Mayor Bloomberg addresses the audience at the 17th Annual Gotham Awards. Photo courtesy of the Office of the Mayor.

November 28, 2007 - Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg was honored with a Gotham Tribute award at the 17th Annual Gotham Awards held on November 27, 2007, at Brooklyn’s Steiner Studios. Presented by IFP, the award was in recognition of the Mayor’s leadership in making New York City a growing film production center and a world-class destination for the creative community. The Mayor is the first public official to receive such a honor.

Since taking office, the Mayor has supported economic, educational, and cultural initiatives throughout the five boroughs, including the "Made in NY" program which provides tax and marketing credits to film and television productions. Sixty-five percent of the films taking advantage of the “Made in NY” program have been independent productions since the program’s inception in 2005.

Mayor Bloomberg, who was on hand to receive the award, took the opportunity to announce a new initiative – "NextGenNYC" - in conjunction with IFP and CUNY to promote emerging filmmakers graduating from CUNY schools. The program will give CUNY students from film and digital media programs at CUNY schools the chance to showcase their work through IFP and be eligible for a juried "Made in NY" prize. (To learn more about "NextGenNYC," click here.)

The Mayor also highlighted the recent plans to expand studio space in the city at Silver Cup and Steiner Studios, by emphasizing the City’s support with a $210 million investment in the Navy Yard’s infrastructure. "It’s a great investment," said Mayor Bloomberg, "one that will pay us back many times over in job creation, tax revenues, and tourism dollars."

The Gotham Awards can be seen locally on NYC-TV on Tuesday, December 4, at 9 pm.