THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT

MAY 2019 UPDATES

     

NEW YORK MUSIC MONTH 2019 FEATURES EXPANDED LINEUP OF EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

The Mayor's Office of Media & Entertainment and NY is Music have announced an expanded line-up of citywide events this June 2019 in celebration of the third annual New York Music Month (NYMM).

This year's NYMM features the launch of CityFM, a new radio show/podcast all about NYC's music scene; nine new free concerts in the Bronx and Queens; a June 4th conference focused on music + tech; a Songathon songwriting competition; and the Sound Thinking Career Expo. As with previous years, NYMM will also include free workshops, including music business classes by Arm's Reach Consulting; "Make it Live: A Practical Approach to Getting Gigs in NYC" and "Touring the U.S" by Electric Lila. There will be access to rehearsal space for musicians; free music history walking tours every weekend provided by Lincoln Center, Levy's Unique New York! and City Lore; and hands-on weekly workshops by and for the LGBTQIA+ community.

The full list of events and activities for NYMM 2019 is available at NYMusicMonth.nyc.

'BROADWAY IN THE BOROS' SUMMER 2019 SERIES INCLUDES 4 TONY NOMINATED SHOWS IN NEW NYC NEIGHBORHOODS

The popular "Broadway in the Boros" series, featuring free noonday performances by cast members and musicians of hit Broadway musicals in neighborhoods throughout New York City, is back for the fourth consecutive summer!

The much-anticipated series includes performances with songs from four 2019 Tony-nominated shows as well as perennial award-winning favorites. In June, Best Musical nominee Hadestown and Tina Fey's hit show Mean Girls will be featured in Restoration Plaza, Brooklyn on June 14, and seven-time Tony-nominated LGBTQ hit The Prom and Tony-nominee Be More Chill will be showcased in Jackson Heights. In July, performers from award-winning Wicked, and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical will come to perform in Co-Op City on July 12. The season will wrap up in Staten Island with Best Musical nominee Beetlejuice and perennial hit Chicago in Staten Island.

"Broadway in the Boros" aims to increase access to the magic of Broadway to all New Yorkers and reflects MOME's mission to connect communities in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx. and Staten Island with the rich arts and cultural programming available in the theatre district, and to showcase the diverse stories being performed on Broadway. Get the full schedule of performances here.

"Broadway in the Boros" is made possible with the support of JUST water and WNYC, a media partner of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment.

NYC LIFE WINS FOUR NEW YORK EMMY AWARDS

NYC Life, the City's flagship television channel, took home four New York Emmy Awards at the 62nd Annual New York Emmy Awards event May 4th.

Three of the winning shows are original productions of NYC Media, the City of New York's broadcast network and media production group: BluePrint: NYC – Coney Island, which won in the Nostalgia Program category; Her Big Idea, Season 2, Episode 3, winner in the Lifestyle Program: Program/Special category; and A Day's Work, Season 1, Episode 2 - Dance in the Arts: Program/Special category. We Speak NYC, Rolando's Rights, produced by the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) and airing on NYC Life, won the Emmy in the Informational/Instructional category. All are available on-demand at nyc.gov/media.

NYC Media received 15 New York Emmy Award nominations this year – including four for Her Big Idea; and three each for Blueprint and A Day's Work.

OFFICE OF NIGHTLIFE UNVEILS NEW WEBSITE AS A ONE-STOP GUIDE FOR NYC'S VIBRANT NIGHTLIFE COMMUNITY

A newly launched Office of Nightlife website, nyc.gov/nightlife, now provides a one-stop guide for New York City's diverse nightlife community. For the first time, New Yorkers can easily access all the information, resources, and guidelines the City has to offer pertaining to nightlife. The site includes information on how to open and operate a nightlife establishment, understand your rights as a nightlife worker, and address quality of life concerns.

Nightlife is a vital part of New York City's culture, identity, and economy supporting 299,000 jobs, $13.1 billion in employee compensation, and $35.1 billion in total economic output.

The Office of Nightlife, a division of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, also unveiled its new logo and launched new dedicated social media handles, @nycnightlifegov on Facebook and Instagram.

