One Brooklyn
January 23, 2015
BROOKLYN, NY, January 23, 2015: Today, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams submitted testimony to Council Member James Vacca, chair of the City Council Committee on Technology, in support of Intro 84, a local law to require monthly and annual reports concerning film shoot permits. He noted that, late last year, his office convened a meeting with the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) and numerous business improvement districts (BIDs) across Brooklyn that have been impacted by the film and television industry. At that gathering, there was consensus among attendees on the welcomed economic benefits generated by local film shoots as well as the often overlooked quality of life issues that residents and local businesses have encountered.
“Brooklyn has become a hotbed of the film and television industry…[adding] great value, economically and culturally, to our borough,” wrote Borough President Adams. “While this economic input is clearly a benefit to New York City, our residents, small businesses, and taxpayers, the benefits that have been brought have also resulted in unintended impacts to many neighborhoods, largely as a result of film and television production in residential neighborhoods and along retail corridors…The data that will be generated from [Intro 84] will allow residents, businesses, and local policy makers to better plan and distribute the benefits and impacts of the film and television industries.”
Intro 84 would mandate monthly and annual reporting standards to identify the filming locations or locations authorized by each permit, the duration of each permit, the impacts to on-street parking, the network, studio or company producing each film or television shoot, the number of jobs created, the mean and median compensation of the jobs, the duration of employment, and the direct and indirect costs and benefits of the film and television industries in New York City.
“Brooklyn’s legacy on screens big and small is unparalleled, from classic films like Annie Hall, Do the Right Thing, and Saturday Night Fever to television hits like Boardwalk Empire, Elementary, and Girls,” said Borough President Adams. “Our borough’s reputation as ‘Hollywood East’ should continue to rise, especially with the growth of our studios and the top-notch education we provide to train on-screen and behind-the-camera talent alike. I believe that the continued development of our film and television industries can be achieved while recognizing the needs of the residents and local businesses that are home to the communities in which they shoot.”
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