Mayor Bloomberg, Commissioner Oliver Launch Made in New York Media Center By IFP in DUMBO, Brooklyn
by Website Update on October 2, 2013
Incubator and Educational Space Supports and Trains Creative Professionals and
The Next Generation of Content Creators
Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson to Serve as Founding Artist In Residence
October 1, 2013, Brooklyn, NY—Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment Commissioner Katherine Oliver today joined the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), to officially open the Made in NY Media Center by IFP, a centralized space for storytellers, creative professionals and entrepreneurs across multiple disciplines to collaborate and create new business opportunities through education, entrepreneurship and content creation. The Made in NY Media Center by IFP is the result of a partnership between the Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment and IFP as the latest step to bring innovation to the local media, digital and entertainment industries.
The ceremony kicked off the announcement of new partners, planned initiatives and the schedule for the Center’s rollout of programming.
“The Made in NY Media Center by IFP continues the work this administration has done to diversify New York City’s economy and provide access to affordable work space,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “New technologies and distribution platforms are appearing every day, and entrepreneurs, growing businesses and creative individuals will have the chance to harness their skills with the educational resources provided by the Media Center as well as the community network that’s being established here.”
“New York City has seen remarkable growth in recent years in the digital and entertainment industries,” said Commissioner Oliver. “With this growth and the ever-evolving media landscape, we want the Made in NY Media Center by IFP to be the connecting bridge between these industries so that new opportunities can be created across disciplines. Whether it’s an independent filmmaker working with a gaming company to create a short film or a digital startup networking with an established media company, we look forward to seeing what inventive and creative projects emerge from the Center.”
“The Media Center is launching this week, and will soon be the incubator and central hub for storytellers from multiple disciplines, industries and platforms,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of IFP and the Made in NY Media Center by IFP. “Regardless of what tools are used, we’ll be doing what we’ve done for 35 years: curating stories, supporting artists and connecting storytellers to investors, audiences and other artists. We look forward to sharing our programming, partners and events with the creative and tech communities in the coming weeks.
At the event Vicente shared that Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson would be the Media Center’s Founding Artist-in-Residence. He remarked, “The birth of any new art movement, from hip hop, to punk to dada has a center, a place to meet up and collaborate, The Media Center will be a vibrant space that embraces forward thinking about the future of art, film, new media and storytelling in the digital space and I look forward to working with the Media Center on ideas I hope will help shape tomorrow.”
As a media incubator, the “Made in NY” Media Center by IFP brings together creative professionals from the film, television, video, gaming, technology and advertising industries. Participants will share affordable community workspace as they build on and develop their creative ideas and businesses.
Originally constructed in 1909 as a coffee factory and later used as a shipping and receiving facility, the 20,000-square-foot space on the ground floor of 30 John Street has been designed by MESH Architects into an incubator space with 120 dedicated desks along with 40 flexible work spaces, classrooms, editing rooms, conference rooms, a screening room, a public art gallery and a café. With views of the Manhattan Bridge and the East River, the public areas of the center are designed to welcome residents and visitors, and community events will be programmed throughout the year.
The building is owned and operated by Two Trees Management Company, a Brooklyn-based real estate development firm that has a long track record of supporting creative and community-based tenants.
The Made in NY Media Center by IFP also offers membership for storytellers, artists, technology entrepreneurs and media and corporate partners. Benefits vary according to membership level and can include access to desk space in the community workspace; invitations to networking events; and discounts on the Media Center’s workshops, seminars and classes, among others. The Center is currently seeking talented content creators who are looking to develop a creative idea in an open and collaborative space. Once selected, the Center will help members bring their work to life. Additional information on how to apply is available at nymediacenter.com. Among the anchor tenants signed on to the Media Center are Astronauts Wanted, a new cross-platform entertainment company headed by Judy McGrath and Nick Shore that targets young people, and Playmatics, which builds engaging games and user experiences on the Internet and in social media. Verizon is another exciting partner, who will work closely with the Center to provide best in class technology solutions for its members and visitors.
“The New York Media Center is a Perfect Collaboration for us, said Judy McGrath, Astronauts Wanted. “We’re both playing with new creative possibilities, born transmedia, and empowering brilliant young voices.”
Also joining the list of launch and founding partners is illycaffé, which will be fueling the creativity of the Media Center as the official coffee brand. The brand will host a series of events at the Media Center throughout the year focused on categories of Art and Design, Creativity and Craft and Art of Coffee.
The Media Center will also be home to robust educational programming. Instructors from IFP will teach courses on creativity and craft, cross-media strategy and career sustainability. For coursework related to technology, entrepreneurship and design, IFP has partnered with General Assembly, a New York-based global education company. All courses, whether individual classes, workshops or long-form educational programming, will be open to the public, and are designed to address the needs of creative and tech professionals in various stages of their careers. Early classes will teach basic essentials, practical insights and tactical approaches to crowdfunding for artists, inventors and entrepreneurs; public speaking; WordPress; and storytelling skills. Later this year, classes and workshops on topics such as programming, growth hacking, email strategy, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator will be offered at the Media Center. The Media Center will also be partnering with Cornell on a joint conversation series.
“At General Assembly, we are building a global community of individuals and empowering them to pursue the work that the love,” said Jake Schwartz, General Assembly Co-Founder and CEO. “We are thrilled to partner with the Media Center to bring General Assembly’s hands-on, real world approach to education to Brooklyn, and expand our community to include the city’s storytellers and innovators in film, video, gaming and technology.”
The Center will be opening on a rolling basis, hosting open houses, info sessions and other events to introduce the space to the community. On October 15th the first tenants will move in, and classes and workshops begin. Hours of operation are 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM weekdays, and 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM weekends. Projects accepted into the incubator will have 24/7 access to the building and resources by early November.
As part of the launch, throughout the month of October there will be several art installations selected for their unique collaborations and themed around the mission of exploring new ways of telling stories. These range from a Lance Weiler/David Cronenberg video project which includes 3D printer, and exclusive footage of their media art project, to MPC Digital’s, ‘The Color Project,’ part of an on-going R&D concept created by MPC Digital in collaboration with artist Thompson Harrell. The project focuses on exploring narratives through color, line, and form found in geographic satellite imagery. For the Media Center the project highlights the locations from many of the films that have been championed by IFP.
Another unique feature of the building is a panoramic projection system that wraps the exterior theater walls of the space (1500 square ft) from edge to edge. Engineered and designed by Ryan Uzilevsky and his studio team, this new canvas allows both the cinematic and digital arts to play out in expanded scale and form.
IFP was selected as the developer and operator of the Made in NY Media Center after a request for proposals was issued by NYCEDC in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment in March 2012. Since its inception in 1979 in New York City, IFP has pursued its mission of sustaining innovative content creation and community building through its support of the production of 8,000 films and 22,000 filmmakers. Each year IFP presents the Gotham Independent Film Awards and brings filmmakers and industry reps together at Independent Film Week. IFP also publishes FILMMAKER Magazine.
Press Contacts
Lindsay Arden Firestone, PMK•BNC t. 212.373.6131 [email protected]
Jody Arlington, Director of Communications, IFP m. 202.316.4316 [email protected]
About the Made in NY Media Center By IFP
The Made in NY Media Center by IFP is where storytellers from multiple disciplines, industries and platforms create, collaborate, connect and incubate across a spectrum of programs, events and experiences. The Center brings together innovators in film, video, gaming, technology and more through education, mentorship, entrepreneurship and content creation. The 20,000-square-foot facility is located on the ground floor of 30 John Street in DUMBO at the intersection of John and Jay Streets features co-working spaces, talent incubator, 72-seat screening room, art gallery and café in addition to dedicated spaces for classes, conferences, meetings and tenancy. Through a combination of membership-driven and public-access programming our Center champions the future of storytelling in the digital age through a unique focus on cross-platform and cross-discipline media innovation. Follow us on twitter @NYMediaCenter, like us on facebook/NYMediaCenter, More info at www.nymediacenter.com.
About IFP
After debuting with a program in 1979 New York Film Festival, the nonprofit IFP has evolved into the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, and also the premiere advocate for them. Since its start IFP has supported the production of 7,000 films and provided resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers – voices that might not otherwise have been heard. IFP fosters the development of 350 new feature and documentary films each year through its Project Forum of Independent Film Week, Independent Filmmaker Labs and projects in its fiscal sponsorship program. Follow us on twitter @ifpfilm. More info at www.ifp.org
About the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment
The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment consists of the Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, facilitating and supporting film and TV production throughout the five boroughs; NYC Digital, which works to realize New York City’s potential as the world’s leading digital city; and NYC Media, the official TV, radio and online network of the City of New York. The agency’s mission is to streamline government communications by making information accessible, leveraging technology to aid in the transparency of government and by supporting relevant media and entertainment industries in New York City.
About General Assembly
General Assembly is an educational institution that transforms thinkers into creators through education in technology, business and design at nine campuses across three continents. We are creating a global community of individuals empowered to pursue work they love, by offering full-time immersive programs, long-form courses, and classes and workshops on the most relevant skills of the 21st century. For more information, visit http://generalassemb.ly and follow us at @GA.