourne in 2021, someone said to get in touch with him. We have been to lunch a few times at establishment restaurants. He clearly enjoys the company of journalists. I once went to dinner at his house (well, one of them). Loading Before our meeting, I wrote out my list of topics: The ABC and controversies. Israel/Gaza and antisemitism. Being a Melburnian. Split with wife/coming out as gay. Buying a flat on The Block. Turns out I had forgotten one – solving Australia's housing crisis. Gersh looks puzzled when I bring up the reality TV program. He moved into one of the TV show's transformed apartments, taking up residence in the complex after separating from his wife Zita, and subsequently buying an apartment there. His firm is a fund and investment manager, linking up capital with developers. Supalai, his Thai clients, recently made a huge play by teaming up with Stockland; in a deal valued at $1.3 billion, they bought 12 of Lendlease's residential master-planned housing projects in greenfield growth areas. That's thousands of planned homes across Australia. 'We have got the policy settings all wrong,' Gersh says. He criticises the Victorian state government for its long-term housing blueprint, which aims for 70 per cent of development in inner-urban areas and 30 per cent of development in the outer-growth areas. 'Except the demand for housing is exactly the opposite,' Gersh says. 'It's 70 per cent in the growth areas and 30 per cent in the city. And you can't, by planning regulation, shift the preferences and desires of people as to how they want to live. Loading 'New South Wales is doing better than Victoria,' he continues. He relates his 'tale of two cities' anecdote, how NSW Premier Chris Minns met with Supalai readily, but Gersh has had no luck getting them in front of Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan. 'There is a can-do attitude in New South Wales, they're ahead of their transport infrastructure needs. They're not fearful of developers. It's a different attitude, a different mindset, and the consequence is we're lagging behind.' State and federal government impositions and costs, some of which he accepts are necessary, make up about half of what it costs to build a new home. 'Will government solve the housing crisis? My answer is, to the maximum extent that they can keep out and allow private industry to do it, the crisis will be solved a lot quicker.' The smoothies and food arrive. Hydration C Elixir ($9), a sweet tangy bomb of lime mixed with Australian lake salt and Kakadu plum, is no match for the special smoothie of the day, the Inner Vitality Marieke Smoothie ($20), billed as a 'nutrient-rich smoothie developed by Marieke Rodenstein, head of research in biohacking and longevity, supports gut health, cognition, energy and cellular longevity'. Gersh is delighted with it. The food is modern Australian healthful. My muscle bowl ($34) is both high-protein and nutrient-dense, with Milawa chicken, two poached eggs, roasted vegies, black rice, steamed broccoli and anti-inflammatory kraut thrown together with a studied casualness. The meal is surprisingly filling, and thankfully, the chicken is done just right. Gersh has the closely related clean and lean bowl ($32), which substitutes the eggs for roasted oyster mushrooms and half an avocado. There is no alcohol on the menu. Noting my look of mock horror, Gersh hastily offers a drink after lunch if I really need it. We move on to more controversial topics. As an ABC board member from 2018 to 2023, Gersh was a strong defender of the ABC, but now has very sharp criticism of the national broadcaster. 'The one that hurts, actually hurts me personally the most, is that the ABC has been missing in action on the problem of antisemitism in Australia.' To his mind, the coverage betrays 'a serious lack of empathy or understanding of the problem' and in the 'mainstream Jewish community as I know it, there are grave, grave misgivings about the ABC'. Rising to anger, he is also highly critical of the broadcaster's Middle East coverage. He wants the ABC to adhere more scrupulously to 'its raison d'etre, its superpower' of objectivity and impartiality. 'When it lets that go, it loses the credibility which is crucial to its future.' He says he has been in contact with ABC chair Kim Williams, who is 'clearly aware what the challenge is'. Loading 'I call for impartiality, but I don't expect them to be reflecting my views. My fear is that the ABC will simply become less relevant or irrelevant.' We could go on debating the ABC and the horror in Gaza, but I realise we are running out of time and have not raised the fourth topic – coming out as gay in his mid-60s. And Gersh is now fired up. I need a circuit breaker. So I ask about his modernist slip-on leather sneakers. Zegna, he says, adding dryly they are all the rage among people with more money than sense. I am not sure if he is referring to himself, but I look them up online later. A pair costs $2535. Gersh has never lived anywhere other than Melbourne. The first thing he nominates about why he loves the place is family. Was it hard moving away from the family home and coming out? 