New York City’s ambitious administration led by Mayor Zohran Mamdani has a new Film Commissioner very much in the mold — youthful, aspirational and goal-oriented. Brooklyn-born and raised Rafael Espinal, 41, a Queens College graduate in English and film studies, became New York’s youngest elected official at age 26 when he joined the State Assembly in 2011. He served on the New York City Council representing Brooklyn, emerging as an advocate for workers and the creative sector and co-sponsoring the Freelance Isn’t Free Act, the first law of its kind to protect freelancers from nonpayment. He also led the repeal of NYC’s archaic No Dancing Cabaret Law and created the Office of Nightlife.
Just before Covid hit, Espinal became executive director of Freelancers Union, securing federal assistance for self-employed workers, creating the Freelance Relief Fund, and launching the Freelancers Hub in Brooklyn with coworking and resources for the media and entertainment community.
Now he runs the 100-person Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) where he’s focused on investing in talent; supporting production; creating jobs; and building an economy where artists, storytellers and creative professionals can thrive.
Three months in, Espinal has streamlined the cumbersome permitting process. “We have one of the most competitive tax credits in the country now but it’s no secret that other cities and states are working to institute even stronger tax credits,” he said. “So I don’t think we’re going to tax-credit our way out of the decline in production generally across the country. We must create an environment where productions want to come. So we’re lifting the hood to see how we can do a better job, create a smoother more frictionless experience.”
He sat down with Deadline to chat about what’s he’s finding, what he’s doing, and his swerve from NYU film school to politics. [The Q&A has been edited for clarity.]
DEADLINE: It’s still early days but what did you find under the hood, what are your first moves?
RAFAEL ESPINAL: We’ve improved the permitting system. That’s already done. Cut down the amount of time it takes to get through it. There’s a better, easier user interface. We had a lot of complaints about the amount of time the process takes, the bugs and hiccups. So, people can now expect a much more fluid and easier process.
We are very action-oriented people so it’s not only about addressing the issues of today, but looking at policies that ensure that in the future, the city creates a much more frictionless process for everyone, that the agencies in charge of overseeing and enforcing the permits understand what is happening on the ground, cutting down the confusion.
One more thing, if you don’t need to shut down a street, if it’s just you and a camera, you don’t need a permit from our office, and we’ve made that easier, creating a new letter that’s available on our website. As long as you’re able to affirm that you are shooting with a minimum amount of equipment, you can download this letter with your production’s name and the date you’re going to be filming and use that as proof, especially when you’re interacting with the NYPD or other street enforcement agencies.
DEADLINE: There was big meeting with stakeholders a few weeks ago at City Hall. What was the takeaway?
ESPINAL: We had a roundtable where the industry was able to speak to issues facing New York City, with deputy mayors and agencies like FDNY, Department of Buildings, Department of Transportation there to hear concerns with a renewed commitment that we’re doing everything we can to make the city friendly and accessible for film production. We plan to meet, if not monthly, at least quarterly.
I think I bring a different lens because I was a former legislator and I spent a lot of my time triaging constituent concerns, so being able to bring that experience and understand who needs to be at the table to ensure that problems don’t escalate to a point where they are damaging to productions was very useful for this conversation. We heard from labor unions about worker-specific issues. We heard from location scouts about challenges they face on city streets. We heard from studio heads about how to improve the relationships between the city and productions.
It was a very comprehensive meeting, and I feel that the production companies felt heard, the labor unions felt heard, and City Hall was truly listening.
L-R: SAG-AFTRA Chief Labor Policy Officer & NY Local Executive Director Rebecca Damon, NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment Commissioner Rafael Espinal, City Council Speaker Julie Menin, NY Local President Ezra Knight and Rep. Jerrold Nadler.
Courtesy of SAG-AFTRA
DEADLINE: You said you can’t “tax credit” NYC out of a slowdown, but the sweetened incentives definitely help, especially the speedier payouts. How are you working that?
