NYPA News: Reel Works & Local 798 Graduate First Class
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ICYMI: IATSE, Reel Works Team to Train Hairstylists from Historically Excluded Backgrounds
On Friday, the Hollywood Reporter published a feature on the partnership between Reel Works and Local 798 to provide hair style training. From the Feature:
As awareness over the need to diversify Hollywood’s hair and makeup trailers continues to grow, the union that represents those artists has teamed up with entertainment workforce development program Reel Works to help bring more BIPOC stylists into the industry.
The inaugural IATSE Entertainment Industry Hair Stylist Training, presented by Make-up Artists & Hair Stylists Local 798 and the Brooklyn-based nonprofit, took place from Jan. 11 to April 23, with a graduation ceremony for the first 12-person cohort this weekend. The idea was to expose licensed hairstylists to the employment opportunities available to them in film and television and prepare them for entertainment careers through the presentation of both theoretical information as well as practical, hands-on training in hair of all lengths and textures, focusing on period hairstyling, braiding and wig preparation.
Congratulations to the team from NYPA member Reel Works, our friends at Local 798, and the graduates.
The NYPA Board Elections for the term running from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2024 are happening now. Individual members and designated Electors of Corporate and Organizational members have until May 23, 2022. As a reminder, each organization gets one vote. If you believe you should have received a ballot and did not, please e-mail Matt below.
NYWIFT Talks Social Media with Moses & Singer LLP May 5th @ 4PM ET
NYWIFT Talks are free for all to attend.
On this week’s NYWIFT Talks, they sit down and chat with Elizabeth A. Corradino and David Rabinowitz of Moses & Singer LLP. Moderated by NYWIFT Senior Development and Editorial Consultant, Maud Kersnowski-Sachs.
Social media posts are full of intellectual property – trademarks, copyrights, publicity rights and more. The temptation is great to connect with the buzz to maximize user engagement, but there is potential for infringement. Are there any rules (yes) guiding how to play in this space without getting the dreaded claim letter? We will discuss what answers there are and ideas for minimizing risk.
Capital Region & Adirondack Film Alliance Industry Day: Come Meet the Trailblazers May 19, 2022
NYPA is proud to support, and encourage our community to attend, the Capital Region & Adirondack Film Alliance’s Industry Day in May. The Capital Region & Adirondack Film Alliance cordially invites you to attend one of the most ground-breaking film industry days and networking events in New York State. The educational sessions will certainly spark conversations that are so relevant to our times. Listed below is a snippet of what you can expect.
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Cinema – Where Are We Now? – featuring Sam Caldwell, MBA, Chief Diversity Officer & Associate Vice President Diversity and Inclusion, UAlbany; Dien Vo, an independent filmmaker, and multimedia artist as well as Faculty in Film and Media Studies, Bard College at Simon’s Rock; and Michael “Boogie” Pinckney, Creative Producer & Director.
Amplifying Stories Through Music moderated by our very own Grammy Award-Winning Albany Symphony Conductor David Alan Miller.
Infusing the Local Economy – featuring Vic Christopher, Clark Hospitality; Ray Legere, Armory Studios NY, and two location managers (TBD – based on their schedules)
Show Me the $ – Financing/Budget – featuring John Hadity of Entertainment Partners.
Inside the Actors Studio – Capital Region Style – featuring Bernadette Quigley and Kevin Craig West, moderated by Beth Davenport of Stockade Works.
We will also have panels on Post Production and American High – A True Success Story.
For those that had not heard, the NY state budget was enacted and there is some big news for our industry. As we previously noted it was proposed that the credit receive a three year extension, through 2029, which has now been enacted. For NYPA, our partners, and fellow industry advocates a multi-year extension of the credit has been a long time goal we have all worked toward. A big thank you to Governor Kathy Hochul and the Legislature for making this a reality.
In addition, the new diversity requirement we had noted earlier and on calls was also enacted. This is the legislative language:
14 (ii) On or after January first, two thousand twenty-three, a qualified 15 film production company or qualified independent film production company 16 that has applied for credit under the provisions of this section shall, 17 as a condition for the granting of the credit, file a diversity plan 18 with the governor’s office for motion picture and television development 19 outlining specific goals for hiring a diverse workforce. The commission- 20 er of economic development shall promulgate regulations implementing the 21 requirements of this paragraph, which, notwithstanding any provisions to 22 the contrary in the state administrative procedure act, may be adopted 23 on an emergency basis, to ensure compliance with the provisions of this 24 paragraph. The governor’s office for motion picture and television 25 development shall review each submitted plan as to whether it meets the 26 requirements established by the commissioner of economic development, 27 and shall verify that the applicant has met or made good-faith efforts 28 in achieving these goals. The diversity plan also shall indicate whether 29 the qualified film production company or qualified independent film 30 production company that has applied for credit under the provisions of 31 this section intends to participate in training, education, and recruit- 32 ment programs that are designed to promote and encourage the training 33 and hiring in the film and television industry of New York residents who 34 represent the diversity of the State’s population.
