Inside HGTV Star Page Turner's Friendship With Magic Johnson
Page Turner has been putting her real estate expertise and house flipping know-how to work on HGTV, debuting on the show "Flip or Flop Nashville" before going on to star in "Fix My Flip." The Los Angeles native has over 20 years of experience under her belt, with Turner revealing in an exclusive interview with The List that she became a licensed realtor in 2003 and started her own brokerage in 2006. Still, among the little-known details about Turner is the fact that she worked with basketball legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson long before she got into house flipping.
On the "Brown Ambition Podcast," the HGTV star opened up about how she came to work for the former Lakers player. "You know what's cool about growing up in Los Angeles?" she said. "You kind of know somebody who knows somebody who knew somebody who can connect you with somebody." Turner went on to explain that she worked as an assistant marketing director for director Spike Lee's clothing line when her boss, Taylor Michaels, decided to leave the company.
"She ran into Denzel Washington who owned a restaurant on Melrose," the real estate agent continued. "He was like, 'Hey, you know Magic's looking for some people to start, you know, his Magic Johnson Enterprises.'" When her boss departed for the up-and-coming business, she took Turner along as an assistant. From there, the HGTV star was able to advance in the company while also building a friendship with Johnson, himself.
The friendship had a notable impact on Page's life
Page Turner and Magic Johnson's unexpected friendship seemingly runs deep, with the HGTV star revealing in a celebratory Instagram post that Johnson actually hosted the baby shower for one of Turner's pregnancies. Page has opened up about raising three kids as a single mother, emphasizing the importance of community and family in her experience. "I was 23 with 3 babies under 2 & a single Mama," she captioned the post, which honored the birthday of her twin daughters. "Working for an amazing mentor & friend @magicjohnson 🙏🏽 (who gave me theee best surprise baby shower 😭)."
Beyond this, Turner's experience at Magic Johnson Enterprises also planted the seed for her long-term career in real estate. On the "Black Ambition Podcast," the TV personality explained that she had experience working in several of the company's departments, including Magic Johnson Development. "We were going into urban areas and finding places to build black-owned movie theaters owned by him," Turner said. "So, at that time, Ken Lombard was his vice president [and he] told me, 'You should get your real estate license because, if we're buying this land, you might as well be the one selling it to us.'"
While Turner left Los Angeles for Nashville before that plan could come to life, we all know that she went on to become an expert real estate agent and house flipper. She credits Lombard with introducing her to the idea, with her experience at Magic Johnson Enterprises being an important precursor to her HGTV stardom.