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Degen Pener

Deputy Editor

Degen Pener is the Deputy Editor of The Hollywood Reporter. He oversees style, lifestyle and culture coverage, including stories on real estate, philanthropy, fashion, beauty, art, travel, dining and spirits, automotive, watches and jewelry, design and architecture and shopping. He has previously written for The New York Times, Out, InStyle, Entertainment Weekly, Elle, Details, Los Angeles Magazine, Santa Barbara Magazine, Wallpaper, Veranda and New York Magazine.

Meet Maya, an AI Real Estate Expert Launched by Celebrity Agent Fredrik Eklund

Real estate agents are already using ChatGPT to help write listing descriptions, while prop tech, short for property technology, is one of the hottest areas of development in the real estate world, from artificial intelligence-powered interior design generator ReImagine Home (which can be used by potential buyers to quickly envisage how a home could be […]

Real Estate Agent to the Stars Jordan Cohen Is Sharing His Selling Secrets in New Book

Jordan Cohen is quite possibly the most ebullient person you will ever talk to. His sunny attitude comes through the minute he picks up the phone to talk about his new book. It’s perhaps the key reason he’s become the no. 1 RE/MAX real estate agent in the world and a go-to agent who sells […]

Kelsea Ballerini Got “Goosebumps” on Her First Trip to Venice for Armani’s Couture Show

Kelsea Ballerini got “goosebumps” on her first-ever trip to Venice, she tells The Hollywood Reporter. The singer-songwriter visited the glamorous City of Canals with boyfriend Chase Stokes to attend designer Giorgio Armani’s “One Night Only” event on Sept. 2, which included a haute-couture presentation and party for around 500 guests. “The pieces themselves were stunning. […]

Ariana Grande’s Choreographers Say the Omorpho G-Vest+ Is a “Game-Changer” for Workouts

If you’re ready to level up your fitness regimen but aren’t sure where to start, consider adding more weight. Not in the form of the heavier barbells, but with the G-Vest+ by Omorpho. Seen on stars like Olivia Rodrigo and Kaia Gerber, the weighted vest has taken the fitness world by storm, thanks to its […]

Supporting Ukraine’s Traumatized Children — With Help From Joan Baez — Amid Cruise Missile Attacks

The children of Ukraine, the ones who have survived, are traumatized. As the war — which began in February 2022 with the invasion by Russia — rages on, U.S. officials have estimated that the number of people killed or injured in the 18-month conflict is nearing 500,000. And among the estimated 70,000 Ukrainians killed and more […]

Finding the Next Big Stars in Real Estate

When mega-selling agents Oren and Tal Alexander of The Alexander Team left Douglas Elliman last June to co-found a new brokerage, they vowed they would do things differently. Now their new firm Official — which focuses on residential real estate deals for ultra high net worth clients, including Hollywood names — is rolling out what they […]

The 2023 New York Power Broker Awards: Full Winners List

The Hollywood Reporter today has announced the winners of the publication’s 2023 New York Power Broker Awards. Among the honorees are Douglas Elliman’s Patricia Vance, who sold a $74 million condo at the Aman New York last year, and Corcoran Group’s Deborah Grubman, whose star clients include Hugh Jackman and Rupert Murdoch. The second annual […]

Ryan Reynolds Marks Third Anniversary of DEI-Focused Group Effort Initiative With Call for More Productions to “Please Come on Board”

In a new video released today, Ryan Reynolds is marking the three-year anniversary of Group Effort Initiative, the nonprofit he and wife Blake Lively founded that secures job and internship placements for members of underrepresented communities. “I’m incredibly proud of this organization and its growth as a pipeline for members of underrepresented communities to get […]

Oceana to Celebrate Morgan Freeman and a Win for Shark Protections at Annual SeaChange Summer Party

For Oceana, its 16th annual SeaChange Summer Party, taking place Saturday, July 22, represents a full circle moment. The ocean-conservation nonprofit is set to celebrate Morgan Freeman as its guest of honor at the fundraiser, which takes place at the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort & Club in Dana Point, California. It was just six […]

“And the Real Estate Agent With the Most Stratospheric Sale Is…”: The 2023 New York Power Broker Awards

Last year, The Hollywood Reporter launched the annual New York Power Broker Awards, bestowing honors on the market’s top sellers and savvy marketers. For 2023, THR is announcing winners in two categories and the nominees for such accolades as penthouse sale of the year and real estate rising star. The winners in nominated categories will […]

A New Rep for When Real Estate Agents Become Reality-TV Famous

As real estate agents have won fame on reality TV, they’re also securing representation in Hollywood. Former Million Dollar Listing star Steve Gold is with CAA, WME reps Buying Beverly Hills‘ Mauricio Umansky for literary and Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles‘ Josh Flagg is with Gersh (for branding), while Selling Sunset castmembers who have agents […]

Foster Youth Receive $2,000 Surprise Graduation Gifts — With Help From Hollywood

Fifty-four new college graduates — all of whom are youth in the foster system — received a surprise gift in late May. At a graduation celebration thrown by Ready to Succeed, an L.A.-based nonprofit that worked with each student throughout their college journey, each matriculating student got a $2,000 graduation gift, money that will help […]