DeNiro, Streep Among Winners of 2012 'Made in NY' Awards

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Mayor's Office of Media & Entertainment Commissioner Katherine Oliver today presented the seventh annual "Made in NY" Awards, honoring individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to various fields in the City's entertainment and digital media industries.

The 2012 "Made in NY" honorees include: Academy Award-winning actor, director, producer Robert De Niro; Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep; Academy Award, Emmy, Tony and Grammy winner Whoopi Goldberg; Emmy-winning actress and television host Kelly Ripa; award-winning media company @radical.media, which develops, produces and distributes innovative content across all forms of media; and New York City-based Kickstarter, the world's largest funding platform for creative projects. This year's "Made in NY" Mayor's Award for Lifetime Achievement was presented to actors and legendary husband-and-wife comedy team Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. As part of the ceremony, Raven-Symoné and the cast of the Broadway musical Sister Act performed at the event at Gracie Mansion. The musical, which received five Tony Award nominations, features an original score by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater and is currently playing at the Broadway Theatre.

"This has been a remarkable and record-breaking year for New York City's entertainment and digital media industries, which are vital parts of our economic diversification strategy," said Mayor Bloomberg. "More New Yorkers than ever before are taking advantages of the opportunities within these growing industries. Congratulations to all of the honorees, who are proof positive that when you're Made in NY, you can make it anywhere."

"Our City is home to some of the most talented people in the world, who are part of a creative community that continually amaze and impress us all," said Commissioner Oliver. "It's an honor to recognize these individuals and organizations tonight for all of their achievements as we celebrate the seventh annual 'Made in NY' Awards."

Video profiles featuring intimate conversations with each of the honorees have been produced and are available to watch online at facebook.com/NYCMINY and NYC.gov. The videos were created with the support of various guilds and studios, and the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment wishes to thank the guilds, Columbia Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Universal Studios, Warner Bros. Television and SOFA Entertainment for their assistance.

The Boston Consulting Group recently released a pro-bono study that analyzed the development and growth of New York City's media and entertainment industries. According to the report, New York City's film sector is the strongest in its history, generating a direct economic impact of $7.1 billion in 2011, an increase of over $2 billion dollars since 2002. The sector now employs 130,000 people, an increase of 30,000 jobs since 2004.

In recent weeks, the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment launched a new PSA campaign starring local New Yorkers who work behind the scenes in the film and television production. The campaign – "Reel Jobs. Reel Proud. Real New Yorkers." – can be seen across various platforms throughout the City, including local AMC Theatres®, on television, on Taxi TV, in subways, on bus shelters and on NYC.gov. The videos feature profiles of a location manager, a set decorator, costume designers, a Steadicam operator and special effects coordinators, whose careers are based in New York City.

The Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment consists of the Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, NYC Digital and NYC Media, the official TV, radio and online network of the City of New York. The agency's mission is to streamline government communications by making information accessible, leveraging technology to aid in the transparency of government and by supporting relevant media and entertainment industries in New York City.

The 2012 "Made in NY" Award Recipients

Robert De Niro
In 1974, Robert De Niro won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for The Godfather, Part II, and in 1980, he won his second Oscar, as Best Actor, for his portrayal of Jake La Motta in Scorsese's Raging Bull. He has also earned four other Academy Award nominations. De Niro appeared in and made his directorial debut with A Bronx Tale and later directed and appeared in The Good Shepherd; both films shot in New York City. In 2009, he received the Kennedy Center Honor for his lifetime contribution to film and was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 2011 Golden Globes. In 2001, De Niro co-founded the Tribeca Film Festival with Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff as a response to the attacks on the World Trade Center. The festival was conceived to foster the economic and cultural revitalization of Lower Manhattan through an annual celebration of film, music and culture.

Whoopi Goldberg
Born and raised in New York City, Whoopi Goldberg is one of an elite group of artists who have won the Grammy ("Whoopi Goldberg"), the Academy Award (Ghost), the Golden Globe (The Color Purple and Ghost), the Emmy (as host of AMC's "Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel" and a Daytime Emmy for "The View") and a Tony (producer of Thoroughly Modern Millie). She is equally well-known for her humanitarian efforts on behalf of children, the homeless, human rights, education, substance abuse and the battle against AIDS, as well as many other causes and charities. On Broadway, she has produced Sister Act: The Musical and hosted the Tony Awards in 2008. She currently appears on ABC's Emmy Award-winning "The View."

