New York City native and real estate mogul Charles D. Urstadt fell for New Orleans’ rich culture when he moved here eight years ago. Last year, Urstadt joined with fellow New Orleanian and veteran Tony Award-winning producer Dale Mott to form a new live theater company called Edgewood Entertainment focused on producing works by authors from marginalized communities. In this week’s podcast, Urstadt shares his journey to this new career and the similarities he sees between New Orleans and New York City.
about
As a theatrical and multimedia producer, Charles Urstadt is focused on bringing new voices to commercial audiences. His long career in the business world combined with his decades of service in the performing and visual arts advances that goal.
In his role as producer/managing director of Edgewood Entertainment, Urstadt serves as a lead creative producer of Gun & Powder, Long Way Down, Sugar Daddy, La Egoista, and Grace.
He is also chairman and president of Urstadt Property Company, Inc., a privately held commercial real estate investment concern.
His past real estate experience includes serving as chairman of the board of directors of Urstadt Biddle Properties, Inc, a real estate investment trust traded on the New York Stock Exchange. The company, based in Greenwich, Connecticut, owned 77 properties containing approximately 5.3 million square feet. Other past real estate positions include serving as executive vice president of Brown Harris Stevens Inc., and senior vice president of Pearce, Urstadt, Mayer & Greer, Inc.
As a resident of New York, Urstadt was a board member of the Ensemble Studio Theater, the Friends of WNET/Thirteen, and the New York State Board of Historic Preservation.
In New Orleans, he is president of the Preservation Resource Center, where he has been a director for the last five years. He is also a trustee of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, where he served a four-year term as chairman. In honor of his service, the museum named him chairman emeritus and created the Charles D. Urstadt Acquisition Fund.
Urstadt divides his time between New York and New Orleans, where he lives with his husband, David Bernard, and their Boston Terrier Dolly.
