TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES Boosts New York Economy, Spends More Than $55 Million in Local Economies

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 7, 2014

PRODUCTION OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES AND NICKELODEON MOVIES’ TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES BOOSTS NEW YORK ECONOMY, SPENDS MORE THAN $55 MILLION IN LOCAL ECONOMIES

Also released today, new state economic data shows film and TV industry supports 94,000 jobs throughout New York State, over $9.4 billion in direct wages.

Film Opens Nationwide August 8
Directed by Jonathan Liebesman
Produced by Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, Galen Walker, Scott Mednick and Ian Bryce
Written by Josh Appelbaum & André Nemec and Evan Daugherty
Based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman

NEW YORK— Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies’ production of TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES shot for over 70 days in New York State and spent more than $55 million in local economies, including $30 million in salaries in NY labor, and $3.2 million in taxes paid to the state.

The production took full advantage of New York’s diverse geography – from downtown cityscapes to the panoramic Adirondacks – when filming TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES. And upstate New York felt a significant economic boost. In just three days of shooting upstate, the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES’ production paid wages to 155 crew members, benefitting a host of local businesses including caterers, car rentals, and hardware and lumber suppliers.

The numbers from TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES only detail the benefits from one production. The MPAA’s most recent State Economic Profile of New York shows that the film and television industry as a whole supports over 94,000 jobs throughout the state, paying over $9.4 billion in direct wages.
New York’s competitive tax incentive is the driving force behind New York’s rise as a first-rate location for shooting films and television shows. The tax incentive creates opportunity for the State’s high-quality crew, vendors and unique landscapes to play key roles in the production of major film and television productions.

“Under the leadership of Governor Cuomo, New York State has quickly turned into the country’s premier location to film a movie or television show and the impact of TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES is the latest example of how the State’s Film Production Tax Credit program is attracting major motion pictures – along with major spending and employment opportunities – to the Empire State,” said Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Kenneth Adams. “This is a big win for New York – the Ninja Turtles are an iconic brand and shooting the movie across Upstate, New York City and Long Island generated tens of millions in spending at local businesses. We look forward to attracting more blockbuster productions like TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES as we work to grow the entertainment industry and strengthen New York’s economy.”

“Major motion pictures require locations that are as diverse and imaginative as the content of the stories themselves. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURLES displays New York’s top qualities and the local economies reaped the benefits,” said Senator Chris Dodd, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America. “Governor Cuomo and New York’s lawmakers’ leadership in offering a competitive production tax incentive continues to enable high-yielding results.”

Key economic impact figures in New York from TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURLES are:

•  1,500 New York residents worked over 12,000 man-days
•  Over $55 million in total spending throughout New York state

About the MPAA
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) serves as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture, home video and television industries from its offices in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Its members include: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.; Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation; Universal City Studios LLC; and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

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For more information, contact:

Kate Bedingfield
202-378-9145
Kate_Bedingfield@motionpictures.org