NYC launches 'Made in NY' initiative targeting digital/tech sector
February 20, 2013

NYC launches 'Made in NY' initiative targeting digital/tech sector

NEW YORK — Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Media & Entertainment commissioner Katherine Oliver and chief digital officer Rachel Haot launched “We Are Made in NY" (http://www.WeAreMadeinNY.com), a multi-platform initiative promoting the city’s “thriving” technology and digital sector.

The initiative includes a Website that brings together City resources to help entrepreneurs and attract new startups to New York City, such as a map of employment opportunities with the more than 900 local start-ups that are currently hiring for over 3,000 jobs; an advertising campaign that highlights Made in NY tech companies; and an expansion of the “Made in NY” logo program beyond the film and television industry. The Mayor was joined by members of the local tech industry at the headquarters of BuzzFeed to unveil the initiative.
          
“Growing our local tech industry is an important part of our economic development strategy to bring new businesses to our city and more jobs opportunities to New Yorkers,” says Mayor Bloomberg. “The city offers the ideal location for talented people with ground-breaking ideas to start their companies, and the ‘We Are Made in NY’ initiative is the latest step we’re taking to help them grow here.”

“At the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, we’ve been committed to making the ‘Made in NY’ logo a mark of distinction given to the hundreds of films and TV shows that call New York City home and support our local economy,” says Oliver. “The initiative has been incredibly successful and recognizable and has become a source of pride in the entertainment industry, and our goal is to instill those same feelings of pride among the tech community and celebrate this growing tech sector.”
 
“There has never been a better time to launch and grow a digital company in New York City,” says Rachel Haot. “The ‘We Are Made in NY’ initiative will link jobseekers to career opportunities, and connect startups to a wide range of resources and benefits spearheaded by Mayor Bloomberg’s administration.”

The “We Are Made in NY” Website, www.WeAreMadeinNY.com, offers various resources and services provided by the City of New York to help technology businesses build and grow here. Included on the site are links to finding subsidized office space, applying for broadband connectivity and competing for grants to expand in Lower Manhattan and participating in technology community events, among others.

The Website also includes the Made in NY Digital map, an interactive map that shows where local tech companies are located and which ones are hiring; educational and networking resources; and a video section where local tech companies are encouraged to record a short video profiling their businesses to give New Yorkers a ‘behind the scenes’ perspective of their work.

Companies with at least 75 percent of their development based in New York City are encouraged to join the “We Are Made in NY” initiative and apply to add the hyperlinked “Made in NY” mark of distinction to their Website. The “Made in NY” initiative was first launched in 2005 but limited to the film and movie industry.

The “Made in NY” logo, designed by @radical.media, a company based in the City, also represents a mark of distinction given to films and TV shows where at least 75 percent of the overall production is made within the five boroughs. The logo has appeared in the end credits of over 200 productions, highlighting the fact that they were filmed in New York City and employed local crews. The Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, part of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, also brands its various programs under the umbrella of “Made in NY.”

From workforce development training like the “Made in NY” Production Assistant Training Program to educational initiatives like the “Made in NY” Industry series, a free series of panels featuring industry professionals, the “Made in NY” mark brings together everything that makes the City and its media, entertainment and digital industries unique. In the coming months, the “Made in NY” Media Center, a centralized hub for the local media industry to collaborate and grow, will open in DUMBO, Brooklyn.

Operated by the Independent Filmmaker Project, the center will provide workspace, educational programs in partnership with General Assembly and networking events for content creators and entrepreneurs.