ESPINAL: Yes, it’s great. But what I’ve learned is that there many financiers and production companies that don’t understand the improvements to the tax credit, and because of that they are still hesitant to approve loans, financing for production in the city and state of New York. We’ve been hearing from indie producers that it’s still tough for them to secure financing to shoot here because there’s still that misconception that it’s too slow.
So, we’re going to be doing on-the-ground educational meetings, speaking to financiers directly, speaking to productions, companies directly about the improvements that have been made. That while, yes, in the past, it might have taken them several years to receive their rebate, with the new amendments that time has been cut down to one year.
I have meetings set up and we hope we’re going to start seeing more projects getting greenlit in the city of New York.
DEADLINE: Along those lines, thoughts about neighbor New Jersey, which just had a big film expo last week with Gov. Mikie Sherrill. It’s got new soundstages, a strong crew base and competitive incentives.
ESPINAL: I would say New Jersey is not New York City, right? New York City continues to be one of the major film hubs in the country because we have the amazing skylines, the beautiful sidewalks and the amazing storefronts that create great visuals on camera. So even though there are challenges here and challenges across the industry, it will continue to be the premier place to shoot your film. Beyond that, we have a very strong workforce, an amazing workforce, in large part because of the work that MOME has done over the years in training folks and getting them connected. We’re working on a new PSA now featuring high-profile New York filmmakers telling that story, why they love shooting here.
DEADLINE: There’s a foreclosure complaint against one of the city’s historic studios, Kaufman Astoria. Like others, it’s struggled (although it did nab The Devil Wears Prada 2). But I’ve heard occupancy is picking up generally heading into the second half.
ESPINAL: It’s definitely a challenge that we inherited, that this administration is inheriting coming in. The industry has been a contraction and because of that a lot of these stages and studios are seeing less work. But that’s the challenge that we are ready to take on moving forward, especially with some of the older stages. It’s part of figuring out how to do the work to ensure that New York City becomes the most attractive place to shoot. As for Kaufman, at some point, because the land is city-owned, there will be conversations about its future. I’ve going on studio visits. I was at Sunset on the far West Side of Manhattan where Dexter was shooting. I was at Eastern Effects in Brooklyn, where they had an indie film shooting. I’m heading to Wildflower Studios in Queens next week.
Michael C. Hall and Krysten Ritter in ‘Dexter: Resurrection’
Zach Dilgard/Paramount+ with Showtime
DEADLINE: You’ve mentioned that MOME could expand its porfolio to cover music?
ESPINAL: New York City is a huge music hub and there’s been very little attention given to that industry. I think there’s a lot more we can do as a city to create an environment where we signal to that workforce, to the musicians, that we’re serious about the contributions they make to the city as a whole. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be going toe-to-toe with cities like Nashville in terms of what we have to offer to musicians. So we want to look into how we can help cultivate and foster that industry and its workforce. We’re still in the development phase, but it’s something I hope to continue as we move forward.
DEALDINE: Workforce development is a big focus for the administration. Are there new programs?
ESPINAL: For sure, we just launched the Moonshot Initiative, a partnership with a program called the Moonshot Pilot Accelerator, and we’re sponsoring one female writer in the city of New York to pitch a TV pilot to studio execs that green light TV shows at Hulu, at HBO and elsewhere. The deadline to apply is May 27. We’re really excited about that program. We are also setting funds aside to create a Made In New York Directors Program. We’re thinking it through. It would be first-time grants for filmmakers in low-income communities. That’s one program I’m really excited about because these are communities that have a tough time accessing financing or fundraising to shoot their first films. We’re doing a 20th anniversary celebration for Made in New York’s signature PA program this month.
DEADLINE: Could you talk a bit about yourself? You almost went to film school?
