New York City filming permits were down 65.7% year over year in July amid the beginning of the actors strike, and well into the ongoing writers work stoppage.
Per the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME), 260 permits were issued to 125 projects from July 1-31. Comparatively, 757 permits were granted to 173 projects in July 2022.
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) went on strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers July 14, following the Writers Guild of America’s (WGA) decision to go pencils down May 2.
According to MoME, 150 of the filming permits issued last month were given July 1-July 13, and 110 from July 14-July 31. It’s important to note that of those 110 that were granted amid the strike, in most cases, the permits were not actually used — they just weren’t pulled by the studios.
MOME does not have data regarding how many permits were issued to AMPTP-produced projects and how many for indie projects, some of which have been requesting waivers from SAG-AFTRA to continue shooting amid the strike.
These permits do not cover all TV and film production occurring in NYC, as only productions that shoot in public areas need the city’s OK before rolling.
Permits have been steadily falling in NYC ever since the start of the WGA’s strike May 1: 662 shooting permits were issued in April, 549 permits in May and 471 in June.
For early reference (in case one or both strikes goes the rest of the month), in August 2022, 773 permits were issued to 202 projects.
MOME will be hosting a webinar Aug. 10 at 4 pm ET with information about resources provided for workers affected by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.