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Smash, about a group of characters who come together to put on
a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe, is filming
in New York.
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Article can be found at http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20110607/FREE/110609896
Record number of TV shows to shoot in NY
Thanks to tax credit extension, eight new shows will start filming this year, providing 4,700 new jobs.
By Jermaine Taylor
Published: June 7, 2011 - 2:46 pm
New York may no longer have Law & Order, the hit
series that was produced in the city and provided
thousands of jobs to local actors, caterers and
assorted film crew during its 20-year run, but there
are a record number of new shows jockeying to fill
its shoes, according to an announcement on
Tuesday from the Governor's Office for Motion
Picture and Television Development.
A record eight new shows will commence filming in
the Empire State this year, bringing with them more
than 4,700 new jobs, according to the agency. Thus
far, most of the credit for the spike goes to an
August 2010 extension of the state's 30% tax credit
for film production done locally, an incentive that
was apparently too tempting for production
companies seeking a bargain to pass up.
“Last year we announced the extension and
expansion of the New York State Film Production
Credit program, which ensured a continued
commitment to an industry with a proven record of
accomplishment in creating jobs and generating tax
revenue for New York,” Pat Swinney Kaufman,
executive director of the Governor's Office for
Motion Picture and Television Development, said in
a statement.
If the number of new shows set to debut this year is
any indication, the $420 million the state has allocated annually to fund the tax credit program through 2014 may turn
out to be money well spent. After Law & Order announced its cancellation last May, Katherine Oliver, New York's film
commissioner, told The New York Times that the show's economic impact on the state may have amounted to as much
as $1 billion.
Prior to the tax credit's implementation, New York lost out on business from film and television companies that headed
to neighboring states that already had their own generous tax incentive programs.
“As more and more television production is done in New York, the state makes more and more money,” said Douglas
Steiner, chairman of Steiner Studios in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. “This is simply a great business for New Yorkers, and
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2. it's ours to lose. What's not to like?”
And New York City will get the lion's share of that business.
Silvercup Studios in Long Island City is set to play host to half of the new series alone. “Silvercup Studios is proud to
be home to four of New York's new television shows: A Gifted Man, Unforgettable, Person of Interest, and Girls,” said
President of Silvercup Studios Stuart Match Suna.
The other four series are Smash, Rookies, Pan Am and I Just Want My Pants Back. The star-studded list of names
slated to shepherd the new shows include directors Steven Spielberg and Judd Apatow and actresses Debra Messing
and Christina Ricci.
“We are home to some of the best industry talent and as a result television is flourishing and we are driving
commercials, feature films and independent productions to all corners of New York State,” said Mr. Kaufman. “It's a
great time for creating jobs in New York.”
Entire contents ©2012 Crain Communications Inc.
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