Winners Sally Forster Jones, Aaron Kirman, Jason Oppenheim, Linda May, Bryce Pennel, Tomer Fridman, Juliette Hohnen, Joyce Rey and David Berg. Kevin Scanlon Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment There is hope for this world yet! The fifth annual L.A. Power Broker Awards - presented by luxury real estate PR firm The Society Group and co-hosted by Compass Development Marketing Group - was a tight-knit, familial affair, a cozy and jovial event after a harrowing year in Los Angeles. Held at the Mandarin Oriental Residences Beverly Hills on Wednesday in luxuriously casual spaces designed and furnished by Vesta Home, the night feted powerhouse sellers on 2025 THR's Top L.A. Brokers list, and was followed by an awards presentation awarding outstanding achievements in L.A. real estate over the past year. Related Stories Lifestyle The Hollywood Reporter's L.A. Power Broker Awards Return For Fifth Year Lifestyle NeueHouse, Members Club That Catered to Hollywood Creatives, Says It Will Shut Down The night started out with a cocktail party in an airy and bright residence in the Mandarin Oriental, as realtors sipped drinks and munched on bites as live music played. There was an overwhelming feeling of camaraderie in the air, unusual in the cutthroat world of real estate. "It's amazing to be at these events with all these people that we love to work with and that we see all the time, but we all get to hang out and talk about work and talk about life and catch up and see how everybody's done during the year in a multi-level way," Douglas Elliman's Heather T. Roy noted. "It's a really nice check-in." Lea Porter, Sally Forster Jones and Linda May. Jason Sean Weiss/BFA Beverly Hills Estates' Lea Porter, celebrating her second year on the list, took in the scene appreciatively. "It's such an amazing honor because when you look around at who is here: these are the biggest players in Los Angeles," she said. "And the first time you may have imposter syndrome. But the second time you might start to lean in and actually enjoy it!" Porter was chatting with Coldwell Banker's Joyce Rey, a perennial deal maker on the list with whom she is currently collaborating. Carl Gambino, Brett Baer, David Berg and Matt Altman. Jason Sean Weiss/BFA Much of the good nature at the awards stemmed from the bonds formed in the aftermath of January's fires, when realtors banded together across brokerages to help those devastated by the fires. "Right after it happened, we had so many meetings to try and figure out what to do next and how to help our clients," Nourmand & Associates Rochelle Atlas Maize recalled. "And half of my colleagues had lost their houses too, and they're just struggling to figure it out for themselves and their clients. And it was just a trying time, but it did very much to bring people together. So that was kind of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow maybe, so to speak." Carl Gambino of Compass agreed, saying, "I think in L.A., I really saw the brokers pull together, especially with the fires, and it's really been - for such a tragic experience - wonderful how the brokers all worked together." Daniel Marketti (Compass), Penelope Stipanovich (Compass), Brian Nelson (Compass) Vimal Desai (Centurion), Alex Cave (Knightsbridge Park), Dallas Gonzales (Knightsbridge Park) and Krysen Heathwood (Compass). Jason Sean Weiss/BFA After cocktails, it was up to the Mandarin Oriental's stunning rooftop, where L.A.'s most prestigious agents, decked in their couture best, crowded on plush white couches together like teens at a slumber party to watch the ceremony. The highlight of the evening was when The Society Group's Alexander Ali featured an adorable slideshow of agents as children, urging guests to guess who was who. Beverly Hills Estate's Rayni Williams proved particularly adept at guessing the correct agents, though she was occasionally drowned out by the good-natured ribbing of jokesters Aaron Kirman and Matt Altman. In his speech accepting the Media Maverick award for charitable efforts and media campaign after the L.A. fires, Jason Oppenheim of The Oppenheim Group showed his softer side. "This is actually pretty meaningful because I felt like when the fires occurred in the Palisades and Altadena, it kind of galvanized the real estate community probably more than I've ever seen it," he said. "I know that we're all pretty close friends, but we don't really get too close to activism or at least we don't usually all agree on the same type of activism. But I think we all realize how important the real estate community was after the fires. Actually, it was the proudest moment for me as a real estate agent and a part of this room was in how we reacted to the fire. So, I think this is an award that we all won." Jason Oppenheim Jason Sean Weiss/BFA These sweet sentimen