In Loss to the Greenpoint Community, the Park Deli Is Set to Close

Park Delicatessen, a haven for Polish comfort food, is known among the Greenpoint community as the go-to location for delicious Polish cuisine. The family-owned restaurant, known simply as Park Deli to locals, has been serving traditional Polish cuisine to thousands of hungry Brooklynites year round for nearly a decade. Unfortunately, Krystna Godawa, owner of Park Deli, recently announced the closing of its doors on August 1 due to a two-fold increase in rent.

The beloved restaurant was a popular destination for many members of the Broadway Stages family. Richie Vetere, a member of the theatrical union at Broadway Stages, notes that, "there's going to be a lot of disappointed teamsters." Vetere says around 75 workers at Broadway Stages rely on the Park Deli to satisfy their craving for chicken cutlets, Swedish meatballs, sauerkraut, and crispy pierogis. In addition to workers from Broadway Stages, Park Deli is also a favorite eatery for production workers who use Broadway Stages' sound stages to film hit shows such as Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Blue Bloods. The popular spot is also a beloved destination for local 94th Precinct policemen and policewomen looking to satisfy a long day's work with hot delicious food.

Broadway Stages is sad to see that our fellow Greenpoint business and beloved Polish restaurant will soon close. We have always supported local restaurants such as Park Deli as part of our Brooklyn commitment. Broadway Stages always looks to buy local because we believe in supporting our neighbors. We advise you to visit the Park Deli located at 209 Nassau Ave in Greenpoint, Brooklyn while you still can to show as much support as possible until August 1. Don't miss the chance to try one of the most amazing home-cooked Polish meals in Brooklyn!

Join Broadway Stages in Supporting the YMCA 5K Run

The Brooklyn Cyclones baseball team sponsors an annual 5K run to raise funding for a select cause or institution that benefits the New York public. This year, the fundraising event will raise money for the YMCA of Greater New York.

Participants can choose any participating YMCA branch to receive their donations. On July 15, runners will start at Surf Avenue and finish at home plate of the Cyclones' MCU Park. In addition, event benefactors will enjoy free food and beverages to refuel post-run and also receive tickets eligible to view up to three Brooklyn Cyclones games.

Broadway Stages President Gina Argento has been an avid financial supporter of YMCA events, with this month's 5K run being no exception. Gina has regularly supported the YMCA at Greenpoint and the YMCA Strong Kids' Campaign, and she is a recent recipient of the YMCA Volunteer of the Year Award.

Following in Gina's footsteps is Anthony Fong, General Counsel of Broadway Stages and a board member of Flushing YMCA. Anthony joined the board in 2017 and has financially supported the Flushing YMCA to reach its campaign goals for the 5K run.

Gina and Anthony encourage you to join the YMCA for a day of funding and fun. What are you waiting for? Sign up for the run on July 15 and show your support for the YMCA!

Broadway Stages Supports North Brooklyn Businesses

Broadway Stages has stayed true to our North Brooklyn and East Williamsburg neighbors and businesses by always trying to purchase materials and source services from Brooklyn vendors. Believing that Brooklynites are part of the Broadway Stages family, Broadway Stages is an active and participatory member of Evergreen, an organization with the goal of supporting Brooklyn businesses in need of business advising.

Evergreen manages the Industrial Business Zones and Empire Zones of North Brooklyn by providing businesses with reliable and quality assistance in tax credits, financing, energy, workforce, and real estate. Responsible for assistance in business service needs of over 10,000 business in the Industrial Business and Ombudsman Zones, Evergreen is committed to growing a variety of different Brooklyn businesses. With the identical missions to make businesses competitive and successful, Broadway Stages works together with Evergreen to combine our resources for greater positive impact.

Committed to positively impacting business owners, Broadway Stages provides Evergreen with funds required to sustain its business advising service and assistance programs. Looking to raise the number of successful businesses, Broadway Stages believes our active participation as an Evergreen member will help thousands of businesses receive essential business resources and services.

Broadway Stages recently sponsored Evergreen's Annual Celebration, allowing us to directly support Brooklyn businesses by increasing funding for high-quality business services, business advising, and business networking opportunities. Together with Evergreen and other fellow Evergreen members, we can build a stronger Brooklyn business economy!

