#Gigi Semone

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2019 Supplier Diversity Showcase

Former New York City police sergeant Jean W. Isidore, now President and CEO of Ranks Security Services, launched his company three years ago with a mission to be the best in the business—and to someday work with New York State’s film and television production industry.  The Supplier Diversity Showcase, held Feb. 20 at the Time Warner Center in Manhattan, opened the door to that opportunity.  “I was looking to expand my business into New York’s busy production world,” Isidore said.  “This event seemed ideal to expose my company’s services to industry professionals I might never have had the opportunity to meet.”  

The showcase, hosted by Warner Media in partnership with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the New York State Governor’s Office of Motion Picture & Television Development (MPTV), was held for the first time in 2017 as part of an overall industry initiative focused on diversity. The event’s goal is to initiate connections between suppliers of production and post-production services with the studios, producers and industry decision-makers who hire them. “Events like the Supplier Diversity Showcase help move us closer to our overall goal of increasing participation of diverse suppliers in each of our individual studio’s production supply chains,” said Clint Grimes, Executive Director Global Sourcing & Supplier Diversity for Warner Media.

The second event, held this year, expanded its reach of vendors to include minority and women-owned businesses that have not yet worked in the production industry—going beyond traditional production, post-production and casting companies to include security services and caterers—giving them the opportunity to meet with industry professionals, including representatives from Fox, HBO, Viacom, Sony, Universal and Paramount, as well as individual producers.

In addition to networking opportunities, this year’s showcase featured two panels. The “Importance of Certification” panel focused on the diverse supplier certification process with several organizations: the National Minority Supplier Development Council Inc., the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and Empire State Development’s Division of Minority and Women’s Business Development .  

The Production Supply Chain Insights panel was added this year to complement the inclusion of businesses new to the industry, as well as to discuss best business practices. This panel, moderated by MPTV Executive Director Gigi Semone,  included two craft services vendors – Stacy Adler from Y-Cats Craft Services and Kinyarda Wright from Around The Clock Craft Services—and two production managers from the independent film and television worlds – Jonathan Olson and Bonnie Munoz.  The panelists stressed there’s a “community,” as opposed to “competition”  among vendors; if caterers are unable to take jobs, they usually recommend other caterers.  It’s important to know, they said, who else does what your company does. Production managers are always looking to increase and diversify their vendor choices.

Jonathan Olson, whose credits include Weightless and Port Authority, explained that “diversifying my choice of vendors is a priority because I feel that there’s a serious need for greater representation of female and minority-owned businesses in the industry. I see it as a responsibility to be a proactive advocate of diversification.”  After the panel ended, Olson noted he’d met people at the showcase he hoped to hire. “I had the chance to speak with a number of vendors that I will absolutely hire in the future,” Olson said. “This showcase was a perfect opportunity to interact with new groups of business owners trying to break into a difficult landscape.” This year’s event drew a larger number of vendors — 48 percent more than its first year — with 49 vendors exhibiting to 218 industry stakeholders. That means more vendors and services to accommodate the needs of all the production work happening in New York.

Jean Isidore is confident that he now has his foot in the door, thanks to the showcase, having ended each encounter with a hopeful pitch: “I hope to do business with you one day soon.”  By the time the showcase drew to a close, Isidore said he’d “exchanged cards with the team from Viacom and other studios, and had facetime with production managers who are looking to expand their vendor resources – a good day.”

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MWBE Forum – Expanding Opportunities Through the Diverse Supplier Directory

A first-ever special session on opportunities in New York State’s film production industry was part of this year’s MWBE Forum in Albany. The New York State Governor’s Office of Motion Picture & Television Development (MPTV) panel, “Opportunities in the Film & TV Production in New York State,” drew a packed room of interested and engaged business owners at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center on Oct. 2.  “We want to raise awareness of and expand our Diverse Suppliers Directory,” said panel participant  Gigi Semone, Executive Director of MPTV, “and at the same time create opportunities for diverse businesses to possibly expand their scope and work in New York’s ever-growing film and television industry.” 

The Diverse Suppliers Directory, launched in June as part of continuing efforts to diversify New York State’s film and television production industry,  provides a tool for production professionals  looking to diversify their list of suppliers. The directory was a key panel topic.  Forum attendee Maria Lazo of ExpoCleaning & Maintenance Corp. in Oceanside, N.Y., said she “was excited to learn that the film production industry was making room for small businesses in the MWBE community.” In addition to discussing  the directory, panelist and  local producer Jon Russell Cring shared best practices for businesses interested in working with film and television productions—including how to engage with the production industry and the key qualities producers look for in the vendors they hire. “The message was focused and successfully delivered information regarding how to get connected to the film industry in New York State,” said Connie Ervin from Aunt Connie’s Ed-U-Kitchen in Buffalo, who attended the MPTV session. “The panelists squeezed a lot of information into a short period of time.  Our company is now listed on the vendor list for future contact.” Businesses from throughout the state attended the special session to learn more about partnering with MPTV and expanding their business to include the film production industry. Tim Hall, Vice President of Office World LLC in Syracuse, said that, “as a diverse supplier I was very happy” to learn about those opportunities. “I have never worked in that industry in the past and it would be extremely exciting if I was able to participate.” Some 2,200 businesses and organizations attended this year’s MWBE Forum, which continues to celebrate the successes of New York State’s minority and women-owned business enterprises.

