Kaufman Astoria Studios unveils 34,800 s/f backlot December 23, 2013 - New York City United States senator Charles Schumer and New York City council member Jimmy Van Bramer recently joined George Kaufman and Hal Rosenbluth of Kaufman Astoria Studios to unveil New York City's first Backlot in Astoria. The landmarked studio, once the home of Paramount Pictures, created the outdoor "black-box" working stage to allow productions the ability to film outside in a controlled environment, providing more flexibility and reducing the need to film on city streets. The completion of the block-long Backlot marks the completion of the newest addition to the growing Kaufman Astoria campus, a vibrant arts and cultural district in Astoria. The event, led by Kaufman Astoria executives also included NYC mayor's office of media and entertainment commissioner Katherine Oliver; senior vice president of film, arts, and culture development for New York State Rhoda Glickman; senator Michael Gianaris; borough president Helen Marshall and assembly member Aravella Simotas, was on Stage K, where Amazon's new hit Alpha House is filmed. The official ribbon cutting was held at the new gated entrance of the historic studio on 35th Avenue. "The Backlot is an exciting new development for the film and television industry in New York as well as for this area of Astoria. It will draw more world-class productions to New York and gives these productions much needed outdoor space to create temporary sets that can stay up for as long as they need to shoot," said Hal Rosenbluth, president of Kaufman Astoria. "It also gives the campus a striking new gate designed by David Rockwell that will become a new iconic landmark for the neighborhood and will help attract new businesses and productions." The 34,800 s/f backlot allows productions to construct temporary outdoor sets and shoot exterior and special effects shots within the campus. The lot is conveniently located adjacent to the sound stages, which supply power and support spaces, such as dressing rooms, production offices and set building workshops. Kaufman Astoria worked with the Rockwell Group, an award-winning architectural firm, to design the entry gate and rear gate as well as the street scape of the studio lot. The main gate, located on 35th Ave., features a dramatically lit steel truss that rises 40 ft. above the street that serves as a working catwalk for productions. "As the first dedicated backlot in the five boroughs, film and television productions are now more likely to yell 'action' and choose Kaufman Astoria Studios and New York City as a location for filming," said Schumer. "Today's ribbon-cutting is a tremendous milestone for the neighborhood, the city, and the thousands of people who work in New York's booming film and television industries." "The addition of New York City's first-ever outdoor sound stage puts Astoria on the map when it comes to producing blockbuster movies in the United States," said Van Bramer, chair of the New York City council's cultural affairs committee. "I am proud to have helped make this historic project a reality in the same neighborhood where I grew up as a child. By expanding Kaufman Astoria Studios we are continuing the resurgence of the arts that has spurred a renaissance here in Astoria. From a dormant industrial building Kaufman Astoria Studios has built a world-class institution that has helped Western Queens become 'Hollywood East.'" "Under the leadership of governor Andrew Cuomo, New York State has become the place to be for the film and television industry and today's announcement further cements our position as a leader in the industry," said Empire State Development president, CEO & commissioner Kenneth Adams. "We have a strong partnership with Kaufman Astoria Studios as the State supported their vision to significantly expand the studio in Queens, which was a critical step toward establishing the new Backlot - the first in New York City - unveiled today. The film and television industry is booming in New York, generating billions in revenue and creating hundreds of thousands of jobs for New Yorkers. The combination of great studios, like Kaufman Astoria, and the state's film tax credit program championed by Governor Cuomo, has put the Empire State at the forefront of film and television production." "From Rudolph Valentino to Big Bird and Grover, Astoria has played an important role in New York City's production industry," said commissioner Katherine Oliver, mayor's office of media and entertainment. "Kaufman Astoria Studios' new backlot further enhances New York City's reputation as a thriving center of production and will help attract even more films and television series to the city. This is an industry that contributes $7.1 billion to the local economy, supporting thousands of local businesses and employing more than 130,000 New Yorkers who work behind the scenes, and