Mayor Bloomberg Announces a Record 23 Primetime Television Series Now Being Filmed in the Five Boroughs – Adding to the 100,000 Jobs Supported by New York City’s Entertainment Industry

Industry Now Supports 4,000 Local Businesses and Contributes $5 Billion to the Local Economy

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Media & Entertainment Commissioner Katherine Oliver today announced a record 23 television series are being filmed in New York City – contributing to the growth of an industry that supports 100,000 jobs. The Mayor kicked off this year’s television season at Steiner Studios at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on the set of Sony Pictures Television’s new series Pan Am, one of 8 new primetime episodic series being filmed in New York City. This year, New York City-based shows earned a record 110 Primetime Emmy nominations for their outstanding achievements. Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Oliver were joined at Steiner Studios by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, State Senator Daniel Squadron, Assembly Member Joseph Lentol, Steiner Studios Chairman Douglas C. Steiner, Executive Director of the State Office for Motion Picture & Television Development Pat Kaufman, Pan Am Executive Producers Nancy Hult Ganis and Thomas Schlamme, the Pan Am crew and several “Made in NY” production assistants.

“Thousands of New Yorkers are hard at work building sets, making costumes and scouting locations for the record 23 new and returning TV shows that film here,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “A show like Pan Am employs 400 people behind the scenes and generates activity for our local economy at places like lumberyards, fabric stores and coffee shops. We’re working to strengthen and diversify New York City’s economy and create jobs, and our thriving entertainment industry is a prime example of those efforts paying off.”

“This fall, our televisions screens will once again be filled with a host of shows that are made right here in the Big Apple,” said Commissioner Oliver. “We’re proud to call these shows ‘Made in NY’ because we know that filming in the City means jobs for our fellow New Yorkers. We wish all the new and returning shows all the best during this upcoming season and at the Primetime Emmys. We’re also so proud of our ‘Made in NY’ production assistants – young people who once unemployed and didn’t know how to break into the industry. Thanks to the free training and job skills they received, they are now flourishing on projects like Pan Am in the locations and camera departments.”

“Film and television production is manufacturing for the 21st century, and it is a business New York City does exceptionally well. We have the best crews anywhere, and create the best content in the world,” said Douglas C. Steiner, Chairman of Steiner Studios. “This onslaught of film and television production here is a direct result of the mayor and other elected officials working together to make New York City competitive and hassle-free.”

New York City is home to 23 primetime episodic television series for the 2011-2012 television season as well as 140 news programs, talk shows and reality series. The City’s entertainment industry contributes more than $5 billion to the City’s economy each year, and more than 100,000 New Yorkers make their living working on film and TV sets. There are also 4,000 local businesses that support the productions that shoot on location throughout the five boroughs. Pan Am, for example, employs 400 individuals behind the camera and purchases numerous goods and services from local businesses such as lumberyards, costume houses, food suppliers, hardware stores, transportation companies, hotels, office supply stores and furniture rental houses. Last year, 200 films were also shot on location in the City.

“Brooklyn’s big stage is a star on the small screen, from the Cosby Show to current hits Boardwalk Empire – which is filming at Borough Hall today – and Blue Bloods which films at Broadway Stages,” said Borough President Markowitz. “And of course we are proud to welcome Pan Am to Brooklyn’s roster of TV hits. Thanks in large part to leadership from Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Oliver, vital tax incentives provided by Governor Cuomo and the legislature and state of the art facilities like Steiner Studios there has never been a more exciting time for television production in Brooklyn and throughout New York City. So when you get tired of LALA land come to Brooklyn – or as I call it Hollywood East.”

“From Pan Am to Boardwalk Empire, the TV shows and films produced right here in New York prove that you don't need to be in Hollywood to be a star,” said State Senator Squadron. “The TV and film industry creates jobs for countless New Yorkers, generates business and often brings New York to the rest of the world. I’m proud to have Steiner Studios here in my district, joining the Brooklyn Navy Yards in creating new jobs in the heart of the city.”

“Today's announcement is further proof that the film industry is alive, well and growing in our great city,” said State Senator Martin J. Golden. “I am proud of the City and State’s efforts and look forward to new opportunities to assist.”

“New York is clearly home for the 21st century film industry,” said Assembly Member Lentol. “We are very happy about that because so many jobs are created for each media project. Every phase of filming can be done in New York because we have great studios like Steiner Studios and the talented and creative workers that are the recipe for great economic success. Plus everyone involved in this industry loves New York and we love them.”

“Pan Am joins a long list of television series that have chosen New York City as its backdrop, and we couldn't be more thrilled,” said State Office for Motion Picture & Television Development Pat Swinney Kaufman. “The 30 percent New York State Film Production Credit has attracted more than 100 projects into the program since January. With the extension and expansion of the program, we have received more than 600 applications. Business is booming and these projects are helping to support our local economies across the state, bringing jobs to small businesses and employing thousands of New Yorkers.”

Pan Am premieres on Sunday, September 25, on the ABC Television Network. The original series, which follows Pan Am pilots and stewardesses in 1963 at the dawn of the Jet Age, is created by Jack Orman and is produced by Jack Orman Productions, Out of the Blue Entertainment and Shoe Money Productions in association with Sony Pictures Television.

As part of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment’s efforts to diversify the industry, the “Made in NY” Production Assistant Training Program was developed in partnership between the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and Brooklyn Workforce Innovations, a local nonprofit, to prepare disadvantaged and unemployed New Yorkers for entry-level jobs in TV and film production. Since the program’s inception in 2006, more than 300 diverse New Yorkers have become certified “Made in NY” PAs and have collectively earned approximately $6 million in wages. Three of the graduates of the program are part of the crew of Pan Am.

The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment has also worked to connect local businesses with productions filming here. The “Made in NY” Discount Card Program currently includes 1,000 vendors ranging from prop houses to hardware stores that provide discounts off their goods and services to productions shooting in the City. Productions are also able to easily locate participating vendors by using the free “Made in NY” Discount app available to download online.

Steiner Studios is located at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Both the studio and Navy Yard are undergoing major expansions. The City invested $28 million for basic infrastructure for Steiner Studios, which, combined with $100 million in private investment from Steiner, helped create one of the largest sound stages on the East Coast and 1,000 jobs. Now the City, the Federal government and the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation – led by President Andrew Kimball – is investing $15 million in a substation and site work and Steiner is investing $85 million to double the size of the studios, including space for Brooklyn College Graduate School of Cinema, creating an additional 1,200 jobs.

The Brooklyn Navy Yard is one of the fastest growing and most successful urban industrial districts in the nation. The City has invested $250 million in infrastructure upgrades that has helped bring about more than $500 million in private investment. Since 2001, the Brooklyn Navy Yard has added 2,200 jobs and will add more than 2,000 additional jobs in the next two years. The industrial district is home to dozens of companies, including Duggal, a designer and manufacturer of the nation’s first wind-solar street lamps; Crye Precision, a cutting-edge designer and manufacturer of body armor and apparel to various arms of the US military’ Shiel Medical Laboratory, the largest privately-held medical diagnostics lab in New York City; and Gilt Group, one of the fastest growing e-commerce flash sales businesses in the nation.