Preceding agency Mayor’s Advisory Council on Motion Pictures and Television Headquarters 1697 Broadway Suite 602
New York, NY 10019 Agency executive Katherine Oliver, Commissioner Website | ||
The Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting (MOFTB, or simply The Mayor's Office) is the oldest film commission in the United States. It is New York City’s agency responsible for coordinating municipal support for film 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 free police escorts. It also provides shooting guidelines, insurance information, and other useful information for local film and media production. Built upon mayoral initiatives dating back to Mayor John V. Lindsay in 1966 and Mayor Abraham Beame in 1974, the Mayor’s Office today supports an industry that generates over $5 billion annually and employs over 100,000 New Yorkers.
History
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. At the time, separate approvals were required from several agencies before filming could begin. In 1966, permitting authority was consolidated within the 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. In 1974, Mayor Abraham Beame expanded the city’s support for the industry by forming the Mayor's Advisory Council on Motion Pictures and Television, led by Director Walter Wood. In 1993, after a seven-month-long labor dispute between major studios and several theatrical unions which brought New York-based production to a near-standstill, Mayor David Dinkins elevated the office to cabinet status and appointed film industry professional Richard Brick as its first Commissioner. Since 2002 the office has been led by Katherine Oliver, who in 2005 helped create the city’s Made in NY filming tax incentive program.