Not Having to Fake It

Katherine Oliver became commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting in 2002. It was the beginning of Mayor Bloomberg’s administration, and a time when film footage of New York City was shot more often on a Hollywood (or Canadian) soundstage than on the actual streets of New York.

“A lot of films and television shows were leaving New York City and faking New York in different parts of the world,” Oliver explains during a recent phone interview.

Flash forward to today and you’ll find not only is New York’s film industry on an upswing, it’s the city’s second largest job-generating sector, employing 100,000 New Yorkers, bringing in an estimated $5 billion a year to the city of New York and supporting approximately 4,000 ancillary businesses. According to Oliver, all estimates are on the conservative side.

“Now that we’ve been successful at bringing the industry back to New York, there are more job opportunities,” Oliver says. “So we want young people or older people who have maybe been thinking about working in film or television or commercial production to understand that there are lots of different opportunities for them and that we want to help them make those connections.”

That’s why this past July, the city announced the creation of a new entity, the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME); Oliver was named as its commissioner. She now oversees the Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting as well as NYC Media— the city’s official TV, radio and online network—and the newly developed Office of Digital Coordination.

“We’re busier than ever with film and television production in the history of our agency,” Oliver says. “The goal now is to make the connection between New Yorkers and the thriving film and television industry. The mission of the agency is attraction and retention and celebrating the city of New York and all that it is. Every time that a film or television show films here, it’s advertising that we can’t buy. It’s to our best interest to work closely with production and promote the city globally in a way that we just can’t.”

Absorbing the city government’s media and entertainment offices under a single umbrella allows Oliver’s office to make it easier for the entertainment industry to take advantage of the opportunities available to production projects in New York. It also allows Oliver’s office to serve as an outlet for New Yorkers, especially younger residents looking to enter into the industry, to easily access employment and educational information, Oliver says, making MOME a one-stop-shop of sorts for information on all aspects of film production in the five boroughs, from permit acquisitions to employment placement.

“Our strategy has been to revitalize the film and television industry in New York, and we’ve been successful with that in the last few years, so whether that be young people who are just coming out of school or people who want to re-enter the industry, we’re hoping to make that connection,” Oliver says. “If we’ve done our job and brought the industry back to New York and created job opportunities, we want to ensure people have an opportunity to enter this expanding industry and that they thrive there. Every step of the way, we’re trying to make their experience as seamless as possible through our staff at the mayor’s office.”

“We’re busier than ever with film and television production in the history of our agency,” Commissioner Oliver says. “The goal now is to make the connection between New Yorkers and the thriving film and television industry.”

Implementing this new, streamlined strategy at MOME feels like familiar territory for Oliver, as it is a philosophy she says came from her days at Bloomberg Radio and Television, having worked for the company for a decade during the ’90s before leaving her general manager position in 2002 to become commissioner when Bloomberg was elected mayor. Oliver also worked as a radio and television reporter and producer prior to working for Bloomberg The Company, with careers at both CNBC and the Financial News Network. She’s also served as a journalism instructor at New York University. And it’s this wealth of previous career experience in media and entertainment that Oliver says she calls upon now to carry out her duties as commissioner.

“I’ve had a lot of practical experience working in television productions, and I think it’s certainly advantageous having practical experience as opposed to theoretical experience,” Oliver explains. “My past experiences in the field and as a journalist and a producer have helped me have an appreciation for our customers’ needs and what they’re doing day to day. We’re using media and technology to sell the brand of New York City in multiple ways.”

This multi-faceted implementation of media and technology includes a laundry list of initiative and incentive programs, overseen by Oliver and her office, to entice filmmakers back to the city and ensure New Yorkers are benefiting from the influx of job opportunities available to the young and aspiring interested in entering the entertainment industry of New York.

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A FEW OF THE CITY’S REEL-WORLD OPPORTUNITIES

‘MADE IN NY’ PRODUCTION ASSISTANT TRAINING PROGRAM

Launched in 2006 and developed in conjunction with the non-profit organization Brooklyn Workforce Innovations, the “Made In NY” P.A. training program is a free four-week, full-time course offering entry-level production assistant job training, followed by two years of job placement geared toward low-income and unemployed residents of New York City.

“It’s been a phenomenally successful program,” Oliver says. “We’re very proud of this program. It’s very exciting. We’ve trained over 220 young people and helped place them in paid positions over a two-year period, and they’ve taken in earnings of somewhere north of $4 million.”

The program is now in its 20th cycle, and graduates of the programs have gone on to assist with production around the city, including 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live, Gossip Girl and Sex and the City. In addition to the training program, a “Made In NY” PA Film Festival is held annually toward the beginning of the year to highlight original projects written, filmed and directed by training program graduates.

‘MADE IN NY’ MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

A pilot program launched in conjunction with IFP, the mentorship program builds mentor relationships between entertainment industry professionals and persons of color, women, veterans and the economically disadvantaged, in an attempt to increase retention rates and career growth within the entertainment industry in the city.

Fellowships are awarded to 15 individuals every cycle, which includes monthly workshops and position placements on productions in the city.

‘MADE IN NY’ INCENTIVE PROGRAM

MOME makes producing projects all the more enticing by offering a 5 percent refundable tax credit from the city of New York, and a 1 percent marketing partnership to film and television productions that shoot at least 75 percent of their footage in the city.

Productions that meet the “Made In NY” criteria receive a stamp of approval logo and are eligible for certain discounts and concierge services in the city, as well as the option for a “Made In NY” cultural benefit. Recent “Made In NY” productions include Howl and institutional New York television shows like Saturday Night Live and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

REEL JOBS PROGRAM

Reel Jobs works as MOME’s own online employment search website on which individuals can post job opportunity listings free of charge and employers can search for entertainment industry employees. MOME publishes Reel Jobs every Monday in both a downloadable format and in hard copy, which can be picked up at their office at 1697 Broadway on weekdays. MOME accepts job listings via email only, with a submission deadline of noon on Thursdays. All listings run for one week.

CAREER PANELS

Because nobody gives better advice on New York’s entertainment industry than the individuals it’s comprised of, MOME created career panels to place students and interested New Yorkers in direct contact with NYC-based industry professionals who will, according to Commissioner Oliver, “foster a sense of community here and have them work with people who are skilled and knowledgeable about what it takes to work in the city of New York.”

Career panels are held in cultural institutions in all five boroughs; previous panels have covered diverse topics, including “Writing for Film and Television,” “Women In Entertainment: Behind the Scenes,” “African-American Perspectives” and “Careers in Post-Production.”

BLUEPRINT FOR THE ARTS: THE MOVING IMAGE

Because it’s never too early for New Yorkers to gain a better understanding of the entertainment industry, MOME created—in conjunction with the Department of Education, OFTB and the Tribeca Film Institute—a firstof-its-kind curriculum for New York public school students, from elementary school through high school graduation.

Published in October 2009, Blueprint is billed as a guide for studying film, television and animation as a sequential course of study focused on building students’ knowledge and skill sets for eventual entry into the city’s entertainment industry if they so desire.