Film crew hire/New York/Production manager
Hire a production manager in New York. The bookings, the budget, and every certificate the city asks for.
Production managers for shoots across the five boroughs; on a US commercial, the line producer or production supervisor. They book the crew, kit, vans and locations, collect the COIs and the permit, keep the spend against the budget, and get a unit from a Midtown office to a Brooklyn stage on time. From $650 a day, paid to the production manager in full.
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- 2 hrs for our team to read your brief, in working hours
- 10 hrs a New York crew day, plus a meal break
- 500+ productions, filmed in sixteen countries
Photos: Here Now Films, Kelly Sikkema, Jakob Owens and Brands&People
The role
What a production manager does on your shoot
A production manager (PM) runs the logistics of a production, working to the producer. They book crew and kit, sort vans, travel and catering, chase permits and certificates, and track the spend against the budget. On the day, they’re the person who knows where everything is.
On a US commercial the same work is usually split two ways: a line producer owns the budget and the schedule, and a production supervisor runs the bookings and the paperwork. On a corporate or branded shoot one person often does both, and we call them a PM. Either way, New York adds its own layer: a COI for every building, location and rental house, a permit that lists every vehicle, and parking only for the vehicles on it.
- Everything booked. Crew, kit, vans, locations and catering, confirmed in writing.
- A budget that holds. Spend tracked against the budget every day, and overages raised before they happen.
- Certificates in order. COIs naming each building, location and rental house, filed before the dates.
- Movement planned. Call times, the vans, the unit base and where each vehicle parks, all on the call sheet.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- A 10-hour day, plus a meal break
- Booking crew, kit, vans and locations
- COIs for every location and rental house, requested and filed
- The permit application, when the shoot needs one
- Spend tracked against the budget
- The production file, handed over at wrap
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee, on the whole quote
- Payroll and insurance for the job, at cost
- Prep days before the shoot, which most jobs need
- A wrap day for returns and paperwork
- Permit fees, location fees and parking, at cost
- Travel outside the five boroughs, and any cars or vans, at cost
How our rates work, and the two ways to book: crew rates in New York.
Two ways to book
Crew hire or full production: who’s the producer of record?
One question sets the price: who’s the producer of record? Book a PM for your own production, or have us take the production on.
Crew hire
You run the shoot.
10% booking fee, on everything we book for you: crew, kit and travel. Payroll and insurance at cost, on their own line.
We do
- Find, book and brief the New York crew
- Every crew member employed for the job: payroll, workers’ compensation and COIs
- Book kit, vans and travel too, if you want them
- Send the full price, in dollars, before anything is booked
- One person to call all day
You do
- Run the shoot, or your producer does
- The plan, the schedule and the call sheet
- The location, its COI and any Mayor’s Office permit
- Responsibility for the production: you’re the producer of record
Payroll and insurance are their own line on the quote, at cost: payroll for each crew member, the insurance they need for the job, New York workers’ compensation included, and the certificates of insurance your location asks for.
Full production
We’re the producer of record.
From $20,000 for a New York production; most land between that and $75,000. One quote, in dollars, every line shown.
We do
- Our producer plans it with you and runs the job
- Locations, permits, kit, studio and travel, booked in the production’s name
- The production’s insurance, the COIs and the Mayor’s Office permit
- One quote and one contract with us, wherever you’re based
You do
- The creative calls
- Signing off the plan and the budget
The production’s insurance, the crew’s payroll and any permits are lines in the quote, so you see each one before you sign.
Not sure which you need? If your own producer or director will run the day, it’s crew hire. If you want us to take the production on, it’s a full production quote.
On the day
A day with a production manager, call to wrap
Day two of a three-day shoot: a Midtown office in the morning, a stage in Long Island City after the meal break. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 06:30 Unit base The cargo van at the building’s loading dock in the slot the building gave it, and breakfast in before anyone else arrives.
- 07:30 Crew call Badges at the lobby desk, radios out, and the day’s changes briefed with the producer.
- 09:00 Behind the scenes Tomorrow’s kit pick-up confirmed, a COI sent to the stage naming its owner, a hotel added for a late arrival.
- 12:00 The move Kit down the freight elevator and into the vans, and the stage told when to expect the unit and which door to open.
- 13:00 Meal break At the stage, on time, with the drivers briefed for the afternoon.
