Broadway Stages

Broadway Stages, Ltd. is one of New York’s full-service film and television production companies, with its headquarters in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.[1] Broadway Stages’ studios can be found throughout Brooklyn,[2] Queens and Staten Island.[3] As of 2018 it has over 3 million square feet of integrated space including soundstages, locations, production services and parking.

Broadway Stages
TypeStudio
IndustryEntertainment
FoundedBrooklyn, New York, U.S. (1983)
FoundersGina Argento
Tony Argento
Headquarters
Brooklyn, New York
,
United States
ProductsMotion pictures, television programs
WebsiteBroadway Stages' Website

History

Broadway Stages was founded in 1983 by Tony Argento[4] who turned a rundown movie theatre on Broadway Street in Astoria, Queens into his first soundstage.[5] There he filmed commercials, and music videos for musical artists such as Aretha Franklin, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, LL Cool-J, Eminem, Whitney Houston, Queen Latifah, Celine Dion, Will Smith, Hall & Oats,[6] TLC, Busta Rhymes and others.[7][2]

The company expanded to Brooklyn where additional soundstages were built in Greenpoint, broadening from music videos to television and film production. Tony’s sister and current President and CEO Gina Argento,[8] joined Broadway Stages after graduating from college,.[7] Today the company manages over three million square feet of integrated space including unique locations, production services and more than 50 soundstages across New York City.[9][2]

In addition to New York City, Broadway Stages also has facilities in Pitman, NJ and Savannah, GA.[10][11]

Locations and Services

Broadway Stages provides unique locations and the complete set of services for all sizes, styles and types of productions, including office space for writers and sketch artists, construction, wardrobe, lighting,[11] storage, equipment and parking.

Community

Through financial, in-kind, and volunteer resources Broadway Stages actively supports economic and social growth, education, the arts, community betterment, and environmental sustainability throughout Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and greater NYC. A commitment to community, local/state resourcing and environmental sustainability is a cornerstone of their business philosophy.

Environment

In addition to remediating Brownfield sites and repurposing them for economically beneficial soundstages, Broadway Stages installed solar panels, and both farm and garden rooftops on several of their soundstages in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.[12]

Solar Rooftops

In 2010 Broadway Stages teamed with Greenpoint Energy Partners and Brooklyn-based Solar Energy Systems to install and maintain 50,000 square feet of solar electric facilities on five of its soundstage buildings in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. With a capacity of 1.6 MW, this project represents one of the largest combined solar arrays deployed on a private facility in New York, and the largest in the TV and film production industry. The solar panels have offset approximately one third of Broadway Stages’ annual electricity consumption, provided improved air quality, increased reliability of the power grid during peak demand and created jobs.

Kingsland Wildflowers Project

In 2016 Broadway Stages collaborated with the New York City Audubon,[13] Alive Structures and Newtown Creek Alliance to create a large scale, half-acre green roof on top of their soundstage at 520 Kingsland Avenue in Greenpoint. It donated the space, matched initial funding from the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund, and continues to provide financial support for the infrastructure and garden maintenance.

The green roof was designed by Alive Structures and features species native to the Long Island Sound coastal lowlands, including native grasses such as stout blue-eyed grass and northern drop seed, heart-leaved golden alexanders, and asclepias tuberosa or butterfly weed — a host plant for monarch butterflies that also produces silky seed pod fibers used by orioles and goldfinches in their nests.

This bird-friendly rooftop wildflower meadow not only attracts wildlife, but also diverts rainwater runoff, and provides educational programs throughout the year. The garden is maintained by Alive Structures and the New York City Audubon[14] together with the Newtown Creek Alliance manage the year-round educational programs and oversee wildlife monitoring through bat and bird microphones and swallow houses installed on the green roof.[13]

Eagle Street Rooftop Farm

In 2008 the company funded New York City’s first-ever year-round, fully operational organic rooftop farm at their Eagle Street soundstage.[15] Aimed at advancing the health of the environment and educating Brooklyn citizens about green initiatives, Broadway Stages provided Goode Green with its warehouse rooftop as the setting for Rooftop Farms,[16] a commercially operated green roof program used for urban farming. During growing season, the green-thumbs with Eagle Street Rooftop Farm who cultivate organic produce supply a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, an onsite farmers market, and fresh produce to area restaurants. In partnership with the food education organization Growing Chefs, the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm also hosts a range of farm based educational and volunteer programs. For more information visit Eagle Street Rooftop Farm.

