Huntington Office of Film and Television goes all-in on fast-growing industry

It’s official. A May 18 event at Rozewood Farm in Cold Spring Harbor marked the beginning of the Huntington Office of Film and Television, a new division within the Town of Huntington (TOH) led by Northport resident Joe Schramm.

The gathering of local leaders, film location scouts, members of the film and television industry, and press representatives began with a tour of the classic Georgian style estate; Rozewood is currently undergoing a renewal and considered an ideal venue for on-location film and television shoots.

In the grassy backyard with water views, Schramm – who serves as the division’s director – told attendees that the town is ready to bring Hollywood to Huntington, and that the Office of Film and Television has hit the ground running with recent local film productions for FX’s American Horror Story, Amazon Prime’s Harlem and Hulu’s Life and Beth with Amy Schumer already shooting locally.

Huntington Town Supervisor Ed Smyth said at the event that Schramm gave a compelling presentation to the board one year ago, convincing them that creating this office would be beneficial to town residents and businesses. “I have to tell you, Joe, you have over delivered so far on everything,” Smyth said.

“The reason why we’re doing this is to attract a new industry to the Town of Huntington,” Smyth said. “The film and television industry is one of the fastest growing industries in New York…and Huntington is the cultural epicenter of Long Island.” Smyth noted some of the premier attractions in the town, including the Engeman Theater in Northport and Paramount Theater in Huntington Village, plus the Chapin Stage in Heckscher Park. Adding this newest office to the TOH will not only contribute to the town’s culture, but create jobs for residents and stimulate its businesses, Smyth said.

One example of a small business benefiting from the Office of Film and Television occurred three weeks ago, when American Horror Story was filmed at Northport resident Adam Levy’s yoga and wellness center SOUND Body & Mind, located on West Shore Road in Huntington. Levy was contacted by a Long Island-based film location scout and from there, a contract was developed to provide the film crew access to the space for two full days. Levy told the Journal that working with the film crew was a pleasure and they were both professional and accommodating. The filming, he said, also generated a lot of excitement among his clients.

“The production companies that come in, reimburse our expenses and also generate economic activity in the immediate surrounding areas by bringing people into that area and also using the facilities, restaurants and other services,” Smyth explained. Productions come at no cost to taxpayers and eventually, they will generate a revenue stream for the town.

“I’m honored to represent Team Huntington,” Schramm said at the event podium. When a production uses Huntington’s facilities or streets for a location shoot, he explained, team members access the services of not just one office, but rather an organization of services that includes public safety, parks and recreation, transportation, operations, the legal department and more. The Office of Film and Television showcases the benefits of filming in Huntington, including its easy access from New York City and location within the NY Production Zone, a boundary set by several NYC-based worker’s unions, guilds and organizations defining the area in which they can work locally without the need for overtime pay or overnight stays. The zone is a 25- to 30-mile radius emanating from Columbus Circle and includes many parts of the Huntington township, including Huntington Village, Cold Spring Harbor and Lloyd Harbor.

While the Northport-East Northport community is technically outside of the designated production zone, these areas can still be utilized by crews that have “base camps” within the zone, such as a nearby train station. The Cold Spring Harbor train station, for example, was a base camp for two recent TOH productions, Life and Beth and American Horror Story.

The Office of Film of Television will work with production managers to secure transportation, security, garbage removal and sanitation, and community notification. Additionally, the office will make a variety of resources available to film and television productions, including catering, hospitality, insurance, construction, wardrobe and more.

Now that this office is official, Schramm is contacting show runners, filmmakers and location managers so they know that “we are now in business,” Schramm said. “This town is a great place to create extraordinary content.”