About me
David Simon is the Founder and Managing Principal of BARDAS Investment Group, a real estate development and investment firm established in 2018. The firm specializes in creating environments for the media, entertainment, and content creation industries under the ECHELON brand, with projects that include studio lots, sound stages, production support spaces, and collaborative workspaces. With over 25 years of experience in creative office development, David emphasizes user experience through hospitality, design, and attention to detail. His expertise has driven the development of high-profile projects in Hollywood, such as Columbia Square, a historic media village. His work has earned recognition from the Urban Land Institute, the Los Angeles Conservancy, the Southern California Development Forum, and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. David's latest initiative with Bain Capital Real Estate, ECHELON Creative Environments, is disrupting the market by developing and managing state of the art production complexes in Hollywood, which encompass 1.6 million square feet of media-focused facilities. This includes the $500 million ECHELON STUDIOS at 5601 Santa Monica, expected delivery in Q3 2026, and the $600 million redevelopment of the iconic Television Center, transforming Technicolor Studios into a 6.4-acre creative studio lot. His efforts have attracted major companies like Viacom and redeveloped studio spaces for CNN, with other notable entertainment innovators committing to ECHELON projects. David holds a master's degree in real estate development from Columbia University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida. He is actively involved in professional and philanthropic initiatives, serving as a member of the Urban Land Institute, former Vice Chair and Trustee at Oakwood School's, Vice Chair of the Economic Development and Workforce Committee for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. He is also a member of the Dean’s Council at Columbia's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation. Additionally, he has served on the board of Alternative Living for the Aging and established the Simon Family Drug Research Fund at the University of Alabama.
