New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's office has released a 13-minute documentary, "The Union of Pinnacle Tenants: A Short History of NYC Housing," which was funded by taxpayer money and focuses on tenant organizing. The film, produced in-house by the mayor's video division, features Mamdani and Cea Weaver, director of the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants.
"The Union of Pinnacle Tenants has shown what becomes possible when neighbors organize," Mamdani said in a press release. "Across nearly 100 buildings, tenants came together and won important victories that made real, material impacts in New Yorkers’ lives." He added, "This film tells the story of that organizing, but I hope it also reminds New York City tenants that the power to change their living conditions begins with one another. The most protected tenant is an organized tenant."
The documentary details how tenants organized across 93 buildings formerly owned by the Pinnacle Group. The Pinnacle Group reportedly had more than 5,000 housing violations and 14,000 complaints associated with its properties. The portfolio of 5,200 units in the Bronx and Brooklyn was subsequently sold to Summit Properties, which agreed to invest $30 million in repairs and forgive rent arrears.
The film also includes historical context on New York State's rent-control and rent-stabilization laws since the 1960s. Morgan Spector, known for his role in "The Gilded Age," narrated the documentary. The mayor's office stated that Spector was not compensated for his work.
Common Sense, a watchdog group, criticized the use of public funds for the film. "New Yorkers elected a mayor, not a Hollywood producer," the group stated. "When an undisclosed sum of public dollars is used to create a video narrated by a well-documented extremist in an effort clearly intended to generate viral attention, priorities have become recklessly misplaced. Good governance is about delivering real solutions to real problems, not merely generating headlines."
While the exact production cost was not disclosed, a review of comptroller's office records indicated that City Hall spent over $6,000 on recording equipment. Mamdani's office noted that previous administrations also maintained video units. This documentary is part of a broader pro-tenant initiative by the administration, which has included hearings and a "Right to Organize" letter reminding tenants of their rights to organize without landlord interference. Additionally, Mamdani's appointees to the Rent Guidelines Board recently enacted a one- and two-year rent freeze for one million rent-stabilized apartments.