Number Of NYC Film Shoots Increases 15% In 15 Months

The movie and TV industry is booming in New York City, which is something we see on local streets fairly regularly — from GIRLS to The Black Box to Boardwalk Empire and now The Great Gilly Hopkins, we’re no strangers to the neon signs, the catering tents, and the scramble for parking.

And if it feels like there are more productions now than before, you’re not wrong. A report in the Post says that filming in NYC increased by 15% between December 2012 and March 2014.

Some neighborhoods are sick of it, though. Last year, Brooklyn Heights managed to get the city to scale back how many film shoots were allowed there, and others may follow suit. Officials told the Post that they are always looking at the scale and frequency of productions, and “will temporarily restrict filming in certain areas that have been significantly impacted.”

With hefty tax incentives — an estimated $420 million in rebates annually — crews have been drawn here from other, pricier towns, like Los Angeles. And though they’re getting a big tax break, the state is seeing some impact — the LA Times reports that NYC saw an estimated $2.1 billion in spending in 2013, up from $600,000 in spending 10 years earlier, and we added 10,675 entertainment sector jobs between 2004 and 2012.

Have you noticed an uptick in shoots in your part of the neighborhood over the past year?