NEW YORK CITY-Mayor Michael Bloomberg is working to ensure that New York City remains the media capital of the world. Hizzoner announced two media initiatives on Tuesday: the launch of Cornell NYC Tech's degree program in Connective Media and the opening of the Made in NY Media Center by the Independent Filmmaker Project in DUMBO.

Connective Media is the first degree program to be offered by the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Technion-Cornell Innovation Institute at Cornell Tech, a two-year masters degree designed to train the entrepreneurial engineers and technologists needed in the media sector. Meanwhile, the Made in NY Media Center by IFP is an incubator space for storytellers, creative professionals and entrepreneurs across multiple disciplines to collaborate and create new business opportunities through education, entrepreneurship and content creation. It is the result of a partnership between the Mayor's Office of Media & Entertainment, the IFP and the New York City Economic Development Corporation as the latest step to bring innovation to the local media, digital and entertainment industries.

“We can't take our position as the world's media capital for granted, because the way media is produced and consumed is changing dramatically,” says Bloomberg. “Media creators and tech companies have a lot to gain from a strong, collaborative working relationship – and New York City will reap the benefits of that partnership in the form of job creation and global competitiveness.”