{"id":140248,"date":"2026-02-20T18:23:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T18:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/140248\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T18:23:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T18:23:13","slug":"nyc-media-and-entertainment-commissioner-pat-kaufman-steps-down-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/140248\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC Media and Entertainment Commissioner Pat Kaufman Steps Down"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pat Swinney Kaufman, the media and entertainment commissioner for the New York City Mayor\u2019s Office under Eric Adams, is officially stepping down from her role on Friday as part of the city\u2019s leadership transition.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs many of you already know, today will be my last day as Commissioner of the NYC Mayor\u2019s Office of Media and Entertainment as I head into retirement,\u201d Kaufman said. \u201cServing New Yorkers as the Media and Entertainment Commissioner and previously as the New York State Film Commissioner has been a great honor and privilege. Ever since I was a young girl in North Carolina, where I witnessed the magic of NYC on the large and small screens, I wanted to build a life and career here. I\u2019m grateful I have been able to live out this dream while supporting NYC\u2019s creative industries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kaufman touted NYC\u2019s creative industries as the city\u2019s \u201cheart and soul\u201d and the reason \u201cso many people come to visit, live and work here.\u201d She also thanked industry, government and community partners for collectively helping NYC \u201cremain the creative capital of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am proud of all we have been able to accomplish together,\u201d she continued. \u201cI truly believe that we have laid the foundation to make New York City the most stable and reliable location to film in the country in the aftermath of COVID and industry strikes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Zohran\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

The Mayor\u2019s Office of Media and Entertainment\u00a0supports\u00a0New York City\u2019s creative economy through its Film Office, NYC Media, Press Credential Office and programs and initiatives divisions. Together, these offices handle permitting and licensing, workforce development, incentives for creative projects and oversight of the City\u2019s public media outlets.<\/p>\n

In 2019, the city\u2019s creative industries accounted for more than 440,000 local jobs and have an economic impact of $150 billion annually.<\/p>\n

During Kaufman\u2019s tenure, New York City launched the \u201cMade in NY\u201d Fund for New Theatrical Works, which enables artists to develop and place new theatrical works in venues across the city, and welcomed 15,000 attendees to the first-ever NYC Video Game Festival in 2025.<\/p>\n

MOME also launched \u201cThe NYC Field Guide: How to Thrive in the Five on NYC Life,\u201d a 13-episode series hosted by Michaela Birmingham that provides expert tips, hacks and resources for navigating daily life, including housing, transit and culture across all five boroughs. The series featured 17 city agencies.<\/p>\n

Additionally, MOME partnered with HITN, the largest Spanish-language public broadcasting network in the U.S., to offer English- and Spanish-language video content on NYC Media; collaborated with the Theater Development Fund (TDF) on Seats on the Spectrum, which makes theater performances welcoming to audience members on the autism spectrum; and brought the \u201cMade in NY\u201d Awards back to Gracie Mansion after a 10-year hiatus, including the first-ever \u201cMade in NY\u201d Awards ceremony for theater and live performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile it is hard to say goodbye, I do so knowing this agency is in good hands with incoming Commissioner Rafael Espinal and the staff\u2019s collective talent, dedication, leadership, passion and commitment to public service,\u201d Kaufman concluded.<\/p>\n

\t\t
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Prior to her appointment in July 2023, Kaufman was first deputy commissioner at MOME, overseeing the agency\u2019s work in developing programmatic strategies and support for film, television, theatre, music, advertising, publishing and digital media.<\/p>\n

She also served for 19 years as executive director of the New York State Governor\u2019s Office for Motion Picture and Television Development and as deputy commissioner of Empire State Development. During her tenure, she helped craft and shepherd the legislation that created the New York State Film Production Tax Credit. She also worked to create the standalone Post-Production Tax Credit and the Commercial Production Incentive programs.<\/p>\n

Additionally, Kaufman served as president of the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) from 2003-2007, and sat on the board of the Hamptons International Film Festival and the New York Production Alliance. <\/p>\n

In addition to her work in entertainment, Kaufman has served as president of the New York Junior League and sits on the board of the YWCA of Greater New York and Parents in Action\/New York City.<\/p>\n

\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Robert\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Espinal, who was appointed to the role on Jan. 12, previously served as executive director of the Freelancers\u00a0Union, where he advanced the protections and rights of independent workers nationally. <\/p>\n

In 2019, there were 1.3 million freelancers \u2014 around 34% of the workforce \u2014 in New York City, many of whom\u00a0worked\u00a0in the city\u2019s creative industries.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m honored to join Mayor Mamdani\u2019s administration and lead the Mayor\u2019s Office of Media and Entertainment. New York City\u2019s artists, creatives, and freelancers have made New York City into what it is today,\u201d Espinal said ina statement. \u201cIf\u00a0we want to keep our city\u2019s culture, it is critical that they can afford to live and work here. I look forward to supporting our creative industries, expanding opportunities, and ensuring that the city\u00a0remains\u00a0a home for artists.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Mayor\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pat Swinney Kaufman, the media and entertainment commissioner for the New York City Mayor\u2019s Office under Eric Adams,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":140249,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[81,59228,9,24,55,54,56,59229,45069,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-140248","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-city","8":"tag-eric-adams","9":"tag-mayors-office-for-media-and-entertainment","10":"tag-new-york","11":"tag-new-york-city","12":"tag-new-york-city-headlines","13":"tag-new-york-city-news","14":"tag-ny","15":"tag-pat-swinney-kaufman","16":"tag-rafael-espinal","17":"tag-zohran-mamdani"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140248"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140248\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/140249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}