How Ruth Ammon’s Production Design Team Used Budapest to Create 1897 New York for ‘The Alienist’ Season 2

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorAs New York prepares for TV and film production to gradually resume next month, the city’s entertainment chief is keeping her focus on efforts to help the Broadway and live events sector, which still face an uncertain road to recovery.In the latest episode of Variety podcast “Strictly Business,” Anne del Castillo, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, says TV and film are poised to ramp back up on soundstages in the fall.

Jill Goldsmith Co-Business EditorThe New York Times said digital revenue exceeded print for the first time ever for the second quarter ended in June when it added 669,000 net new digital subscriptions.That included 493,000 net new subscriptions to its core news product and 176,000 to other digital products, like Cooking, Crossword and audio.

Ever since its announcement as part of this year’s Cannes Film Festival Official Selections, Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe” anthology series from Amazon has been positioned as one of the 2020 fall festival darlings. And it appears that is playing out at this year’s New York Film Festival, which will not only debut a feature-length episode of the anthology as its Opening Night film but will also showcase two additional episodes as part of the main slate.

Nyck Caution has shared new song ‘Margot Robbie’ as an ode to his home city of New York – listen to it below.The Joey Bada$$-signed rapper’s new track appears on his recently released ‘Open Flame’ EP, which also includes ‘Famiglia’ featuring Meechy Darko of Flatbush Zombies.“From the beat to the lyrics just feel like a New York vibe from the second I heard it,” Caution said of the track.

Jill Goldsmith Co-Business EditorNew York Governor Andrew Cuomo invited Major League baseball teams to play in New York stadium as the sport suffers some COVID-19 related setbacks.“New York State could host any major league baseball game that any team wants to play,” he said at his daily briefing Tuesday. “New York state has one of the lowest infection rates in the U.S.

NEW YORK -- A new literary award with a $50,000 cash prize will honor those best at telling a New York story. The Gotham Literary Prize, announced Thursday, came out of a conversation between businessman-philathropist Bradley Tusk and political strategist Howard Wolfson, who told The Associated Press that they first thought of the award last year and saw a renewed urgency for it after the spread of the coronavirus.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorAs New York makes progress on its laborious reopening plan, the city’s entertainment chief is hoping to see content production begin to return in a significant way by September.Anne del Castillo, commissioner of the powerful Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, said she expects to see TV productions return to soundstages and studio facilities by September.

The New York Times Co. has agreed to acquire Serial Productions, the company behind podcast hit Serial,as it looks to build out its audio business.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorThe New York Times Company officially announced that it is acquiring Serial Productions, the podcast company behind the breakout hit “Serial.”As part of the Times, Serial Productions will independently commission and edit its own stories, which “will now be amplified by The Times,” the company said.In addition, the Times said it had entered into “an ongoing creative and strategic alliance” with “This American Life,” the weekly public radio program founded by host

Greg Evans Associate Editor/Broadway CriticA reporter for New York’s CBS affiliate CBS2 was killed Saturday after falling from one of the rented mopeds that have become increasingly popular in a city still reluctant to use traditional mass transit.Nina Kapur, 26, was a passenger on a Revel scooter being driven by a 26-year-old man who was not seriously injured, New York police said Monday. The accident occurred around 5:30 p.m.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaCameras are set to roll in the Big Apple again. Film and television production in New York City can resume on July 20, Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference on Friday.

New York Times ran a piece entitled, “.” In the vacuum of decisive information around this pandemic, I’ve been obsessively consuming articles like these. After more than 100 days isolating in my apartment, I’m starved for any intel about when it might be safe to see friends and family again.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAmazon has landed the rights to develop the 2020 Pulitzer Prize finalist New York Times story and podcast “The Jungle Prince of Delhi” as a drama series, Variety has learned.The story, written by Ellen Barry, delved into the history of the royal family of Oudh, deposed aristocrats living in a ruined palace in the Indian capital claiming to be the heirs to a fallen kingdom.Mira Nair is attached to direct the project and will also executive produce.

Sacha Baron Cohen strikes again. Just a few weeks after the Who is America? starmade a clandestine appearance at a far-right rally and led the crowd in a racist sing-song, Cohen managed to trick former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani into an interview at which he reportedly wore a pink bikini.

The New York Times' landmark 1619 Project magazine issue, which examined the impact of slavery on American history, is headed to the big and small screen. Times staff writer Nikole Hannah-Jones, who created The 1619 Project, and Oprah Winfrey are teaming with Lionsgate to develop The New York Times Magazine issue and the podcast 1619 into multiple feature films, TV series, documentaries and other cross-platform content for a global audience.

Oprah Winfrey is bringing a new project to film and television.

Dave McNary Film ReporterOprah Winfrey, The New York Times and Lionsgate are partnering on a series of feature films and television shows based on “The 1619 Project.”The collaboration was announced Wednesday, nearly a year after the Times debuted “The 1619 Project” series to re-examine the legacy of slavery in the United States on the 400th anniversary of the first Africans’ arrival in Virginia.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentThe Venice, Toronto, Telluride and New York Film Festivals have joined forces in an alliance that will see the prominent fall events, all positioned six weeks from each other, collaborate rather than compete in a spirit of post-pandemic solidarity.The statement announcing this alliance provides scant details of what concrete form it will take, beyond saying that they “are offering our festivals as a united platform for the best cinema we can find.” But