Hollywood Comes to Town: OCNY Businesses Roll Out Red Carpet

Local vendors supply welcome baskets for cast and crew of Darren Aronofsky’s film ‘The Whale’

ORANGE COUNTY, N.Y. (March 16, 2021) – The Orange County New York Tourism and Film Office organized and delivered welcome baskets for the cast and crew of Darren Aronofsky’s film “The Whale” which is currently filming on location at Umbra Sound Stages in Newburgh, N.Y. Participating businesses included: Finding Home Farms (Greenville), Love Bites Chocolatier (Monroe), City Winery Hudson Valley (Montgomery), Newburgh Brewing Company (Newburgh), Soons Orchards (New Hampton), and Brotherhood Winery (Washingtonville).

“The film scene in Orange County is booming, and local businesses are excited to welcome the many professionals comprising the films’ producers, directors, cast, and crew to their new home,” said Orange County Tourism and Film Director Amanda Dana. “This gesture is just a small way to remind our ‘film people’ that Orange County is not only a prime location for filming, but a place you definitely want to live, work, and play.”

The film adaption of Samuel D. Hunter’s play “The Whale” will star Brendan Fraser and includes other well-known actors including “Stranger Things” actress Sadie Sink and Samantha Morton of “The Walking Dead” and “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” as well as Ty Simpkins, and Hong Chau, all of whom received their own welcome basket with items donated by Orange County, N.Y., businesses. The premise of the film follows Fraser, who plays an English teacher in Idaho suffering from obesity who attempts to reconnect with his estranged 17-year-old daughter.

Filming for “The Whale” began in February 2021 and is expected to continue through mid-April. Umbra Stages has been home to the production crew with most of the filming taking place indoors at the company’s Stage 4, an 18,000-square-foot drive-on sound stage.

A24 and Darren Aronofsky’s Protozoa Pictures are teaming up for the first time on the upcoming film “The Whale.” With the role of attracting and stage-managing these award-winning film makers, Choice Films will be supporting the production.

Choice Films is a full-service production company that has been producing film, television, regional and Off-Broadway theatre, multimedia/web projects and live events since 2001. Helmed by Managing Partners Tony Glazer and Summer Crockett Moore, the company has offices in New York City, New Jersey, and manages a state-of-the-art production soundstage facility, Umbra Stages, in Newburgh, N.Y. The company also operates Below the Line Bootcamp, a non-for-profit training program dedicated to the training of at-risk youth in the basic fundamentals of film production and provides them with immediate opportunities for employment as Production Assistants.

“I think businesses are really excited to showcase their handmade and locally-produced products to the Hollywood talent making the region their temporary home,” said Orange County Film Specialist Nora Martinez. “Our office maintains a close relationship with Choice Films and many other production companies by assisting with scouting locations, recommending lodging, dining, and accommodations as well as making introductions to key municipalities and leaders. These baskets are a way to help the cast and crew feel welcome and, perhaps, consider making Orange County their permanent home. We plan to do a similar initiative when the cast and crew for HBO’s ‘White House Plumbers’ land here in April.”

“White House Plumbers” is a five-part limited series co-produced by HBO and wiip studios and is currently in pre-production. The show will star Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux, and revisit President Nixon and the Watergate scandal. ‘White House Plumbers’ combines information from public records and the novel “Integrity” to highlight Nixon’s “plumbers,” a covert White House Special Investigations Unit that included CIA officers E. Howard Hunt, portrayed by Harrelson, and G. Gordon Liddy, portrayed by Theroux.

For more information, visit orangecountynyfilm.org.

About Orange County Tourism and Film

Orange County Tourism, based in Goshen, N.Y., is the county’s tourism headquarters and a participant in the I LOVE NY program. A comprehensive listing of area attractions, lodging and events can be found at OrangeTourism.org. Follow Orange County Tourism on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news on local happenings.

About the Orange County New York Film Office

The film office represents the Orange County, N.Y. region to incoming and potential film productions and operates as an arm of Orange County Tourism. Among its services, the Film Office acts as a liaison between the film industry and government agencies in Orange County, helping to set up contacts within its municipalities and streamlining paperwork to help filmmakers who want to bring their productions to Orange County. Other incentivizing services provided by the Film Office include location support; permit assistance; crew and resource referrals; casting and crew call support. Additionally, the office assists productions with the New York State Film Tax Credit Program, the nation’s most stable and successful production and post-production tax credits – as much as 35% on labor and qualifying post-production projects to productions who bring their business to Orange County, N.Y. Learn more at www.orangecountynyfilm.org, or call (845) 615-3885.

About Choice Films

Choice Films is a full-service production company that has been producing film, television, regional and Off-Broadway theatre, multimedia/web projects and live events since 2001. Helmed by Managing Partners, Tony Glazer and Summer Crockett Moore, #TeamChoice has offices in NYC, New Jersey and manages a state-of-the-art production soundstage facility, Umbra Stages, in Newburgh, N.Y., working from development thru delivery for a variety of clients on many budget levels. For more detailed info visit: www.choicefilms.com.

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