Dear Friends, 

This year’s election has seen record numbers of early voters across the country—over 74 million to date. Since early voting opened in New York City last weekend, over 700,000 New Yorkers have voted. Early voting continues in New York City through Sunday, November 1. Click here to find your local poll site. And as a reminder, regular voting will take place Tuesday, November 3.

If you were out and about last Friday through Monday (perhaps on your way to vote early), you might have had the good fortune of catching Off Broadway in the Boros: Pop-Ups, presented by the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) in partnership with Pregones/PRTT, La Mama, Bushwick Starr, The Chocolate Factory, Kaleidoscope Entertainment and Staten Island Illuminart Productions. MOME worked with fellow City agencies Citywide Event Coordination and Management (CECM) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) to bring outdoor pop-up performances to each of the five boroughs. The series was a way to call attention to the important contribution small theatres make to New York City’s creative economy, while also providing support for artists and organizations struggling during the pandemic. Videos of the performances will be available for free on each participating theatre’s website.

This week, MOME, the  Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), and NYC & Company announced that a second round of contributors has joined the Virtual NYC Curator Collections: Christopher Y. Lew (Whitney Museum of American Art), Kristina Newman-Scott (BRIC), Eileen Jeng Lynch (Wave Hill), Hitomi Iwasaki (Queens Museum), Matthew López (Tony-nominated playwright, “The Inheritance”), David Rios (Children’s Museum of Manhattan), Solana Chehtman (The Shed) and Victoria Munro (Alice Austen House). The Virtual NYC curators act as expert guides, handpicking their favorite online experiences including live and recorded performances, digitized exhibitions, social media gatherings and virtual tours from museums, galleries, comedy clubs, theaters and other venues around the city.

MOME continues to work with our colleagues in government to do whatever we can to help the industries we serve and keep you informed about new developments in New York City’s reopening and recovery.

BUSINESS REOPENING

Earlier this week, Mayor de Blasio announced the Open Storefronts program, permitting storefront businesses to use a portion of their sidewalk to display merchandise, sell goods, complete transactions, and provide queuing areas. The program will begin today, October 30, and run until December 31. Businesses can visit www.nyc.gov/openstorefronts to review eligibility requirements and to complete a brief online application.

To accelerate the recovery of our small businesses, The NYC Small Business Resource Network offers free, personalized, one-on-one assistance for small business owners. The program is funded by The Peter G. Peterson Foundation, with support from the Partnership for New York City and the Partnership Fund and New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), in collaboration with Department of Small Business Services (SBS), and the Five Borough Chambers of Commerce. A team of dedicated Small Business Specialists will help small businesses navigate a range of challenges involving technology, real estate, legal and finance, new regulations, and more. Business owners can sign up for this service through the Chamber of Commerce in their borough.

The commercial eviction/foreclosure moratorium is now extended through January 1, 2021.

State COVID zone restrictions are still in effect in certain parts of Brooklyn and Queens. To find out where the zones are, and to see what restrictions apply to each zone, please visit www.nyc.gov/covidzone.

New York State’s COVID-19 Travel Advisory now includes 39 states and Guam and Puerto Rico. Non-essential travel between New Jersey and Connecticut is discouraged. Travelers from Level 2 and Level 3 countries (that’s all but 31 countries from across the globe) and other areas with high infection rates must provide local authorities with contact information and quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in New York. For more information, visit the New York State website at https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/ or call the New York State hotline at 888-364-3065.

MEDIA PRODUCTION

We are delighted to welcome back to set a number of “Made in NY” productions, including “Betty,” “Blue Bloods,” “Bull”, “Flight Attendant,” "For Life,” “Law & Order: SVU,” and television talk and variety shows "Live with Kelly and Ryan," "Late Night with Seth Meyers," "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," and “Saturday Night Live." Nearly 40 television shows have returned or will be returning to production in the coming weeks.

To assist productions with promoting safety protocols on set, the Film Office has produced a suite of graphics and posters available for download here.

Current guidance for filming is available on the Film Permit website. Please be sure to check frequently for updates and review the guidelines and FAQ before submitting permit applications. If you have questions after reading these guidance documents, please call the Film Office at (212) 489-6710. Please keep in mind that the Film Office is still operating remotely so please allow additional time for Film Permit processing.

