Why I Chose to Move VaynerMedia Into New York’s Hottest New Office Space

When I think about my career as an entrepreneur, and the businesses that I’ve built, a common thread is being part of the new frontier. So far, all of those frontiers have been digital: e-commerce, email marketing, Adwords, Twitter, YouTube, and, most recently, the founding of VaynerMedia. All digital.

For the first time in my career, I’m using that fast-moving DNA and executing in a physical manner.

Let me back up.

“Oh… rent. That’s a thing.”

One of the exciting challenges that comes with building an explosively-growing business is figuring out where everybody is actually going to work. I never realized this at Wine Library because we owned the building. If we needed more space, we renovated, or we bought a place next door. So when it came to growing VaynerMedia we realized, “oh… rent. That’s a thing.”

After outgrowing five spaces in as many years, we came to the conclusion that we had to make an enormous jump to the next level. So AJ and I made the call. It was unofficially “leaked” a few months ago, but today we’re making it official: In 2016, VaynerMedia will become one of the first tenants of 10 Hudson Yards along with Coach, L’Oreal, and SAP.

For those of you keeping score, this deal is very near and dear to my heart. Stephen Ross, the mastermind behind Hudson Yards, is also involved in VaynerRSE, my venture fund. That makes this an incredibly exciting development for both of us.

At the end of the day, a leader’s job is to put their people in a position to succeed.

The Hudson Yards area is one of the very few locations in lower Manhattan that has remained an untapped resource. For me this is a signature location, and ultimately an opportunity for us to establish a serious tech hub here in New York City. I have a real desire to bring that forward-thinking Silicon Valley mentality to the East Coast and and to concentrate it in one physical location. As someone who loves San Francisco (obviously not as much as New York), being part of that community and that lifestyle is important to me, and important to my employees.

At the end of the day, a leader’s job is to put their people in a position to succeed. I’ve always tried to do that, but this is something new. Something physical. It’s super exciting for me to be in the place that New York tech will be exploding from over the next decades. I can’t wait to move in. I can’t wait to meet the other business leaders and startups who will congregate here and drive the next chapter of New York City. I can’t wait to serendipitously bump into someone who is building a future tech leader while on the High Line or in the courtyard.

So let’s do this, VaynerMedia. We’re going to take the West Side, and make it ours. I’m excited to take this next step together, and I can’t think of a better place to do it.