The network’s rooftop studio and event space on will feature clear views of Lower Manhattan, the Williamsburg Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge (Photo courtesy of HITN)
The Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp. announced this week the signing of a ten-year lease with HITN, the largest Spanish-language public-broadcasting network in the U.S. The move marks a significant expansion for the network in the Yard’s Building 292, where it currently occupies 21,000 sq. ft. HITN will take an additional 25,000 sq. ft. of interior space and 15,000 sq. ft. of rooftop studio space. The expansion will accommodate 40 to 65 permanent jobs, adding to the network’s 57 jobs at the Yard.
“As a mission-driven organization, we’re always looking to see if our tenants are delivering a diversity of high-quality jobs that are accessible to the local community, and HITN does exactly that,” said David Ehrenberg, president and CEO of the Navy Yard, in a press release. The additional space, he said, “will allow the organization, which has been here since 1996, to continue to thrive and grow at the Yard for years to come.”
The network has been on a planned expansion drive for the last three years, stated Michael D. Nieves, the network’s CEO and president. “We determined that in order for HITN to remain a relevant source of smart programming for Hispanic families, we would need to adapt to the evolving habits of ‘anytime, anywhere’ media consumption. I’m proud to say that these efforts are paying off. We now reach 43 million households and more Hispanic families than ever before.” He added: “Since Brooklyn has now replaced Manhattan as New York’s destination for media productions, it was only natural that our expansion occur at the Yard.”
The Yard is currently undergoing a $1 billion expansion–its largest since World War II–which will add more than 2 million sq. ft. of space and 10,000 new jobs by 2020. In the past two and a half years, HITN has hired 13 full time employees through the Yard’s employment center and offered internships to 23 high school and college students through a Navy Yard partnership with local schools and CUNY campuses.
HITN’s growing headquarters is situated not far from another Hispanic media outlet thriving in the borough: Remezcla, which has been headquartered in Williamsburg since 2008. The digital publisher, creative agency, and entertainment company is an influential brand among Latino Millennials.