NYC’s Lucrative Film Biz Soars; Companies Fight Streaming Dollars

Filmmakers are loving New York City, and are filming here more than they have in a while.

By Andy B. Mayfair

Crain’s New York Business is reporting that the Big Apple has begun standing in for other cities. “The Americans faked Cold War Washington, D.C., was filmed in parts of Brooklyn. Madam Secretary passed off the Ritz Carlton as the White House. And in a true reversal, the CBS show Tommy, which centers around Edie Falco as a Los Angeles police chief, was shot at Kaufman Studios and several Staten Island locations. It premieres in February. The shows provide the latest evidence that generous tax credits and an unending appetite for new content have pushed the city’s entertainment economy to new heights.”

The traditional wisdom had been that taxes were too high in New York, and so producers looked elsewhere for locations.

“That changed in 2003, when the state adopted a tax incentive to help spur growth,” Crain’s noted. “Since then the film tax credit has supported about 43,000 jobs each year and $7.6 billion statewide in spending, according to a report that economic development firm Camoin Associates prepared on behalf of the state.”

But under Michael Bloomberg’s leadership, New York began working harder to attract film shoots, offering everything from no-cost police protection to low-cost and, for a while, even free permits.

Today, the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) comprises four divisions: the Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting coordinates film and television production throughout the five boroughs. In addition, NYC Media is the largest municipal television and radio broadcasting entity in the country, with a reach of 18 million viewers within a 50-mile radius. The city has also developed workforce and educational initiatives in film, television, theater, music, publishing, advertising and digital content to support the development of its creative industries, which account for over 305,000 jobs, and an economic output of $104 billion.

Other city initiatives include:

* Made in NY Marketing Credit: This program offers qualified film and television productions with free co-branded advertising opportunities in the #1 media market in the country. “Made in NY” productions are projects where at least 75% of the film was produced in New York City.

* NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre. The groundbreaking $5 million program provides funds to complete projects by, for, or about all who identify as women. The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is administering the fund.