'Well I often say to people, that if you think it's hard coming out to your parents, just imagine what it's like coming out to your children,' he jokes. He has four children and seven grandchildren. His parents were both Holocaust survivors, who arrived in Melbourne in 1948, his mother Tosia from the small town of Turek in Poland. She died when Gersh was 23, his father Heniek died aged 90. 'That's my plan.' His father ran a knitwear factory at 450-460 Chapel Street. Redeveloping it was Gersh's first foray into property. Now his office is a couple of hundred metres up the road. Loading Several times during lunch, Gersh makes passing reference to Cale, which is not a Saint Haven super food smoothie ingredient but Gersh's much younger partner, Cale Johnstone, a psychiatric registrar. 'Am I happy? Yes. I am fortunate to be in a very happy, stable, long-term relationship, and long may it continue. 'We were introduced by a mutual friend, as it happens. It came at the right time for both of us, for various reasons, and it's wonderful.' I am sure I am not alone in wondering what the age gap is. 'He's pretty much exactly half my age when I turn 70. So that's the age gap. A lot of people observe it. We don't think anything of it. What's important to me is that I've been warmly accepted by Cale's family. 'I don't know what people say when I'm not in the room, but in terms of friendship groups and business connections, it's gone fairly much unremarked. We are just Joe and Cale. They invite us or they don't. There's not much to be said.' Gersh continues the theme of family. Johnstone's will attend the forthcoming 70th, as will Gersh's own children, and maybe some of his older grandchildren. He was in Israel for the bombings in April, his grandchildren there for the Iranian bombings in October. He gets emotional talking about how his grandchildren were in a bomb shelter caught up in an Iranian missile attack within 36 hours of their visit to Israel last October. He hopes for a ceasefire by the time of the next visit. 'Everybody hopes, I guess. It's quite a moment to be bringing children and grandchildren into the world. What would my parents have made of it?' he asks. 'What would my parents have made of it?' he asks again.
The Age
5 days ago
- Business
- The Age
Joe Gersh thinks Melbourne is falling behind Sydney. And he knows how to fix it
Why? 'Because it invigorates … it's meant to be very good for you,' he says with enthusiasm, but adding that he is sceptical of the benefits. 'I'm, as you know, turning 70. I say 70 is the new 50,' he continues. Saint Haven pilates classes three times a week have got him within his ideal body mass index range. 'I don't know what fate has in store in terms of health, but until it tells me, I'm full steam ahead. I can't imagine anything, any fate worse than not having something to do – a new challenge every day.' Gersh, who describes himself as centre-right, is executive chair of specialist real estate investment firm Gersh Investment Partners, a former senior partner at Jewish law firm Arnold Bloch Leibler, a director of right-wing policy forum The Sydney Institute, and governments of both stripes have appointed him to numerous board directorships, including the Reserve Bank payments system board, Artbank and the Australia Council. The lawyer-turned-businessman enjoys making connections. Ex-treasurer Peter Costello is a friend from university. He sat with publisher Louise Adler and businesswoman Carol Schwartz in his English class at Mount Scopus College. Seek co-founder Paul Bassat was his articles clerk at ABL. When I moved to Melbourne in 2021, someone said to get in touch with him. We have been to lunch a few times at establishment restaurants. He clearly enjoys the company of journalists. I once went to dinner at his house (well, one of them). Loading Before our meeting, I wrote out my list of topics: The ABC and controversies. Israel/Gaza and antisemitism. Being a Melburnian. Split with wife/coming out as gay. Buying a flat on The Block. Turns out I had forgotten one – solving Australia's housing crisis. Gersh looks puzzled when I bring up the reality TV program. He moved into one of the TV show's transformed apartments, taking up residence in the complex after separating from his wife Zita, and subsequently buying an apartment there. His firm is a fund and investment manager, linking up capital with developers. Supalai, his Thai clients, recently made a huge play by teaming up with Stockland; in a deal valued at $1.3 billion, they bought 12 of Lendlease's residential master-planned housing projects in greenfield growth areas. That's thousands of planned homes across Australia. 