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“Get to Know New York State” Location Series Launches with Event At The World Trade Center

The Oculus, New York’s busiest transportation hub, is home to more than a commuter crowd.  It’s the centerpiece of the 16-acre World Trade Center site, but also a popular filming location, with Nicki Minaj, Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Lopez all stepping in front of the cameras there. And it was a star of the Governor’s Office of Motion Picture and Television Development’s (MPTV) recent “Get to Know New York State” series launch, bringing members of the film community together with state agencies to learn more about the logistics of filming at some of New York’s iconic locations.

Among the WTC star turns: the Oculus hosted Nicki Minaj for an elaborate performance that opened the 2018 VMAs ; in John Wick 2, Keanu Reeves was chased through the site’s PATH station and onto  a train, for  an intense and elaborately choreographed fight scene; and Jennifer Lopez, in Second Act, interviewed for the job of her dreams  in an office with million-dollar views at SNY Studios, located at 4 World Trade Center.

Whether it’s those scenes or others set elsewhere in New York– Ocean’s 8 filming on the New York City subway, Marvel’s The Punisher crashing an ambulance on a state highway or The Post’s recreation of a Vietnam jungle on the campus of SUNY Purchase—many memorable film moments wouldn’t be possible without New York locations, or without the support of New York State agencies.  

MPTV’s March 18 launch event for its “Get to Know New York State” series emphasized that many New York State assets are film-friendly and camera-ready.  Designed to bring the film community together with New York State agencies to discuss permitting, best practices and site tours, the series will be held on a regular basis with quarterly events across the city.  The launch, hosted by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) at One World Trade Center’s Observatory on the 102nd floor, included more than 150 guests from WTC partners—including Silverstein Properties, The Durst Organization, Legends, SNY Studios and Westfield—and film and television professionals from around the world.  The messaging was clear: the WTC campus, as well as other PANYNJ locations, are supportive of the industry.

“As we work to make the campus more welcoming to visitors, we would also like to make it more welcoming to the television and film industries,” Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton told the audience. “By the end of this evening, we want to make sure that each of you has the knowledge necessary to make filming at the World Trade Center as accessible as possible.”

That’s music to the ears of directors and producers whose projects showcase New York City just as prominently as their main characters. “A good bit of our filming for HBO’s series Succession has been on the WTC campus, including the SNY Studios in 4 World Trade and of course, our ‘Waystar Royco World Headquarters’ at 7 World Trade, which we’ve been utilizing since the show’s first season,” said series co-executive producer Scott Ferguson. "The cooperative and hospitable partnerships here have been essential to making these spectacular locations possible as filming locations.” Gigi Semone, Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Motion Picture and Television Development, also spoke at the event, noting the critical role that state agencies play in attracting filmmakers to New York State. “We are very grateful to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the other partners here for their continued support. New York State welcomes the film and television industry and the jobs and economic development they bring,” she said. “With our new ’Get to Know New York State’ series we are committed to continue making New York’s amazing array of unique location assets all over the state accessible and available to productions large and small.”

To learn more about the many unique locations at the World Trade Center site and other film-friendly Port Authority properties, click here.

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WELCOME GIGI SEMONE

NAMED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE GOVERNOR’S  OFFICE OF MOTION PICTURE AND TELEVISION DEVELOPMENT

For Immediate Release: Friday, May 17, 2013

Contact: ESD Press Office | pressoffice@esd.ny.gov | (800) 260-7313

Empire State Development (ESD) today announced that Gigi Semone has been named Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Motion Picture and Television Development.

“Under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, productions and post-productions are flocking to New York, creating new jobs and pumping billions into our economy,” said ESD President, CEO & Commissioner Kenneth Adams. “I am pleased to welcome Gigi Semone to our team, and look forward to working with her as we continue to make the Empire State the place to be for the film and television industry.”

Gigi Semone said, “This is an exciting time to join the Governor’s Office of Motion Picture and Television Development. The Office is on a record-breaking path, bringing new productions –and jobs – to all parts of the state. I am honored to take on this new role, and am committed to fostering the growth of this critical economic development engine.”

As Executive Director, Semone will be responsible for marketing New York State as a location for film and television production and will also oversee new initiatives championed by Governor Cuomo to grow the industry, especially Upstate. Semone will report to Rhoda Glickman, Senior Vice President for Arts, Culture and Film Development.

Semone comes to ESD with extensive industry experience. Most recently, Semone was the Executive Vice President of National Publicity for Sony Pictures Entertainment, where she crafted and executed national broadcast, digital, print and radio publicity strategies. Prior to joining Sony, Semone was the Vice President of Walt Disney Company’s East Coast Publicity division, where she successfully managed all aspects of magazine publicity for live action and animated films and executed east coast events and press coverage. Semone received her B.A. from Colgate University. A native New Yorker, she resides in New York City with her husband.

Since Governor Cuomo took office, New York State’s film and television tax credit program has taken off - experiencing a surge in program applications. It is estimated that the 349 projects that have filmed or applied to the program during the Cuomo administration will result in over $5.5 billion in direct spending in New York State. Many major television and film productions have cited the program as a leading factor in their decision to film and produce in New York State.

For more information, please visit: http://www.nylovesfilm.com/index.asp

Empire State Development (ESD) is New York State’s chief economic development agency. The mission of ESD is to promote a vigorous and growing economy by supporting private sector investment and job growth. Through the use of loans, grants, tax credits and other forms of assistance, ESD enables businesses to grow and create jobs throughout New York. ESD is also the lead agency for Governor Cuomo’s Regional Economic Development Councils, the Office of Motion Picture and Television Development, Minority and Women-Owned Business Services, Small Business Assistance, and Tourism, which manages “I Love NY,” the State’s iconic brand. For more information, please visit: www.esd.ny.gov

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