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Rafael Espinal, the former City Councilmember who signed the death certificate on New York\u2019s 91-year-old Cabaret Law at Bushwick venue Elsewhere in 2017, is returning to city government as Commissioner of the Mayor\u2019s Office of Media and Entertainment.<\/p>\n
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the appointment Sunday, tapping the 41-year-old Freelancers Union president to oversee the city agency responsible for film permits, the Office of Nightlife, and NYC\u2019s $150 billion creative economy. The appointment brings full circle a career that began in Brooklyn politics and became nationally significant through worker protections and cultural policy.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cannot tell the story of New York without the artists who have shaped it,\u201d Mayor Mamdani said at the announcement, flanked by representatives from SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, and the Writers Guild. \u201cYet, the cost-of-living crisis is driving creatives out of our city. That is a loss we cannot afford.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bushwick Daily has covered Espinal\u2019s trajectory for nearly a decade. In our 2019 profile \u201cThe Bear and the Unicorn,\u201d<\/a> we described the then-35-year-old councilman as sporting \u201ctattoos of Strokes lyrics and a Jean-Michel Basquiat quote\u201d while counting \u201cRequiem for a Dream\u201d director Darren Aronofsky among his supporters. The profile captured a politician who bridged the gap between Brooklyn\u2019s creative class and City Hall.<\/p>\n That bridge-building defined his council tenure. In November 2017, we covered Mayor de Blasio\u2019s trip to Elsewhere<\/a> to sign the Cabaret Law repeal, legislation Espinal authored. The antiquated law, originally passed in 1926, had been used for decades to restrict dancing in bars and had disproportionately targeted LGBTQ+ venues and minority-owned establishments. Its repeal freed thousands of venues, including countless Bushwick bars and DIY spaces, to offer entertainment without a special license.<\/p>\n Just two months earlier, we reported from House of Yes<\/a> when de Blasio announced the creation of America\u2019s first Office of Nightlife, another Espinal initiative. The new agency would support DIY art spaces, music venues, and restaurants, complete with a \u201cNight Mayor\u201d position.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Cabaret Law repeal and Office of Nightlife creation happened in Bushwick for a reason,\u201d Espinal said in a 2018 interview with Bushwick Daily<\/a>. \u201cThis neighborhood understands what\u2019s at stake when we don\u2019t protect creative spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n Born in Woodhull Hospital to Dominican immigrant parents and raised in Cypress Hills, Espinal became New York\u2019s youngest elected official when he won a State Assembly seat at age 26 in 2011. He represented City Council District 37, covering Cypress Hills, East New York, Ocean Hill, Brownsville, and parts of Bushwick\u2014from 2014 until his resignation in January 2020.<\/p>\n During that time, he co-sponsored the landmark Freelance Isn\u2019t Free Act, signed in 2016, which became the world\u2019s first comprehensive legal protection for independent workers against nonpayment. The law has since expanded to New York State, Illinois, and California, recovering $2.5 million in unpaid fees for over 700 workers between 2017 and 2021.<\/p>\n After launching campaigns for Public Advocate<\/a> and Brooklyn Borough President<\/a>, Espinal left elected office to lead the Freelancers Union, where he\u2019s spent the last six years advocating for the 1.3 million New Yorkers, 34% of the city\u2019s workforce, who work independently.<\/p>\n As MOME Commissioner, Espinal will oversee five divisions: the Film Office, NYC Media (the city\u2019s broadcast network), the Office of Nightlife, the Press Credentials Office, and workforce development programs. The agency operates on a $4.4 million budget to support an industry generating $82-104 billion in economic output annually.<\/p>\n For Bushwick\u2019s creative community, the appointment signals continuity in pro-nightlife policy at the city level. The neighborhood\u2019s venues, from Elsewhere to House of Yes to Mood Ring to countless apartment DIY spaces, have benefited directly from legislation Espinal championed.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m honored to join Mayor Mamdani\u2019s administration and lead the Mayor\u2019s Office of Media and Entertainment,\u201d Espinal said. \u201cNew York City\u2019s artists, creatives, and freelancers have made New York City into what it is today\u2014if we want to keep our city\u2019s culture, it is critical that they can afford to live and work here.\u201d<\/p>\n His stated goal represents a shift from traditional film office priorities: rather than focusing solely on attracting productions, Espinal wants MOME to ensure \u201cthe people who work on those shoots can make the best possible wage under the most optimal conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n Espinal will report to Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su, who called MOME essential to \u201cgrow industries that make this city vibrant, that reflect its beauty and creativity, and that bring good union jobs to New York City.\u201d<\/p>\n For more news,\u00a0sign up for Bushwick Daily\u2019s newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\nFrom City Council to National Stage<\/h2>\n
What This Means for Bushwick<\/h2>\n
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