“Members Only: Palm Beach” star Hilary Musser is working on a new TV project that could feature the region’s luxury real estate, which he says will also serve as a producer.
While the future of the Netflix hit remains uncertain, Musser said he’s already getting another opportunity with the role in between the steps he’s working on.
“I’m working on a different show right now,” he says. This is a “me-too” project.
Musser is keeping most of the details under wraps for now. He said the network isn’t defined, but the Palm Beach County environment could provide an opening to showcase the industry he’s doing business with.
“In Palm Beach County, we’re known for our real estate,” he says.
However, he does not intend to create a series focused entirely on the property. Instead, he said, real estate can be one element of a larger concept.
The project comes as Musser ponders what he wants to do after his performance at Members Only: Palm Beach. The series was neither canceled nor renewed.
“It doesn’t matter to me if the show gets renewed,” he says.
His introduction to this series came through his colleagues Taja Abitbolshe met while serving on a fundraising committee.
During a cocktail party, Abitbol asked if she would be interested in being interviewed for a TV show about country club life in Palm Beach.
Musser agreed, having previously passed on other opportunities to get in front of the camera.
She says she was approached about the Palm Beach Housewives show in 2005, but turned it down after filming because she was worried about the potential impact on her marriage and young son.
This time he decided to take a chance.
During filming, Musser says, he didn’t make up dialogue or try to impersonate another persona. In relation to the real estate business, he wanted to present himself as he had always been.
“I didn’t prepare what I was going to say,” he says.
Along with his TV appearances, Musser has been working on a custom waterfront home that he said was completed in June and is now being offered for $42.5 million.
The property is a development he is building to sell. Separately, he describes his private home as smaller but similarly finished.
According to Musser, the custom home sits along an intracoastal waterway across from the billionaire’s Palm Beach estate. Ken Griffin.
Inside, he says distinctive finishes and an uncompromising approach to quality are emphasized, with leather-wrapped fridge handles, leather-lined kitchen drawers, Italian marble and a separate chef’s kitchen.
“Each door is 12 feet tall,” he says.
For Musser, these details reflect what he believes affluent buyers want: a property that offers something different from other luxury homes, spaces that provide their own reasons to stay.
It describes a dining room that forms part of a wine room, a kitchen, a living room, and a theater that each offers a different experience.
“Every room is a destination,” she says. “A place to go and hang out with friends and family.”
His own lifestyle helps guide these decisions. Rather than treating the development as just something to sell, he thinks he’ll enjoy living there.
“And I build every house as if I’m going to live in it,” he says.
Musser first obtained his real estate license to improve his access to properties for his development business.
He felt that desirable opportunities were required before reaching the market, and he wanted to put himself in a better position to find them.
After working with a friend for several years, he earned his broker’s license. Representing clients wasn’t the goal at first, but requests from people in his community led him to show and list homes.
He says the gross revenue of his real estate business has quadrupled in the past year, and he considers the TV experience a success from a business perspective.
Now he’s also looking for brand partnerships, merchandising, social media opportunities and a book he says he wants to work on before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The show opened new doors for me,” she says.
Still, the business behind his property business remains less glamorous than what beach houses can offer. Musser points to negotiating contracts, preparing properties for showings, contacting agents and waiting for the right buyer.
“You want to be able to take out a buyer whenever you want,” he says. “But it doesn’t work that way.”
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