With Tyrion Lannister himself, Peter Dinklage, living in our corner of the Hudson Valley, New Paltz is not entirely bereft of HBO star sightings. However, the college town will soon be the backdrop of the Emmy- and Peabody-winning series “Girls.”
At their meetings last week, town and village officials approved contracts with Half a Yogurt Productions LLC. – the production company behind HBO’s “Girls.”
According to the Town of New Paltz contract, which is for traffic control by local police, filming was scheduled to take place late Tuesday on Plattekill Avenue, Lookout Avenue and South Oakwood Terrace – all locations near the college.
According to Tobe Becker, HBO’s vice president of media relations, New Paltz will be filling in for the University of Iowa during an upcoming episode.
At the end of season three, protagonist Hannah Horvath (played by Lena Dunham) learned she’d gotten into the prestigious Iowa Writers’ Workshop. But back in March, UI denied the show permission to film on their campus. Jesse Peretz, the director of “Girls,” has searched for a replacement since then.
The details on the episode’s plot remain unknown, since Becker did not release that information. “We don’t want to get too specific,” she said.
Created by actress and director Dunham, and executive produced by comedy legend Judd Apatow, “Girls” is now shooting its fourth season. Since premiering in 2012, the hit comedy has amassed critical praise for its portrayal of 20-somethings in New York City.
The Iowa episode featuring scenes shot in New Paltz should air sometime early next year, according to HBO.
Cool.
There are so many locations in Ulster County that are prime for TV, film and print production.
While there’s fairly good momentum, it would be great to see this highly concentrated industry
in NYC be encourage to use us for locations as frequently as possible. Hotel nights, local hires,
food, materials, and other revenue streams that benefit from location-based productions.