New York City is getting into the film business.
The city is spending $136 million to renovate the Bush Terminal in Sunset Park, Brooklyn and turn it into a center for film and television production and garment manufacturing.
Called “Made in NY,” the center, expected to open in 2020, will have a new 100,000-square-foot facility that houses state-of-the-art soundstages and support space for film and television production, video and photo shoots, and emerging media sectors such as virtual reality. It will also have nearly 200,000 square feet for the garment industry, which will provide small spaces ranging from 2,000 to 20,000 square feet for up to 35 companies working in patternmaking, sewing and sample making. Mayor Bill de Blasio, who announced the project today in a press conference at the terminal, said it would create 1,500 permanent jobs and 800 construction jobs, all part of his plan to add 40,000 jobs in the next four years and 100,000 jobs by 2026.
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The Made in NY campaign was started in 2005 by the previous film commissioner, Katherine Oliver, to help support film, television and theatrical production produced in the city. Under the program, films and TV shows that are 75% produced here are eligible to get free advertising on local bus shelters and subways using the Made in NY logo. Since then the tagline has been used for other initiatives like a city-wide book club.
The fashion industry represents 182,000 jobs, five percent of the city’s workforce, with average salaries of $57,000, according to the Mayor’s office. The film industry is responsible for 130,000 jobs with average salaries of $53,000. Both sectors are grappling with a space crunch.
“Good paying jobs are the bedrock of a strong city,” de Blasio said. “We will continue to invest in the ‘Made In NY’ brand and in New Yorkers.”
The new studios will be a boon to New York City’s booming film and television production industry, which is one of the city’s fastest growing sectors. During the last season, which ended in May, a record 52 prime-time episodic television series filmed in New York City, a 13% increase from the previous year, according to Julie Menin, the city’s film commissioner. During the same time period, the city was home to 336 feature-film projects, an almost 40% increase from 2015.
“Capitalizing on city-owned assets, the Made in NY Campus will ensure that this growth trajectory continues,” Menin said.
The influx of production—which stems from the state’s $420 million annual production tax credit—has created a shortage of sound stages, a problem that the city’s most established studios have been trying to rectify. In August, Silvercup Studios opened a new facility in the South Bronx, Kaufman Astoria Studios just broke ground on two new stages on its Astoria campus; and Steiner Studios is in the midst of an expansion.
It is unclear how the Made in NY studios will be run and whether their rental rates will be in line with the other local soundstages. Still, the plan to invest in studios signals the Mayor’s confidence in the extension of the tax credit, which is up for renewal through Dec. 2022 as part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s next budget.
Film and television executives say that roughly 80% of the city’s production work will disappear if the tax credit is cancelled or downsized.
New York City is getting into the film business.
The city is spending $136 million to renovate the Bush Terminal in Sunset Park, Brooklyn and turn it into a center for film and television production and garment manufacturing.
Called “Made in NY,” the center, expected to open in 2020, will have a new 100,000-square-foot facility that houses state-of-the-art soundstages and support space for film and television production, video and photo shoots, and emerging media sectors such as virtual reality. It will also have nearly 200,000 square feet for the garment industry, which will provide small spaces ranging from 2,000 to 20,000 square feet for up to 35 companies working in patternmaking, sewing and sample making. Mayor Bill de Blasio, who announced the project today in a press conference at the terminal, said it would create 1,500 permanent jobs and 800 construction jobs, all part of his plan to add 40,000 jobs in the next four years and 100,000 jobs by 2026.
The Made in NY campaign was started in 2005 by the previous film commissioner, Katherine Oliver, to help support film, television and theatrical production produced in the city. Under the program, films and TV shows that are 75% produced here are eligible to get free advertising on local bus shelters and subways using the Made in NY logo. Since then the tagline has been used for other initiatives like a city-wide book club.
The fashion industry represents 182,000 jobs, five percent of the city’s workforce, with average salaries of $57,000, according to the Mayor’s office. The film industry is responsible for 130,000 jobs with average salaries of $53,000. Both sectors are grappling with a space crunch.
“Good paying jobs are the bedrock of a strong city,” de Blasio said. “We will continue to invest in the ‘Made In NY’ brand and in New Yorkers.”
The new studios will be a boon to New York City’s booming film and television production industry, which is one of the city’s fastest growing sectors. During the last season, which ended in May, a record 52 prime-time episodic television series filmed in New York City, a 13% increase from the previous year, according to Julie Menin, the city’s film commissioner. During the same time period, the city was home to 336 feature-film projects, an almost 40% increase from 2015.
“Capitalizing on city-owned assets, the Made in NY Campus will ensure that this growth trajectory continues,” Menin said.
The influx of production—which stems from the state’s $420 million annual production tax credit—has created a shortage of sound stages, a problem that the city’s most established studios have been trying to rectify. In August, Silvercup Studios opened a new facility in the South Bronx, Kaufman Astoria Studios just broke ground on two new stages on its Astoria campus; and Steiner Studios is in the midst of an expansion.
It is unclear how the Made in NY studios will be run and whether their rental rates will be in line with the other local soundstages. Still, the plan to invest in studios signals the Mayor’s confidence in the extension of the tax credit, which is up for renewal through Dec. 2022 as part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s next budget.
Film and television executives say that roughly 80% of the city’s production work will disappear if the tax credit is cancelled or downsized.
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