Narrator: Hey BK with Ofer Cohen
Karen Auster:
Can I put my feet up?
Ofer Cohen:
We just walked into the studio and she immediately asked if she could put her feet up.
Karen Auster :
That's what I'm doing, is that okay?
Ofer Cohen:
No, it's perfect. It's perfect.
Karen Auster :
Deep breath.
Ofer Cohen:
So where do we start with Karen, we got into the studio and I kind of felt like Karen is going to actually interview me.
Karen Auster :
Well since we to talk about Brooklyn...
Ofer Cohen:
We're here to talk about you.
Karen Auster :
Oh really?
Ofer Cohen:
I'm Ofer Cohen. Today I'm sitting down with a key force behind the Brooklyn experience, Karen Auster. During the past two decades, her DUMBO-based marketing firm, Auster Agency, has been involved with projects that have shaped the current Brooklyn identity.
Karen Auster :
I often say I would do this job for free. I just love creating experiences There's nothing like creating something and watching people love it. I only do projects that I love and that's super important to me. I will only accept projects that I really feel that can be either launched with meaning or you're transforming something that means something and making a difference.
Ofer Cohen:
It all started 30 years ago when Karen got the Brooklyn Buzz.
Karen Auster :
I had been living in Italy and I came to have an ice cream on Montague street. And I walked to the promenade and I said, I want to live here. And that was the beginning and I fell in love with it. I fell in love with the people. I mean, of course, Brooklyn Heights and that view, but everywhere I went it just, I loved Brooklyn and that's where I knew I was going to stay and I've meandered around. I remember being a pioneer in Boerum Hill. I remember when in-law said, "wow, you're going to move here?"
Ofer Cohen:
Karen was born in Brooklyn, but she grew up on Long Island. It was her role as a mom that sparked her first big launch.
Karen Auster :
I wasn't fully immersed in Brooklyn. I was fully immersed in being a mom and I wasn't sure what I was going to do. I knew I had a vision of starting a company, I just didn't know with what, I can do anything, you know, life is large. And a friend of mine said, you know, you're really bossy, you should be a producer. I'm just like, yeah, what do you mean? Literally, that's how it started. You know, Dan Zanes, he's a musician. He was just launching his kid's music and I knew because I was in ad sales, how to get advertisers behind concepts. So I took the two, and Dan was launching this music and I got some local sponsors and I produced my first concert in Pierrepont park in Brooklyn Heights and it was a huge success. The more I created these family concerts, the more people came and I started. I was on a roll. That's how from the family concerts, that's how I was hired to then do the park.
Ofer Cohen:
Karen was hired by the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy to tell a story about a new park to be developed along the East River.
Karen Auster :
Here's an idea folks, and we would have these little parlor meetings and tell people about this idea. They were dilapidated peers at that time and how lucky that I fell into. I love telling a good story. I love telling people about an idea and really get to get them on board. That's what I love. That's what I'd love to do is, you know, you don't know about this. Let me tell you.
Ofer Cohen:
First, the niche was Brooklyn, right?
Karen Auster :
Right.
Ofer Cohen:
And Brooklyn related brands?
Karen Auster :
Like the Atlantic Antic. It was a very typical street festival and I was asked to make it more Brooklyn authentic selling sponsorship as well and kind of creating a more equal Brooklyn Festival, not just any festival that was, you know, that you could find it anywhere in New York City. This had, you know, we really invited the local nonprofits as well as the local artisans and the food vendors and just really Brooklyn-centric. And that's why the antic is so much fun with Brooklyn bands. I mean, you know, I often would say when I would produce the antic gets really great showcase of Brooklyn because it's a myriad of cultures. Everyone's happy. It's like the perfect world.
Ofer Cohen:
For every new project., the timing is everything.
Karen Auster :
But you know, you don't want to just come in as an outsider into Brooklyn. You need to come in with the right mix. You need to hire people that are Brooklyn based, that you know, use Brooklyn designers and you know, hire Brooklyn Musicians and Brooklyn bartenders. You can't just jump into Brooklyn and think you're going to take over. I won't mention people who have tried to do that and had to leave.
Ofer Cohen:
Right
Karen Auster :
Or they're not accepted gracefully.
Ofer Cohen:
Wait, why is that? Why is Brooklyn is such a unique place to enter and you need to be so sensible.
Karen Auster :
Because it's still a community and we're very sensitive about the mix of our community and I hope and I am hopeful that we continue to be sensitive about the different cultures that live here and the different talents that are found here. That's what makes Brooklyn different than the rest of the cities. I just feel strongly that the beauty of Brooklyn is not only the architecture or the park, it's the people. I've always said that from the minute I landed and all the little neighborhoods that I've lived in ever since there's authenticity, that authenticity, that word is what people are craving. You know, there's a lot of, you know, I am on social media, I do social media, but a lot of that is not real.
Ofer Cohen:
Right.
Karen Auster :
It's curated for perfection and a lot about Brooklyn is that we love its imperfections too and we embrace that.
Ofer Cohen:
From the antic to Brooklyn designs, she had found her niche and it was time to expand.
Karen Auster :
Well, it came and my daughter asked me to leave the house. I was running the company from my house. She was around 12 and she's like, mom, I've had enough people in my house. I need my house, you know? Um, so I moved out to Flatbush Avenue, 33 Flatbush Avenue, which is, I don't know if you know that building all these amazing startups and entrepreneurs.
Ofer Cohen:
Yeah, its kind of a cool building.
Karen Auster :
It was awesome. It was like this breeding ground for entrepreneurs. I mean, so many people have come out of that building and I was just..
Ofer Cohen:
There's a lot of creative energy in that building.
