Q&A: Jai Winding

By SARAH SHMERLING | Managing Editor

Meet Jai Winding, the music mogul turned luxury real estate agent. Winding, who has lived in Pacific Palisades for 25 years, shared with the Palisadian-Post what led him to change after a 30-year career in the music industry.

Shmerling: Tell me about your childhood. Where were you born and where did you grow up? What were some of your hobbies and interests as a child and teenager?

Winding: I was born in New York City and grew up in Dobbs Ferry, New York. Interests as a child and teenager were playing sports: football, basketball, and track and field. I also played alto saxophone in the junior high school band and studied piano and organ. I joined a high school rock band at Hackley School in Tarrytown, New York called The Henchmen in grades 10-12.

Shmerling: Where did you go to college and what did you study?

Winding: I attended Susquehanna University and majored in sociology.

Shmerling: How long have you lived in the Palisades and in which neighborhoods? What brought you here and why do you stay?

Winding: Twenty-five years in Palisades. I moved to the Palisades in 1991 from Hollywood Hills after getting married to Rebecca Mancuso. We wanted to start a family and the Palisades was the perfect neighborhood for us. We moved to 1009 Bienveneda Ave. and discovered St Matthews Parish and School. We joined the church and sent my daughter Cambria to preschool through eighth grade there. My wife and I are still very active in the church—my wife was on the vestry and co-chaired the Christmas Fair. We volunteer a lot of our time and resources to the church community, and host stewardship dinners and participate in community outreach.

Shmerling: What was your first job out of college? What led you to choose a career in real estate?

Winding: My first job out of college was for Billboard Publications in Hollywood. I worked in their NY office for two summers in high school. I was hired by the Hollywood office when I came out to Los Angeles after college. I started working as a studio musician in Hollywood, which eventually became my fulltime career as studio musician, touring musician, arranger, producer, writer, publisher, studio owner and CEO of my music production company. After 2000, I was looking for a career change after 30 years in the music business. I had owned real estate starting in 1978 and managed income property as an investor, so a career in real estate was a natural transition for me.

Shmerling: How does your background help you when working with clients to buy or sell a home?

Winding: I worked and collaborated with some of the most renowned and demanding musical artists, producers, attorneys and business managers during my music career. That was great training for dealing with the egos and temperament of high networth individuals acquiring and selling real estate.

Shmerling: Do you represent homes in all neighborhoods of the Palisades?

Winding: Yes, I have listed and sold properties in most neighborhoods of the Palisades. I have lived in the Huntington on Alma Real for 21 years.

Shmerling: Tell me about how you approach new clients who are aiming to buy or sell a home.

Winding: I approach new clients through email and direct mail marketing, social media, my website, and am currently launching my own real estate app.

Shmerling: What are some of the most memorable homes you have sold or helped a client purchase?

Winding: My Rustic Lane Estate pocket listing consists of two properties I sold to my clients in 2008 and 2010. The property is 3.6 acres with an 8,400-square-foot Cape Cod traditional, seven-bedroom, 10-bathroom main house with guest house, and the Alfred Newman Estate designed by Lloyd Wright, built in 1950, which is a 4,400-square-foot, five-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom home. The entire compound is quietly on the market for $37.9 million.

Shmerling: What are some current trends in real estate?

Winding: Reaching clients through social media is now more important than ever. Buyers and sellers are so well informed about new listings, comparable sales and agent profiles available on the internet.

Shmerling: Thoughts on Caruso’s Palisades Village project?

Winding: Caruso Affiliated project will transform our village like never before. I’m looking forward to completion.

Shmerling: What do you and your family like to do for fun?

Winding: My wife, Becky, and I have one daughter, Cambria, who graduated from Marymount in 2010, Santa Clara University in 2014 and is currently a social media manager at Pinterest in San Francisco after working in marketing at Oracle for two years.

Cami’s interests are hiking, surfing, skiing, golf—she started the golf team and the surfing team at Marymount High School—jogging, cooking and going to music concerts.

Our family has been going to Hanalei and Haena in Kauai every year for the past 18 years. We have a network of friends there and plan on purchasing a vacation home.

We like hiking, stand-up paddleboarding, horseback riding, biking and boating—I have a captain’s license.

My wife and I are passionate about cooking and love to listen to music. We are longtime members of the Belair Bay Club and just this year joined a bocce team. We are so grateful to have been able to raise our family and live and thrive in Pacific Palisades.