Anne del Castillo Re-Appointed as Commissioner of the NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment

Anne del Castillo has been re-appointed as Commissioner of the NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME). Del Castillo has more than 25 years of experience in film and TV production, public media, arts and nonprofit administration. Since her appointment in 2019, she has focused on bolstering NYC's world-class arts, entertainment and nightlife sectors and advancing an economy that works for all New Yorkers.

Commissioner del Castillo has led the economic recovery of the city's creative and nightlife industries throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Under her leadership, television and film production made a strong return by fall 2020, and Broadway safely reopened in 2021. In addition, she has worked closely with other city agencies to create Music for the Soul and Music Heals to provide paid gigs for local musicians while also supporting frontline workers at hospitals and vaccine centers; Open Culture to allow arts and entertainment groups to organize ticketed performances in public spaces; the Broadway Vaccination Center to support entertainment and nightlife workers in a safe return to work; and Curtains Up NYC and Fair Share Restaurants to assist NYC live venues and bars and restaurants with applying for federal grants.

Her efforts during the pandemic earned del Castillo recognition in Variety's "New York Women's Impact Report," City & State's "Power of Diversity," and Deadline's "Disruptors," as well as the New York State Senate Woman of Distinction Award.

Prior to her appointment, Commissioner del Castillo served as Director of Legal Affairs and then Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of MOME. Since joining the agency in 2014, she has guided the development of numerous initiatives, including: Broadway / Off-Broadway in the Boros to bring free live performances to the five boroughs; New York Music Month to provide resources, workshops and seminars for NYC musicians and industry professionals at various stages in their careers; the Freelancers Hub to create a central resource hub for freelance workers in the creative industries; the NYC Women's Fund for Media, Music and Theatre; a series of training and educational programs to increase diversity in film and television, theater, music production, and animation; and a deal with Berklee NYC to save the iconic Power Station recording studios.

Previously, del Castillo worked as VP of Development and Business Affairs at American Documentary, producer of the award-winning PBS documentary series POV and Associate Director of the Austin Film Society. She consulted on numerous film projects, and served as associate producer on the Sundance award-winning documentary "Imelda," about the former First Lady of the Philippines. Del Castillo is a member of the Advertising Week New York Advisory Council, the Center for Communications Board of Directors, and The Paley Center for Media Board of Trustees. She holds a BA in English Literature and BS in Mass Communications from Boston University, and a JD from Brooklyn Law School. A native New Yorker, she grew up in Stuyvesant Town, where she is raising her son.