By Nathan Duke
Popular television show “Ugly Betty,” which chronicles the experiences of a young Queens woman working at a fashion magazine, will move its production from California to New York to qualify for city and state tax incentives, the city's Film, Theatre and Broadcasting Office said.
The move, which will create 200 new jobs citywide, would make “Ugly Betty” the first established show ever to move to the city. The show will shoot in Queens and Manhattan, the city's Film Office said.
The show will be able to take advantage of the city's Made in New York tax incentive program, under which shows and films that shoot 75 percent productions in the five boroughs are eligible for a 35 percent refundable tax credit. Much of the city's film production takes place in western Queens, where Silvercup Studios and Kaufman Astoria Studios are located.
“A show about a young woman from Queens whose job combines publishing and fashion was made to be 'Made in New York,' ” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
Other shows that currently shoot in Queens include “30 Rock” and “Gossip Girl.”
In April, Gov. David Paterson announced an expansion of the state's tax credit program. Films that shoot most of their production in the state, which previously qualified for a 10 percent tax credit, will now be eligible for a 30 percent credit, the governor said.
Film, Theatre and Broadcasting Commissioner Katherine Oliver said city production has vastly risen since the city tax incentive's inception in 2005.
The mayor hosted the Made in New York Awards, which honors films, television shows, theatre productions and commercials shot in the five boroughs, Monday at Gracie Mansion in Manhattan.
Honorees this year include actor Jesse Martin, talk show host Rachael Ray, commercial producer Robert Greenberg, the Theatre for a New Audience and Independent Feature Project Director Michelle Byrd.
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
