Sound stages New York where a lot more and even larger commercials are filling up a lot more and greater soundstages. Happy days are here once more from top executives at New York's soundstages. With demand for their facilities meeting and sometimes exceeding supply, these managers are daring to hope that '80s-style prosperity is coming back to their neck of the media woods. Some facilities, particularly Silvercup Studios, in Long Island City, N.Y. have expanded pending an ongoing upswing in business. Others have come into existence atop the ever rising tide of production activity.

A fad for large-scale TV advertisements which required tens of thousands of feet of on-camera production space has been part of the reason for this upsurge. Movies have led the trend, but television series pilots, advertisements, music videos and home shopping programs have followed suit. And then there's the most sensational of soundstage tenants: the depraved television talk show or "shout show." An increasing number of the programs gravitated to The Big Apple, in part to attract studio audiences from the city's ever-increasing pool of ranting psychotics. All of the above have added to the current wave of studio construction. But a few executives say there is a risk to the current situation. If in fact it is the go-go '80s all over again, they note, the industry should likewise keep in mind the chance of another economic downturn in its wake.

Tucked away on top an old warehouse atop of one of Broadway Stages' numerous production facilities, is a 6,000 square foot urban farm. Brooklyn-based Broadway Stages is among one of New York City's biggest full-service film and television, music video production and industrial studio facilities. Apart from hiring thousands of people, and creating hundreds of local job opportunities they are home to the very first solar powered sound stage as well as the first organic rooftop farm in The Big Apple.

Now in its third growing season Eagle Street Rooftop Farm is a collaboration between Broadway Stages as well as the green roof design and installation company Goode Green. The farm likewise operates a small community supported agriculture (CSA) program, as well as an onsite green market, and serves area restaurants even going so far as to deliver the produce by bike. Furthermore, together with Growing Chefs, the rooftop farm hosts a range of informative as well as volunteer programs intended to bring city-dwellers closer to their source of food. They invite the local community to compost on-site and for a lot of the school groups visiting, it is their first time going to a farm or putting their hands and fingers in the earth.

Sound stages New York is a good illustration of going far beyond in greening efforts and creating distinctive joint ventures. It makes sense as food and art so frequently seem to come together in the building of neighborhoods. Just like Arcola Theatre in London with its green roof, vegetarian organic caf and community potlucks the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm has turned into a community hub as well as meeting place for its neighborhood.