APMFF sponsor iStar VP: "Asbury Park is a city full of passionate voices"

The story of Asbury Park is nothing short of cinematic – from its heyday as a bustling, beachfront haven, to its status as a launchpad and tour stop for some the world’s biggest musicians, to the dilapidation and disrepair of its storied architecture and vibrant, beating heart.

Insert a time jump, and voila! It’s back as a sparkling city by the sea, resurrected by a surge of positive development and popularity, and from that, visibility for an arts scene that survived the times and, really, flourished all along.

There’s much more to the story, of course.

Asbury Park Music + Film Festival sponsors iStar are a big part of it.  

“Ten years ago, I don’t think anybody believed something like the Asbury Park Music + Film Festival could exist here,” said Brian Cheripka of iStar, who plays a part of the rebirth of the Asbury Park waterfront and its properties like The Asbury Hotel and the Asbury Ocean Club.

“And yet, today, you look at the success that the Music + Film Festival has brought to the community, along with events like Sea. Hear. Now, Light Of Day – all of these events in Asbury Park are happening in part due to the stability iStar has brought to the waterfront, and to Asbury Park itself.”

That stability, Cheripka says, creates fertile ground for a positive economic engine. iStar has invested more than $300 million in redevelopment of the Asbury Park waterfront, including more than $20 million in crucial infrastructure, creating more than 300 jobs in the process.

“It’s very exciting to the see the resurgence taking place across the city – the art community downtown, the redevelopment activities taking place in the central business district, the new housing opportunities, the community centers being developed on the west side,” Cheripka says. “When people look at Asbury Park today, this is very much a city on the rise.”

“What excites us the most is that people are finally starting to recognize that the best days for Asbury Park are ahead – and not behind the city.”

In addition to its work with groups like the Boys & Girls Club and other organizations, iStar has sponsored the nonprofit Asbury Park Music + Film Festival since 2017. It’s a vital part of the company’s philosophy – one Cheripka points out is as much about community reinvestment as it is real estate and new construction.

“When we first came into Asbury Park, we talked about how to get involved – and what organizations would we like to support,” Cheripka says. “Although we’re the master developer of the waterfront, our success is predicated on working with the community, working with the governing body, and partnering with organizations like the nonprofit Asbury Park Music + Film Festival, is what makes our organization successful. We believe the community element of what we’re doing here is critically important to the overall success of the city.”

It’s the vision of iStar CEO Jay Sugarman, Cheripka says, that has led the charge in determining iStar’s approach of recognizing the city’s past while working hard to create its future. 

“Sugarman’s vision speaks to the potential that exists in Asbury Park, this city based on a musical and cultural heritage, the architecture, the design – all that was here unfortunately fell into disrepair over time. But that’s what we’re all tapping back into: the culture, the music, the roots – the things that made this city great.”

Cheripka believes the Asbury Park Music + Film Festival, which provides music education to underserved youth in and around the city, can play a vital role moving forward. 

“It brings the city together,” he says of the APMFF. “One of the things I hate to hear is ‘that’s the east side,’ or ‘that’s the west side… I think a lot of people see Asbury Park as one city. It’s not about the downtown or the waterfront, it’s about how do we all work together to make a better community – and that’s what the Music + Film Festival brings to the table.”

“Everyone knows Asbury Park and everyone has heard of the Stone Pony,” he continues, “but I think the festival taps into something deeper – the history of the city itself, and its ties to music. What the Festival has done is peel back the layers and add depth to what exists in the city, and demonstrates that to the world – it gets the story out.”

That story, he says, is made of many elements – new infrastructure and development, of course, but also an embrace and celebration of the city’s collective passion for the arts.

“The arts play a bigger role in sharing people’s spirit not only within the community, but with the outside world,” he says. “We’ve sponsored the Danny Clinch Transparent exhibit since its inception – we first thought it would be six months, and now it’s well over two years. Danny has created a wonderful combination through his photography, his support of the art community and for music. We recently hired George Bates to do a mural on the side of one of our buildings, we support Mike LaVallee (Porkchop) and local artists over at Asbury Lanes.”

“We’re always looking for opportunities to encourage artists to stay in the city and highlight the things that they bring to the community, because it’s another form of expression, and Asbury Park is a city full of passionate voices,” Cheripka says. “There are not many cities like Asbury Park anywhere in the world. That’s what the arts brings to the city.”

 That encouragement, he concludes, is a big part of iStar’s commitment to the Asbury park Music + Film Festival.

“The festival has always been a believer in Asbury Park, and has always believed its true potential,” he says. “This is one of the keystone events now for the city. Some festivals struggle to get off the ground, and their growth is incremental. When you look at the impact the APMFF has had in such a very short period of time, it brings excitement to the city. We couldn’t be more pleased with its success, and obviously, we’ll continue to support it.”