- 15:00 The numbers The day’s spend logged against the budget, and overtime agreed with the producer before it happens.
- 18:00 Wrap Kit secured or returned, timecards signed, tomorrow’s call sheet out.
Which kind
Which production role do you need?
The production office has jobs that overlap, and US commercials name them their own way. This is how we match one to a brief.
Production manager Logistics, bookings and the budget From $650 a day
Books and runs everything around the shoot and keeps the costs against the budget, working to the producer.
Best on multi-day and multi-location corporate and branded shoots.
Line producer The budget and the schedule Quoted on the brief
Owns the budget and the schedule from the first day of prep to delivery. On a US commercial it’s the line producer who builds the budget and runs the job against it.
Best on commercials, series and anything that runs for weeks.
Production supervisor Bookings, paperwork and the office Quoted on the brief
Works to the line producer on crew deals, rentals, COIs, permits, timecards and the production file. Local 111 covers the role on AICP commercials.
Best on commercials with a big crew and several rental houses.
Location manager Finds and runs the locations Quoted on the brief
Finds the locations, negotiates them, gets the owner’s yes and the COI they want, and runs them on the day. See filming permits in New York.
Best when the shoot moves between locations, or has one difficult one: a park with its own conservancy, an office lobby, a home through a location agency.
Producer Runs the day and the client From $750 a day
If someone needs to make the decisions on the day, that’s a producer. See producers in New York.
Best on one- and two-day shoots, where a separate PM isn’t needed.
What it’s for
What people book a production manager for in New York
Multi-day shoots
Three days or more, with crew, kit, vans and certificates to keep track of.
Several locations
A Midtown office in the morning, a stage in Long Island City in the afternoon, a loft in Brooklyn the next day.
Commercials
A line producer and a production supervisor for an AICP job, union or non-union.
Teams flying in
Productions landing at JFK or Newark that need the ground run in New York.
Parks and City property
A Parks Film Shoot Request and the permit, or a conservancy’s own process in Central Park, Prospect Park or on the High Line.
Recent work
Production management on New York shoots
Our work · Chelsea, New York · April 2026
A loft, the props and an extra camera
The AlTi × Nevis fireside chat was a one-day, multi-camera shoot, and most of the work was logistics. A daylight loft on West 24th Street in Chelsea, found on Peerspace and booked for the day. A New York crew. Props sourced in New York. And on the day, an extra camera operator and camera added to the set-up. On a one-day job like that our producers do the PM’s work themselves; a separate PM earns their place when there are three days and three locations.
How we crew it · New York
A certificate for every door
A three-day New York job needs more paper than most people expect. The office building wants to be named on a COI before it books the freight elevator. The stage wants its own. The rental house wants one before the kit leaves. If the unit parks trucks on the street, the Mayor’s Office wants $1,000,000 of general liability naming the City, with the certificate at the Film Office 48 business hours before the application (checked October 2026). Some buildings ask for limits high enough to need an umbrella policy. The PM asks every location for its requirement before it’s booked, and the cost goes on the quote, on its own line.
Before you book
Things to know
The day
- 10 hours, plus a meal break.
- Any overtime is agreed with you before it happens.
- Prep and wrap days are quoted separately.
Parking, vans and permits
- Parking privileges come only with a Mayor’s Office permit, for the production vehicles listed on it; personal cars, minivans, SUVs and pick-ups don’t get them.
- The permit costs $500 for each 14-day period, one permit per shoot day; City buildings managed by DCAS add a $3,200 fee (checked October 2026).
- Kit moves by cargo van or a grip and lighting truck; vans, fuel and tolls go on the quote at cost.
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the production manager.
- 50% when you book, 50% on receipt of the final rushes.
- Every line on the quote: day rate, booking fee, payroll and insurance, kit, travel.
- Cancellation terms are on every quote.
Employment and insurance
- Every production manager we book is employed for the job, on payroll, with New York workers’ compensation.
- Certificates of insurance (COIs) for your location or permit, naming whoever needs naming, on request.
- On a crew hire the location, its COI, the permit and your own general liability stay with you. When we’re the producer of record, the production carries them.
- In New York, Here Now Films books its crews through established New York production companies, so every crew member is employed, on payroll and fully insured for the job.
