Brooklyn, NY – Lights! Camera! … Williamsburg?
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A new Hollywood-style soundstage is close to opening on Kent Avenue — a movie studio that could soon bring music videos and TV shows to a waterfront area already popular with production companies.
The project is part of the expansion plans of Cine Magic International, a small stage production company in Soho that is building five soundstages on the former Kedem Winery near Broadway.
Cine Magic studio manager Phil Mavrigiannakis said his company’s goal is to have the “finest, newest production stage in New York City.”
“The Manhattan backdrop is just beautiful there,” said Mavrigiannakis. “The sun sets right behind the skyline. We’re hoping that’s going to be a big draw for us.”
Construction delays have pushed back the grand opening, but the Mayor’s Office of Film and Television and its state counterpart have been supportive.
“We want to be around for a very long time,” said Mavrigiannakis. “Business-wise, New York and Hollywood are constantly competing. We’d like to stay on top.”
The site was approved for a rezoning in June 2006, for 18- and 24-story towers with 450 units of housing, 20 percent of which are pegged at below-market rates, but the project has stalled along with the rest of the real-estate market.
Last week, the Real Deal reported that the developer of the site, Rector Hylan, applied on June 2 to renew construction permits for another three years, though Ward Dennis’s Williamsburg-based blog, Brooklyn 11211, noted that construction work had intensified in the past six months to build the sound stage.
“Given the investment required to put together a major facility like this, which I assume Cine Magic wouldn’t do without some sort of long-term lease, I’m betting that Hylan has no imminent plans to build residential here,” Dennis said.
Mavrigiannakis believes the new center will draw larger clients, possibly music video, film, and television production companies, but he did not rule out the possibility that housing would one day be developed on the underutilized parts of the site.
“Why have talent staying in Manhattan, if you could provide the housing there?” said Mavrigiannakis. “It’s so scenic.”
does somebody have an idea where this project is located on Kent Ave?
I smell protests.
this is a great addition to willy….we need more diversity and job opportunities in the neighborhood. The movie industry will open many low and moderate skilled jobs for the heimeshe community and the many boys and girls from frum families that desparately need to find a parnassah. Congratuations to all who were involved in bringing this new facility to our community
These projects should be welcomed as it brings a huge boost in local business revenues…
Haven’t the WB been subjected to enough scantily clad people, we don’t need Hollywood types prancing about our children now.
the real estate price is going to go up and hopefully peaple are going to start move away from willi its about time
The only housing they will build on the site now will both short and long term rental units for the “artsie” and “techie” types who will be working at the new studio and cannot find good housing in the local market. Over the longer term, they may add additional housing for community residents.
This is exactly the type of industry you don’t wish your enemies to have in their neighborhood, never mind in Willi.
Yidden wake up the area jews are slowly being kicked out
We need to go out and protest immediately this can not happen in willy how come u.j.o don’t do nothing we need to take action .
Williamsburg its about time you wake up and smell the coffee. There will be a time when an erlicher yid won’t tolerate to live in such smut. Don’t forget to thank your leaders that sold you out piece by piece block by block for the last 30 years.
Steiner didn’t really do anything for us either. They wouldn’t even open up a pedestrian crossing across the Navy Yard to the Yeshiva. Not our friends, the movies industry.
there is already a studio in williamsburg another would be welcome
ye, protests are going to be coming up. if pple don’t like it, why don’t they move to monroe or upstate. bike lanes were takeh changed, but how much can the community have control over?
Yup that’s the way to go. Protest riot burn garbage cans and have little chadideshe kids throwing rock at the nypd. Will show them. Do u people ever think what’s worse? A soundstage in ur city or potentially causing yet another chillul hashem and alienating more less frum people and non Jews alike to hate u more. No of course not.
They were able to get the building permits for the studio because there is NO financing to build low and moderate income housing. The market will support a limited number of studio and 1/2 BR condos, and thats what they will include as part of the site plan, but it may take seveal years. Right now, the new jobs and dollars spent for the local economy are the most important needs.
yes things change, not everybody wants to recreate a Polish or Hungarian ghetto, village from the 1600’s
Its time to leave Willi, and move to? I don’t know where but first you have to take your hiking stick and look for a better place then the treifene shtoot williamsburg
Gevald, where is Rabbi Niederman????
best sample of hypocrisy of the leaders in williamsburg who where against rose plaza and let this rezoning with any objections.
Facts;
This is not such a big issue but there are some negatives.
1, This will not be outdoor work with scantily dressed. You might secretly wish so.
2, Employee bike riding might increase.
3, Some work oportunities might ensue but they give their work to hipsters that promise to be available 24/7/365.
4, some people might find it desireable to shoot more in the area. After a few shots an area can be listed as blocked because of the annoyance to residents.
Y not move to staten island beautiful quiet peaceful lower real estate prices and less than 30 minutes to bp also express buses to manhattan
low crime
and great parks!
And you thought the parking on Kent Avenue couldn’t get worse……..
You might wonder why Hashem is allowing this to happen. Is Hashem not happy with Satmer? First Williamsburg had to deal with the Bike lane, Then the “Trief” restaurant and now THIS? Why is this happening? We do know that Satmer makes a lot of problems for Eretz Yisroel, even though officially the protests are against the Israeli Govmt. But every time that they protest they are actually making Eretz Yisroel a more hated place by the rest of the world, which puts Yidden in Eretz Yisroel ( Al pi derech HaTevah) in to a more Makom SeKanah. is that what Hashem wants? Is that what the Kadosh Satmer Rebbe wanted? I think Satmer has to take a real cheshbon hanefesh and fix up these major issuses of Sinas AmYisroel. Maybe this is why it is happening right before the 9 Days as Chazal says that we are still in Galus mainly for only this reason , Sinach Chinam. It’s time to Wake Up.
So here we go again, when Steiner Studio’s tries to build a movie studio then there is blackmail, extortion and threats if he does not come up with some funds for the local non profit organization that claims to represent the community.
Steiner never budges and continues to build, at the same time that the “Yid” wrote and quoted Rabbi David Neiderman from the UJO when he said that we needs everyone to contribute for legal action and the lawyers that cost money, “we are in very good shape of stopping this studio from being built” that same week Crains wrote that “Steiner is 6 month’s ahead of its construction”. and that’s a fact.
So now two question’s, where did the money that was raised by the Steiner legal action go, how much was spent and is there any money left-a breakdown please its bloody Jewish money.
Now lets do a follow up, we know that former councilman Yassky got a campaign contribution from owner of the property, we know that there was no opposition from the UJO about the height or about the amount of affordable housing at Kedem, how much money did the UJO get then and how much did it get now that you can rent it out to a movie studio.
The owner of the property a Vishnitzer chusid and a great person said, “I will not build housing because my Rabbi (Rav Motola Vishnitz) and the Viener Ruv don’t let me build for the wrong environment of people will come here” TO THE OWNER, WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE WILL BE COMING HERE NOW THAT YOU HAVE RENTED IT TO A MOVIE STUDIO, DOE’S R’ MOTOLA KNOW, DOE’S VIENER RUV KNOW.
The owner spit in the face of the community and it should be stopped, as for the UJO we should know that they will sell out the entire community for his own agenda and money.