Personal Account / NYC Commisioner of @madeinny
Brooklyn
Joined January 2012
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NYC can’t be the creative capital of the world if creatives can’t afford to live here. As the next @MadeinNY commissioner, I’m focused on real pipelines, making it easier to create here, and an affordability agenda that keeps working creatives in this city. Thank you @NYCMayor
Today we commit to making New York affordable not just for artists, but for making art. We are proud to name Rafael Espinal as Commissioner of @MadeinNY as we stand with union workers and usher in a new golden age of NYC creativity.
Rafael Espinal retweeted
Did you know you can film in NYC without a permit?
Here are five things you might not know about filming in NYC — straight from the MOME’s Film Office.
And yes, you can film without a permit, under certain conditions. For more information on all permitting requirements, head to nyc.gov/filmpermit.
Rafael Espinal retweeted
Check out this profile on friend of the Roundtable and Commissioner of @MadeinNY, Rafael Espinal. Congrats on all the accomplishments since your appointment, @RLEspinal!
Sat down with @CityAndStateNY and gave a snippet of what @MadeinNY has been up to since @NYCMayor appointed me as Commissioner. cityandstateny.com/personali…
Rafael Espinal retweeted
Never been to the opera before?
Now’s your chance. We’re giving away 70,000 free tickets to the @MetOpera at the iconic Lincoln Center. Go to on.nyc.gov/opera to enter the lottery. There’s not a bad seat in the house.
Rafael Espinal retweeted
📣 We are honored to partner with @MadeinNY and welcome Commissioner #RafaelEspinal to open Reel Magic Hour, the Industry Summit of the Chelsea Film Festival and present the Opening Remarks.
Join us as Commissioner Rafael Espinal sets the stage for a day of insightful conversations about the evolving #CreatorEconomy, major Sporting events, Book adaptations and Documentaries creating lasting impact. Featuring representatives from Creator Camp, Maria B. Campbell Associates, FIFA, DCTV, Giant Pictures, Feminist, Wayfarer Studios, Screenvision Media, and Viewpark Ventures among others.
Our speakers have worked across some of today’s most acclaimed productions, including Fire Island, Quantico, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Gilded Age, Wicked, Halston, KPop Demon Hunters, and Killers of the Flower Moon.
➡️ Swipe through to learn more about the schedule and discover the outstanding lineup of speakers you won’t want to miss.
🗓️ October 16 & 17, 2026
📍TBN Studios - 111 E 15th St, New York, NY 10003
⏰ 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM (each day)
🎟️ Get your tickets TODAY via: chelseafilm.org
#ChelseaFilmFestival #MadeinNy #CFFNY2026 #Summit #FilmFestival
Love this
Could new bus shelter roofs help New Yorkers stay cool in extreme heat?
We're testing a few in Brownsville to find out: a green roof covered with native plants, and reflective roofs covered with low-cost, heat-resilient film.
When it comes to climate change, we're using every tool at our disposal — including everyday infrastructure — to keep New Yorkers safe.
Rafael Espinal retweeted
Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment Commissioner @RLEspinal loves this show. cityandstateny.com/personali…
Rafael Espinal retweeted
Sat down with @CityAndStateNY and gave a snippet of what @MadeinNY has been up to since @NYCMayor appointed me as Commissioner. cityandstateny.com/personali…
Sat down with @CityAndStateNY and gave a snippet of what @MadeinNY has been up to since @NYCMayor appointed me as Commissioner. cityandstateny.com/personali…
Rafael Espinal retweeted
Film/TV productions can positively impact the environment via MOME's #NYCFilmGreen program!
Learn more: on.nyc.gov/2GAgbRi 🌎
ALT NYC Film Green is the first sustainability program for the film and television industry in the United States administered by a government agency. NYC Film Green is a voluntary program that enables productions engaging in environmentally-conscious practices to apply for and receive recognition for their efforts. NYC Film Green is greening New York City's film and television industry one production at a time and setting the gold standard for best practices in sustainable film and television production throughout the world.
Rafael Espinal retweeted
#FlashbackFriday: A look back at a special visit to The Apollo! We welcomed Commisioner @RLEspinal of @MadeinNY for a behind-the-scenes hard hat tour of our historic renovation and restoration.
