Comedian Jackie Martling's Long Island home featured in "Blue Bloods" season 13 finale
BAYVILLE, N.Y. -- "Blue Bloods" fans tuning in for the season 13 finale might recognize a bit of the Long Island landscape.
A house in Bayville was used as a location in the episode. The owner said cashing in on the current content craze was well worth it.
Jackie "the Joke Man" Martling, a former writer for "The Howard Stern Show," said renting out his house for the "Blue Bloods" finale was no laughing matter.
"I always tell the neighbors, 'Relax, the circus is coming to town.' And they give money to everybody, and gift cards. So everybody wins," said Martling. "Anything they do to the house or rearrange is put back precisely."
In March, Martling's beach, kitchen and bedroom were shot as backdrops for the hit show. His home was also used in "The Affair" and "Instinct."
Long Island locations have long had star quality - and not just private property. Last week, "American Horror Story" was filmed in downtown Huntington.
"We have every kind of location that you would want to look for, from haunted cemeteries to country villages," said Joe Schramm, director of the Town of Huntington Office of Film and Television.
Huntington just launched the Office of Film and Television to tap into the booming content business, which brings $900 million a year to Nassau County's economy.
Huntington will offer base camp locations and public safety.
"It's a net win for everybody that's involved, specifically the Town of Huntington because this is being done at no cost to the taxpayer," said Town Supervisor Ed Smythe.
The trickle-down effect is a win-win. While production companies are making movies, restaurants are making money.
"That's good for small business. One day they come to us, next day they go to a different kind of food," said Shawn Zad at Faz's Tex Mex Grill, which received an order to feed a production crew of 30.
Discover Long Island, the region's officials tourism marketing organization, said:
Major films and trending TV series are powerful tools for marketing a destination that have proven to drive tourism and have lasting benefits on local economies.
Popular shows and films can catapult a destination into a global spotlight - elevating awareness, enhancing a destination's image, reaching infinite viewers across generations and audiences that traditional marketing efforts simply cannot.
In addition to inspiring visitation, they can generate their own dedicated tourism activities, like Long Island's various "Spy Trail" tours showcasing the region's prominent role in George Washington's Culper Spy Ring operations, made famous by the AMC series TURN or Long Island's Gold Coast mansion tours showcasing the grand estates that inspired The Great Gatsby.
The Gold Coast is a sweet spot because producers save on labor costs within a radius of Manhattan.
Martling lists his house with the Nassau County Film Commission. Anyone can.
"Everybody I mention it to, 'my favorite show, my uncle's favorite show, that's my mother's favorite show,'" said Martling. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited. I'm gonna have my popcorn."
Martling wouldn't say exactly how much he was paid, but indicated it's tens of thousands of dollars. There were no spoilers, either. He'll be watching for the first time with everyone else.
The "Blue Bloods" season 13 finale airs Friday at 10 p.m. on CBS2.
