New York City has always been a haven for those dreaming of starring in a Broadway production, while Hollywood was always for movie stars — until now, thanks in part to Robert De Niro’s nonprofit arts organization, the Tribeca Film Institute, which he co-founded with Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff after Sept. 11, 2001.
New York’s TriBeCa neighborhood in lower Manhattan was hit particularly hard after 9/11, and the Tribeca Film Festival was founded to celebrate New York City as a filmmaking center and to help lower Manhattan recover economically from the tragic event.
The festival is renowned for risk-taking and uncompromising documentary. While some films are more lighthearted, others take on darker, complicated issues. “Oxyana” was a documentary that appeared at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival this past weekend. The documentary told the story of how after the local mining industry closed in the small town of Oceana, W.V., locals turned to drugs like OxyContin to make money.
Another documentary, “The Rocket,” examines life for a family in Laos after their poor village is displaced by an Australian corporation. These types of documentaries often don’t make it into every theater across the U.S., but the films often have big names attached to them, such as actor Stanley Tucci and comedian Will Forte — and let’s not forget about Robert De Niro himself.
De Niro may be a star with a household name now, but he had to work his way into the business. The challenge of breaking into the business can be discouraging, which is why the Tribeca Film Institute also offers extensive educational opportunities for many young New Yorkers and immigrants.
In the 12 years that the organization has been around, the New York film industry has grown dramatically, resulting in a 30 percent increase in the number of New Yorkers who earn a living in the film and television industry.
“A little over a decade ago, New York City struggled to attract the lucrative production industry to film here,” said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. “Now the City is such a popular and prosperous home to hundreds of films and television shows, we have to work hard to keep up with the demand for stages and production facilities.
Even when the economy took a downward spiral, locally and nationally, the industry has continued to grow.
This growth not only benefits individuals, but the city as well. Reports estimate that permits to film in the city have added about $7 billion to the local economy annually. In 2011, New York City’s film and television industry alone was valued at more than $7.1 billion.
Overall, the media sector in the city employs more than 275,000 people and generates more than $80 billion in revenue. Another bonus for those in the industry is higher wages than their counterparts in the restaurant industry.
In a 2012 report from the Boston Consulting Group, the New York City media sector’s development and potential growth was analyzed. One major benefit New York’s film industry has is that there is a wide range of local talent with a broad knowledge of various facets of the industry and the city.
But there are some downsides to filming in New York though. One is that Los Angeles and London remain post-production centers for film, meaning projects filmed in New York often end up shipped to another city for post production work. New York City is working on growing the post production field, but is still behind.
Another area where the city needs to improve is where filming can occur. Most films and television shows filmed in New York occur right on the streets, there’s even a website dedicated to sharing “On Location” photos.
But in 2004, Doug Steiner transformed an old Navy shipyard lot in Brooklyn into a Hollywood-like soundstage. While some television shows like “Girls” continue to rent out local bars for a week of shooting, Steiner Studios allows more constant work for more people.
“These new soundstages at Steiner Studios will create jobs, and expanding our workforce development programs with new grants will help the next generation of production professionals start their careers on the right track, » said Bloomberg.
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz has also praised the Steiner Studios. “I know you’ve heard it’s said that Brooklyn is ‘Hollywood East,’ but the way I think things are going, I think it’s more accurate to say that Hollywood is ‘Brooklyn West.’”
While not all of the work is glamorous, production assistants like Angela Persico say they love what they do so it doesn’t matter. Persico says she didn’t know how to get her foot in the door of the entertainment industry, but thanks to programs like the “Made in NY” Production Assistant Training Program, she has learned how to work collaboratively with the those in the industry and the community.