The Mayor's office
of media and entertainment

MARCH 2017 newsletter

MOME ANNOUNCES AMERICANAH AS WINNER OF INAUGURAL "ONE BOOK, ONE NEW YORK" PROGRAM

During the month of February, New Yorkers voted for the book they wanted the whole City to read together as part of One Book, One New York. On March 16, MOME Commissioner Julie Menin announced New Yorkers chose Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah as the winning book. During the next several months, MOME will present a series of free, open-to-the-public events throughout the five boroughs for New Yorkers to gather in discussion of Americanah, and engage with its poignant and timely themes of immigration, feminism, and race. Join the conversation around Americanah using #OneBookNY, and visit NYC.gov/OneBook for reading guides, a calendar of upcoming events, and more.

Watch Commissioner Menin announce the winning book on NY1.

MAYOR DE BLASIO AND COMMISSIONER MENIN ANNOUNCE RELEASE OF FIRST-EVER MUSIC INDUSTRY ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY

On March 8, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Commissioner Julie Menin announced the results of the first-ever economic impact study of New York City's music industry. The study, conducted by Boston Consulting Group, found that the sector supports nearly 60,000 jobs, accounts for $5 billion in wages, and generates $21 billion in total economic output for the City. The report establishes New York as one of the largest music ecosystems in the world, and demonstrates that the sector is growing faster than the rest of the local economy.

View the full study.

Read more in Billboard.

MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES MADE IN NY CAMPUS AT BUSH TERMINAL IN BROOKLYN FOR FILM AND FASHION INDUSTRIES

As part of his State of the City address, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a $136 commitment from the City to form a "Made in New York" Campus at Bush Terminal. The underutilized Sunset Park buildings will be transformed into a hub for garment manufacturing and film and television production, and support more than 1,500 permanent jobs. In addition, the build-out of modern garment manufacturing space, sound stages, and other campus improvements is expected to create more than 800 construction jobs.

Read more in Variety.

ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY, IATSE AND CITY AGENCIES ANNOUNCE LAUNCH OF THEATRICAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Earlier this month, Commissioner Julie Menin joined leaders from the Roundabout Theatre Company and the International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) to announce the Theatrical Workforce Development Program, the theatre industry's first workforce development program to train and place young adults in professional technical careers. The new initiative aims to break down the barriers that prevent young adults from joining the industry, and empower a diverse new generation of stagehands, riggers, electricians, sound engineers, carpenters, hairstylists, makeup artists and wardrobe workers. MOME is supporting the "Made in New York Stagecraft Boot Camp," which will train participants in safety, workforce readiness and technical skills.

 

Read more about the program in the Daily News

MOME AND NYCEDC RELEASE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR VR/AR LAB

Last month, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and MOME released a Request for Proposals for a Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) lab. The lab will support growing VR/AR companies and entrepreneurs, and convene cross-sector stakeholders to position New York City as a global leader in the emerging VR/AR industry. Fueled by $6 million in public and private funding, the space will be the first publicly-funded VR/AR lab in the country. Proposals for the lab are due on April 7th.

Read more in DNAinfo

CONGRATULATIONS TO CYCLE 46 OF THE MADE IN NY PA TRAINING PROGRAM!

On February 17, 27 New Yorkers completed the Made in NY PA Training Program, taking the next step towards careers in NYC's booming film and television industry. To date, this program has prepared 685 previously unemployed and low-income New Yorkers for entry-level jobs as production assistants.

 

Learn More about the "Made in NY" PA Training Program

Put On Your Calendar

#OneBookNY Culturalists in Conversation
MOME and the Schomburg Center invite you to a special free event in celebration of the City's first ever "One Book, One New York" initiative on April 5 at 6:30 PM. A panel of culture critics, moderated by Touré (writer, TV host, podcaster), will discuss the themes in winning book Americanah in the context of current events. Touré will be joined by a variety of leaders in their fields including Michaela Angela Davis, writer and CNN contributor; Lizz Winstead, comedian and former head writer of The Daily Show, among others.
Learn more and RSVP.

Made in NY Talks: Where the Jobs Are - New Opportunities in Advertising and Marketing
Join MOME and the Center for Communication on April 5 at 6:30 PM for a panel discussion on the latest trends in advertising and marketing. Advertisers are reaching millennials with dynamic content, mining the opportunities on a variety of platforms. Learn about the latest innovation and strategies being used to connect with new generations. Discover what it takes to break into today's advertising world from panelists Mitchell Reichgut, CEO, Jun Group; Sandi Harari, EVP, Creative Director, Barker; Monica Hare, VP, Global Services, BuzzFeed; moderated by Lynn Branigan, President & CEO, She Runs It. Learn more and RSVP.

Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival returns for a 16th year April 19-30 with its most eclectic lineup yet, featuring 98 narrative and documentary feature films, 57 shorts, 15 talks, 23 Virtual Reality + Interactive Installations and 15 television events to choose from. Highlights of this year's festival include a 25th anniversary Reservoir Dogs retrospective with director Quentin Tarantino; a special sneak peek with director Ken Burns of his upcoming documentary, Vietnam; talks with Common, Lena Dunham, Alexander Gonzalez Inarritu; and more.
Visit tribecafilm.com for more details.

New York Indian Film Festival
Returning for its 17th year April 30-May 7, the New York Indian Film Festival is the most prominent film festival screening premieres of feature, documentary and short films from South Asia in the independent, arthouse, alternate and diaspora genres.
Learn more about the festival.

PEN World Voices Festival
The 13th annual PEN World Voices Festival, taking place May 1-7, will take on some of the key issues of our current political climate, with a particular focus on the relationship between gender and power. This weeklong literary festival will offer a platform for a global community of writers, artists and thinkers to connect with concerned citizens and the broader public.
Learn more.

Women of the WorldFestival
Running May 4-7, the Women of the World (WOW) Festival celebrates the power of women and girls from Harlem and around the world. The Festival will explore a variety of issues affecting women across cultural and social boundaries through storytelling, musical performances, comedy, and more.
Learn more.