ESPINAL: I went to I went to CUNY, to Queens College, and they have a film program there and I studied TV and media. I decided to apply to NYU [Tisch School of the Arts] to get an MFA. I was out of college while I applied and was also looking for work and took a job with a City Council member, not knowing at all how local government works. I wrote his speeches, letters to constituents, overall correspondence. And I applied for NYU. I submitted some screenplays. And I got a note saying they needed my transcript, which CUNY hadn’t sent. Seems I owed $1,000 for a class and they wouldn’t release it. At the time, that was a lot of money for me. My parents are first-generation immigrants. Asking them for $1,000 to pay for my transcript was crazy. CUNY wouldn’t budge So no NYU, but I got into politics.
Rafael Espinal
Rob Kim/Getty Images for DFFNYC
I ran for office at 26 and served in the State Assembly. I went to City Council and served there for seven years, delivered on everything I promised my community. But I always had that itch, like, I need to find my way into into a creative space. So I took a role with the Freelancers Union and focused a lot on creative workers issues, contract negotiations, access to health care, all of these things. I had a little more space to start writing, so I wrote a few screenplays. I wrote, directed and produced my first short film last year.
And, just to close the loop, when I shared this story with the Mayor, he said the rule had changed and CUNY must release transcripts.
DEADLINE: What a story! So how did you find your way to MOME?
Well, my plan was to finally pursue my dream in filmmaking, right until this opportunity came up where I’m like, we have the right Mayor, whose policies I align with, who’s coming in at a time where our country is hungry for change. How can I best use my experience in government, and tie my passions for the creative workforce, for filmmaking in general, and marry those things to best serve the city? So, I have to say, this is my dream job. Every day it’s that way, it’s been a dream.
MOME is the liaison between the city’s creative industries and the city of New York, right? How do we make it easier for these industries to exist here, to thrive, to grow? What I find so special about this administration is that they want to honor that, and they also see the value in flipping the agency and centering on the workforce. How do we look at what the needs of the workers are? How do we ensure that, as we see growth in these industries, it translates to better paying jobs, protection from exploitation, and creating pathways and pipelines to access opportunities. And how do we diversify that creative workforce of the city?
Meanwhile, here’s what I want: A production comes, and they say, hey, I just had to call one person, and I got every single permit I needed. I didn’t have to jump around from the Parks Department to the FDNY to NYPD, because MOME was there and was able to support us every step of the way. And then they’re going to tell their colleagues in L.A. or wherever that New York City has become the best and easiest place to shoot your film in. That’s what you want. That’s the dream.
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Amazon’s Prime Video international chief has unashamedly thrown her weight behind the power of artificial intelligence and its use in Prime Video content.
Addressing the RTS London Convention, Kelly Day said the controversial tech “brings down costs meaning more stories can be made, more diverse voices can get heard and more creative risks get taken,” while “transforming the viewing experience on Prime Video.”
“That is not a threat to creativity, that is creativity unleashed,” she told a room packed full of the great-and-the-good of the British TV industry.
While Day stressed “we’re not looking for an AI model to write the next Fleabag,” she said it will allow the creator of the next big hit to “spend less time on admin and more time on creative decisions that make a show like that sing.”
Day echoed previous senior Amazon execs in backing AI. Amazon has an AI Studios division, led by Albert Cheng, which is currently being built out. Amazon MGM Studios recently dropped Luca Guadagnino’s movie Artificial, which tells of OpenAI and the company’s turbulent period in 2023 when founder Sam Altman was fired and rehired in a matter of days.
“The next generation of viewers is telling us they want more, not less,” added Day. “AI will help us get there faster. And the people who make some of the best television in the world are sitting in this room.”
Amazon is sponsoring the RTS Convention this year and Day revealed Prime Video quadrupled spend in UK TV, movies and live sport over the past five years.
Arguing that the UK TV industry should embrace change and build “for the customer,” Day said Prime Video spent £4B ($5.3B) since 2022 versus £1B the preceding five years, leading total spend to hit £5B since Prime Video moved into the territory a decade ago with Jeremy Clarkson’s motoring show The Grand Tour.
Day revealed publicly for the first time the story of how, a decade ago, Prime Video set The Grand Tour’s launch date to time with the streamer rolling out from five to more than 200 territories.
