A Celebration With an Asterisk
Yonkers is promoting itself as “Hollywood on the Hudson.” But in 2024, only four Yonkers residents held jobs in the city’s location filming industry.
That inconvenient detail went unmentioned last Friday when city officials, studio executives, and a crowd of boosters gathered at the new Mediapro Studios on North Broadway to celebrate the city’s growing film footprint.
There were studio tours, speeches, and big numbers — $46 million in sales, nearly $1 million in city revenue — all drawn from a new economic impact study commissioned by the city’s own Industrial Development Authority. Nobody focused on the fact that of the approximately 140 total location shoot jobs held in 2024, only about four went to Yonkers residents. The economic impact study was released and heralded as part of a publicity event for Mediapro – an affair that mixed boosterism about sound stages with an upbeat recitation of the statistics about on-location shoots. The sobering data about on-location jobs for Yonkers residents would clearly have been a buzz kill.
What the Numbers Actually Show
The study, compiled by Camoin Associates, a consulting firm retained by the city’s Industrial Development Authority (IDA), tracked 124 location production days across Yonkers in 2024. Employment included 96 full-time jobs, with additional employment in temporary production jobs. Another 40 jobs are estimated to come from “indirect and induced economic impacts.” The four jobs that went to Yonkers workers represented a small percentage of the total..
The city’s 2024 revenue from location activity came mostly from selling permits, a total of about $900,000. Revenue from sales and occupancy taxes brought the total to about $950,000. The report credited $12 million in total earnings from the industry, including $8.5 million in direct wages and business income. Almost all went to non-residents.
Officials Tout Economic Ripple Effects
Mayor Spano has made film studio development one of the centerpieces of his economic agenda, and he was clearly enjoying the moment. “When a film comes to Yonkers, they’re not just staying here: they go to local restaurants, and go to the hardware stores, and they deal with our transportation companies, contract with local property owners, then post production services and equipment vendors,” Spano said. “All benefit from this. In short, this industry supports Yonkers businesses all across the board.”
Both Lionsgate and Mediapro take their names from the film and TV production companies that have leased studio space. The properties were developed by National Resources, a real estate development company that calls its more high-tech developments “iPark.” Another entity, Great Point Studios, has partnered with National Resources and is providing studio management for the ventures.
Tax Breaks, Insider Deals, and Political Scrutiny
Vital support for the projects came from the city. The IDA provided significant financial incentives to National Resources, including large, multi-year tax abatements. Further tax incentives are provided by New York State. Critics have alleged that the projects move forward because of insider connections and backroom politics, which they allege partly explains why the economic benefits are not big enough to justify the tax breaks.
Location Shoots vs. Soundstages: A Blurry Picture
The new economic impact study is focused on location film and TV shoots rather than filming on the sound stages. Location shoots — which do not require studio infrastructure — have historically driven much of Yonkers’ filming activity to such sites as City Hall, the Hudson River Museum, and Untermyer Gardens.
The soundstage business has grown steadily in recent years. “We are now the largest facility in the Northeast, and we’re still growing,” said Great Point Studio CEO Robert Halmi Jr. Halmi said his company rented out 1,000 stage days in 2024 — the total number of days across all active stages that were rented — rising to 1,500 in 2025, with more than 2,000 projected for 2026. It’s not clear how stage days have translated into jobs – either for the industry or specifically for Yonkers residents. That information would provide a fuller picture of the economic impact of the film industry here. A spokesman for the city’s film office was not able to provide any statistics.
A Competitive Market Closing In
Sound stage studios in other cities have suffered from a major drop in business – the Los Angeles studio business is facing serious economic challenges, and in Atlanta, a one-time film industry boom town, the film production business has almost disappeared. In contrast, many well bankrolled industry players are pumping money into the New York area, with many projects underway that will compete vigorously with the Yonkers facilities.
Veterans Praise Yonkers, But Haven’t Used the Stages
At the Mediapro event, industry veterans touted the benefits of working in Yonkers. Television director Michael Smith, whose credits include Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, and Manifest, has used Yonkers exclusively for location shoots over the past two decades — but said he has yet to film inside the soundstages themselves.
“One day maybe I’ll actually film inside here,” Smith said, adding that he is currently scouting the city’s downtown fire station for an upcoming Law & Order episode.
Veteran line producer Jonathan Filley, whose New York credits span four decades, framed the production activity in industrial terms.
“We are the face of modern manufacturing,” Filley said. “This is our factory floor, and we love that it’s here in Yonkers.”
Productions Are Active — and Still Expanding
Great Point Studios and National Resources are also developing additional stages on a 28-acre site in southwest Yonkers on the former property of Leake & Watts. Construction was also visible along Odell Terrace and North Broadway, with building permits posted on chain-link fencing at the site perimeter.
Politicians Bullish, Key Questions Unanswered
The ubiquitous Yonkers City Council Majority Leader John Rubbo, in his always-on blue suit, praised the Mayor and the film industry’s economic potential. “This is an opportunity to drive jobs, to drive educational opportunities. It is really endless,” he said.
City Council President Lakisha Collins-Bellamy called the initiative’s growth remarkable.
“Hollywood on Hudson is nothing short of genius,” Collins-Bellamy said.
