Mayors Office of Film Theater and Broadcasting created

Mayor's Office of Film Theater and Broadcasting created by Mayor John Lindsay to show NY to the world. The results were immediate and enormous. In the 1960s, filming in New York City was complicated and bureaucratic, requiring up to 50 permits from various city departments. This red tape often drove productions elsewhere. In 1966, Mayor John Lindsay streamlined the process by authorizing a single permit for city-owned locations and removing officials’ power to censor film content. He also appointed aides to assist with private site negotiations and created a police unit to manage film-related crowds. Lindsay promoted local filmmaking as a way to boost jobs and strengthen the city’s economy. In 1966 alone, production in New York increased by 100 percent over the previous year, bringing an estimated additional $20 million to the City. 

Building on Mayor Lindsay’s reforms, Mayor Abraham Beame established the Mayor’s Advisory Council on Motion Pictures and Television in 1974, with Walter Wood leading efforts to attract investment to New York’s film industry. The Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting soon became the world’s first to offer one-stop permitting for public locations. In 1993, Mayor David Dinkins elevated the office to cabinet level, appointing Richard Brick as the first Commissioner.

Celebrating 50 years of service, it is part of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME), and it works closely with the NYPD’s Movie/TV Unit. It supports a booming industry that contributes nearly $9 billion and over 130,000 jobs to the city’s economy.