New York City is the setting for some of the greatest movies and television scenes of all time, from King Kong roaring at the top of the Empire State Building, to a young Woody Allen’s childhood home under a Coney Island roller coaster in “Annie Hall.” And yet, until, recent years, too many films and television shows set in New York were filmed in Toronto or on sound stages in Los Angeles.

New Yorkers have begun to change this with the help of a state tax credit, a deepening talent pool, and entrepreneurial efforts to build and expand studio space and post-production offices across the City. In the 2012-2013 television season, 26 prime-time series were shot in New York City, compared with just seven 10 years ago, and 21 hour long dramas were filmed here. The growth of talent and resources has increased economic activity across all filmed content – including advertising, digital media, post production, and animation. According to a 2012 Boston Consulting Group study, the filmed production sector employs 130,000 people in New York City, an increase of 30,000 since 2004, and accounts for $7.1 billion in private sector spending, an increase of 70% since 2002.

This industry is not just a source of good jobs – it provides opportunities for creative employment for New Yorkers, it promotes New York City across the globe, drawing curious tourists and inspiring people from across the world to come to New York City to seek a better life.

With smart leadership and continued engagement with this creative community, the City can grow the number of jobs in this sector by another 12% in the next four years, adding over 15,000 jobs in filmed production.

In order to ensure the continued vitality of this exciting industry in New York City, and connect many more New Yorkers to jobs and opportunities in film and television, a Bill de Blasio administration would take the following steps.

Create a New Film, Post-Production and Animation School at the Navy Yard
Plans are currently underway for the development of a Graduate School of Cinema in partnership with Brooklyn College at the Navy Yard, including a $6.7 million investment by the City of New York. This school currently aims to enroll up to 400 students. As Mayor, Bill de Blasio would support an expansion of the plan to create a school offering a wider range of degrees at the associate and bachelor’s level. This CUNY school, integrated into a working film lot, would grant opportunities to more students interested in pursuing careers in film and production. The City should also reconsider a partnership with Carnegie Mellon, rejected by the Bloomberg administration, to bring a high-tech post-production center and educational programs in digital media, entertainment technology, and screen acting to the Navy Yard.

Triple Enrollment in the Made in NY PA Training Program
The Made in NY PA Training Program is a collaboration between the Brooklyn Workforce Innovations and the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre, and Broadcasting. The program gives unemployed low-in- come New Yorkers training and job opportunities as production assistants on films and television pro- grams being made in New York City. This program is currently small, having trained 400 New Yorkers since 2006, or just under 60 per year. Because of its success, however, it deserves to be scaled up to reach more New Yorkers. As mayor, Bill de Blasio would seek industry partners and private funders to match additional City support and aim to triple annual enrollment to 180 each year. This would also involve reaching out to local high schools, community colleges, and workforce development programs to find students interested and capable to enter the burgeoning New York City film industry.

Create a “Film & TV Lab,” modeled after the EDC’s successful “Media Lab” for Film Production, Post-Production, and Animation
As mayor, Bill de Blasio would create a partnership among the four major studios in New York City (Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, Steiner Studios in the Navy Yard, Silvercup Studios in Long Island City, and Broadway Stages in Brooklyn), as well as the film programs at all the major public and private universities. This Film & TV Lab would connect New York film programs with New York studios to encourage innovation, R&D, and shared policy goals to support the burgeoning film community in New York City. It would be modeled after the Economic Development Corporations successful “Media Lab” project that pursues similar goals for the City’s tech and media industries. It would also work with companies and schools to craft initiatives designed to expand access to entry-level media jobs for more New York residents from traditionally disadvantaged communities.

Bring More Film Production to Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island
Bill de Blasio would aim to spur additional filming in iconic locations across the five boroughs. This would include an expansion of the “Made in New York” location library and partnerships with local community boards to offer suggestions, on-the-ground enthusiasm, and assistance to film crews in communities that would like to see their neighborhoods on screen. He will also work with these communities to ensure that film shoots are not unduly disruptive to neighborhood life.

Maintain Quality Leadership at the Mayors Office of Media and Entertainment and the Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting
Katherine Oliver has served as Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Film Theatre and Broadcasting (now part of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, also headed by Katherine Oliver) since 2002 and has shepherded this strong expansion to New York City’s film and television industry. Mayor Bloomberg’s leadership around this has been a demonstration of the power of government to spur growth in key industries. As mayor, Bill de Blasio would continue to seek strong, capable, and tech- savvy leaders in this position.

This statement was originally published in 2013 as part of Bill de Blasio’s campaign message when he ran for mayor of New York.