Sunset Park On Way To Becoming A Media Hub

SUNSET PARK – Slated to open in 2020, Mayor de Blasio’s planned $136 million, 300,000-square-foot “Made in New York” campus at Bush Terminal recently released a request for proposals (RFP) seeking a potential film, television, or media production tenant.

The NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) are seeking proposals from film, television, sound-recording, as well as other emerging media companies (i.e., AR/VR) to lease and develop an approximately 200,000-square-foot portion of the “Made in New York” waterfront campus.

In February 2017, Mayor de Blasio announced plans to convert underused buildings along Sunset Park’s waterfront into a hub for garment manufacturing and film and television production, creating more than 1,500 permanent jobs and more than 800 construction jobs.

Shortly following the Mayor’s announcement, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Congress Members Nydia Velazquez and Jerrold Nadler, and City Council Member Carlos Menchaca (whose District 38 covers Sunset Park) sent de Blasio a letter outlining their concerns that the campus would further gentrify Sunset Park and displace residents and businesses. The local politicians urged de Blasio to “keep the community in mind when implementing the initiative,” requesting that the project include local stakeholders in the planning and protect current residents and business owners.

RFP submissions are due Friday, November 2, 2018. Go to NYCEDC.com for more information.

An Animation Production Company Relocates To Industry City

In other development news in Sunset Park, Buck, an animation production company, has moved out of its former 11,000-square-foot Soho office and into a 30,000-square-foot space at Industry City, Crain’s New York reported. The company signed a ten-year lease and will occupy 15,000 square feet on two floors of Industry City’s Building 5, according to the article.

“We wanted to be in Brooklyn, in a place that inspires our employees and excites our clients…everyone from Google to Instagram, Apple to Nike,” Orion Tait, a Principal at Buck, said in the article. “Industry City delivers on that front, while also making us accessible to our employee base and giving us the flexibility to continue to grow.”

“We now have over 20 film-related tenants,” Industry City’s Director of Leasing, Kathe Chase, told Crain’s. “There’s an appeal for these companies to be in a location where they can collaborate and share ideas and where customers or clients can come in and meet with several players in one trip.”

In January of this year, AbelCine, an equipment and support provider to broadcast, media, and production businesses, announced that it was relocating its 85 employees from Manhattan to a new 44,000-square-foot facility at Industry City. Other film production tenants include film distributor, FilmRise, and digital entertainment company, 30 Ninjas.