$650 a day
No published union scale for a line producer or production supervisor in New York. DGA scale for a unit production manager is $1,052 a day (checked October 2026).
| Day rate, 10 hours | $650 |
| Booking fee, 10% | $65 |
| One day, before payroll, kit and travel | $715 |
Every production manager we book in New York is employed and insured for the job. Payroll and insurance are their own line on the quote. What that covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the production manager.
- Every crew member employed and insured for the job
- 50% at booking, 50% on the final rushes
- Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours
Or call us on +44 7412 543822.
Reviews
What clients say about our crews
Straight from our Google Business Profile.
Book a production manager in New York.
Tell us the dates, the locations and what needs booking. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. Or call us on +44 7412 543822.
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The whole crew
Every role in New York, booked the same way
One brief, one quote in dollars, every role on its own line. Our day rates in New York, paid to the crew member in full:
Production 06
- Director From $1,500
- Producer From $750
- Production manager This page $650
- 2nd AD $600
- Production assistant $250
- Runner $250
Camera 07
- DP From $1,200
- Camera operator $750
- 1st AC $700
- 2nd AC $550
- Steadicam operator From $1,500
- Gimbal operator $750
- Drone operator From $1,000
Data and playback 02
- DIT $750
- Video playback $650
Sound 01
- Sound mixer $850
Hair, make-up and costume 02
- Hair and make-up $650
- Costume $700
Art department 02
- Art director $750
- Set builders $550
Post-production 01
- Editor From $600
How our rates work: crew rates in New York. Or start from a set-up: interview crews and units in New York.
Questions
Hiring a production manager in New York: questions
How much does a production manager cost in New York?
Our New York production managers start at $650 for a 10-hour day, and the PM is paid all of it. Local 111 covers line producers and production supervisors on AICP commercials, and we quote its scale on request; DGA scale for a unit production manager is $1,052 a day, before fringes (checked October 2026). On top goes our 10% booking fee, so one day comes to $715, before payroll and insurance (at cost, on the quote) and travel. Most shoots need prep days too, quoted separately.
Who employs the crew, and are they insured?
Every crew member we book in New York is employed for the job and fully insured: payroll, New York workers’ compensation, and certificates of insurance for your location or permit. Payroll and insurance show as their own line on the quote, at cost. On a crew hire, the location, its COI and the permit stay with you, because you’re the producer of record. If you’d rather we were, it’s quoted as a full production.
What’s the difference between a production manager, a line producer and a production supervisor?
They’re three names for overlapping jobs. A line producer owns the budget and the schedule for the whole production. A production supervisor runs the logistics that make them happen: crew deals, rentals, certificates, permits and timecards. On US commercials you’ll usually see both, and Local 111 covers them on AICP jobs. On a corporate or branded shoot one person does the lot, and we call them a production manager.
Do I need a production manager or a producer?
For a one- or two-day shoot, a producer can do both jobs. Book a PM as well when the shoot runs for several days, moves between locations, or has a building, a stage and the City all wanting certificates. The PM takes the vans, the permits, the COIs and the money, and the producer stays with the client and the day.
Can a production manager sort permits and parking in New York?
Yes, and on a shoot with vans it’s most of the job. A Mayor’s Office permit costs $500 for each 14-day period and brings free parking privileges for the production vehicles listed on it, plus free police assistance; personal cars, minivans, SUVs and pick-ups don’t qualify. The PM sends the COI to the Film Office first, applies at nyceventpermits.nyc.gov/film, lists every vehicle, and files a Parks Film Shoot Request first if a park is involved (checked October 2026).
What does a New York location ask of a production manager?
A certificate of insurance first. NYC buildings and locations ask to be named as additional insured, often with limits high enough to need an umbrella policy, which cost about $2,000 per million on one of our jobs. Then the house rules: floor protection down before the kit comes in, a booked freight elevator and crew names for security. A studio near Union Square was $4,200 a day on one of our jobs; location-agency homes start around $5,200 for a 12-hour day plus cleaning (checked October 2026).
How far ahead should I book a PM in New York?
A week of prep is normal for a multi-day New York shoot, and the earlier a PM starts, the more they save. Our latest New York shoot, Nevis × Focus, was filmed twelve days after the first email. The City sets the real dates: the Film Office processes most permits 48 to 72 business hours before the shoot, Times Square needs seven business days, a park at least five, and an NYPD drone permit 30 (checked October 2026). Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours.