Lights, Camera, Action! On Thursday, May 29, the Hudson River Museum will host Bright Lights: A Hudson River Museum Gala, celebrating luminaries in our community, the thriving arts and entertainment industries in Yonkers and beyond, and our next generation of leaders. This year, we proudly honor the 30th anniversary of the HRM Junior Docent Program, HRM Trustee Hope Davis, and Robert Halmi, award-winning Founder and CEO of Great Point Studios, the media company specializing in film and television infrastructure in our city.

Robert Halmi is an Emmy– and Golden Globe–winning producer of more than 400 film and television projects, the founder of the Hallmark Channel, and the visionary behind Great Point Studios. He has been the Chief Executive Officer of four public companies, the first at age 25. As President and CEO of Hallmark Entertainment, he transformed the business from a small production company into one of the first modern studios, with production, distribution, and broadcast all under one umbrella. These productions received 458 Emmy nominations and garnered 133 Emmy Awards.

In 2019, Halmi embarked on bringing to life his vision of creating major new film and television production facilities across the U.S. and abroad. In 2022, his vision became a reality with the opening of Lionsgate Studios Yonkers, the most comprehensive video and film production facility on the East Coast, and the first of many purpose-built TV and film production studios that Great Point intends to build, own, and operate. The unprecedented move not only injected vitality into Yonkers’s local economy and workforce, but also dramatically changed the landscape of the entire New York film and television production scene. Great Point Studios has since announced additional studio locations in Newark, NJ, Atlanta, GA, Buffalo, NY, and the UK.

Continuing his mission to transform Yonkers into a hub for global production activities through the power of education, Halmi founded The Robert Halmi Sr. Academy of Film and Television, which opened its doors in September 2024. The unique high school—part of Yonkers Public Schools—provides state-of-the-art educational instruction in the film and television industry, allowing students to engage in hands-on, project-based learning to prepare for successful career paths within the field.

Halmi is an active member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and serves on the board of the International Emmy Committee. He is also on the board of The Cold Water Conservation Fund. We are grateful to Robert Halmi for his outstanding contributions to the growth of film and television, his championing of arts and culture at the Hudson River Museum, and his strong commitment to education and employment in our region.

Learn more about our upcoming gala.