Robert Atkinson of Excelsior hopes his Real Estate Network will be to real estate what ESPN has been to sports. His plan is to create a TV network and multi-media platform dedicated to "developing, producing and marketing real estate related entertainment, news and information to a global audience."
Atkinson said Wednesday that content will be delivered via three screens: television, web and mobile. He was reluctant to say when the network would launch. "Stay tuned," he said.
Atkinson also wouldn't say how much money he's raised, but a press release said that "millions of dollars of private equity have already been invested in the venture," which is currently based in Excelsior, but could relocate to one of two other cities where he expects to create 1,200 to 1,400 jobs.
Atkinson said that ESPN founder, Stuart Evey, was just named chair of the board. In a statement Evey said that he joined the board because the network presents "another opportunity to build an iconic television network, web marketplace and brand in the real estate space."
Atkinson said that he ran his own commercial real estate company, which he "shelved" nearly four years ago when he started working on this project.