Arthur Kill

In August 2017, Broadway Stages acquired the former Arthur Kill Correctional Facility, located in the Charleston section of Staten Island, from the Empire State Development for $7 million. It is repairing the former prison and converting parts of it into five new soundstages.[17]

While under contract, before the closing of the sale, Broadway Stages spent $3.5 million to bring the prison up to code and brought production to Staten Island.[18] Movies and television shows including Orange is the New Black, The Sinner, Blindspot, Ocean's 8,[19] The Good Cop, and Daredevil, have filmed in the Arthur Kill facility.[20]

Productions

The following are a list of some of the productions filmed at Broadway Stages' facilities:

References
  1. Young, Michelle (17 October 2014). "Broadway Stages is a Film Studio in the Greenpoint Oil Spill Remediation Zone". Untapped Cities. Untapped Cities.
  2. Weiner, Yitzi (6 November 2017). "CEO's Who Give Back: Gina Argento, CEO of Broadway Stages". Medium. Medium.
  3. Varghese, Amy (8 August 2017). "ESD closes on Redevelopment of Arthur Kill Correctional Facility Into First-Class TV and Film Production Studio Space | Empire State Development". NYS Gov. Empire State Development.
  4. Katz, Andy (13 December 2016). "Broadway Stages & 94th Precinct host community Christmas party | Brooklyn Daily Eagle". www.brooklyneagle.com.
  5. Arschin, Dana (30 July 2018). "Inside NYC's soundstages for major TV shows". WNYW. NewsCorp. NY Channel 5.
  6. Kreinin Souccar, Miriam (11 May 2017). "Fundraising scandal behind her, Gina Argento focuses on giving TV shows a home in Staten Island". Crain's New York Business. Crain Communications.
  7. Sonreir, Joel (23 January 2017). "CEO, Gina Argento, of Brooklyn's Broadway Stages Film and TV Studio is Embodiment of Charity and Giving Back". Times of Israel.
  8. Gray, Bill (17 April 2015). "From 'Birdman' to 'Girls,' New York Soundstages Are Booming". The Hollywood Reporter. THR.
  9. Callahan, James (18 February 2015). "Five Things That Will Have New Yorkers Sailing to SI Next Year". Commercial Observer. Observer Media.
  10. Polhamus, Andy (12 June 2013). "Pitman Sony plant finds buyer after two years at 'bargain basement price'". NJ.com. Advance Local Media.
  11. Mayle, Mary Carr (13 October 2015). "SEDA to offer incentives for filming in Savannah". Savannah Morning News. Gatehouse Media.
  12. Fryd, Lee (13 June 2011). "Solar One Revelry By The River | Out And About | Within The City". www.hamptons.com. Hamptons.com. Gina Argento, whose Broadway Stages (NYC's largest privately owned solar producer) is powering "The Good Wife" with sunny energy
  13. Bernal, Liliana (8 August 2018). "Kingsland wildflowers, a rooftop oasis in Brooklyn's industrial north". Brooklyn Eagle. Brooklyn Papers.
  14. "Home". 520 Kingsland Avenue, Brooklyn.
  15. "Eagle Street Rooftop Farm – A Rooftop Farm in Greenpoint Brooklyn". rooftopfarms.org.
  16. "Brooklyn Rooftop Brings Organic Produce to the Community - NYC Food Policy Center". NYC Food Policy Center. 15 October 2018.
  17. Sanders, Anna (8 August 2017). "Broadway Stages coming as prison land deal finally closes". SILive.com.
  18. Benblock, Alex (18 February 2014). "Five Sound Stages To Anchor Staten Island Redevelopment". The Hollywood Reporter. THR.
  19. Priola, Victoria (24 October 2018). "Public gets peek inside former prison at Broadway Stages fall festival". silive.com. Staten Island Advance.
  20. Giannotta, Meghan (14 August 2018). "Inside SI prison, 'OITNB' cast 'felt like our characters'". am New York. Newsday.
  21. Dai, Serena (5 October 2015). "Tina Fey's 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' Filming Season Two in Greenpoint". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on 2018-11-01. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  22. Parker, Will (12 July 2017). "Production company Broadway Stages plans Greenpoint expansion". The Real Deal New York. Real Deal.

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