Ready for the silver screen? Actor Carlos Ponce to open talent agency in Coral Gables
Actor Carlos Ponce is opening his talent agency, Talent Hub, in Miami-Dade. Where did he go for office space? Not Wynwood.
Ponce bought a 512-square-foot office space for $305,000 at the mixed-use building Merrick Manor in Coral Gables, according to Manny Chamizo III, global commercial director for ONE Sotheby’s International Realty and the exclusive sales representative for Merrick Manor’s commercial spaces. Chamizo III arranged the sale.
The 10-story building, 301 Altara Ave., has 227 condo units and commercial space on the ground floor. Talent Hub will be in Suite 108.
Talent Hub trains and prepares emerging on-air talent, including actors, broadcast journalists and producers. The agency’s talent includes Emmy award-winning producer and Telemundo presenter Alix Aspe, lawyer and chef Ana Quincoces and actress Anabelle Acosta.
Ponce, a graduate of South Miami Senior High, starred in Telemundo’s Silvana Sin Lana telenovela, Wild West Picture Show’s Couples Retreat, and ABC’s Cristela.
“The demographic in the area was suited for Talent Hub. We are across from Coral Gables High School and the University of Miami. Usually young people are the ones that need help getting into the industry,” said Henry Torres, Merrick Manor’s developer and founder of the development firm Astor Companies.
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Five retailers opened on the ground floor of Merrick Manor in late 2019. The building has three spaces remaining, ranging from 1,307 square feet to 3,194 square feet. The spaces start at $800 per square foot with minimum finishes, dubbed in the industry a vanilla shell.
“We’ve focused more on health and beauty instead of restaurants since we have eight in the Shops at Merrick Park. If I could find a plastic surgeon, I would put him there. Glamour sells these days. I also wanted to bring in a wine vendor. That’s something people really enjoy,” Torres said.
Torres anticipates the latest addition, Talent Hub, to draw interest to Merrick Manor’s residential component. A total of 158 units, or 42.9% of inventory, remain on the market. Remaining units start at $489,999 for a 767-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom.
“It will bring a better understanding of the value of the property that we are offering,” Torres said.
Office sales and interest returned to the South Florida office market in September. Some office developers are banking on smaller office spaces in markets outside of the downtown core, including Coral Gables and Coconut Grove, near where many executives live.
“We are seeing strong demand from smaller offices,” Chamizo III said by email. “Gone are the days of large 50,000-square-foot offices. I believe office spaces will be smaller in scale and be more personalized and less communal.”
This story was originally published October 15, 2020 at 12:00 PM.
