Everybody’s talking. At least, that’s what members of the New York Production Alliance hope. And with all the talk-among production companies, talent, suppliers and once and future clients-there will presumably come an increased number of jobs to the New York film, television and commercial industry.
"We’re coming up to a new millennium," says NYPA VP Howard Schwartz, president of ITS/NY and Howard Schwartz Recording, New York. "We can’t do business the same old way. We have to create new alliances and a new awareness in order to move forward. Problems come up when there is a lack of communication. We have to change that."
Enter the New York Production Alliance. Formed last fall, the NYPA hopes to help maintain, promote, increase and expedite film and video production throughout the city and state. "We feel this alliance is necessary because we’re in a competitive situation with other cities and countries," explains Morty Dubin, president of Iris Films, New York, and NYPA chairman. "We must work as a team to help increase the volume and quality of work in New York. We hope to bring people together in one movement."
The alliance is a nonprofit organization representing all segments of the production and postproduction industries, including feature films, broadcast, cable, corporate and educational television, commercials, animation, music and new media. Members include production and postproduction companies, talent and craft unions, support and services companies, industry-related educational and professional institutions and organizations. According to Schwartz, the NYPA represents more than 70,000 people working in 45 organizations, including the Directors Guild of America, AICE, AICP, Kaufman Astoria Studios, East Coast Digital Consortium and Judie Robbins Locations.
Through collective efforts and economic and political strength, the alliance hopes to advocate government and private-sector interaction, and it intends to lobby for issues of industry-wide concern. The NYPA has plans to work with and assist the current city and state film and television offices as well as the various unions, guilds and trade groups, regarding film and video production in New York.
Allies
The NYPA has recruited one important ally in its efforts: Alan Hevesi, the city comptroller. Dubin says Hevesi will assist in the alliance’s efforts to seek annual data to quantify current activity and forecast industry trends. "The comptroller has been our first big success," says Dubin. "He has agreed to do a definitive study of the impact of our industry in New York. That will give us a lot of information and political clout."
Dubin also thinks such a study will help companies find financing for any number of projects, such as the purchasing of new equipment. "If people are looking for capital, they can go to bankers with specifics about their ability to make a profit," says Dubin. "This study is an incredibly positive step."
The new organization has vocal members and supporters from just about every facet of the New York production community, with one notable exception, the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting. Although its commissioner, Patricia Reed Scott, asserts that the Mayor’s Office is not opposed to the alliance, it has been noticeably absent from any of the NYPA’s planning sessions. Dubin says he does not know why the commissioner and her organization have been so low-key about getting involved.
"We have approached them, but they have not come to any meetings," Dubin notes. "We want to work with them because part of our mandate is to assist them. If they are not involved, that will certainly have some effect on what we do. We would like to have their cooperation, but we are proceeding on our own."
"If the city is not involved, we will work around it," Schwartz adds. "Once you have critical mass, everyone will have to listen to us."
For her part, Scott says, "We will support them in what they do, as we do for every trade organization." She says she has not attended meetings because of prior commitments and does not see the work of the alliance as competing with the work of the Mayor’s Office. "It’s not a competition. There are at least 40 organizations extant that we deal with, and they are all valuable to the city. I don’t attend a lot of meetings of the other groups, either. But I’m supportive of what they do."
Some assert that there may be some bad feeling involved. The argument is that the city film commission has not done all it can to promote the film business and that is one reason why the NYPA has been formed. "The industry here has grown tenfold in the past decade," asserts one observer. "It’s a lot to handle."
Full Steam
The NYPA is moving full steam ahead. The group has already set up an office and a Web site (www.nypa.org), and Schwartz says it is meeting regularly to examine issues. The NYPA has formed a 14-member government affairs committee to expedite production companies’ interactions with government; it is setting up a group that will monitor work lost to Canada; and it is devising a "Welcome to New York" package that will include, among other things, a CD-ROM highlighting New York’s cultural attractions.
"We have gone around like a road show, educating real estate people, bankers and others on the needs of our industry: what the drawbacks are, what the positive parts are," Schwartz says. "We believe we can grow the industry through cooperation and communication."
Dubin reports that the group is meeting in January to discuss "hot spots"-neighborhoods that have been overshot-and set up a code of conduct and other ways to deal with the problem. The alliance is also planning to initiate and support programs to attract, develop and retain creative and technical jobs in New York. "We would like to get movie stars to live here," notes Schwartz. "Sitcoms are made on the West Coast not because the West Coast is better technically, but because that’s where the big talent is. We want to educate people about the virtues of New York."
Spreading technical know-how is also a goal. The NYPA plans to assist in setting up internships and educational programs for young people entering the industry in New York. "We want to get people who are entering the industry to stay here," Schwartz says. "They don’t have to go out to L.A. We want to associate with the educators so we have a flow-through of apprentices and job applicants so that it is a resource for education. We are helping universities develop technical programs that are more well-suited to people getting jobs."
Above all, the NYPA spokesmen assert that the organization’s main goal is to help create ways to avoid situations that can escalate into crises, for example, labor conflicts or location shooting conflicts with residents. "We believe we can grow the industry by dissemination of information," Schwartz notes. "There are three parts to any successful business: innovation, quantification and then orchestration. We think this is an innovation, to get everyone sitting at one table. By sitting in a room once a month, we can promote the health of the industry and try to iron out problems."
"I think the alliance is a great idea," observes Matt Miller, national president of the Association of Independent Com-mercial Producers. "It’s something every region needs to do. Everyone should analyze how business works, especially if the goal is to improve. New York is a national town. To be competitive, you have to make sure you’re in the game and stay up on it, and that you make sure the government is supportive. I’ve seen this happen elsewhere, and it works to the benefit of everyone."
Dubin concludes: "The key is that we are not Hollywood on the Hudson. We are New York on the East River. We want people to understand what we have to offer. We may not be Hollywood in volume, and we may be number two, but our goal is to make it the strongest number possible."7