Rafael Espinal retweeted
#streetsoldiers TV preview alert‼️Find out why you'll be seeing more movies being made on the streets of NYC! With @rlespinal @nycmomecommish @eifrivera #neilrosen 🔥🔥🔥#fox5ny 10p News Watch LIVE on your phone on free #FOXLocal app! @fox5ny
Rafael Espinal retweeted
When our former Executive Director @rlespinal was appointed by Mayor Mamdani to become the new @madeinny Commissioner, we knew that we would have big shoes to fill. We're thrilled to announce that Chief of Staff @AndreaGordillo will be our new Executive Director
Rafael Espinal retweeted
New York City's the greatest place in the world to film; there's no doubt about it.
The city's open for film and TV production, and our office is raising the bar to find new ways to attract filmmakers to come shoot their next project right here.
Need more proof? Hear it straight from directors, writers, and actors Spike Lee, Amy Schumer, Natasha Lyonne @nlyonne, @darrenaronofsky, Celine Song and @johnkrasinski, who took part in MOME's "Make it in NY" campaign, where they talk about how incomparable it is to film throughout the five boroughs.
Watch the full video at nyc.gov/MakeitinNY, and check out a preview at @Tribeca Festival.
Film/TV production is one of NYC's most important economic engines — creating good-paying union jobs, generating billions of dollars in local spending and driving business to all five boroughs. When the city's fighting to keep productions here, we're fighting for working people including the crew, caterers, and craftspeople whose livelihoods depend on this industry.
In addition to attractive NY State film tax credits and expansive studios and soundstages throughout the boroughs, MOME's making the filming process in NYC more seamless, thanks to our new and improved film permitting application system in partnership with the Mayor's Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management (CECM).
We’re making NYC’s the most frictionless place to shoot in the world.
Filmmakers, your next shoot’s right here in New York City, and you’re in great company. We’ll see you on set and on the streets of our great city soon!
Rafael Espinal retweeted
It was an honor to interview my friend and now Commissioner Rafael Espinal at the New York Music Month Conference on the topic, “Keeping New York Sounding Like New York.”
#NYMusicMonth #NYCNightlife @MadeinNY
Rafael Espinal retweeted
I was in the City Council in 2016 when we approved a major rezoning of East New York to create more housing, led courageously by then local councilmember @RLEspinal.
It was by far the most bitterly opposed housing creation plan of the past decade in NYC. Protesters tried to shut down the City Council chamber.
A decade later almost all of the proposed 6,500 homes have been built, two-thirds affordable. There has been new infrastructure and upgraded parks. The African American and Latino populations of the neighborhood have increased.
Remember all this the next time there is fierce opposition to creating housing in NYC.
More Housing, No Gentrification: How Rezoning Gave East New York a New Start. A look at the first major de Blasio Administration rezoning 10 years later @ thecityreporter.nyc/2026/06/…
Proud of the work my team did with my neighbors & @BilldeBlasio to make the ENY rezoning a tool for affordability and investment. 10 years later, the results are a powerful reminder of why we made that choice. thecityreporter.nyc/2026/06/…
Rafael Espinal retweeted
“The Brooklyn neighborhood has seen a boom in new construction — minus the gentrification and displacement that have plagued other parts of New York.”
Kudos to @RLEspinal on a success story.
thecityreporter.nyc/2026/06/…
Our office @MadeinNY at work!
Stepping directly onto the set of HBO's The Gilded Age in Manhattan today, and the production scale is absolutely mind-blowing. To completely transform modern New York City back to the 1880s, the crew laid down massive textured carpets over the asphalt to perfectly mimic historic stone streets. There are over 350 background actors fully dressed in period-accurate costumes, alongside dozens of real horse-drawn carriages filling the block. It is incredible to see how much physical craftsmanship goes into creating just a few moments of television magic.
NYC has the talent, crews, and infrastructure to remain the center of the film production world. But we also have to evolve and make filming easier, faster, and affordable long term to ensure NYC remains a place people can work and create. deadline.com/2026/05/new-yor…
Rafael Espinal retweeted
Ready to film in NYC? 🎬
Get all the details on needing & applying for a TV/movie filming permit and notifying local neighborhoods here: on.nyc.gov/2U1iy5t