Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
New York's Film Industry Heads North
By
Jen Carlson
Published Feb 11, 2008
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Feb 11, 2008
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
With the writers' strike looking like it'll wrap up this week, Crain's points us towards another problem for New York's entertainment industry.
Seems our neighbor Connecticut has started to offer up a deal no self-respecting Hollywood suit can refuse -- a 30% tax rebate on all production costs. The incentive program started in 2006 and in 2007 alone we've lost approximately $400 million in production revenue to the Constitution State. The problem has spread to Rhode Island and Massachusetts as well, both adopting their own incentive programs and racking up an additional $350 million that should have lined our pockets.
What's more, even movies about New York are being filmed in the suburbs. The Bronx Is Burning was filmed in Connecticut and used a ball field in Norwich as Yankee Stadium. Blasphemy! Silvercup Studios president, Stuart Match Suna, says “If they can fake the Bronx in Connecticut, they can do anything. We have to find a way to keep these jobs here.“
So what's the solution? After some gentle nudging, "Gov. Spitzer's 2008 state budget proposal includes funding to increase New York State's tax credit to 15% from 10% and start including both above- and below-the-line costs, which means production companies will now get a rebate on their biggest costs, the actors' and directors' salaries. The proposed budget also raises the annual benefit cap to $75 million by 2011 from $60 million now. The new budget, if passed, would be coupled with New York City's current 5% rebate on below-the-line expenses." Pat Kaufman, New York's state film commissioner, believes that if this passes we'll be back in the game.
Still, many companies are moving from the city to CT right now, as the state continues to seek out developers to build movie studios. Their director of Culture and Tourism confirms they are building an industry there, but can it really compare to New York?
Pictured: Leonardo DiCaprio filming in Southport, CT via Matt Hintsa's Flickr.
Tagged
bronx
city
connecticut
culture
film industry
flickr
hollywood
leonardo dicaprio
Massachusetts
movies
new york
new york city
new york state
rhode island
Silvercup Studios
spitzer
state budget
tax rebates
the bronx
the city
the game
this week
tourism
writers' strike
yankee stadium
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," says the co-owner of Art of Play.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 13, 2026 at 3:17 p.m. ET
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
Thanks to Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian, Timothée Chalamet and more, the rideshare program is having a moment.
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Arts & Entertainment
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
Thanks to Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian, Timothée Chalamet and more, the rideshare program is having a moment.
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
By
James Ramsay
What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.
By
Jayson Greene
Inside a photographer's journey to visit every neighborhood in New York City
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .