As the longtime head of marketing at one of Hollywood’s top studios, Blair Rich is accustomed to getting what she wants. And apparently that applies outside the boardroom, too — when Rich recently stumbled across her dream home on Malibu’s Point Dume, she wasn’t dissuaded by the fact it had already been sold to another buyer.
Last August, the house was put on the market for just under $6 million, and it sold in November for $5.5 million to an anonymous celebrity who never even got a chance to move into the place. Along came Rich with an offer too good to refuse, and less than four months later, the property was hers — records reveal the veteran industry exec paid $6.1 million, a hefty $600,000 profit for the seller, all for a very brief ownership and zero renovations.
The timing of Rich’s Malibu home purchase also comes mere weeks after her highly-publicized departure from Warner Bros., her professional home of 23 years. While the official PR word is that Rich stepped away from her cushy role as the studio’s president of worldwide marketing, industry chatter has been rife with speculation that she was forced out, amid several recent box office bombs and reported friction between her and Warner’s chairman Toby Emmerich.
Whatever the case, Rich still left Warner Bros with an enviable résumé under her Prada belt — the 46-year-old is widely credited for the slick and witty marketing campaigns of “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Aquaman,” and “The Joker,” three films that did a combined $2.4 billion at the international box office. Rich, who primarily resides in Los Feliz with husband Zev Foreman, has since moved on to a new advisor role at Virgin Galactic.
In addition to her own industry status, Rich is the daughter of the late Lee Rich — a powerful Hollywood producer whose work included the TV shows “Dallas,” “Knots Landing,” and “The Waltons.”
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Image Credit: Redfin As for the Malibu house, it’s located on a landlocked parcel in the same neighborhood where other residents include Chris Martin, Julia Roberts, Bob Dylan, and Owen Wilson.
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Image Credit: Redfin Built in 1955 and set on an acre-plus flat lot, the estate consists of a Cliff May-designed ranch house with well under 2,000 square feet of living space. But the structure’s modest exterior belies its magazine-worthy interiors, which have been richly redone in a rustic-chic contemporary manner.
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Image Credit: Redfin Highlights include reclaimed wood accents with unvarnished trim, wide-plank hardwood floors, and a kitchen stocked with stainless appliances and granite countertops. The open living/dining space includes a fireplace and an increasingly common wall of firewood where you would normally find additional bookcases.
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Image Credit: Redfin A combo “library/reading room,” per the listing, is bathed in natural light via oversized windows. Bookshelves painted a vibrant shade of electric blue add some visual dazzle.
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Image Credit: Redfin There’s also an “owner’s suite” that isn’t quite as lavish as one might expect for a $6.1 million estate, though it does come equipped with a soaking tub and sitting area.
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Image Credit: Redfin The mostly fuss-free outdoor living spaces are comprised of a saltwater pool/spa combo, a big swath of grassy lawn, an outdoor shower, and multiple al fresco sitting and dining areas. Tucked into a corner of the property is a big teepee that could double as a convenient mother-in-law doghouse.
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Image Credit: Redfin Due north of the main house is a smaller guesthouse with “additional sleeping quarters” and a dedicated laundry area. A third structure, a wee converted barn, currently functions as a garage and also contains a loft space that could function as a private office.
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Image Credit: Redfin Naturally, the entire property is also walled and gated for security. Behind the gates, a wraparound motorcourt has off-street parking for a half-dozen or more cars.
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Image Credit: Redfin