Staten Island based filmmakers Mike Shane and Don Arangio directed this experimental short film called "5/Borough" that has recently made rounds on the internet, been screened at the Staten Island Arts Culture Lounge, and has been featured by the Staten Island Advance.

The short film takes Arangio and Shane on an exploration of all 5 boroughs of New York City, including the oft-forgotten 5th Borough of Staten Island. The duo makes a point to show the beauty of their home, showcasing it to an audience made up of all New Yorkers.

Here's how they described their interesting work on YouTube: "Five vignettes on each of the boroughs of New York, featuring Urban Exploration, street music, time lapse photography and graffiti culture. It's a love

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Staten Island based comedian, Colin Jost, most well known as the head writer and Weekend Update anchor on SNL's Saturday Night Live, is the driving force behind "Staten Island Summer." The film, which Jost wrote and stars in, is about a Staten Islander who is transitioning to life at an Ivy League university. 

The trailer (shown above) features references to the island that should be a treat for anyone from the borough. There's something about hearing "Great Kills" on screen that's pretty exciting. 

The film also stars SNL's Bobby Moynihan, Kate McKinnon, Fred Armisen, and Cecily Strong as well as comedian Jim Gaffigan, and fellow islander/rapper Method Man. If you'd like to see the film now, it's available on iTunes for $12.99, but if you're

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We're read a lot about the New York Wheel, which is coming to the north shore of Staten Island sometime in the near future. The attraction has been heralded as the beginning of a revitalization of Staten Island, along with it's sister project The Empire Outlets. Until now, you could only picture what the view might be like as a passenger on the 630ft, ~60 story attraction.

Recently, YouTuber Scott Grella, used a drone to simulate what a ride would look like and it's as beautiful as you might imagine. The video does a great job showcasing the Manhattan Skyline (as well as the greenery of our borough of parks) from St. George, directly next to the Richmond County Ballpark, home of the Staten Island Yankees. 

Many people are completely unaware that Staten Island almost had a subway line of it's own. Dubbed "The Staten Island Tunnel" by some, the passageway was planned way back in the 1910s and would connect our borough to the 4th Avenue line in Brooklyn. Construction was actually underway on the Brooklyn side, where 150 feet worth of tunnel was dug in Owl's Head Park.    John Hylan, NYC's mayor at the time, pulled the plug on the project, leaving Staten Island without subway service. The tunnel still lies dormant under the park in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.Later proposals to complete the tunnel, including the 1939 plans for the ambitious IND Second System, were never funded.    You can learn more about this project over on This Way on Bay. 

  On May 28th, Tracey Porpora of the Staten Island Advance did a great feature on Laird Klein realty. The piece focuses on Laird's gift of salesmanship.    Here's an excerpt:   

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Describing himself as a "natural-born salesman," Laird Klein thrives on closing "the deal."

"It is a feeling that's indescribable. When the phones are ringing, papers flying, and people shouting all to make a deal happen, the excitement that takes over is an emotion like no other," said the real estate broker, who opened his self-titled realty business in New Dorp last May.

"There is no greater feeling than hanging up a phone knowing that the deal has been made and all parties are satisfied. It helps remind me why I stayed in the industry

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