• by Amanda Domurad , July 7, 2009

While Mayor Michael Bloomberg admits that New York City's financial industry is still quite shaken, he gave off a vibe of breezy optimism at Tuesday's press conference regarding the future of the city's media industry. And so it is that Hive@55 is coming to NYC. No, it's not a trendy new restaurant.

Bloomberg, along with members of New York's media sector, stood up at the podium, looking into faces painted with doubt in the IAC building, and announced eight initiatives to help bolster the future of New York City media jobs.

The initiatives included things called the NYC Media Lab, the Media Tech Bond Program, Media and Tech Fellowship, NYC Start-up Procurement Initiative, NYC Big Apps Competition, Jumpstart New Media, and International and Domestic Recruitment. While those seven steps -- heavy on mentoring and encouragement but light on financial incentives -- were well-intentioned, one other stood out as having a bit more sparkle than the rest. The "Media Freelancer Hive@55."

Hive@55 is an initiative by the City, which will be located on 55 Broad Street in Lower Manhattan. With help from the Downtown Alliance (in the form of leasing and fitting out a 5,000-square-foot space), the city will provide media professionals with a space to work. The NYCEDC is assisting with a $100,000 grant to help with start-up costs. The goal of this new location aims at "maintaining New York City's competitiveness by attracting and training top talent." Essentially a hub that will hold 50 freelancers at a time, Hive@55 will be a place for media professionals to go to access services like contract editing, news, feeds, and conference space. Bloomberg said with a slight smile: "We expect the hive to be buzzing ... pardon the pun."