Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that through the Buffalo Billion initiative, a new postproduction, visual effects and animation company will be established at the landmark Tri-Main Center in Buffalo. Empire Visual Effects, which will partner with Daemen College, has pledged to create 150 new visual effects and other postproduction jobs within five years–jobs that will pave the way for the creation of a new post and visual effects industry in Western New York. New York State awarded the company and Daemen College a $4.5 million capital grant to facilitate the project.
The project is also supported by several pieces of legislation Governor Cuomo championed and signed into law in the past year which strengthened incentives to attract postproduction film and television activity to the state. The new laws are designed to help attract post work to communities, particularly in Upstate New York.
“We are pleased to welcome Empire Visual Effects to the City of Buffalo as they plant their roots in Upstate New York,” Governor Cuomo said. “The establishment of Empire Visual Effects is evidence of the great potential of transforming Upstate and Western New York into a major film, animation and postproduction destination for the industry. I am confident the momentum, coupled with our Buffalo Billion commitment, will drive even more investment and projects to this region. This will mean more good-paying, high-tech jobs for New Yorkers in an exciting field.”
The grant funding will also provide Daemen College’s International Center for Excellence in Animation (ICEA) with significant new technology tools for a Visual Effects Certificate Program. The program will provide fast training for students in Buffalo and Western New York who will be hired by the new post production/animation company.
The Buffalo Billion incentive funding will be utilized to provide space build-out; special computer and high-speed internet networks; supercomputer connections; and other power systems specific to the new company’s requirements in setting up a state-of-the-art postproduction/animation platform at the Tri-Main Center. The funding will also allow Daemen College to establish the technology infrastructure required for its Visual Effects Certificate student training.
Through Empire Visual Effects partnership with Daemen College and a network of community colleges, such as Erie Community College and Niagara County Community College, across the state, it will secure a steady stream of qualified students ready to meet the challenges of the modern day visual effects industry. Daemen College will develop a world-class visual effects training facility, which will have all the software, hardware, computers and pipeline infrastructure needed to train the workforce and interface with industry. The college has also developed and is growing a 16-week visual effects training program that will train more than 60 students per year. These students will be ready to go directly into jobs at Empire Visual Effects and other post production facilities around the state.
The goals of Empire Visual Effects are also in line with Governor Cuomo’s economic reforms to workforce training for job openings. New York’s workforce training is from a different era and a generic job training program does not fit today’s economy. The 2013-2014 enacted budget capitalizes on the opportunity of an estimated 210,000 unfilled jobs in the state by including $5 million for the Next Generation Job Linkage Program that works with employers to identify the job, define the skill and provide the training for it.
Western New York Regional Economic Development Council co-chair and president of the University at Buffalo Satish K. Tripathi said, “Pairing the strengths of a higher education system and an innovative new company in an exciting field that Governor Cuomo supports is a win-win for Western New York. There are very few states that offer a postproduction work credit and New York being one of them will drive business to this new studio.”
The entertainment industry is a major component of both the U.S. and New York State economies. The motion picture and television industry is responsible for 91.608 direct jobs and $8.2 billion in wages in New York, including both production and distribution-related jobs. The current trend for the last several years is that the postproduction of film budgets has been increasing dramatically due to demand for visual effects.
“By putting in place a mechanism for training upstate workers in the art of visual effects, and then giving them a place to work after graduation, this program will help establish the upstate region as a destination for post-production work,” commented Rick Cotton, executive VP, general counsel, NBCUniversal. “We see that as good, long term thinking about the best way to create well-paying jobs in New York State. It’s also another very positive effect of the improvements that Governor Cuomo has made to the state’s production and postproduction tax credit programs.”
Signed by Governor Cuomo in July 2012, the new film and tax credit law boosted the available postproduction credit from 10% to 30% in the New York metropolitan commuter region, including New York City and Dutchess, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester counties. For postproduction work in Upstate New York, 35% in tax credits were made available to encourage additional investment and construction of new facilities in the region. Then in April 2013, the Governor signed new legislation further expanding and improving the program, including extending funding through 2019, and lowering the thresholds for VFX and animation from 75% to 20% of the total VFX /animation budget or $3 million (whichever is less). Also enacted was an additional 10% credit on qualified labor starting in 2015 for productions shooting or posting, which means productions will be able to get up to 45% tax credit on labor expenses incurred in the State.
Postproduction includes all of the editing after filming is complete and includes visual effects, color correction, sound editing and mixing. The industry also includes thousands of other jobs, from engineers and messengers to creative and support staff. The strengthened law was designed to expand state support by specifically focusing on attracting postproduction work to communities in all corners of the state. At a time when other states are experiencing production flight, New York’s strengthened credit supports a robust industry cluster which has become a major source of direct and indirect employment and economic opportunity for hundreds of thousands of people.
“Dune: Part Two,” “Wicked,” “The Wild Robot” and “Shลgun” Among Lumiere Award Winners
The Advanced Imaging Society has revealed the winners of the 2025 Lumiere Awards, recognizing outstanding creative and technical achievements in its 15th annual celebration. The awards honor the artists, engineers and innovators whose work continues to push the boundaries of storytelling and cinematic technology.
While the annual Lumiere Awards luncheon was scheduled to be celebrated at the Beverly Hills Hotel, once it became clear that the devastating Los Angeles fires were affecting not only the AIS community, but impacting so many in Southern California, the decision was made to announce and deliver the awards directly to the honorees, and to forgo the luncheon celebration. The Society has honored the results of this yearโs voting body and announced the 2025 Lumiere Award winners today, Feb. 7, the eventโs originally scheduled date.
AIS President Jim Chabin said, โOur hearts go out to everyone in our community impacted by these devastating fires. In recent weeks, weโve been deeply saddened to learn of friends and colleagues who have lost their homes and irreplaceable memories. Yet, amid this hardship, we have also been inspired by the incredible generosity of our members โ opening their homes, providing resources, and rallying together in support. This unwavering spirit of unity and compassion is a testament to the strength of our industry.โ
The Lumiere Awards recognize distinguished directors and professionals in film, television, and emerging media, voted for by members of the Hollywood creative and technology community. Technological advancements expand the possibilities of storytelling, and these awards celebrate their significance for all who love film and television. โOur awards have humorously been called the Oscars for... Read More