Kickstarter
Kickstarter is the world's largest funding platform for creative projects. Every week, tens of thousands of people pledge millions of dollars to projects from the worlds of music, film, art, technology, design, games, fashion, food, publishing and other creative fields. Since April 2009, more than two million people have pledged more than $230 million to projects by creators who always maintain full ownership and complete creative control of their work. Kickstarter has hosted projects from Academy Award winners, New York Times best-sellers, Pulitzer Prize finalists and other luminaries, but the vast majority of projects are from people with creative ideas that a person and their community bring to life.

@radical.media
@radical.media is a global transmedia company that creates innovative content across all platforms. The company creates, produces and distributes award-winning projects in a variety of media, including feature films, television, music programming, commercials, graphic and interactive design, smartphone and tablet applications, exhibitions, events, and original photography. The company has also contributed significantly to public awareness campaigns and initiatives such as Conservation International, Get Schooled for the Melinda & Bill Gates Foundation and Viacom, the ONE campaign, (RED), and works closely with the New York City Mayor's Office of Media & Entertainment, designing the "Made in NY" logo. @radical.media has been honored with an Academy Award®, Emmys®, a Golden Globe®, Grammys®, Webbys®, The Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Communication Design, two Palme d'Ors at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, and just about every other accolade and trophy associated with the advertising, marketing and programming businesses.

Kelly Ripa
Kelly Ripa is the host of the popular nationally-syndicated morning talk show "LIVE! with Kelly." As she completes her 11th year with the show, she now has taken the lead on "LIVE" as the search for a new co-host continues. After ten consecutive Daytime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Talk Show Host with former partner Regis Philbin, the duo was honored as co-winners of the 2011 Daytime Entertainment Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host. Ripa ventured into primetime in 2003 on ABC's "Hope & Faith," which shot in New York City. In 2002, Ripa concluded a 12-year stint as Hayley Vaughan on ABC's "All My Children." She won three Soap Opera Digest Awards for her work, two for Outstanding Younger Lead Actress and one for Hottest Romance, which she shared with her real-life husband and co-star, actor Mark Consuelos. Ripa and Consuelos also oversee their SoHo-based Production Company, Milojo Productions.

Meryl Streep
For almost 40 years, Meryl Streep has portrayed an astonishing array of characters in a career that has cut its own unique path from the theatre through film and television. She began her professional life on the New York stage. In 2011, in a record that is unsurpassed, she won her seventeenth Academy Award nomination, having won the Oscar three times. She has starred in numerous films, including various "Made in NY" productions such as Kramer vs. Kramer, The Hours, The Devil Wears Prada, Doubt, and Julie & Julia. Streep has pursued her interest in the environment through her work with Mothers and Others, a consumer advocacy group that she co-founded in 1989. She has received the 2010 National Medal of Arts from President Obama, and in 2011, she received a Kennedy Center Honor.

"Made in NY" Mayor's Award for Lifetime Achievement: Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller
As "Stiller & Meara," Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller gained nationwide fame as a comedy team on "The Ed Sullivan Show." They have performed together in nightclubs and theatres across the county and have made countless appearances on television and radio. As Frank Costanza on "Seinfeld," Stiller received an Emmy Award nomination, won the American Comedy Award for "Funniest Male Guest Appearance in a Television Show" and was honored by the Paley Center for Media as 'TV's All Time Funniest Relative.' Following "Seinfeld," Jerry enjoyed a nine-year run as Arthur Spooner on the hit CBS series, "King of Queens." He has also appeared in numerous films, including The Taking of Pelham One-Two-Three, The Ritz, Hairspray and Zoolander (with son, Ben Stiller). Television appearances include "Seize the Day," "Murder She Wrote," "In the Heat of the Night," 'The Good Wife" and many others. Meara is remembered for her film work, including Fame, Boys from Brazil and Awakenings. On television Meara played Peggy Moody in "All My Children," starred in the series "Kate McShane," and had recurring roles on "Rhoda," "Archie Bunker's Place," "Alf," "Sex in the City" and "King of Queens." She has received five Emmy nominations for her television work. Anne's script After-Play was produced by Manhattan Theatre Club then moved Off-Broadway to Theatre Four. Meara won the Outer Critic's Circle John Gassner Award for playwriting for After-Play. Meara and Stiller have also both appeared on Broadway. Meara's credits include Eastern Standard and Anna Christie, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. Stiller has appeared in various shows, including Hurlyburly, Three Men on a Horse and What's Wrong with this Picture. Most recently, Stiller has appeared in commercials for Capital One Bank, and the couple has hosted their own web series, StillerandMeara.com. They are currently appearing in a Public Service Announcement for Mayor Bloomberg's Million Tree Initiative.