'We have got the policy settings all wrong,' Gersh says. He criticises the Victorian state government for its long-term housing blueprint, which aims for 70 per cent of development in inner-urban areas and 30 per cent of development in the outer-growth areas. 'Except the demand for housing is exactly the opposite,' Gersh says. 'It's 70 per cent in the growth areas and 30 per cent in the city. And you can't, by planning regulation, shift the preferences and desires of people as to how they want to live. Loading 'New South Wales is doing better than Victoria,' he continues. He relates his 'tale of two cities' anecdote, how NSW Premier Chris Minns met with Supalai readily, but Gersh has had no luck getting them in front of Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan. 'There is a can-do attitude in New South Wales, they're ahead of their transport infrastructure needs. They're not fearful of developers. It's a different attitude, a different mindset, and the consequence is we're lagging behind.' State and federal government impositions and costs, some of which he accepts are necessary, make up about half of what it costs to build a new home. 'Will government solve the housing crisis? My answer is, to the maximum extent that they can keep out and allow private industry to do it, the crisis will be solved a lot quicker.' The smoothies and food arrive. Hydration C Elixir ($9), a sweet tangy bomb of lime mixed with Australian lake salt and Kakadu plum, is no match for the special smoothie of the day, the Inner Vitality Marieke Smoothie ($20), billed as a 'nutrient-rich smoothie developed by Marieke Rodenstein, head of research in biohacking and longevity, supports gut health, cognition, energy and cellular longevity'. Gersh is delighted with it. The food is modern Australian healthful. My muscle bowl ($34) is both high-protein and nutrient-dense, with Milawa chicken, two poached eggs, roasted vegies, black rice, steamed broccoli and anti-inflammatory kraut thrown together with a studied casualness. The meal is surprisingly filling, and thankfully, the chicken is done just right. Gersh has the closely related clean and lean bowl ($32), which substitutes the eggs for roasted oyster mushrooms and half an avocado. There is no alcohol on the menu. Noting my look of mock horror, Gersh hastily offers a drink after lunch if I really need it. We move on to more controversial topics. As an ABC board member from 2018 to 2023, Gersh was a strong defender of the ABC, but now has very sharp criticism of the national broadcaster. 'The one that hurts, actually hurts me personally the most, is that the ABC has been missing in action on the problem of antisemitism in Australia.' To his mind, the coverage betrays 'a serious lack of empathy or understanding of the problem' and in the 'mainstream Jewish community as I know it, there are grave, grave misgivings about the ABC'. Rising to anger, he is also highly critical of the broadcaster's Middle East coverage. He wants the ABC to adhere more scrupulously to 'its raison d'etre, its superpower' of objectivity and impartiality. 'When it lets that go, it loses the credibility which is crucial to its future.' He says he has been in contact with ABC chair Kim Williams, who is 'clearly aware what the challenge is'. Loading 'I call for impartiality, but I don't expect them to be reflecting my views. My fear is that the ABC will simply become less relevant or irrelevant.' We could go on debating the ABC and the horror in Gaza, but I realise we are running out of time and have not raised the fourth topic – coming out as gay in his mid-60s. And Gersh is now fired up. I need a circuit breaker. So I ask about his modernist slip-on leather sneakers. Zegna, he says, adding dryly they are all the rage among people with more money than sense. I am not sure if he is referring to himself, but I look them up online later. A pair costs $2535. Gersh has never lived anywhere other than Melbourne. The first thing he nominates about why he loves the place is family. Was it hard moving away from the family home and coming out? 'Well I often say to people, that if you think it's hard coming out to your parents, just imagine what it's like coming out to your children,' he jokes. He has four children and seven grandchildren. His parents were both Holocaust survivors, who arrived in Melbourne in 1948, his mother Tosia from the small town of Turek in Poland. She died when Gersh was 23, his father Heniek died aged 90. 'That's my plan.' His father ran a knitwear factory at 450-460 Chapel Street. Redeveloping it was Gersh's first foray into property. Now his office is a couple of hundred metres up the road. Loading Several times during lunch, Gersh makes passing reference to Cale, which is not a Saint Haven super food smoothie ingredient but Gersh's much younger partner, Cale Johnstone, a psychiatric registrar. 