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Each month we will showcase a City agency employee or an industry specialist who helps to facilitate production in New York City.
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Cheryl Hodge: Keeping Production Rolling March 1, 2005 - For thirteen years, Cheryl Hodge has been keeping production rolling in New York City. Hodge has served as Executive Officer of Manhattan Tow Operations for the past three years, where she manages the vehicle towing unit (VTU) option offered to productions. She started out managing traffic on site at film locations, where she worked for ten years. The VTU service was created to allow more time for local residents and visitors to park before the start of production, and to save time and money for the production. The service gives productions the option to relocate vehicles if necessary, which shortens the holds on parking due to alternate side of the street parking regulations. When production crews request the VTU option, they are required to leaflet the neighborhood where they will be shooting at least 48 hours in advance with the message that they will require temporary parking for production vehicles. If residents do not move their cars by the arrival of production, the VTU service, which is paid for by production, relocates cars to the nearest available legal parking spots. A copy of the locations where cars have been relocated is provided to the local police precinct and to the production crew, and residents can also call Hodge’s staff to locate their vehicles at 212-971-0778 x 217. For Hodge, VTU is a critical service provided by the City. “VTU is so important to the success of a film, because it allows a crew to get their shots,” she said. “If they are shooting a 1960’s film, they can’t have 2005 cars in the way.” Hodge works carefully to balance the needs of production with those of residents. When relocation vehicles arrive, they first flash their headlights in an effort to catch the attention of car owners who can move their vehicles. Her crews often work at night to avoid disturbing residents, and VTU is suspended when there is significant snow fall. She also wrangles schedules to be as flexible as possible in providing VTU to productions. “Ultimately, VTU is beneficial for everyone involved,” Hodge said. “It allows productions to expedite their shoots, reducing their impact on neighborhoods.”  More Industry Stars | |
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 design by  The City of New York Mayor's Office of Film Theatre & Broadcasting 1697 Broadway Suite 602, New York, New York 10019. |
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