we're thrilled that more productions will soon call New York City home." The completion of the backlot is the latest step towards realizing the overall vision of creating the Kaufman Astoria campus, which real estate developer and chairman of the studio, George Kaufman, began over 30 years ago. Kaufman created a full-service production center that helped bring the film and television production industry back to New York, while also reinvigorating the entire neighborhood. The Kaufman Astoria campus has grown into a vibrant arts and cultural district. In recent years, the campus has more than doubled in size and now includes 12 acres with seven stages, K/A/S Lighting, KAS Music & Sound, local and national retailers and cultural organizations such as The Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, Museum of the Moving Image, TDF Costume Collection and Queens Council on the Arts. "The Backlot at Kaufman Astoria Studios is going to add to the life of the campus and will help us attract more productions to New York. When I first came here in the early 1980's, I knew that we had the potential to turn this neighborhood into a thriving production, arts and cultural district for the City and I am proud to see that vision is a reality today," said Kaufman. "Over the last decade, Kaufman Astoria Studios has led a renaissance in its part of our neighborhood and today's announcement will make it even more of a western Queens landmark. The jobs and economic activity that the film industry has brought to our part of Queens has been very valuable during a difficult economic time and I am pleased to welcome this new addition to our community," said senator Michael Gianaris. "Today's opening is the culmination of a long-term vision, one focused on smart growth and effective collaboration. Kaufman Astoria Studios is a crucial economic engine for our community, our city, and our state and it is through the work of committed individuals and initiatives like these that this renowned institution remains strong," said Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas. "With today's dedication of its new Backlot, Kaufman Astoria Studios is beginning an exciting new chapter in its long and storied history of making movie and television magic. The new Backlot is the only such outdoor film lot in New York City and will allow Kaufman Astoria to attract even more film and television productions to its campus. These productions will strongly contribute to the economic and cultural development of the surrounding neighborhood, which has already been greatly revitalized thanks to Kaufman Astoria's presence," said Borough Hall President Helen Marshall. "In short, the new Backlot will ensure that Kaufman Astoria Studios will continue to be a premier film and television production facility and the centerpiece of a vibrant Astoria community for decades to come. I am very proud to have been able to help shepherd the Backlot's creation through the city's approval process." "We are thrilled and honored to have contributed to the design of the new backlot at Kaufman Astoria Studios," said David Rockwell, Founder and President of Rockwell Group. "Our design for the gateways was inspired by classic old Hollywood studio gates, and was also informed by the muscular character and distinctive 'New Yorkness' of the surrounding buildings." Most recently films such as Men in Black III, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Bourne Legacy and Smurfs filmed at Kaufman Astoria. Current productions include hit television shows like Showtime's Nurse Jackie, Netflix's Orange is the New Black, Amazon's Alpha House and Sesame Street which has been filming at the studio since 1992. Over the years, Kaufman Astoria has continued to expand and renovate. In 2010, the studio opened Stage K, a state-of-the-art, 40,000-square-foot film and production studio located across from the main studio stages. Kaufman Astoria Studios first opened its doors in 1920 as Famous Player Lasky, which later became Paramount Studios. At that time the studio was the largest motion picture stage outside of Hollywood and hosted such early film stars as Rudolph Valentino, Claudette Colbert, W.C. Fields, Gloria Swanson, the Marx Brothers, Sylvia Sydney and numerous others. Subsequently, Paramount Studios moved most of its operations to California, and in 1942 the U.S. Army assumed control of the facility and used it to produce military training films. The studio remained an Army installation until the early 1970's, at which time it fell into disuse. A not-for- profit foundation was later formed and dedicated its efforts to preserve the studio's original use. This foundation was instrumental in having the studio site dedicated as an American Landmark by the U.S. Department of Interior. In 1980, George Kaufman was awarded the leasehold rights to the studio space and later renovated and expanded the facility.