Day labeled the UK as Amazon MGM Studios’ “largest production hub outside of the U.S.,” with more than 90 productions having now filmed there in the past decade. Big hitters include the likes of Clarkson’s Farm, Last One Laughing UK and The Assassin. Upcoming are an adaptation of Stephen King’s Crouch End and Irish YA series Boys of Tommen. “We need a lot more so please call us,” said Nicole Clemens, international originals boss, who has relocated to London.
Day became the latest international head honcho to unveil a big money content spend in the UK. Both Disney+ and Netflix have laid down similar gauntlets over the past few years.
Day was speaking at RTS London alongside international originals boss Nicole Clemens before the chiefs of the BBC and Channel 4. Clarkson is speaking later, as is Steven Knight and Graham Norton.
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EXCLUSIVE: Here’s one for the history buffs. The newly-formed Radar Studios is teaming with British broadcaster and historian Tony Robinson for a suite of content.
Tony Robinson Rewrites History will launch as a YouTube channel later this year, with an initial 12 half-hour episodes. Meanwhile, Radar Studios will debut a six-part, hour-long TV series to international buyers at MIPCOM Cannes next month.
The series will see popular British personality Robinson, who is known for his role in sitcom Blackadder, revisiting defining events of the past, from ancient history through to the modern era, and explore how things might have gone differently if a single pivotal moment had gone differently. The events will range from the Spanish Armada to the advent of Covid-19.
Robinson has worked with Radar Studios parent WTFN Group in Australia for more than 15 years on TV shows such as Tony Robinson’s Time Walks and Tony Robinson’s Tour of Duty, so today’s news extends that pact.
As we revealed last week, Radar Studios came into being when WTFN merged its digital arm Radar with its distribution business Fred Media. It aims to bring content creation, channel management and international distribution together under one roof, and already operates Robinson’s dedicated history channel Time Travels on YouTube, where it has more than 40,000 subscribers.
The new pact will see a new pipeline on original shows and digital content from Robinson roll out.
“I’ve known the team at WTFN for more than 15 years and we’ve made some terrific television together, so the opportunity to do something genuinely new with Radar Studios was irresistible,” said Robinson in a statement to Deadline.
“History is about the way things were, isn’t it? It’s written in stone and it couldn’t have happened any other way. Well, no. It’s actually full of tiny moments where everything hung in the balance. One different decision, one mistake, even a gust of wind and you have to rewrite history.
“And the great thing about this partnership is that we’re no longer thinking about history as something that has to fit into one particular television slot. We can tell stories in different ways, for different audiences and across different platforms. There is an enormous amount to explore and I’m hoping these first six hours are just the beginning.”
Radar Studios’ Chief Commercial Officer, Derek Dyson, added: “There could hardly be a better partner than Tony to lead off our originals strategy. He is one of the most recognisable and trusted faces in popular history, with an extraordinary ability to make the past entertaining, accessible and relevant to audiences around the world.
“Significantly, Tony Robinson Rewrites History demonstrates exactly why we created Radar Studios. Instead of making a series and then deciding where it might live, we are developing IP from the outset with multiple audiences, platforms and distribution opportunities in mind. We are creating original content for a dedicated, managed YouTube channel; developing additional digital opportunities around that content; and producing a standalone six-part television series for international buyers.
“One creative partnership and one piece of IP can therefore generate a whole ecosystem of content and commercial opportunities. By bringing content creation, channel management and international distribution together within Radar Studios, we can manage that entire journey ourselves.”
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Prime Video‘s push into Danish originals began this year with Pilou Asbæk-starring Snake Killer, which is now serving as a milestone in a charge across the Scandinavian region, according to Amazon MGM Studios Nordics originals chief Emilia Widstrand.
“We’re really trying to build on that psychological thriller and crime vibe, doing it with strong creators and within established Nordic genres,” she told Deadline in an interview. Looking further ahead, Widstrand will be seeking to more directly target women and younger viewers too, as the service expands.
