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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Preceding agency |
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| Headquarters | 1697 Broadway Suite 602 New York, NY 10019 |
| Agency executive |
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| Parent agency | Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment |
| Website | http://www1.nyc.gov/site/mome/index.page |
TheMayor's Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting (MOFTB) is the oldestfilm commission in the United States.[1] It isNew York City’s agency responsible for coordinating municipal support forfilm and television production, including approving film shoots and liaising with government agencies and promoting the industry. The office provides free permits, free public locations, and freepolice escorts.[1] It also provides shooting guidelines, insurance information, and other useful information for local film and media production. Built upon mayoral initiatives dating back to MayorJohn V. Lindsay in 1966 and MayorAbraham Beame in 1974, the Mayor's Office today supports an industry that generates over $5 billion annually and employs over 100,000 New Yorkers.[2]
In his 1965 campaign for mayor, John Lindsay promised to lure runaway film productions back to New York City by streamlining the process of obtaining the necessary approvals to shoot in the city.[2] At the time, separate approvals were required from several agencies before filming could begin.[2] In 1966, permitting authority was consolidated within the New York City Department of Commerce. The city saw an immediate 100% increase in production over the previous year, bringing in an estimated additional $20 million in spending in the city.[2] In 1974, Mayor Abraham Beame met with the newly formed New York Motion Picture and Television Council and its Chairman, Jerry Puchkoff. At that meeting Mayor Beame agreed to expand the city's support for the industry by forming the Mayor's Advisory Council on Motion Pictures and Television in which Jerry Puchkoff was also elected Co-Chairman. The Mayor's office was led by Director Walter Wood.[2] In 1993, after a seven-month-long labor dispute betweenmajor studios and severaltheatrical unions which brought New York-based production to a near-standstill,[3] MayorDavid Dinkins elevated the office to cabinet status and appointed film industry professionalRichard Brick as its first Commissioner.[4] Since 2023, the office has been overseen byPat Swinney Kaufman, who serves as Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment.