New York’s film czar is finding out it is tough to follow a legend.
Cynthia Lopez, chosen by Mayor de Blasio last April to head the city’s Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting, is seen by many in the film and TV industry as too aloof, too slow to appoint crucial members of her team and not focused laser-like on attracting high-paying film-related jobs to the Big Apple.
In fact, in interviews, entertainment executives say New York Gov. Cuomo’s film office has stepped into a perceived vacuum and taken a leading role in attracting filming to the state.
“She hasn’t been networking with the studios,” one unhappy producer told The Post on Tuesday. He said he gave Lopez — who followed the results-driven and successful Katherine Oliver — awhile to get adjusted before looking for results, but after 11 months, “nothing has happened.”
Critics of Lopez point out the fact that last year, while the Oliver momentum was still bringing in film projects, New York captured 15 out of 45 TV pilots filmed nationally.
This year, the Big Apple has snagged just eight TV pilots out of 43, according to Deadline.com.
Rival cities Los Angeles and Vancouver both gained on New York, the Web site reported.
Before Lopez’ appointment in April, Gov. Cuomo’s film office led promotion of a deal to have Disney’s Marvel film land in New York State.
This month, Cuomo also took the lead in announcing Paramount’s decision to shoot “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2,” in Williamsburg — and Buffalo — although Lopez’ office says she was highly involved in those talks.
Albany, like New York City, gives tax credits to those who do post-production work in the state.
A source close to the Mayor defended Lopez — while agreeing that the state film office has been taking a larger role.
One reason Lopez may appear to be taking a more low-profile approach to the job — as compared to Oliver’s be-everywhere philosophy — is that her mandate from de Blasio is, to be sure, to attract business to the city but also to make it easier for minorities to jump onto the lower rungs of the well-paying film business and make movies more diverse.
But that’s hardly a huge concern for Hollywood.
To be sure, while the number of TV pilots to be filmed here this season is down, there are plenty of TV shows being filmed here year-round — like HBO’s “Girls.”
Lopez’ office said 46 TV series are filming in New York, up from 29 in the 2013-2014 season.
“Those pilots are next year’s work,” said a source, who admitted, “There’s been a downturn.”
Lopez’ office responded saying she had been out meeting industry folks tirelessly, adding that movie production rose 25 percent in 2013-2014 and that there were a record number of TV shows in 2014-2015.
Lopez also claimed a victory in getting the Teamsters to make a $160,000 donation to the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.