NEW YORK ‘REEL’ ESTATE: Keeping NYC the star of the show

BY DUSTIN R. SVEUM

From the original ‘wardrobe malfunction’ of Marilyn Monoroe’s subway grate incident in The Seven-Year Itch to Meg Ryan’s orgasmic meal at Katz’s Deli in When Harry Met Sally, some of show business’ most unforgettable moments have been filmed on location amongst the dynamic streets and inside the dramatic skyline of New York City. The magic of New York City leaves a spectacular charm on film that has often created box-office gold and could never be captured on a soundstage in Hollywood.

Fortunately for filmmakers and television producers alike, captivating audiences with the electricity of the Big Apple has never been easier, even in today’s tough economy. The city’s government, large landlords and even the city’s residents are working to make New York one of the most convenient and cost-effective places to feature on film.

To ensure audiences around the world are able to continue to experience the city’s essence, New York City’s “MADE IN NY” program driven by the Mayor’s Office of Film Theater & Broadcasting offers film and television productions a series of incentives in effort to make filming in Gotham more attractive than ever.

With tax credits for films and television productions that complete 75% or more of their work in New York City, New York State will give a 30% refundable tax credit and New York City will give a 5% refundable tax credit.

In addition to weakening financial barriers, the city’s “MADE IN NY” program offers a variety of marketing credits, hotel, car rental and vendor discounts, assistance with global premieres and launches, among other incentives to productions that meet the program’s requirements.

Spurred by the current economic environment, the city’s major real estate players are also working harder than ever to create mutually beneficial solutions for the entertainment industry. At the forefront of this movement is real estate giant, SL Green and its short-term office subsidiary, eEmerge. SL Green is the largest office building landlord in Manhattan and is using all of its assets to become one of the most film friendly real estate entities in the city.

Landlords like SL Green are turning vacancies into opportunities to collect ancillary income through short term activities like film and television shoots. While some landlords still view allowing these types of productions as disruptive and plagued and a risky liability, SL Green has been a pioneer in opening its lobbies, offices and rooftops to crews even during regular office hours.

Leading the companies’ film friendly initiatives is James Kleeman, Director of eEmerge for SL Green. For the past two years, Kleeman has been working to create turnkey solutions for production crews wishing to capture the spirit of New York on film. “Finding the perfect places to shoot in New York is not an easy feat,” says Kleeman. “For example, if a particular scene requires an office building lobby as a backdrop, the number of people a location scout would have to speak to in order to secure a proper location is astronomical. With just one call to me, a location scout has access to over 45 buildings that feature some of the best rooftops, lobbies and offices in the city.”

Access to these types of spaces is important to production groups, especially when crews are shooting with the limited budgets that are typical of pilot episodes and independent films. Investing in cost-prohibitive studios or soundstages is virtually impossible. Real estate companies with large portfolios like SL Green can offer an array of spaces; from spaces that match a specific style to spaces that serve as a blank canvas for a crew’s art department. When Mad Men, known for its impeccably accurate portrayal of the 1960s, was filming its pilot episode, SL Green was able to offer an office space that was easily converted to reflect the time period in a way that met the high standards of the director.

Shooting locations aren’t the only spaces that SL Green brings to the table. Advertisers are seeing an increased value in non-traditional, out-of-home advertising. SL Green has a portfolio of street-level retail windows that Kleeman can easily offer production companies to promote their film or television show or media buyers to activate on behalf of their advertising clients when vacancies arise. Eye-level advertising is becoming increasingly important to brands as it tends to garner more impressions and have a more lasting impact than typical platforms like billboards.

While SL Green’s extensive portfolio offers value by way of locations for filming, eEmerge offers entertainment industry players space for virtually every other aspect of production, making the real estate duo truly a one-stop-shop for production companies working in New York City.

eEmerge offers extraordinarily flexible office space at two locations conveniently located in Manhattan. Offering both short and long term leasing options, eEmerge allows companies to start out leasing a small amount of space during pre-production then, if necessary, lease more space as they hit production and again, downsizing during post-production.

“Through these flexible terms, budget conscious production companies are truly never paying for more space than they need at any given point in the production process,” says Kleeman. “The alternative, subleasing a fixed office space, can prove be extraordinarily costly as amenities like internet, phone systems, networking, copy machines, printers and other office equipment are not included. eEmerge has all of this infrastructure in place and it is included in the terms of the lease.”

eEmerge also offers editing suites at its 34th Street location, fully loaded with avid equipment ready for post-production editing. And, with large conference rooms that are ideal for casting calls and auditions, eEmerge can literally accommodate production companies’ needs nearly every step of the way.

Alexandra Bogen, Managing Director of eEmerge for SL Green says we should expect more from them in the future. “Our current eEmerge locations have been so successful, in large part due to the entertainment industry that we are looking at opening new locations. This will allow eEmerge to further accommodate production companies working in other popular areas of the city.”

In recent months, more of the city’s residents are inviting film and television crews into their homes than ever before. Residents are often making upward of $5,000 a day to allow crews to shoot in their apartments and, according to real estate agents, this immediate cash exchange isn’t the only value these homeowners are seeing. The fact that a home has been featured in a film or television show is a great selling point when owners put their pads on the market. Many buyers are attracted to homes that have appeared on screen and may be more willing to shell out extra cash to own a piece of showbiz history.

Although these shoots present the risk of damage and may be disruptive to their every day lives, the number of homes being opened up to crews is growing, especially in today’s current economic environment.

Turnkey solutions offered by real estate companies like SL Green and eEmerge coupled with the increasing number of homes available to production companies, crews may never have to leave the city to complete a project, saving time and money. And, with the added financial and marketing incentives the city of New York offers the industry, production companies can spend more of their time and budget creating those magical New York City moments in the actual streets and buildings of the city that has become a character in and of itself and has captured the hearts of many.