Zohran Mamdani Sets Rafael Espinal as NYC Media and Entertainment Commissioner

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has appointed Freelancers Union president and executive director Rafael Espinal as Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.

He shared the news in a Monday morning press conference, praising NYC for its contribution to the arts while also acknowledging that local government can still do more to ensure the city remains a place where both artists and productions can thrive.

“There is a reason that countless films and television shows have been created depicting life in this incredible city. The daily routine here is so vibrant that it demands artistic expression, and we know the art that reflects the city also shapes this city,” Mamdani began. “So much of the collective memory of New York is drawn from how it has been captured on screen. The Central Park foliage from ‘When Harry Met Sally,’ the summer heat of ‘Do the Right Thing,’ the culture of hustle of ‘Marty Supreme.’ And yet that memory does not exist on its own.”

“It comes from a city that treasures the arts, that invests in the arts, that makes it possible for artists and all who contribute to making New York’s entertainment industry to live lives of creativity. I’m thinking of the actors, the writers, the stage hands, the camera operators, the makeup artists, the technicians who make New York City a union town — and I say that not just as the mayor of New York City, but as a former PA myself,” he continued. “City Hall is tackling the cost of living crisis so that artists can raise their children here, that they can afford studios and homes here, that they can take fast and free busses to shoots here.”

“But we don’t want our efforts to be limited solely to making New York affordable for those making the arts. We also want to make New York affordable to make the arts as well,” Mamdani explained. “So, together, we are going to do just that … most productions that are filmed in this city interact with this agency, and I was struck by Rafael passion for this specific work and the importance that it holds for New Yorkers across the five boroughs. Because art is much more than just imagination. It demands organization, resources, logistics, and often a great deal of external support.”

The mayor then detailed how MOME will build upon Espinal’s past work, which includes getting the Freelance Isn’t Free Act passed and being part of Mamdani’s transition team as well as a former New York City Council member.

“This industry has long been an example of how creative work can and must be valued, work from the line workers to the craftspeople, and under my administration, MOME will make sure of exactly that,” Mamdani added. “We will stand alongside the union workers who have long lacked champions in elected office, and we will work tirelessly to expand the number of highway jobs available to New Yorkers. I can think of no one more equipped to lead this office in this particular moment, because we want New York to chart a path where the city known across the world for our cultural contributions also becomes known as the place where government proved that it can play a pivotal role in fostering creative imagination.”

“Let our success be felt when the most talented, driven artists in the world want to shoot their projects on our streets, and when the youngest talents who already call the city home, making their first projects on playgrounds and public parks, know that their imagination will be supported by that same city,” he concluded. “So much of New York’s greatness has been depicted already, and yet we all know that the best shot has still not yet been filmed, that the best score has still not yet been recorded, that the most ambitious visions have still not yet been screened. So together, let us usher in a golden age of New York expression, one that all of us can enjoy and afford, whether by watching it or by creating it.”

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