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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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Lieutenant Joe Lasson, MOFTB Film/TV Unit
November 1, 2007 - Lieutenant Joe Lassen isn’t your typical police officer. Lieutenant Lassen, the newly appointed individual who oversees the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting Movie/TV Unit, served in the police force’s Internal Affairs division before coming into this role. He has a law degree (which has come into use when dealing with paparazzi who claim to know the law) and a sharp feel for the needs of city residents, his team of Movie/TV Unit officers, and productions throughout the city.
The application process for this role was arduous for Lassen, but after going through the proper channels, including a meeting with Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, Lassen has weaved himself into the MOFTB and Film/TV unit’s fiber. “I learned about [the job] from my predecessor,” Lassen recalls.
The lieutenant is currently thriving in his new role, as he’s already realized the ins and outs of the job. “There is no day that’s the same,” said Lassen. “You have to adapt to change every day. There’s always something, always a problem that’s going to be solved.”
To avoid problems, however, Lassen has also learned to implore productions to plan ahead. “We know it’s very different to plan ahead because productions won’t know up until the last minute [where they need to shoot]. But that can create scheduling issues with our unit,” Lassen advised. Hopefully with Lassen at the helm, the city can reconcile Lassen’s main concerns: the needs of city residents, his Movie/TV Unit team, and the city’s production community.
 More Industry Stars
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