Film, Television, Commercials And Music Videos Boost Economy While Training, Internship And Entrepreneurial Opportunities Through Operation FLEET Prepare Youth For A Future In The Film Industry
By Charles Fisher and Randy Fisher @HHSYC
Shane Snider, Cody Blue Snider, Charles Fisher, Dee Snider, CE Ed Mangano, Randy Fisher
On Tuesday, September 17, 2013 we attended a press conference held by Nassau County Executive (CE) Edward Mangano where he announced a host of County achievements in the film and television industry. As members of the Nassau County Film Advisory Board we are excited about the presentation because everyone has been working very hard to help Nassau become the “Hollywood East” of the motion picture industry. The “Movers & Shakers” on the board consist of local independent filmmakers, production executives, owners of both Gold Coast and Grumman Film Studios, and community leaders.
With the vision, leadership and commitment of the CE we will continue to do all we can to market the benefits of the county and solicit new business. In addition to the growth of the county’s film industry we are finalizing the launch of a Film & Television Internship program through our Operation FLEET initiative (Financial Literacy, Employment, Entrepreneurship & Training) that will prepare the county’s youth and young adults for the many opportunities in the county’s film and television pipeline. Nassau County is on fire right now and film trendsetters go where the heat is hot.
The project will be working with the Daymond John Academy, founded by “The Shark” Daymond John (Author, founder of the globally recognized apparel company FUBU, and star of ABC hit television show “Shark Tank”), the Source Magazine, writer Winsome Lennon, actor Steve Lee and a host of others to enlighten participants about the film and television industry. Thanks to the CE the free program will be offered to High School and College students as well as at-risk and disconcerted youth who are looking for jobs, training and other opportunities in film and television. Workforce development is the key to the County’s future and it all starts with training and preparing our youth and young adults.
Providing quality jobs for young county residents through the film and television industry has been a goal of the CE and the report confirms he is on the right path. Randy and I have been working with the CE for years and we can honestly say that he is committed to help young residents fulfill their dreams and aspirations in the film, television, commercial and the music video industry. Whatever we needed to develop the Internship project and other programs it was never an issue and he always kept his word regarding initiatives that contributed to the safety, education and economic empowerment of the county’s youth and young adult population. It is our assessment that Nassau County is on the fast track to finally receive its fair share of the multibillion-dollar film and television industry and that equals more jobs and a boost to the local economy.
We applaud the CE for his ability to stay focused on the economic development of Nassau County, as well as his willingness to network with everyone to get the job done. That is not an easy task in this dark political climate that we live in today. If you don’t believe us, just look at the gridlock in Washington. We look forward to doing our part to empower young residents through film, as well as help the CE promote and expand the growth of the county’s highly successful film industry. Below is the press release on Nassau County’s Film Industry.
For Immediate Release: September 17, 2013
Contact: Katie Grilli-Robles, Press Secretary (516) 571-4225
Mangano: Film Industry Success Leads to $140 Million in Economic Benefit
Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano was joined today on the Times Square set of the Amazing Spiderman at Gold Coast Studios by Burt Young, best known for his Academy-Award nominated role as Sylvester Stallone’s brother-in-law and best friend Paulie in the Rocky film series; Dee Snider, the frontman for the heavy metal band Twisted Sister, singer-songwriter, screenwriter, radio personality, and actor; Cody Snider and Shane Snider, Actors and Directors; Fred Carpenter Writer, Producer and Director; and Ingrid Dodd and Craig Weintraub, Co-Founders of the Long Beach International Film Festival; Glen, Joe and Lindsay Lostrito from Gold Coast Studios, Parvis Farahzad of Grumman Studios, Mike N’Dolo of Camoin Associates; Angela Anton of the Nassau County Film Commission; Debra Markowitz Director of the Nassau County Film Office; Aviva Miller from the Gold Coast International Film Festival; and Randy and Charles Fisher of Hip Hop Against Gun and Gang Violence.
Mineola, NY – Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano has made it a priority to attract the movie and television industry to Nassau County, and today, a new independent economic analysis performed by Camoin Associates indicates the industry’s success. In 2012, the movie and television industry generated $140 million in economic benefit for Nassau County and more than $800,000 in sales and hotel taxes. The industry employed 1,945 people — including 890 annual jobs, and spent 393 days shooting movies and television shows in Nassau County.
County Executive Mangano stated, “Nassau County is becoming the Hollywood East of the motion picture and television industry as productions, both large and small, have been attracted to our unique facilities. My administration has supported the film industry in expanding its local operations as it benefits our residents by generating $140 million in annual economic benefit for the region and helps employ more than 1,900 people.”
The economic study, commissioned by the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency (IDA), focused its review on three filmmaking facilities: Gold Coast Studios in Bethpage, Grumman Studios in Bethpage and the Sands Point Preserve in Port Washington.
The study indicates:
- More than 1,900 people were employed in the film industry over various times in 2012, including employees of the buildings, production staffs, cast and crew, and contractors. The number of days spent shooting films and TV episodes totaled 393. More than 1,000 year-round, direct and indirect full-time jobs exist due to the film industry.
- The film industry generated $140 million in economic benefit to the County.
The county collected sales and hotel taxes of more than $800,000 as a result of filming movies and television shows in the County.
Moreover, the studios are qualified New York State production facilities and therefore film producers are entitled to a 30% tax credit through the Empire State Film Production Tax Credit program.
In addition, the studios are located within the “Film Zone” – a boundary set by several New York City film industry unions to define the area in which their members will work locally without incurring travel and overtime costs. The boundary is a 25-mile radius of Columbus Circle.
The studios in the study were:
- Grumman Studios in Bethpage, which recently received an extension of an existing economic compact with the IDA to upgrade its sound stages. It offers 500,000 square feet with seven sound stages and 30 acres of paved outdoor space. East Setauket developer Parviz Farahzad’s Lunar Module Park, LLC, which owns Grumman Studios, began the conversion of a 660,000-square-foot former Northrop Grumman assembly plant in 2007 into the largest film production studio in New York. The building was used to construct the lunar modules that briefly roamed the moon’s surface 40 years ago.
- Gold Coast Studios in Steel Equities’ Bethpage Business Park, has six sound stages totaling 105,000 square feet as well as outdoor space, warehousing, acres of outdoor storage area and a host of services including security and catering.
- The Sands Point Preserve, operated by the Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation and Museums, encompasses 216 acres, including a large mansion and nature trails that are used in television and movie productions.
In 2012, Nassau County hosted over 650 production days. Among the more than dozen movies and television shows that were filmed in Nassau County last year were: “Spiderman,” “Winter’s Tale,” “Found Footage,” “Boardwalk Empire,” “Royal Pains,” “The Good Wife,” “Affluenza,” ”The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Four Weddings,” “Infamous,” “Deception,” “The Americans,” and “Zero Hour.”
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