PATTI SMITH'S AWARD-WINNING NYC MEMOIR JUST KIDS CHOSEN AS WINNER OF 2019's 'ONE BOOK, ONE NEW YORK'

Throughout April, New Yorkers voted for the book they wanted the entire city to read together as part of the "One Book, One New York" competition. Patti Smith's memoir Just Kids was chosen as the winner among a slate of female authors representing a diverse range of backgrounds, ethnicities, and life experiences.

In the award-winning New York Times bestseller, Smith offers a never-before-seen glimpse of her remarkable relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in the epochal days of New York City and the Chelsea Hotel in the late sixties and seventies.

One thousand copies of the winning book will be available at the 219 library branches across the city. New Yorkers are encouraged to check it out or visit their local independent bookstore to pick up a copy and participate in a citywide conversation.

Patti Smith spoke to a packed house at Symphony Space on May 10th, as part of the PEN America World Voices Festival. Just Kids will be the centerpiece of the BuzzFeed Book Club for the month of July, where book lovers across the country can join New Yorkers in reading and discussing the book together online.

FIRST ANNUAL PUBLIC SCHOOL FILM FESTIVAL LAUNCHED WITH NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

The Mayor's Office of Media & Entertainment and NYC Department of Education held the first ever NYC Public School Film Festival on May 16 at the NYIT auditorium.

Twenty student films were chosen from more than 60 submissions from public middle and high schools citywide in the categories of Feature/ Narrative, Animation, Experimental, PSA Advocacy, and Documentary. The day included a screening of the short films, followed by a panel discussion with industry pros including composer Jon Batiste (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert), producer Mimi Valdes (Hidden Figures, Roxanne Roxanne, Dope), screenwriter Alexander Dinelaris (Birdman, The Revenant) and film editor Tim Squyres (Gemini Man, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon), moderated by producer Dana Kuznetkoff (Forrest Gump, The Sopranos, Flight).

The second half of the day consisted of a Film and Media Careers Expo, which gave students the opportunity to speak with representatives from companies and educational institutions including Blue Sky Studios, VICE Media, RLab, Reel Works, Unseen Media, New York University, Hunter College, and Brooklyn College about their internship and college programs. Event sponsor JUST water kept everyone hydrate throughout the day.

Click here for more information.

NYC OFFICIALLY DUBS WEST 63RD STREET & BROADWAY 'SESAME STREET'

In honor of Sesame Street's 50th anniversary, the City of New York officially named West 63rd Street and Broadway "Sesame Street" and proclaimed May 1, 2019 "Sesame Street Day". Mayor de Blasio, Media and Entertainment Commissioner Anne del Castillo, and numerous muppets were all on hand for the celebration.

The beloved show has been headquartered in New York City since 1969 and has always been based between West 63rd and West 64th Streets.

While an intersection was temporarily renamed 10 years ago, this time it's for good! Now everyone will know "how to get to Sesame Street"!

Read more abut the renaming ceremony with Mayor de Blasio here.

DREAMING OUT LOUD WRITING WORKSHOP CULMINATES WITH DAYLONG PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY FOR DREAMERS

The DREAMing Out Loud Writing Workshop, a partnership with PEN America, the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, culminated with a daylong professional development day for Dreamers led by Penguin Random House executives. The day featured panel discussions with publishing industry professionals regarding career tracks, and a keynote talk by Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, a lifelong activist and author of bestselling Brave, Not Perfect.

DREAMing Out Loud is a tuition-free writing workshop for undocumented immigrants led by award-winning authors that is designed to help build a diverse talent pipeline for the publishing industry and empower DREAMers to use their voices to counter misinformation about immigrants. The workshop was the recipient of a Mayor's Grant for Cultural Impact this year from the Department of Cultural Affairs.

For more information about the DREAMing Out Loud program, please visit here.

CONGRATS TO THE CYCLE 5 POST PRODUCTION GRADUATES!

Congrats to the 14 graduates from the #MadeinNY Post Production training program's fifth cohort, who celebrated the culmination of their five-week course in a ceremony on April 30. Guest speakers included film editor Jamie Kirkpatrick (Saturday Night Live, My Friend Dahmer, An Interview with God, Critical Thinking).

This brings the total number of Post Production graduates to 75 since the program launched last year. More than 40 graduates have already been hired for work in the field at companies including Universal Cable Productions, Harbor Picture Company, Picture Farm, Food Network, Sixteen19, and more.

You can learn more about applying for the free program at upcoming information sessions by visiting here.