Award-Winning Editor and Branding Expert Brings her Talents to Third-Largest Residential Real Estate Brokerage in the United States Overseeing Brand Creation, Management, and Positioning
Douglas Elliman, the third-largest residential real estate brokerage company in the United States, announced today that Samantha Yanks, an award-winning editor and branding expert with over 18-years of experience in the luxury real estate, fashion and lifestyle publishing industries, has been named the firm’s new chief marketing officer. In this role, Yanks will be responsible for the strategic leadership of Elliman’s fully-integrated national marketing program, and will be the creative force behind brand creation, digital marketing, brand management and positioning. Yanks was most recently the editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury’s Gotham and Hamptons magazines.
An astounding 43,336 deals were performed by Douglas Elliman agents in 2017 for a total sales volume of $26.1 billion, an uptick of six percent from $24.6 billion in 2016. The firm expanded in California, Florida, Massachusetts, Brooklyn, Long Island and the Hamptons and now boasts over 7,000 agents in 113 offices nationwide. Yanks’ expertise will help grow Elliman brand awareness and market share as the brokerage continues expansion efforts across the country.
“Samantha’s focus throughout her illustrious career has been the crossroads of the real estate, fashion, beauty, travel, entertainment, culture, hospitality and interior design sectors,” said Scott Durkin, President and COO of the firm. “With this, she brings a unique and strategic vision to our brand, a wealth of experience, and a tremendous network. She has also herself become a strong social influencer and built a substantial and highly-admired online presence with followers around the world. We are very happy to have her on board at Elliman as she helps further propel the brokerage to the top of the real estate industry in all of our markets from Malibu to Montauk and from Manhattan to Miami.”
“Samantha is an extraordinary talent and we are very fortunate to have her join Douglas Elliman’s leadership team,” said Howard M. Lorber, Chairman of Douglas Elliman Realty, LLC. “She is a powerful marketer and branding expert and we are thrilled to welcome her to the team.”
Samantha will bring her publishing experience working in markets that mirror Elliman’s including New York City, Los Angeles, the Hamptons, Boston and Aspen to help with a seamless brand message across all Elliman markets. In her role, she will also work with each region to tailor each sub-brand’s relevant messaging. Her position also includes overseeing agent and property marketing, Elliman Magazine and the firm’s blog Elliman Insider as well as major sponsorships such as the Hampton Classic and Art Basel Miami.
“I am beyond thrilled to join Douglas Elliman and for the opportunity to work with this powerful global brand,” said Yanks. “I’ve always had a passion for real estate as it is so much about lifestyle, design, art and culture, and I look forward to bringing my strengths, knowledge and relationships in these areas to Elliman.”
As editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury’s Gotham and Hamptons magazines, Yanks was responsible for overseeing all the editorial pages while securing and managing the magazines’ high-profile contributors and celebrity talent. She exceled at generating content that monetized both the print and digital platforms for each brand she worked with.
Prior to her editor-in-chief positions, Yanks was fashion and accessories director for Niche Media where she scoured the country for fashion filling the pages of Aspen Peak, Boston Common, Capitol File, Gotham, Hamptons, Los Angeles Confidential, Michigan Avenue, and Philadelphia Style with the most current trends. Prior to her position at Niche Media, Yanks was senior accessories editor at O, The Oprah Magazine, where she collaborated closely with Oprah Winfrey. Together, they compiled her monthly “O List” and Samantha ran the accessories department for the brand. Before that, Yanks honed her skills at Vogue in the fashion and accessories department where her positions rapidly elevated from associate accessories editor to accessories editor.
Yanks is also a prominent on-air personality on numerous television segments discussing fashion, beauty and lifestyle. She has appeared on NBC’s “The Today Show” and “Nightly News”, Bloomberg, New York Live, Fox’s “Good Day New York”, E!, CBS’ “The Couch”, HDNet, the Martha Stewart and Howard Stern shows on SiriusXM Satellite Radio. Yanks has also contributed for NBC’s “Weekend Today” show with her own branded segment “The Scoop with Samantha” and was part of New York Fashion Week’s American Express Skybox Series.
A graduate of Tulane University, Yanks lives in New York City and Bridgehampton with her husband and daughter. She will be based out of Elliman’s corporate headquarters located at 575 Madison Avenue in Manhattan.
