UMBRA Stages of Newburgh and ChoiceFilms continue to expand the film industry in the greater Newburgh area.

The UMBRA Stages are managed and operated by Tony Glazer and Summer Crockett Moore of Newburgh. According to his biography page, Glazer is an award-winning writer, director and producer. According to her website, Moore is an award-winning actress and producer.

In 2011, Glazer and Moore partnered with current owners of the stages, Ted Doering, and his partner, Jean Lara to take over the management of the stages. That same year, Choice Films at UMBRA Stages was born.

“When we arrived, there was only one stage with limited infrastructure,” Glazer said. “Under our management, the stages have grown to three active and fully booked stages with three more stages currently under construction.”

UMBRA has worked on several productions that include Hometown Kickstart for HGTV, White House Plumbers for HBO, and The Pale Blue Eye for Netflix.

In the early days of the pandemic, Glazer said he was very apprehensive and uncertain about the future of the film industry.Now with health guidelines in place, UMBRA Stages operates again with full production. “I never lost hope, I always knew we would all find a way to adjust and live with this ‘new normal’,” Glazer said.

Since UMBRA’s first days of operation in the greater Newburgh area, the reaction and reception of their work has been positive. Now, Glazer hopes that UMBRA can perform and provide more outreach to the local Newburgh community and connect with residents.

“I mean it when I say that we want the success of the film industry here in Orange County to be a success for everyone,” Glazer said.

Within UMBRA, the company offers work opportunities in security work, production assistance, and to be a part of the office staff.
For those interested in learning more about the production field, visit Below the Line Bootcamp. The Below the Line Bootcamp, according to the website, is a non-profit program that offers the opportunity for anyone interested to learn more about the production field. Once completed, graduates can expect entry level work and advancements in career opportunities in the production and film industry.

For Macy Clarke, an assistant prop master, despite having a degree in TV production, she did not enter the production field immediately.

It was through a former teacher that she was able to meet Glazer and Moore and attended the boot camp and has been working for UMBRA for a year.

For Clarke, having both Glazer and Moore not only help support her career but also during the pandemic, she is grateful to have them as resources and support.

“In an ideal world, I would work with Summer and Tony for the rest of my career, just because they are great people,” Clarke said.

As a Newburgh resident, she recognizes that if more people from her community learned more about the opportunities that UMBRA offers, the interest can grow and jobs can lead to new career opportunities.

For the past year, Andrew Lopez has been working at UMBRA full-time, working a variety of jobs and learning new skills along the way.

As a former student of the boot camp, he remembers taking a tour of the stages, speaking to a variety of professionals from the industry, and learning about the ins and outs of the field.

It was in college that Lopez first met Glazer and Moore and was cast into a role for a production.

As Lopez continues to work with UMBRA, his interest in the film industry has grown and he is thankful to have been given the opportunity to break into the film industry.

Lopez’s goal is to see a written work or creation of his be made or produced later on in his career.

An accountant at ChoiceFilms, Brandon Scott also first started working with the company after attending the boot camp.

Working alongside Glazer and Moore has been a great experience and he is happy to be working at UMBRA.

“They’re [Tony and Summer] hands down the best bosses I’ve ever had and probably will ever have,” Scott said.

For Scott, while he enjoys accounting, he also enjoys video editing and working in production has always been a dream for him.

Within the Town of New Windsor, the former Tarsio Lanes building, a former used car sales lot, the former Anthony’s Pier 9 venue and another commercial lot along New York State Route 9W are proposed locations for new stages to be constructed.

According to Glazer, UMBRA will go before the Town of New Windsor Planning Board for public hearings and the goal is to have these spaces operational by the fall of this year.