Event Co-Hosted by the Motion Picture Association, Tribeca Festival, and New York State Governor’s Office of Motion Picture & Television Development

Event Photos Available Here

Empire State Development (ESD) today held the eighth New York State Creativity Summit, an annual conference that guides and advances the careers of rising and dynamic storytellers in the film, television, and streaming industry. This year's event, co-hosted by the Governor’s Office of Motion Picture & Television Development (MPTV) and the Motion Picture Association (MPA) in partnership with the Tribeca Festival, highlighted the state’s commitment to boosting local production, showcasing creativity, expanding opportunity, and strengthening pathways for future talent.

Empire State Development President, CEO, and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “New York is a global center for film, television, and streaming, and our strength comes from the diversity and originality of the voices who create here. The Creativity Summit is about opening doors across the industry—strengthening training pipelines, building professional networks, and ensuring that new storytellers have the opportunity to bring their visions to the screen. By investing in the next generation of creators today, we're fueling the creative economy that secures New York's position as the creative capital of the world for decades to come.”

Motion Picture Association Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin said, “Each year, this summit strengthens the very foundation of New York’s production landscape and our entire industry: extraordinary stories and the voices who tell them. When casts, crews, and creators bring different perspectives and experiences to the table, they tell richer and more authentic stories – and the MPA and our member studios are determined to build the pipelines needed to open the doors of filmmaking to every community and empower the next generation of talent.”

Tribeca Enterprises Co-Founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal said, “New York has always been a place where creativity and opportunity intersect. The Creativity Summit celebrates that spirit—empowering emerging filmmakers, producers, and storytellers to build meaningful careers right here in New York. Tribeca is proud to partner with ESD, the MPA, and the Governor’s Office to continue expanding pathways for the next generation of creative talent.”

This year’s summit featured a series of expert panels and workshops focused on career advancement for film and television content creators. Sessions focused on New York’s Industry Pipeline Opportunities, Financing Your Production, Filmmakers Legal Clinic, Women in Film and Television, and more. Speakers at the event included:

• Hope Knight, President, CEO, and Commissioner, Empire State Development;
• Cora Atkinson, Producer, Summer of Soul;
• Toni Barton, Production Designer, Boots;
• Graham Lee, Vice President, Tax, Paramount Global;
• Alana Mayo, President, MGM’s Orion Pictures;
• Angela Pinsky, Head of Community Engagement, Amazon;
• Santiago Quiñones, Executive Producer, Blue Bloods;
• Holly Rymon, Producer, The Gilded Age;
• Greg Saphier, Senior Vice President, Head of Public Affairs, Motion Picture Association;
• Ashley Snyder, Senior Manager of Studio Operations UCANE, Netflix;
• Canella Williams-Larrabee, Producer/Unit Production Manager; and others.

About The NYS Governor’s Office of Motion Picture & Television Development

The New York State Governor’s Office of Motion Picture & Television Development, a division of Empire State Development, aims to grow and support the film, television and commercial industry by guiding filmmakers through the many programs and assets New York State has to offer, promoting and publicizing the state’s infrastructure, talent and film production, post-production, and commercial tax incentives for qualified expenditures in New York State. The office also serves as a liaison between production companies and city and local governments, state agencies, a network of statewide contacts, local film offices and professional location scouts and managers. More information on filming in New York State or the Film Production and Post-Production Tax Credit Programs can be found here.

About Empire State Development

Empire State Development is New York's chief economic development agency, and promotes business growth, job creation, and greater economic opportunity throughout the state. With offices in each of the state's 10 regions, ESD oversees the Regional Economic Development Councils, supports broadband equity through the ConnectALL office, and is growing the workforce of tomorrow through the Office of Strategic Workforce Development. The agency engages with emerging and next generation industries like clean energy and semiconductor manufacturing looking to grow in New York State, operates a network of assistance centers to help small businesses grow and succeed, and promotes the state's world class tourism destinations through I LOVE NY. For more information, please visit esd.ny.gov, and connect with ESD on LinkedIn, Facebook and X.

About The Motion Picture Association

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) serves as the leading voice and advocate of the motion picture, home video, and television industries. It works in every corner of the globe to advance the creative industry, protect its members’ content across all screens, defend the creative and artistic freedoms of storytellers, and support innovative distribution models that bring an expansion of viewing choices to audiences around the world. Its member studios are: Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Bros. Charles Rivkin is the Chairman and CEO.

About Tribeca

Tribeca was founded in 2001 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff with the launch of the Tribeca Festival, created to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan following the attacks on the World Trade Center. Since then, the Festival has become a global destination and cultural force for groundbreaking storytelling across film, television, music, talks, podcasts, games, immersive experiences, and more. In 2026, the Tribeca Festival will celebrate its 25th year from June 3–14 in New York City.

Building on the Festival’s success, Tribeca Enterprises was founded in 2003 as a multi-platform media and entertainment company. Today, Tribeca Enterprises owns and operates the Tribeca Festival, content division Tribeca Studios, film distribution label Tribeca Films, and production company m ss ng p eces. With strong roots in independent film, Tribeca is synonymous with creative expression and innovation—championing emerging and established voices, curating immersive experiences, and celebrating storytelling in all its forms. In 2019, James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems bought a majority stake in Tribeca Enterprises, bringing together Rosenthal, De Niro, and Murdoch to grow the enterprise.

Contact:
ESD Press Office | [email protected] | (800) 260-7313