In January of 2021, the Hudson Valley Film Commission was excited to work with a variety of film and television productions, which were finally returning to the region after almost a year-long shutdown brought on by the pandemic.
“We anticipate the floodgates will open as soon as safety concerns are under better control,” wrote Laurent Rejto for the Film Commission at the time.
As it turns out, much of the year during the pandemic was spent working tirelessly behind the scenes referring locations, soundstages, local crew, cast, vendors, lodging and post production facilities to potential productions.
As of May 6, the Film Commission is pleased to report that it has been in touch with 25 Film & TV companies, including 5 HBO shows and one project for Hulu.
“We’re delighted to see that production is back,” says Rejto. “2021 should be bigger than ever throughout the mid-Hudson Valley region.”
On May 5, the Film Commission posted a casting call in conjunction with Roman Candle Casting for Mindy Kaling’s “The Sex Lives of College Girls.” Back in October of 2020, staffers made several location referrals for the series while working with location managers and scouts for the project. We’re gratified that one of our introductions worked out and will be the central location. As production nears, local crew, actors and vendors are being hired. Dutchess Tourism has also provided a wealth of support.
For “The White House Plumbers,” which will be based out of Umbra Stages, and “The Gilded Age,” which will film around Troy, casting calls were posted in conjunction with Grant Wilfley Casting. The relationship with “The White House Plumbers” goes back to relationships that were established during the 2019 production of “I Know This Much Is True,” and Jim Jarmusch’s “The Dead Don’t Die” (2018).
“It’s a comfort to know that key personnel on some of these productions understand that they can hire local industry professionals without any concern,” added Rejto. “The Hudson Valley has an abundance of trained crew members who need work, especially after the mass unemployment during the Covid pandemic.”
Luckily, many local industry professionals were hired during the first quarter of 2021. Direct spending from Film & TV productions came from work on “Master” (Amazon Studio / Animal Kingdom), “The Whale” (A24), “Old Man,” “Severance” (Apple TV+) and pre-production on “The White House Plumbers” (HBO). Revenue for the first quarter actually eclipsed direct spending for all of 2020.
In addition to production, the Film Commission continues to promote upcoming releases for film and television shows that were filmed in the region, including “Things Heard & Seen,” which premiered on Netflix on April 30, “A Quiet Place II,” which opens in theaters on May 28, and “Werewolves Within,” which opens theatrically on June 25. We anticipate that another ten films will reach the marketplace soon. To keep up-to-date about theatrical and virtual screenings, visit https://www.hudsonvalleyfilmcommission.org/streamfest
The Hudson Valley Film Commission is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization that helps productions secure local crew, cast, locations, vendors, post production facilities, and more!
Thanks to the more than one-hundred people who contributed to our spring fundraiser. We fell short of our goal, but we are extremely grateful for the support we received. For more information about supporting our non-profit organization, please visit www.hudsonvalleyfilmcommission.org/support