Infamous Megamansion known as “The One”

Nile Niami | Biography

Producer of Films such as 'The Galaxies,' 'The Patriot,' and 'The Watcher'

• By Reena Chikanbanjar
• Original : August 26, 2021

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Nile Niami is an American real estate developer best known for developing his infamous megamansion known as “The One.”

Who is Nile Niami?

Nile Niami is a former film producer. He produced over a dozen of films, including The Galaxies (1995), The Patriot (1998), and The Watcher (2000). Later, he became a real estate developer. He has turned many neglected estates into megamansions in Los Angeles. He collaborated with architect Paul McClean in many of his projects.

Early Life and Education

Nile Niami was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1968. He was raised by a single mother who was a special education teacher. Niami had developed the art of selling at a very young age. During his high school, he took night classes to get certified in cosmetology. He then learned about special effects prosthetics for horror films. 

Career as Producer

At age 19, Niami worked with Doug Witkins, his mentor from the show Big Brother, to sell international movie rights at Witkin’s film distribution company. 

Later, Niami founded his own production company and produced over a dozen films, many of them were straight-to-video B movies. In 1995, he produced the sci-fi thriller film Galaxies. The following year, he produced the horror-thriller video DNA. He then produced the 1997 action film T.N.T. 

In 1998, he produced films Point Black, The Patriot, and The Survivor. The next year, Niami produced the horror crime film Resurrection and the crime-thriller TV movie Justice. He also produced the 2000 mystery-thriller film The Watcher. In 2001, he produced the action-comedy film Camouflage and the romantic crime-drama film Tart. However, Niami eventually realized that he would not make enough profit from movies as a producer. He then became a real estate developer.

Start of Real Estate Career 

As a real estate developer, Niami started renovating homes and building small condos in Los Angeles. Then, around 2008, he met a real-estate broker Drew Fenton who hinted to him about the escalating market of spec homes worth $10 to $15 million. Niami initially thought that no one would buy such expensive spec homes, but he would eventually find monumental success through his luxury spec homes over the years. 

Later, entrepreneurs Winklevoss twins Cameron and Tyler bought Niami’s one of the contemporary view houses for $18 million in 2012. Two years later, Niami sold one of his spec homes to rapper and musician Sean Combs, a.k.a. P. Diddy, for $39 million. 

By 2017, Niami had already built more than 30 houses in Los Angeles. He also built a 14,000-square-foot house for himself just above the Sunset Strip. The house had a $400,000 Lucite-bottom swimming pool and a custom-made 24-foot gold giraffe skeleton sculpture in a glass box.

Opus and Other Houses

In 2017, he completed a 21,000-square-foot mansion known as ‘Opus’ in Beverly Hills, which he would list for $100 million. Designed by architect Paul McClean and developed by Niami, the property also offered nearly $12 million worth of Lamborghinis, Rolls-Royces, and Damien Hirst paintings. Niami cut the asking price up to $85 million in September. He later rejected a $50 million offer from Chinese billionaire William Ding, and Niami’s lender took ownership of the property in February 2020. Opus was then valued at $38 million, far below its original asking price. The mansion was later relisted for $60 million and sold in November 2020 for an unknown cost.

Niami also placed a West Hollywood spec mansion into bankruptcy in December 2020 when a creditor took control of the mansion.

In April 2021, Chinese businessman Louis Hsieh bought Niami’s Carcassonne Road 28,000-square-foot mansion for $36 million. In 2021, Niami also sold a 24,000-square-foot mansion overlooking different portions of Bel Air Country Club for $36 million, which he originally listed for $65 million.

How did Nile Niami afford "The One"?

Niami gained massive popularity when he started constructing a 100,000-square-foot megamansion dubbed “The One” in Bel Air, which he listed on the real estate market for $500 million. In 2015, GQ reported that the mansion was the most expensive mansion in history. Niami bought the property in late 2012 for $28 million from now-deceased video game heiress Rita Kogan. He then completed the construction of the megamansion in early 2021, after eight years of development. 

However, Los Angeles Times reported in March 2021 that Niami was facing foreclosure on the property. According to the report, Niami borrowed $82 million from Hankey Capital in 2018 to build the megamansion, but his debt soared to more than $110 over the three years. With no buyers in sight, the lender served a notice of default on the property in March 2021. The lender gave Niami 90 days to repay the loan. Otherwise, the lender could force a sale of the famous property, the report said.

Wolfpack App

In 2015, Niami also launched an app called Wolfpack, which he designed to help single men look for friends.

Former Wife and Children

Niami was married to Yvonne Niami, the founder of a tequila company called VIVA XXXII, and a charitable clothing label called N:Philanthropy. Yvonne filed for divorce in January 2017 after 18 years of marriage. The divorce filing cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their separation. 

They have two sons, Bryce Niami and Brent Niami.

What is Nile Niami's Net Worth?

Niami has a net worth of $50 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, as of August 2021.