RIDGEWOOD — A prop company with decades in the film business is asking the city for $6 million in subsidies to help it expand its empire into a new warehouse to build cars for film sets — which they said could result in twice that amount in benefits for New Yorkers, according to documents.
The Specialists, LTD, which touts itself as the city's "first and only hand prop rental house" hopes to buy a former printing factory at 48-05 Metropolitan Ave. near its current offices to build specially-made cars used in feature films and TV shows, according to its application to the Economic Development Corporation's Industrial Development Agency.
The company — which has worked on projects including "The Bourne Ultimatum," "Salt" and "Boardwalk Empire" — said made-for-film vehicles are a "crucial component to the film industry."
If approved, they plan to "create all the automotive (antique, historical and current) trucks, military rolling stock, futuristic hover vehicles and rolling items that are part of many films today," they added in their pitch, saying the new space could generate $12 million in taxes to the city while also providing a crucial space for the film business.
The warehouse would be in ongoing demand as film crews ask them "to modify their existing inventory and either paint, refurbish, fabricate, change the styling, change the interiors, etc" to meet the exact specifications of directors and producers, they wrote in their application.
The film industry hires 130,000 New Yorkers and generates nearly $9 billion in economic activity each year, according to the city.
The total cost of the project is estimated to cost more than $47 million, including $15 million to buy the 63,000-square-foot building, which they'll demolish for a new, larger facility, according to the application.
The building will also provide more space for other production work — which is needed because "the New York City film industry is maxed out," without enough support services, they wrote.
"Studios are being built, producers want to make movies here, but there is no room for the support services to work on all these movies in New York City," the application said.
The Specialists LTD moved to 47-40 Metropolitan Ave. in Ridgewood in 2014 and already has nine full-time and seven part-time employees, and will hire 10 more once the new factory opens in September 2019, they said.
The company also has an office in SoHo and sites in New Orleans and Pennsylvania.
Providing additional production space in their building — estimated to cost $30 million to build — could create "easily 50 and probably many more film-related jobs," they wrote.
The average salary at the company is $16.50 an hour, with the lowest employee making $14.
A representative for the company did not immediately respond to a request to comment.
The hearing on the application is scheduled for Thursday.