Karen Auster :
Ah, it unbelievable. And so that was my launch, he actually gave me, Al gave me free rent for a year. He said I believe in what you're doing. I believe in your passion. I was like, I don't know. I don't want to leave my kids. He's like, no, come, come.
Ofer Cohen:
That's amazing
Karen Auster :
It is amazing, it was beautiful. He was so kind, so that was an easy segway because bottom line, I love free rent and it just grew from there. And more recently I guess my niche is real estate. I forgot about another really exciting launch that I did. I'm sorry because I'm sure you know about Domino Park. I mean that park is unbelievable also.
Ofer Cohen:
I was there, I was waiting for you to bring it up.
Karen Auster :
Oh Sorry. Um, well it's funny because I'm actually thinking about moving over there. It's something I've actually considered because it's really cool and really fun and Domino Park was beautiful launch. I mean they did it right. Two Trees gets it. They really got it right. I mean architecturally, it's interesting. It's really, for the kids, it's unbelievable and Tacocina in there is delicious. And with that launch, which was even more exciting, I was heading out to Barcelona and I was in a park, Park Guell, the top of a Park Guell , and I saw all these musicians playing throughout the park, so I called my staff and I said, we need to find a company in Brooklyn that will provide us with all unique kind of musicians and that was kind of fabulous. That was great, you know, we did that for the opening was have all these different kinds of musicians all over the park and just, that was a really amazing day.
Ofer Cohen:
Yeah, it was a really nice. It was a really nice evening. And it just also, to see that you know, private, private developer is actually building a park and does it so well. It's kind of a rare.
Karen Auster :
Yes, they really do it really well. I mean, they really do it beautifully and the Walentas, I mean, Jane's Carousel is beautiful and, what they touch is well done.
Ofer Cohen:
Now that her kids are grown. Karen's taking on jobs outside of Brooklyn, but there's a common thread in all her events.
Karen Auster :
We know millennials love experiences, right? Everyone's craving authentic experiences.
Ofer Cohen:
Well, I mean that's basically it because, with technology and social media, we're lacking experiences.
Karen Auster :
Brands not only need proper creative but indeed to tell their story and that's what we're doing, creating their stories. So if it's a developer that's launching a new building, well there's a lot of buildings out there. So what makes your story different? What makes your property different? If you have a shopping center, you know, we all know retail is not at its height right now. So the properties that we activate our, we create experiences whether they're wellness experiences or our art exhibitions, you know, we drive traffic to look at a new space, a new brand. Any great launch takes a good plan. And that's usually, and depending on how large the project is, takes time because you can't just tell a story because it will not seem authentic if you're not, if you're just telling it in one month, two months needs to really be told and you really need to do what you say. If you're going to hire local, you need to actually hire local. I get it. I get called in early. I mean, how lucky am I to get called in and projects and these people that are creating amazing things, they call me and say, what do you think? Do you think you could help us launch this? I mean, and again, I will not take on every job because I don't need to. My kids. I'm paying my last college bill, I'm very proud. I ran the marathon two years ago and I say paying for college for kids as much harder than the marathon because you know, it just is. And I'm paying my last college bill next week.
Ofer Cohen:
That's amazing.
Karen Auster :
It is amazing.
Ofer Cohen:
Congratulations
Karen Auster :
Thank you!
Ofer Cohen:
So, what do you think is next for you, more projects, bigger projects is it, you know, doing things in different cities.
Karen Auster :
Yes. Now that my kids are launched. I'm traveling all the time and I'm visiting cities and seeing how they do it differently. Let's see what they do well and what they don't do well. And I'm so lucky now. You know, I've been part of this revival of Brooklyn and now I see, I notice what else is going on. So you know, projects come like the BQX friends of the BQX and the idea of selling of creating this new transportation here, through Brooklyn and Queens. I mean, I think I would love it personally. Yeah, you know, I do a lot of work in queens as well, so I wouldn't mind hopping on something like that to get to the next borough. So it's exciting to see and listen to visionaries and be part of what visionaries want to bring. So I'm listening. I just got my first electric scooter, paying attention. You know, how we'll make cities better? I've lived here, I've raised my children here, I loved raising my kids as a career woman, It was so spectacular to be satisfied with my career, have my children close, so I want to make a living in the city better. So how do we improve the quality of life here and whether it's bringing new modes of transportation, quality of life is really important and my head was down for some of it because I was working hard on raising my kids. I was really in the weeds. I now see clearly because I don't have to be in the weeds anymore and so I want to make it a better city for others. I want to help other women and families, but in particular I do have, you know, I like to help other women because it's complicated to raise kids, be very present for your kids who need you and have a successful thriving career. What can we add to this city or change within the city? And that's where I see myself kind of pioneering, kind of moving in that direction. Okay. What am I most proud of? I live in Brooklyn Bridge Park. My office is in Dumbo. I walk to work and I do feel a sense of pride in being part of it. And Brooklyn Bridge Park is so beautiful and when I walk in the park, I do look up the sky and just saying, this is amazing how far I've come after 30 years, you know, moving to Brooklyn.
Ofer Cohen:
There's one thing that we always ask, but tell us something nobody knows about you.
Karen Auster :
No one knows? Well, you probably. Okay. Here we go. Did you know that Louis Auster invented the egg cream and that in my family it's folklore that he's my great uncle?
Ofer Cohen:
Wow.
Karen Auster :
I was born Flatbush and being Sicilian and Jewish and very, you know, part of the fabric of Brooklyn and Louis Auster invented the egg cream and that's my uncle.
Ofer Cohen:
See, there you go that's a good story. Thank you, Karen.
Karen Auster :
Thank you.
Ofer Cohen:
You're listening to Hey BK, the podcast about the people behind Brooklyn's transformation. You can find us at heybk.nyc Or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Ofer Cohen. Thanks for listening.