The Real Story Behind ABC's "Hot Properties"
(ARA) - The show ABC is hoping will be one of the biggest hits of the season has raised a lot of eyebrows in Chicago. "Hot Properties," a sitcom about four women who run a Manhattan real estate office, just debuted this fall. It takes its title from a company that has become synonymous with residential real estate in the Chicagoland area.
The company Hot Property, led by Chaz Walters, is a boutique-style residential real estate office that provides the latest in technology to each of its agents, along with marketing — from cutting edge billboards to public relations to advertising campaigns — in top Chicago publications. Even though the show and the real company only share a common name, Walters, the company president, learned only recently about the show's existence while at a meeting to discuss advertising and media for his Hot Property brand.
He immediately initiated licensing negotiations with Warner Brothers Television (WBTV) this summer; however, an agreement has yet to be reached and the Hot Property brand is currently under infringement. "We have spent ten years successfully building the Hot Property brand, and WBTV was very respectful of our position and immediately engaged in licensing discussions with us," says Walters. "Our brand has recognition and lead generation nationally and internationally although we are currently only focused on the Chicago residential real estate market. We believe that Hot Property will continue to grow and stand for excellence in real estate and this sitcom is another opportunity for gaining widespread brand awareness."
Something that is already evident. One agent recently said, "Chaz and the Hot Property brand are truly everywhere. I was at a Hollywood party for my son who is a writer and there were many well known producers, actors and writers at the party. A producer, who has filmed in Chicago, asked me about my profession. When I replied real estate, he immediately acknowledged the most famous real estate personality he could recall in Chicago — Chaz Walters. He said 'I can't believe that I remember Walters' name, I don't even know the man but I always remember his billboards. He is a marketing genius.'"
"Hot Properties" debuted Friday, October 7, 2005, on ABC. To learn more about the show, log on to http://abc.go.com. To learn more about Hot Property, the real estate company, log on to www.hotpropertyonline.com.
Courtesy of ARA Content
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