Dutchess County filming halted amid Hollywood strike: Here's the impact

Saba Ali, Poughkeepsie Journal
·4 min read

A little over two months ago, production crews were setting up shots in locations around Dutchess County, including Poughkeepsie and Beacon, for shows that included HBO's "Pretty Little Liars" and Apple TV's "Severance."

The last of Hollywood's costly COVID restrictions had been removed earlier this year and Gov. Kathy Hochul had passed a budget expanding tax incentives meant to attract more of these productions to the state.

The summer months, from July through September, are the busiest when it comes to filming. Hotels are flooded with out-of-town extras and crews, and local restaurants have geared up to feed all of them.

On location at Winrock Farm in Amenia for Park Avenue.
On location at Winrock Farm in Amenia for Park Avenue.

But not this year.

In July, the Screen Actors Guild announced a strike, a few months after the Writer's Guild of America went on strike, shutting down productions across the country. Streets and neighborhoods where trailers stood and where dozens, in some cases hundreds, of teamsters and extras milled around went quiet, as did the sound studios.

Over the past decade, the film industry's interest in the Hudson Valley has grown because of its palette of picturesque locations from farm lands to Main streets. It is hard to calculate the strike's total economic impact, but those inside the industry believe it could be near $25 million.

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"The second quarter was on par with 2022 numbers at $23 million," said Hudson Valley Film Commission Executive Director Laurent Rejto. "Losses are not just related to crew members and cast. Last summer, more than 3,000 background extras were hired, mostly for 'Poker Face.'"

Production studios — basically giant warehouses — stood empty long before the strike was announced. Productions were wary of signing a contract to rent out the space under the circumstances.

"(Business) didn't die in July, it died six months before," said Eric Michelson, owner of Michelson Studio 3 in Wingdale. His studio is losing an estimated $200,000 a month and his staff is on temporary leave.

Between 2017 and 2021, about 18 qualified production facilities, or QPFs, have opened within the Mid Hudson region. This includes Upriver Studios in Saugerties, which opened in 2020, and the expansion of Newburgh's Umbra Stages in 2021.

This fiscal quarter last year, there were more than 50 locations used in Dutchess County for filming, about 15,000 hotel rooms were occupied and about 160 local crew members were hired, according to Rejto.

Background actors at the Kingston's Mannerchor and Damenchor, Inc, which was used for holding for the feature film Between The Lines.
Background actors at the Kingston's Mannerchor and Damenchor, Inc, which was used for holding for the feature film Between The Lines.

Hotels are one of the few industries that have been able to recoup their losses because the strike took place during their busier seasons with families traveling for vacation, though they will be impacted if the strike lasts through the winter.

Rejto's agency was working with about a dozen productions before the strike began, many which have been postponed to 2024. Commercials are still allowed to film, as are certain independent movies that receive a waiver.

No work for extras

Dario Saraceno has been working as an extra, and now an actor, for about eight years. The town of Wappinger resident still goes on auditions and spends time reading scripts while he waits for the strike to end.

Saraceno's clean-shaven, broad build look — he's just over 6 feet tall — means he frequently lands law enforcement roles. Some weeks he'll work two or three 12-hour days, other weeks there won't be any work.

The strike has allowed Saraceno to spend more time focusing on his music. He is in the process of finishing up a CD and he also teaches. Like many extras, Saraceno can't rely on one income because of the "feast and famine" nature of his work. In the past, he has taken odd jobs painting or bartending.

Dario Saraceno reads a copy of Sam Shepard's plays while at home in Wappingers Falls on August 21, 2023. Sarceno, a SAG actor is currently not doing regular acting work due to the labor dispute between the SAG union and film & television studios.
Dario Saraceno reads a copy of Sam Shepard's plays while at home in Wappingers Falls on August 21, 2023. Sarceno, a SAG actor is currently not doing regular acting work due to the labor dispute between the SAG union and film & television studios.

"I have a few things that might be coming in but nothing is written in stone, so I'm not working," said Saraceno. He still gets calls, mostly from agencies projecting to start work months from now.

Big productions are known to hire thousands of extras, many of them locals. Last summer, Saraceno was one of more than 3,000 extras hired to work on projects including Peacock's "Poker Face."

During the third quarter of 2022, the Hudson Valley hosted several big productions such as Amazon Studio's "Fallout," HBO's "Full Circle," Netflix's "Manifest" and the independent movie "Sing Sing," which was filmed in Fishkill and hired hundreds of extras.

"Even though people don't work full time, they pay their property taxes with the money they make, or they pay their school taxes and it has an impact," said Rejto.

Saba Ali: Sali1@poughkeepsiejournal.com: 845-451-4518: @MsSabaAli.

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Hollywood strikes have halted these shows filming in Hudson Valley