'Am I happy? Yes. I am fortunate to be in a very happy, stable, long-term relationship, and long may it continue. 'We were introduced by a mutual friend, as it happens. It came at the right time for both of us, for various reasons, and it's wonderful.' I am sure I am not alone in wondering what the age gap is. 'He's pretty much exactly half my age when I turn 70. So that's the age gap. A lot of people observe it. We don't think anything of it. What's important to me is that I've been warmly accepted by Cale's family. 'I don't know what people say when I'm not in the room, but in terms of friendship groups and business connections, it's gone fairly much unremarked. We are just Joe and Cale. They invite us or they don't. There's not much to be said.' Gersh continues the theme of family. Johnstone's will attend the forthcoming 70th, as will Gersh's own children, and maybe some of his older grandchildren. He was in Israel for the bombings in April, his grandchildren there for the Iranian bombings in October. He gets emotional talking about how his grandchildren were in a bomb shelter caught up in an Iranian missile attack within 36 hours of their visit to Israel last October. He hopes for a ceasefire by the time of the next visit. 'Everybody hopes, I guess. It's quite a moment to be bringing children and grandchildren into the world. What would my parents have made of it?' he asks. 'What would my parents have made of it?' he asks again.
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way' Season 7 Cast Photos: Meet All The Couples From TLC Series
TLC has revealed the couples for 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way Season 7, which includes four new couples and two returning fan-favorite couples. 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way Season 7 is set to premiere on Monday, September 8 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on TLC. More from Deadline 'Drag Race Philippines: Slaysian Royale': List Of All The Guest Judges Confirmed For WOW Presents Plus Competition Bravo Teases 'Vanderpump Rules' Season 12 Cast Reboot: "It's Time For A Shift" 'Love Island USA' Winner Amaya Espinal Signs With Gersh & Untitled Entertainment The returning couples for the new season are Jenny (California) and Sumit (India), as well as Luke (California) and Madelein (Colombia). RELATED: Joining the series in Season 7 are: Greta (Oklahoma) and Matthew (England), Anthony (California) and Manon (France), Pattiya (Texas) and Dylan (Tasmania), and Chloe (Massachusetts) and Johny (Aruba). 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way follows Americans leaving behind their lives in the U.S. to start over with their partners abroad, facing unfamiliar cultures, new family dynamics, and the pressure of building a future far from home. RELATED: Whether they're adjusting to life in a quiet English village, facing isolation in remote Tasmania, navigating jealousy on the beaches of Aruba, or confronting new challenges in India and Medellín — each couple faces deeply personal turning points that push their relationships to the brink. 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way is produced by Sharp Entertainment, a part of Sony Pictures Television – Nonfiction, for TLC. Scroll through the photo gallery below to meet all the couples from Season 7. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Emmys, Oscars, Grammys & More Everything We Know About The 'Heartstopper' Movie So Far
Hindustan Times
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Love Island USA winner Amaya Espinal signs with talent agency that managed Madonna, Emma Watson
Amaya Espinal, the winner of Love Island USA Season 7, has signed with Gersh and Untitled Entertainment for full-scope representation, Deadline reported. Lovingly called 'Amaya Papaya' by fans, Amaya's charismatic spirit, unfiltered charm, and positive energy made her a clear standout on the Peacock dating reality show, which she won alongside Bryan Arenales. Amaya Espinal won Love Island USA season 7 along with Bryan Arenales Amaya is now clearly stepping into a new league and will be represented by the same talent agencies that have worked with prominent Hollywood stars like Madonna, Emma Watson, Ashton Kutcher and Uma Thurman among others. This is being touted as a huge development for the reality TV star, opening doors to new opportunities in entertainment, fashion, and more. What's next for Amaya Espinal? After signing with Gersh and Untitled Entertainment, Amaya is poised for a major post-show glow-up, as per the Deadline report. The Love Island star has already surpassed 7.5 million followers across Instagram and TikTok, all without anyone managing her accounts while she was in the villa. Also Read: Are Bryan Arenales and Amaya Espinal still going strong? Love Island USA winner reacts to