Snake Killer launched in January, with the four-parter followings a notorious Copenhagen narcotics police unit, Uropatruljen, a heavy-handed force that operated with relative autonomy between 1965 and 2001. The story sees Brian “Smiley” Petersen (Asbæk) leading his unit in a desperate war against a brutal heroin baron. Anders Ølholm is the writer and director.
Over in Norway, drama series Rinnan, about the infamous Norwegian traitor and Gestapo agent Henry Rinnan, is also set to launch. A co-production with Norwegian broadcaster TV2, the Miso Film show points to how Amazon is willing to share rights and window originals to bolster budgets.
Both series appeal to men, who have formed the backbone of viewing on Prime Video in the Nordics, but recent successes with unscripted shows will see the content mix changing in the future.
“Moving forward, we’ll have a more feminine point of view,” said Widstrand. “When we started out, we had a very broad audience, and we’ve really seen the appeal of female-led stories through global hits like The Idea of You and Pretty Little Liars, as well as unscripted shows like LOL: Last One Laughing. We’re really building on that, alongside our crime audience.”
As such, new original out of Denmark, Murder in the Dark, a four-part series from SAM Productions and Amazon MGM Studio based upon influential Danish literary icon Dan Turèll’s book series, is designed to appeal to a broad audience. It follows a retired and hard-bitten “nameless journalist” played by Michael Falch and his daughter Sophie (Katinka Lærke Petersen), who is an ambitious police detective.
The first shot from production of ‘Murder In the Dark’
Prime Video
Widstrand became Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios Head of Nordic Originals in August last year, as we revealed at the time, to replace Karin Lindström, who later joined HBO Max. The two are credited internally with building Prime Video’s local originals team from scratch, making her the natural choice for the top post when it came available.
In May, this year, she added acquisitions duties following a restructure that saw the departure of Prime Video Nordics head Andreas Hjertø, and recently ordered a Swedish original, Sarek, a four-part psychological thriller based Ulf Kvensler’s debut novel about a group of friends on a hiking tripe that takes a dangerous turn.
That, Widstrand said, talks to a desire to age down the audience, with a cast led by Felix Sandman, Kitt Walker Johansson, Alva Bratt and Nora Rios, and to focus on well-known IP. “It really speaks to that strategy,” she added.
We sat down with Widstrand to pick her brains on the future for Prime Video Nordics and its originals slate.
DEADLINE: Emilia, you spoke at the Copenhagen TV Festival in August. What was your message to producers and the industry about what Amazon needs and is looking for from the Nordics?
Emilia Widstrand: We’ve been expanding our drama slate. It takes a long time to develop, and we wanted to take that time. Our first Danish original was Snake Killer, which was very successful, so we’re really trying to build on that psychological thriller and crime vibe, doing it with strong creators and within established Nordic genres.
Moving forward, we’ll have a more feminine point of view. When we started out, we had a very broad audience, and we’ve really seen the appeal of female-led stories through global hits like The Idea of You and Pretty Little Liars, as well as unscripted shows like LOL: Last One Laughing. We’re building on that, alongside our crime audience.
DEADLINE: Can you give us an example?
EW: We have Murder in the Dark, which is based on 1980s cult movies and books that we’re bringing back for Christmas Day. That has a much more female point of view than previous drama series. We’re leaning into both the female young-adult genre, looking for local versions of the kinds of stories that have found an audience globally, as well as Nordic crime, suspense and psychological thrillers. We’re trying to find strong local IP. Sometimes, we do co-productions where we sell international rights, but the focus is very much local right now.
DEADLINE: What kinds of international co-productions are you looking at and how flexible can you be?
EW: We’re very flexible. It’s a case-by-case decision about how we can get something done, but IP is important. We’re building on existing IP or true stories, which also helps us connect locally. Obviously you work with the best local talent, and the Nordics is such an amazing place to do that – It’s really special.
DEADLINE: Sarek is based on IP and with big producers. That feels like an example of what you’re talking about.
