80 The QUEE NS Courier • business • march 6, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com ▶business ▶NEW FILM SPACE IN LIC BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com @aaltamirano28 Local filmmakers now have a new place to call home in Long Island City. Court Square Studios, a brand new film and production studio, opened its doors in January at 21-38 44th Road. The studio was started by a group of Chilean friends who have years of film experience. “We walked into this building and it has been a miracle that we are here,” said Long Island City resident Mauricio Arenas, director and one of the founders of Court Square Studios. “For us it’s good to build up a network and also build up a filmmaking community – young, fresh and digital.” At the studio, amateur and professional filmmakers can rent a 3,500-squarefoot open space, production equipment and office space. The rooms are available to rent daily, weekly or on a monthly basis. “We are so happy with this because we have a space to have a community of people who want to work in arts and videos,” said Jenny Bousquet, CEO and producer. “It starts as an idea and ends up in a film festival, on TV or anywhere else.” The services provided at the location include everything involved in pre, during and post-production. Some postproduction aspects include computer animation, Photoshop and after effects. Filmmakers also have the opportunity to receive a consultation to get the ball rolling on their ideas, whether it be a documentary, music video, movie, commercial or even a tutorial on YouTube. “There’s so much energy here,” said Arenas, who hopes the studio will be home to an upcoming independent film industry. “We’re young and we have so much energy and we’re ready to go. We’re just a family here and we have what it takes.” The group behind Court Square Studios also includes Hernan Guerrero, executive producer, and Nicole Gonzalez, producer. For more information, visit www. courtsquarestudios.com or contact Bousquet at 347-870-3617. Photo courtesy Mauricio Arenas Court Square Studios opened its doors in January. Katz talks branding boro at LIC Partnership breakfast THE COURIER/ Photos by Angy Altamirano Assemblymember Catherine Nolan, CUNY Law School Dean Michelle Anderson, Borough President Melinda Katz, LIC Partnership President Elizabeth Lusskin, and Executive Vice President of Silvercup Studios Gary Kesner BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com/@aaltamirano28 Long Island City welcomed Borough President Melinda Katz with open arms -- and coffee. The Long Island City Partnership held a breakfast at the CUNY School of Law for Katz on February 27 to welcome her to the thriving western Queens community. “She is no stranger to any of us in this room, nor to this community. She has been and really is Queens,” Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer said as he introduced Katz. “For the next eight years, Borough President Katz is going to make sure there is a vision and the know-how to get that vision accomplished.” During the breakfast, the borough president spoke about future plans for Long Island City and the overall borough -- highlighting the importance of branding the area, cultural institutions, marketing and tourism. “We’re nothing like the other boroughs, we are our own borough,” Katz said. “We may want to make the rest of the borough like Long Island City, maybe, but we’re not going to make it the new Brooklyn, we stand on our own.” Katz said she is working with Van Bramer to come up with an overall plan for Long Island City, including bringing small start-up tech industries and improving the transportation system. “Cultural institutions will brand this borough, not only the restaurants and the shopping,” she said. “Folks need to know that if they come to the City of New York and they have not visited the borough of Queens, they have not seen New York City.” In her plan she also hopes to work with hotels in Manhattan in order for visitors to be given a script of different events happening in Queens. The borough president also plans on creating a cultural guide to give out during the 1964 World’s Fair 50-year commemoration. “I am excited about the future here,” she said. The Long Island City Partnership held a “Welcome to LIC” breakfast for Borough President Melinda Katz.
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