When we discussed this requirement at our Open Meeting for members in March, it was noted the proposal was very similar to the Illinois diversity requirement. Now that it has been enacted, we will keep members informed as the process unfolds and host discussions prior to implementation on best practices.
NYWIFT Launches Cookbook
New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) announced the publication of its first-ever cookbook, The Producer’s Palate, during its March 30 industry screening of the Julia Child documentary Julia and Q&A with directors Julie Cohen and Betsy West. Produced during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the book features recipes, photos, and personal stories from leaders in the NYWIFT community. Proceeds from book sales will support NYWIFT’s professional development and advocacy initiatives.
“The Producer’s Palate was created during the COVID outbreak. A culinary expression from our hearts to our NYWIFT community as a way to nurture our lives with a diverse palate of recipes during tough times. A blend of cuisine and culture to lift our spirits, fusing food and family to savor each day and the joys of life,” said NYWIFT Board of Directors Vice President Yvonne Russo.
“In life we need nourishment always, but particularly during dark times like these,” NYWIFT Executive Director Cynthia Lopez said in her introduction to the book. She added, “We hope these recipes will bring joy to our community and provide a delicious ‘thank you’ to all who support us as we continue to advocate for equity and inclusion in the media industry.”
NYPA is a member driven organization, and your dues help us continue our role as a leading advocate for jobs, education and diversity within our industry. There are many benefits to joining NYPA including member only emails and meetings, as well as opportunities to network and promote your business at events. As we look to the rest of 2022 and beyond, we are excited for the future of our industry and the organization. Join today and help us continue our mission of over twenty years to advocate for our industry. Memberships start as low as $15 per month for individuals or $48 per month for small companies and organizations!
ICYMI: LAEDC Report Notes California’s Loss is New York’s Gain
A new report from the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) reviewing the economic impact of their previous tax incentive program highlights the reality that projects can, and will, move for competitive tax incentives. As reported by the Los Angeles Times:
California lost out on nearly $8 billion in economic activity, 28,000 jobs and over $350 million in revenue for state and local coffers from film and TV projects that chose to film elsewhere in recent years.
[snip]
The eye-popping estimate was based on a review of 157 out of 312 projects that applied for but did not receive a California tax credit and took their productions elsewhere between 2015 and 2020.
New York’s benefit from California’s lost business is discussed in Section 5 of the report, starting on page 20 (emphasis added):
Productions that applied for but did not receive tax credits left California to spend $1.90 billion in 18 different states. Lost productions generated over $1 billion in production spending in states that offer competitive film and TV tax incentives, such as Georgia ($551.9 million), New Mexico ($250.3 million), New York ($186.6 million), and Louisiana ($103.4 million).
[snip]
The estimate of lost economic activity represents a conservative estimate of what was lost over the period; it only covers productions that applied for the tax credit, it does not capture production that did not apply and left California due to other factors such as higher costs, a shortage of studio space, or higher incentives elsewhere.
You can read the full report by clicking below.
As reported in many publications, including Deadline, the MPA (NYPA Member) has released their 2021 Theatrical and Home Entertainment Market Environment (THEME) Report. Each year, the MPA research team produces the THEME Report by collecting and analyzing data from third-party sources and conducting an online audience survey of U.S. viewers of theatrical and home/mobile entertainment. The team reported that the combined US theatrical and home/mobile market was $36.8 billion in 2021, exceeding the pre-Covid figure of $36.1 billion in 2019.
One of the benefits of membership to NYPA is the ability to let members know about your events, programs, and news items. With nearly 54,000 reads and 4,500 click throughs in the past twelve months, NYPA’s mailings are another way our members can get their news, events and programming out to our community.
Creatives Rebuild New York Guidelines and Application Are Live
Creatives Rebuild New York (CRNY) is a three-year, $125 million initiative that will provide guaranteed income and employment opportunities for up to 2,700 artists throughout New York State. These two components will work to alleviate unemployment of artists, continue the creative work of artists in partnership with their communities and arts and cultural organizations, and enable artists to continue working and living in New York State under less financial strain. The grant guidelines are live.