EW: Definitely, it really speaks to that strategy. I was just back on set on the show. It’s spectacular because it’s so Nordic. We’re shooting it up in Kiruna, and the environment is really a character in the story. There, we also decided to go a bit younger with the cast.
DEADLINE: In terms of your own role, Emilia, you’ve added some responsibilities, taking on unscripted along with scripted. How has that changed what you’re doing and has it impacted the overall shape of Prime Video Nordics?
EW: Strategy and programming are still separate, but I took on the overall responsibility for our Nordic local originals. I’ve found looking after the unscripted slate, which I wasn’t familiar with before, very intriguing. We work with very talented people across both unscripted and scripted, so we can really see synergies in both the talent and the content. It’s a big responsibility, but you get a fantastic overview.
DEADLINE: What would you say you’ve learned so far? It’s been a few months since you’ve taken on the expanded role.
EW: There are differences between the territories, both in Norway and Denmark, and there are different focuses in scripted and unscripted. Denmark, for example, is very strong in comedy, and it’s very easy to find strong unscripted comedy formats there.
Norway has really surprised me with the amount of great talent. We’ve found so many strong and interesting projects that we’re developing with local talent. That’s been overwhelming in a good way, with some really good projects coming out of Norway.
‘Snake Killer’
Prime Video
DEADLINE: With that in mind, what’s a realistic number of shows that will make it onto the screen?
EW: We have a slate of around 20 to 25 local originals per year, scripted and unscripted. It’s big, but we’re still trying to grow sustainably and not take on too much, while making sure we compensate the audience for the production.
DEADLINE: When we’re looking at LOL, which has been popular in the Nordics and pretty popular all over the place, is there any difference in how it’s received across the territories you’re overseeing?
EW: LOL works really well across territories. It’s a format that’s worked in so many countries across the world, huge in Mexico and Germany. It kind of works everywhere. The local versions are very different. We have local creatives on each project, because comedy is so local – it’s very hard for someone from another territory to develop it. We have other examples of programs that work better in one territory than another, but LOL is really delivering across the region, which I’m happy to see.
DEADLINE: When you’re looking at the Nordic region at the moment, what’s the biggest challenge for you as a commissioner? Obviously, you have the Amazon machine behind you, which means there is money, but it’s not an endless pot. Is it a case of funding, or talent identification?
EW: I would say both. Talent has had a few tough years, and I think it’s hard for talent to navigate what commissioners want to commission and what their creative vision is. I’m really interested in working with creators who have a strong vision and fight for that – they don’t just deliver everything you ask for. I really value creators who want to tell you something, because that delivers the best projects.
The other thing is, of course, funding. Budgets have been kind of the same, even though there’s been inflation, so it’s really hard to adapt to that. It’s also been a challenge with the tax rebates locally, and a lot of production is shooting abroad.
‘Rinnan’
Prime Vide
DEADLINE: Where are people shooting?
EW: Eastern Europe. It’s tougher to finance locally. That’s why we try to be open. If we’re going to get something big made, we need to be collaborative with local broadcasters and find synergies.
We’ve had a fantastic collaboration with TV2 in Norway with Rinnan, a project we’re launching this fall. It’s a World War II series we’re doing with Kenneth Karlstad, and it is a fantastic example of what we can do with a local broadcaster.
They benefit from their deep understanding of the local audience, while we bring the Amazon package and the premium feeling of doing high-end drama. We do it together. We’re in the room together and we’re reacting together.
DEADLINE: It comes to you first and then TV2?
EW: Yes.
DEADLINE: Is that always the case when you do those partnership shows? I see this in lots of different territories – it tends to be the streamer goes first with an exclusive window, and then the broadcaster takes it however many months later.
EW: Yes, that’s always how we do it, because we’re also much smaller than a TV2, so it makes sense for us to go first.
DEADLINE: Broadcasters and distributors have become more and more open to these types of collaborations. That probably wasn’t the case a few years ago.
Amelia: I think we’re moving into a much more collaborative space with financing.
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