Broadway Stages President Gina Argento Leads the Ridgewood YMCA With the Community Leader Award

The YMCA encourages children to achieve great success through physical and mental activities. Designed to emphasize friendship, social responsibilities, and healthy living, the YMCA plays a positive role in shaping youth behavior and attitudes to inspire positive growth and development. YMCA staff teach altruism and benevolence to its young members to mold youths into role model citizens.

Deeply believing in the importance of youth education, Gina Argento, President of Broadway Stages, actively participates as a board member across various YMCA organizations spanning between Queens and Brooklyn. She has dedicated countless hours and financial resources to ensure that New York City youths are provided with youth development programs, which are shown to have a significant impact on a child's mental and social growth. Committed to instilling positive qualities in the next generation, Gina sponsors and contributes to the YMCA to provide the necessary financial resources required for program operations.

In recognition of her continued support and youth commitment at the Queens Community Ridgewood YMCA, Gina has been selected to receive the Ridgewood YMCA's Community Leader Award. Given to the most impactful participating member, the Community Leader Award celebrates the tremendous efforts of the YMCA's most accomplished members in changing the lives family and youth.

With past recipients of the award including Sen. Joseph Addabbo and New York Council Member Elizabeth Crowley, Gina joins her peers in helping to create a better future for New York City youth. Gina plans to continue to support youth programs and only looks to expand her positive influence in the future!

Broadway Stages' Rooftop Farms Featured on PX11 With President Gina Argento and Growing Chefs' Annie Novak

Broadway Stages Rooftop Farms, established in 2008, continues to be an active supporter of the green movement and helps New Yorkers eat right with high-quality fresh ingredients. Recognized as one of New York City's and Brooklyn's first urban rooftop farms, Rooftop Farms has been the world-renowned driving force behind Brooklyn's healthy eating movement and has played a pivotal role in encouraging green landscapes for the benefit of Brooklynites.

Sponsored by Gina Argento, President of Broadway Stages, Rooftop Farms was created to become a communal space for Greenpoint and Brooklyn residents to enjoy and learn the benefits of growing vegetables in a modern city environment. Gina and Broadway Stages have dedicated nearly a decade of financial support for rooftop operations to allow Brooklyn locals the opportunity to source fresh vegetables and quality ingredients right in their backyards.

In partnership with Gina and Broadway Stages, Annie Novak, founder of nonprofit Growing Chefs, closely maintains the operations of Eagle Street Rooftop Farm along with a dedicated team of interns and volunteers. Annie has been an invaluable member of New York's growing farming scene and shares a vision with Broadway Stages to change the way Brooklynites eat food.

Broadway Stages' Eagle Street Rooftop Farm was recently featured on New York's PX11 news channel in a segment detailing the growing popularity of urban farming. Annie and Gina gave PX11 the full story behind the partnership that established Rooftop Farms almost 10 years ago. Looking to bring quality foods to New Yorkers in a convenient growing space that provided an unparalleled level of transparency, Annie and Gina wanted to set an example and set the standard of the changing food industry in New York. Naturally, Rooftop Farms and Annie Novak have always been at the forefront of advocating for clean and naturally grown foods to replace chemically altered foods founds in most supermarkets.

Astoria Performing Arts Center and Broadway Stages Bring Theater to Astoria

Astoria Performing Arts Center (APAC) is a community-based theater organization with the founding mission to be the center of dramatic and musical enrichment for Astoria residents. With shows that range from cultural performances to classical revivals, APAC reflects the diverse cultures and people of Astoria through its various theatrical showcases. The organization has won more than 40 New York Innovative Theatre Award nominations and an Off-Off Broadway Review Award.

Recognizing the immense popularity of theater in Astoria, Broadway Stages President Gina Argento has teamed up with APAC to help deliver incredible performances to local audiences at no charge. Gina's financial contributions are also used to help organize annual summer camps provided by APAC to educate students in playwriting.

By sponsoring APAC events, Gina hopes to increase community interest in theater and provide New Yorkers with the opportunity to attend world-class theatrical performances without any financial barriers. Her financial support for APAC helps support actors and actresses, maintenance, and general operations costs, which allows community members to attend for free.

Broadway Stages President Gina Argento Advises College Graduates on Entering the Workforce

Fortune's Question of the Day aims to answer public concerns or questions in the business world regarding entrepreneurship, economy, and finance, amongst other topics, with the help of business professionals and industry experts.

To help recent college graduates gain an edge in the job market, Broadway Stages President Gina Argento commented on Fortune's Question of the Day,
What advice do you have for college graduates entering the workforce?”

  1. Don't make generic cover letters!
    "The ones that stand out say more than just, 'I have experience with film.' That is already expected when applying to a film production company." To make the cut, you need to personalize your cover letter and express why you will be the ideal candidate for the position you are going to fill. Think about how your strengths will be applied to that position.

  2. Get excited!
    The more excited you are for the position, the more excited your interviewer will be. Show that you are excited to learn about and willing to grow into and beyond your new position. "At Broadway Stages, I look for my staff to become experts in their field, whether it's in filming equipment, woodworking, lighting, or another area. Their expertise isn't expected on day one, but when we hire, we look for those who have potential to grow and become leaders of their team." Learning is part of the process when first entering the workforce, but showing that you will go beyond your daily assignments speaks key.

Go out there and make your way to the top of the interview list and land that job!

Follow Gina Argento on Fortune's Leadership Insider Network here!

Broadway Stages Makes the Effort to Stay Brooklyn Local

Broadway Stages has always operated with the commitment to reinvest back into Brooklyn communities, to share our success with local community members and businesses. By going local, Broadway Stages is able to help positively impact local economies and allow Brooklyn businesses to prosper as we have. It only makes sense to give back to those that have helped you!

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Broadway Stages President Gina Argento encourages Brooklynites to stay Brooklyn local too! Operating in Brooklyn for over 30 years, Broadway Stages has always actively sourced construction material, food, and services from the Greenpoint neighborhood. Broadway Stages sources coffee daily from Café Grumpy, lunch from Greenpoint restaurants, and soundstage construction material from native Brooklyn craftsmen, ranging from woodwork to metalwork.

In addition, Broadway Stages has been a longtime supporter of educational and community programs for the benefit of Brooklynites. Iconic venues such as Rooftop Farms, Brooklyn's first urban farm, or Kingsland Wildflowers, Greenpoint's wildlife and plant community space, were both supported and constructed by Broadway Stages for the purpose of community enrichment. Broadway Stages wants the Greenpoint community to know that we appreciate your continued support and will continue to reinvest our success back into the Brooklyn community!

Broadway Stages Congratulates NYWIFT and Designing Women Honorees 2017 With Amy Schumer, David Costabile, Rosario Dawson, and Variety Magazine!

Broadway Stages would love to give a big shoutout to the lovely presenters Rosario Dawson, Krysten Ritter, David Costabile, Carmen Ejogo, and Amy Schumer and a big round of applause to New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) Designing Women honorees Sarit Klein, Pamela May, Stephanie Maslansky, and the rest of the Jessica Jones team for their exceptional work! Congratulations on a well-deserved award and long overdue recognition for your individual commitments and sacrifices to make Jessica Jones happen. Broadway Stages is thankful for your continued dedication and your revolutionary contributions to the TV and film industry.

The night was truly a one-of-a-kind experience as celebrities came together to celebrate the achievements of outstanding women in the film and television industry. The event recognizes the many hours of hard work that go into designing the minute details of an on-screen character's hair, makeup, and clothes. The artists behind these details often create the personality of characters as much as the actors and actresses playing them. Actress Krysten Ritter, who plays Jessica Jones, agrees that the tremendous efforts by Designing Women honorees truly breathe life into the characters on the big screen.

After the ceremony, NYWIFT members shared their incredible energy with attendees, discussing the amazing work of the Jessica Jones team and the impressive teamwork that goes into a production like Jessica Jones. To top off the night, the Jessica Jones team shared funny and embarrassing behind-the-scenes stories that led to laughter for the whole crowd in attendance.

Once again, Broadway Stages would like to thank NYWIFT for sharing this incredible night with us, and we hope to be back again soon!

Broadway Stages General Counsel Anthony K.C. Fong Esq. with Rosario Dawson, Recipient of the varIEty emsemble award

NYWIFT Executive Director Terry Lawler with Rosario Dawson

Broadway Stages Guest and Friend Bronx Supreme court hon. marc whiten and actor david costabile

Amy Schumer at the NYWIFT Designing WomEn Ceremony

Park Stewardship With Broadway Stages and Open Space Alliance!

Gina Argento, green activist and president of North Brooklyn's Broadway Stages, is celebrating with fellow North Brooklynites at the Amazon Studio to recognize the communal effort to help secure parks for the residents of Greenpoint and Willamsburg.

Partnering with Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn (OSA), Gina, on behalf of Broadway Stages, has committed financial resources for the use of park-enhancing services and park-expanding programs as part of her duty as a park steward. Gina pledges her continued support to OSA to make Brooklyn parks safe, clean, and green for community members.

Gina's contributions to OSA have only helped contribute to OSA's mission to provide park services to all Brooklyn parks within the Community District 1 area. Committed to improving park conditions and raising awareness for the need to maintain public spaces, OSA relies on community funding and support like that from Broadway Stages to effectively operate and perform its services. Gina, a known supporter of local Brooklyn businesses and community programs, thinks that Brooklynites should support one another. Broadway Stages is proud to help provide our community with clean, safe, and open parks for Brooklyn.

Gina encourages you to join her and OSA in securing Brooklyn spaces and parks for Brooklynites to use to enjoy recreational activities. Help support a community mission to maintain and create parks!

Summer Rooftop Fun With Broadway Stages' Rooftop Farm

The summer season is in full swing and so is our Rooftop Farm! Broadway Stages’ Rooftop Farm, hosted and funded by Broadway Stages president Gina Argento and founder Tony Argento, welcomes you to join our urban farm atop our Eagle Street warehouse overlooking the beautiful Manhattan cityscape.

The Rooftop Farm began with the idea to encourage New York City residents and businesses to pursue a greener New York City skyline. Since 2008, the Rooftop Farm has grown and produced thousands of pounds of fresh, safe, and delicious produce for neighborhood families and community members. Partnering with local Brooklyn restaurants, Rooftop Farms delivers quality-grade vegetables to ensure restaurants are serving the best foods they can.

Rooftop Farms is not only a prime destination to get fresh high-quality ingredients, but it is also a great place to learn about the urban farm movement and techniques to help start your own miniature urban farm. Urban farming education is provided by Rooftop Farm staff dedicated and passionate about keeping greenery in New York City. Visitors will learn about the impacts of urbanization on the natural environment and how urban farming can help diminish its effects. Come visit our Rooftop Farm today and learn how you can make a big impact on the environment and enjoy fresh, all-natural produce!

Broadway Stages President Gina Argento Supports Green Pillars

Broadway Stages President Gina Argento follows four fundamental green pillars that she always seeks to improve upon and encourages others to adopt.

Solar: The power of the sun and its virtually unlimited energy supply should not be underestimated. Solar energy is one of the most powerful resources available and has the potential to power all our energy needs if properly harnessed. Taking a step to replace traditional energy sources, Broadway Stages has been sourcing a significant portion of our energy demands directly from the sun. Sitting under direct sunlight at our Kingsland rooftops are rows and rows of large solar panels. This is part of our solar commitment dating back to 2010, which has saved Broadway Stages over 1,200,000 kilowatt hours annually from traditional sources like nuclear, coal, and gas.

Nature: Contributing back to the natural environment by growing more plants is the most direct way to embrace the green revolution. Planting vegetables or garden greens is crucial in reducing carbon emissions surrounding the metro area. As the top consumers of carbon dioxide, plants directly replace carbon in the air with breathable oxygen. Concerned about air quality and carbon levels, Gina has supported the urban farm revolution since 2008 by creating Rooftop Farms. In operation for almost a decade now, Rooftop Farms has served the Brooklyn community by providing fresh organic vegetables on the edge of Greenpoint while replenishing oxygen in the air.

Water: Water is the one of the most limited and important resources in the world. Learning how to efficiently and effectively utilize water to maximize its output is a challenge that needs to be solved. To help protect the water supply and promote conservation, Gina is teaming up with NY Sun Works to sponsor innovative hydroponic technology education for the next generation. Teaching students to use only a fraction of traditional farming methods, hydroponic technology maximizes water resources by reducing water for crop production by up to 90% compared to conventional farming.

Wildlife: Essential to the preservation of the natural ecosystem, wildlife populations are indicative of the quality of New York City landscapes. However, urbanization threatens to destroy and hinder growth of our native bird species. Hoping to protect New York City wildlife, Gina has partnered with the New York City Audubon to jointly improve and prioritize the safety of New York wildlife. The integrity of wildlife is necessary to the revitalization and conservation of local landscapes across the five boroughs.