With the help of Governor Andrew Cuomo, the post-production industry is about to get a boost from Empire State Development (ESD).?
In late February, ESD announced the New York State Post-Production Fellowship Program ? a new initiative that will increase the size and quality of New York?s post-production talent pool for this rapidly growing industry. ESD is providing the Post New York Alliance (PNYA) with a grant of up to $50,000 to serve as matching funds for the new program, which will be administered by the PNYA with assistance from the Governor?s Office for Motion Picture & Television Development (MPTV). The fellowship program will support at least 20 apprenticeships at a minimum of 10 post-production or visual effects (VFX) companies across New York.
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?In recent years, New York State has become a top destination for post-production and visual effects work, resulting in rapid business growth and job creation across the state,? said ESD President, CEO & Commissioner Howard Zemsky. ?This new fellowship program will ensure the industry continues to thrive by growing and strengthening the workforce as young, talented students gain a top-notch education from New York?s finest film and media professionals.?
The post-production and VFX industry is growing at a rapid rate in New York State, with the State?s post-production incentive program receiving a record number of applications in each of the last three years. Since July 2012 ? when Governor Andrew M. Cuomo increased the stand-alone post-production tax credit level from 10 percent to 30 percent, and 35 percent in certain Upstate counties ? 276 projects have applied, compared to just 17 in the 18 months preceding the increase. Since then, projects participating in the program have spent approximately $326 million throughout New York State.
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?The Post New York Alliance is proud to be a part of such an important step in educating the future workforce of the post-production industry,? said Yana Collins Lehman, President and COO, Post New York Alliance. ?Governor Cuomo has overseen an unprecedented expansion of film and television production and post production, and the need for talent in post-production companies all across New York State has skyrocketed. We are all impatient to find students whose passion for film and television we can form to fill these great jobs. We are very grateful to Governor Cuomo for his support and appreciation for our industry.?
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The fellowship program will continue to strengthen New York?s competitiveness in the industry by providing funding to New York-based post-production companies to scale the number of paid apprenticeship programs in post-production and visual effects. These programs are necessary to increase the overall talent pool and widen the geographic reach of the post-production sector in New York.
The PNYA will launch the competitive apprenticeship program this summer, with ESD providing up to $50,000 in matching funding to support at least 20 apprenticeships at a minimum of 10 post-production or visual effects companies across the state.
Selection and criteria information is available on the PNYA?s website.
(CLICK HERE for a related article about the National Black Programming Consortium)