cheating buzz Amaya's organic rise is a rare feat in reality TV. Her next stop? The Love Island USA Season 7 reunion, which premieres on Monday, August 25 at 9 PM ET on Peacock. Amaya Espinal's journey on Love Island Season 7 She entered the Love Island Fiji villa on Day 5 as a bombshell, instantly grabbing eyeballs with a love triangle involving Ace Greene and Chelley Bissainthe. Her energy and honest efforts to connect were not always well received by fellow Islanders, some of whom misread her sincerity. But everything shifted during the 'Stand on Business' challenge, a moment that changed how audiences perceived her. Also Read: Meet Amaya Espinal: The bold new bombshell taking Love Island USA season 7 by storm It was then that Bryan Arenales stood by her, offering a heartfelt defense that gave fans a deeper glimpse into Amaya's warmth and authenticity. Later on, their bond only grew stronger with time. Choosing to connect with Bryan turned out to be a game-changer, leading them to love, loyalty, and $100,000 staggering prize. FAQs How many followers does Amaya Espinal have on social media? Amaya has amassed over 7.5 million followers across Instagram and TikTok, all gained organically without a social media team during her time in the villa. Who did Amaya Espinal win Love Island USA Season 7 with? Amaya won the show alongside Bryan Arenales. Which agencies represent Amaya Espinal? She is now signed with Gersh and Untitled Entertainment, joining a roster that includes stars like Ashton Kutcher and more.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MLB Invests in Jomboy Media, Embracing Creator Content
Major League Baseball and Jomboy Media announced a partnership Tuesday that includes MLB acquiring a minority stake in the digital sports media brand. The size of the investment was not disclosed, though it is believed to be the league's first direct investment in a creator-led content company. MLB's investment comes from its Baseball Endowment L.P. (BELP) fund, valued at more than $1 billion according to the Atlanta Braves' most recent SEC filings, which was recently used to acquire a stake in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League as well. Advertisement More from In addition to equity, the tie-up includes access to MLB events, IP and sponsorship connections for Jomboy, while the league looks to benefit from Jomboy Media's ability to reach casual fans online. 'Having a strong content creator community is going to be good for baseball in the long run,' MLB EVP, media and business development Kenny Gersh said in an interview. Jimmy 'Jomboy' O'Brien and Jake Storiale started the company in 2017 with a Yankees-focused podcast before expanding to cover the entire league—and other sports too. Last year, the company tallied 93 million engagements across social media and achieved $10 million in revenue. Advertisement Jomboy Media raised $5 million in 2022 in a round led by Connect Ventures, an investment partnership between Creative Artists Agency and New Enterprise Associates. Connect cofounder Jack Davis, a Jomboy board member, helped put the latest deal together, working with recently promoted Jomboy Media CEO Courtney Hirsch. 'It's kind of surreal,' Hirsch said. 'It just shows how important creators are when it comes to sports. It recognizes the fact that meeting people on digital platforms is a way to grow the game. And it shows that our community-centric approach is just really valued and being recognized by the league itself. It just kind of gives us chills.' Hirsch added that the new relationship won't change Jomboy's approach when it comes to the way the company's talent covers the game and its players. Jomboy Media also runs its own lighthearted sports league and corresponding show, 'The Warehouse Games.' Gersh said MLB's work with Jomboy came mainly through the league's media department as baseball looks to foster more connections with online voices. A decade ago, executives took heat for being relatively restrictive with digital rights compared to peer sports. Recently MLB has been more encouraging—both to outsiders and to its own—by recognizing the value of virtual conversation. Advertisement In April, MLB announced an expanded partnership with Boardroom that included player-driven online storytelling. 'We are focused, as we have been, on helping to amplify content creators' voices,' Gersh said, 'We will look for ways with other potential content creators to make sure that they have a platform to continue to produce baseball-related content.' Baseball is witnessing a surge of interest, including post-pandemic highs in attendance, Sunday Night Baseball viewership and streaming usage over the last year. The league's own social handles have also swelled, including a roughly 70% year-over-year gain on X from late 2023 to late 2024. Best of Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
