'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' and State Parks encourage kids to 'Be a New York Ninja for Fun and Fitness'

The film's stars and filmmakers join officials from New York State Parks and the governor's office for motion pictures and television development at fan appreciation screening of film

New York State Parks Commissioner Rose Harvey was joined Wednesday by Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies' "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" stars Megan Fox and Will Arnett, director Jonathan Liebesman, producers Andrew Form and Brad Fuller, Gigi Semone (executive director of New York state governor's office for motion pictures and television development) and a group of children from Harlem RBI (a state-funded local youth organization) at a fan appreciation screening of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." They were there to support an initiative that encourages youth to "Be a New York Ninja for Fun and Fitness" while visiting New York state parks this summer.

"The Turtles, as energetic role models who are active and fit, offer a perfect opportunity to make an inspirational link for kids between fitness and visiting their local state parks for exercise and fun year-round," Harvey said. "Thank you to Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies and the NYS governor's office for motion pictures for helping to promote the importance of a healthy lifestyle."

"The New York film industry gives back to the communities in which it thrives in more ways than one - by generating millions of dollars for local businesses and hiring thousands of New Yorkers, and also showing its appreciation for fans with this special screening of 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,' " Semone said. "When it comes to staying active and fit, the Turtles are great role models for kids, and we are proud to partner with the State Parks department, Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies to showcase the latest Turtles movie and encourage New York's youth to maintain a healthy lifestyle."

Since the film tax credit program started in 2004, it has leveraged an estimated $14 billion worth of direct spending. It has been a huge job generator for New York. Under Gov. Andrew Cuomo's leadership, the industry has experienced explosive growth since 2011, with record-breaking years for productions and post-production in 2013, bringing billions of dollars in new spending and thousands of jobs into New York.

Officials said the stability provided by multiyear funding has particularly encouraged the development of television series production work, as well as long-term investments in infrastructure, all of which creates thousands of jobs directly and indirectly related to the actual productions themselves.

During calendar year 2013, applications for 181 film productions were submitted, and included 124 films, 31 television programs, 25 pilots and one "relocated" television show. The impact of these projects includes:

•Generating a direct spend of $2.09 billion in New York;

•Collecting a projected $466 million in credits; and

•Hiring an estimated 126,301 actors and crew for the 181 projects submitted.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees 179 state parks and 35 historic sites, which are visited by 60 million people annually. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com, connect on Facebook, or follow on Twitter.

The New York state governor's office for motion picture and television development, a division of Empire State Development, offers film, television and commercial productions and post-production tax credits for qualified expenditures in New York. The office also serves as a liaison between production companies and city and local governments, state agencies, a network of statewide contacts, local film offices and professional location scouts and managers.

For more information on filming in New York or the film production and post-production tax credit programs, visit www.nylovesfilm.com.