Metrospace Has Exclusive From DreamWorks

Jerry Porter’s conservative suits and ties would seem out of place among the jeans and backward baseball caps favored by so many in Hollywood.

But Porter and his small Brentwood commercial real estate brokerage, Metrospace Corp., have developed close ties to one of the entertainment industry’s most closely watched acts: DreamWorks SKG.

DreamWorks--founded by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen--passed over many much larger commercial brokerages when it recently selected Porter and his four partners to exclusively represent the company on most real estate matters. The competition to represent DreamWorks, which has agreed to build a corporate campus in the Playa Vista project near Marina del Rey, was intense, given the firm’s already considerable growth and ambitious plans. In the last year and a half, the entertainment company has expanded from 150 employees to about 1,200.

“It’s a fabulous chance for us,” said Porter of the firm he founded 16 years ago. “They are just so well-known. It makes it easier for us.”

Porter has won admiration in real estate circles for his analytical skills and use of cutting-edge computers and software to size up markets and present information. His calm demeanor and long work hours have impressed many clients, said Los Angeles real estate attorney Rick Mallory.

“He has a calm, very businesslike approach. He doesn’t get ruffled,” Mallory said.

Porter had experience working with DreamWorks before the company began to look for an exclusive real estate representative earlier this year. When the company needed a home for its interactive entertainment division last year, Porter sold DreamWorks on an unusual choice: a former grocery store located in a primarily residential neighborhood in Brentwood.

Not only was the retail site close to the Westside homes of DreamWorks owners and software developers, but the 40,000-square-foot complex provided the seclusion the company desired. So far, Metrospace has completed five deals for DreamWorks, including a television animation facility in Encino that totaled more than 150,000 square feet of commercial space.

Despite his Hollywood connection, Porter, 48, will keep to his suits and ties. “It’s tough to change into casual wear just to see your entertainment clients,” he said.