Ever wonder how much revenue the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) receives from a TV production crew shooting on Roosevelt Island? I asked RIOC Vice President of Operations Fernando Martinez that question about the current filming of the CBS Television show Unforgettable on Roosevelt Island at 504 Main Street as well as if the production company has made any contribution to local Roosevelt Island organizations. Mr. Martinez replied:

The film company has a film permit for the months of July and August (but only 9-12 days of actual filming). The permit fee is approximately $88,000.

I am not aware of any contributions that has been made by the production company and island organizations.

On Wednesday, I was walking past 504 Main Street and noticed two of the actors from Unforgettable hanging out on the street. I asked them if I could take a picture and they kindly agreed. On the left is Kevin Rankin and Dylan Walsh is on the right.

Image of Unforgettable Actors Kevin Rankin and Dylan Walsh Mr. Walsh expressed interest in learning more about Roosevelt Island but as we were about to speak he was summoned back to work on the show. There were problems experienced by some Roosevelt Island residents who live across the street from the film shoot. As reported in this July 30 post:

… On Thursday night, the crew set up enormous lights which were aimed into apartments at 510 Main Street and into apartments at the South wing of 531 Main Street. The lights were so intense that their beams penetrated tightly shut venetian blinds, bounced off the walls in apartments, and caused extreme discomfort to the residents all through the night. Calls to Public Safety were useless, as the people on phone duty had no idea this was going on, nor did they seem interested or able to help….

That problem has been mostly resolved with the placement of coverings over the film crew lights. RIOC’s Mr. Martinez explains the benefits of having TV and Film productions working on Roosevelt Island and other parts of New York City:

This past winter, Woodridge Productions and Sony Pictures Television filmed a pilot in 504 Main Street and its surrounding areas. At the time, the production company was not sure if the pilot would be picked up by the studio. As fortune would have it, the pilot was picked up for a season worth of episodes. The series is called “Unforgettable”. The show stars Poppy Montgomery and Dylan Walsh and will air on CBS this Fall. The production company had a terrific experience filming portions of the pilot episode on Roosevelt Island and were eager to return to shoot the series this summer. The production company has scheduled 9 to 12 days of actual filming on Roosevelt Island. While I understand that the film shoot may be an inconvenience to some of the residents, Roosevelt Island is playing a large part in the economic success of NYC’s film industry.

Currently, NYC is experiencing a boom in film production, fueled largely by a New York State tax incentive program. In fact, New York City is so busy with film productions that many shows are experiencing difficulty in booking into a qualified stage facility or sound studio. The “Unforgettable” experienced this difficulty first hand, and consequently, the pilot was in jeopardy of being pulled back to Los Angeles. By filming the series on Roosevelt Island, it enabled the show to stay here in NYC and thereby preserving its economic impact. Specifically, the production of the “Unforgettable”, means that over the course of 12 episodes – 200 jobs will be saved and that $40 million dollars will be pumped into the New York City economy.

Finally, the production company is aware that its presence may be intrusive to some residents, and is willing to work cooperatively with residents to minimize any inconvenience. The attached flyer was previously circulated by the production company and offers a solution to those who raised a concern about the night time film shooting.

We, at RIOC, are looking forward to the series success and to future filming on Roosevelt Island.

Here is the Unforgettable Film Crew Flyer.

(Click on image to enlarge)

Image of Unforgettable set inside Roosevelt Island’s 504 Main Street from You Tube More on Roosevelt Island movie making from previous posts.