Yonkers Starring Role as ‘Hollywood on Hudson’ Expands

Yonkers’ starring role as Hollywood on Hudson continues to grow with reports this week that BCW members National Resources and Great Point Studios, which built the new Lionsgate TV and film production studio on the downtown waterfront, have closed on the former Leake & Watts property on Hawthorne Avenue for another studio.

In addition to soundstages for movie and TV production, plans for the 28-acre Leake & Watts site include a new Yonkers public school that will offer media training to students. The new school will open unprecedented opportunities for Yonkers youth interested in media careers at a time of explosive content production due to online streaming.

The reports also noted that National Resources has submitted plans for a third production facility in Yonkers at 1050 North Broadway near border with Hastings-on-Hudson.

Based at the sprawling iPark site, the $500 million Great Point Studios in Yonkers will be the largest media production facility in the Northeast, and it will consist of three locations. The location in downtown Yonkers on Wells Avenue will be the headquarters and primary production center.

The South Campus at the former Leake & Watts property will house the largest LED screen stage in the United States. The campus on North Broadway will be leased by Mediapro, a European film and television production company that also occupies space at the Wells Avenue location.

BCW board members and sponsors got a sneak preview last week of the new Lionsgate Studios in Yonkers at a special reception and tour which was also attended by city, county and state officials.