Establishments interested in providing comfort heating for their customers in outdoor dining areas now have three options:

•  Electric radiant heaters will be allowed in sidewalk and roadway seating setups. For full guidance from the Department of Buildings, click here.
•  Natural gas radiant heaters will be allowed on the sidewalk only. For full guidance from the Department of Buildings, click here. Natural gas radiant heaters must also comply with the Fire Code.
• Portable heaters fueled by propane will be allowed on the sidewalk only. Propane heating will be regulated by the Fire Department, with requirements for safe handling, use and storage. For full guidance from the Fire Department, click here.

Food service establishments with private outdoor dining spaces may use heating devices subject to the applicable guidance from FDNY and/or DOB.

To assist businesses participating in outdoor dining, the Office of Nightlife has made the following guides and informational materials available for download at www.nyc.gov/nightlife:

         • ”What to Expect When You’re Inspected”
         • “Multi-agency Reopening Toolkit for Restaurants and Bars”
         • It’s Up to You, New York social distancing guides and graphics
         • Take Out, Don’t Hang Out posters

The Office of Nightlife has also partnered with the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings' Center for Creative Conflict Resolution to provide free mediation and conflict resolution services to address a number of neighborhood disputes while ensuring that small businesses thrive. MEND NYC helps address issues that may include:

         • Quality-of-life issues between residents and businesses

         • Negotiation between commercial tenants and landlords

         • Neighboring business to business misunderstandings

Design Corps: Small Business Reopening Network is an online directory where restaurants and venues can connect with licensed, trained designers and architects for free consulting and services to help improve their space and ensure compliance with outdoor dining requirements. For additional information on the Design Corps program please review the detailed guidelines.

While there are still certain limitations on event permits through December 31, 2020, we continue to work with agency partners to support safe, creative arrangements for community celebrations, performances, and activations throughout the city. Frequently asked questions about outdoor events permitting can be found here.

Guidance for group music activities, including live performances and music recording, in New York City during the COVID-19 public health emergency is now available on the MOME website. The music guidance synthesizes COVID-19-related safety requirements from numerous sources, including the New York State Department of Health, the Empire State Development Corporation, the State Liquor Authority, and other State and City laws. The guidance is presented in a plain-language format and includes links to information from other State and City government agencies.

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MOME continues to support and participate in a wide variety of events by and for our fellow New Yorkers in the creative economy.

•  The 9th Annual Dominican Film Festival NYC runs through October 30. This is the largest film festival outside the Dominican Republic itself to focus specifically on Dominican cinema. DFFNYC official program will include a roster of 70 films and offering a program boasting a wide range of genres, from comedy to thriller and drama to romance, plus an homage to the classics and panel discussions with the top leaders of the film industry.

•   Wildlife Conservation Film Festival runs through November 8. Celebrating its 10th year in 2020, the festival features over 150 documentary films and daily Live Chats with international filmmakers, scientists and conservationists.

•   The 9th Annual Photoville Festival runs through November 29 with community and artist programming, plus photo exhibitions in public spaces throughout the city. This festival provides an accessible venue for photographers and audiences from every walk of life to engage with each other, and experience thought-provoking photography from across the globe – with free admission for all!

As we head into weekend, please keep in mind the following tips to have a safe and fun Halloween:

•   Stay outdoors: Trick-or-treating should be done outdoors; not in apartment buildings
•   Giving Treats: Place in a bin instead of handed out
•   Back Up: Step back 6 feet after ringing doorbell
•   Masks: Costume masks not effective at stopping COVID-19; wear face covering over costume mask
•   Hand sanitizer: Bring and use often
•   Avoid indoor Halloween parties and large groups   

For the latest updates, sign up for MOME’s newsletter, follow our social media channels on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, or visit our website at www.nyc.gov/mome.

As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions, concerns or for support.

Stay NYC strong,

Anne del Castillo
Commissioner
Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment
www.nyc.gov/mome
@NYCMOMECommish

Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment
nyc.gov/mome

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