Longtime Tribecan Neal Marshad (since 1974!) is an Emmy Award–winning film and television producer, director, cinematographer and screenwriter. In 1978 he began what would become a decades-long collaboration with Saturday Night Live, producing Tom Schiller’s iconic “Schiller’s Reel” shorts — including Perchance to Dream, Java Junkie, Linden Palmer: Hollywood’s Forgotten Director, Falling in Love, Hooked on Sushi and notably, Love is a Dream, a beloved SNL short featuring Phil Hartman and Jan Hooks — and setting many of them in Tribeca. Neal’s work for CBS Sports earned him his first Emmy Award in 1982 for Super Bowl XVI.

See some of his stills from his SNL days below.

How long have you lived in the area? Where are you originally from?
I grew up in Croton-on-Hudson and it was in high school there that I first discovered my love of film and photography, thanks to my 9th grade earth science teacher who asked me to film the school football games and review the films with the team. I learned how zooming in on someone’s fumble was a guaranteed laugh. That stays with me today.

My father, Jack Marshad, set a creative example — he went to Boys High in Brooklyn, was granted a full scholarship to Pratt for graphic design and worked as an art director at LOOK Magazine. In the ’50s he opened his own studio. I became comfortable in Manhattan, as my family came to Dad’s studio often for a Broadway show and dinner, where I first learned to love Japanese food.

While studying film at NYU, I rented a small apartment on East 10th Street in the East Village. After graduating, I moved and rented a loft on Franklin Street before it was called TriBeCa. Fluxus artist George Maciunas — who had worked for my father — was the first to open my eyes to the low cost SoHo loft conversions in the early 1960s. He was buying entire loft buildings for $5,000 and selling full floors to artists like Yoko Ono, Ay-O, Nam June Paik, and Shigeko Kubota for $1,000.

Inspired, I set about “renovating” my fourth-floor walk-up on Franklin Street — though that’s probably too generous a word for what I managed with just a hammer, a hand-me-down table saw from my brother-in-law, and some paint. The landlord was nowhere to be found when it came to basic steam heat, working door locks, or an intercom. To stay warm during the harsh winters I installed a pot belly stove and burned wooden skids, which were in good supply on Franklin Street.

To let people in, we’d drop a key wrapped in a sock out the window wrapped and visitors would climb what we nicknamed “coronary hill” — a steep, creaky wooden stairwell that was (and remains) a fire hazard waiting to happen. After shivering through a winter, I decided it was time to find something better.

By 1978, with the help of a real estate broker, I found an early co-op loft nearby with sweeping Hudson River views, fireproof construction and, importantly, heat that actually worked. I sold the fixtures in the Franklin Street loft to New York Times food writer Raymond Sokolov, who answered my ad in the Sunday Classifieds. This was totally pre-internet — pre-fax, actually. The co-op cost a whopping $50,000 after I negotiated the seller, Ms. Carol Nelson, reducing her asking price of $80,000. And I’ve happily been here ever since.

What convinced me was the steel and cement fireproof certification; after seeing many wood buildings go up in flames around Tribeca, I could never shake the feeling the Franklin Street stairwell was a cigarette spark away from disaster.

Married? Partnered? Kids?
My wife, Erica Marshad, MSW, and I have been married for 42 years; we were married right here in Tribeca in our loft and we raised our two sons, Cameron, 36 and Tyler, 33, right here too — both went to Washington Market School. Erica has been president of our 10-unit co-op for over a decade, and she’s the driving force behind big building renovations, applying for grants from Build it Back, recovering from floods like Sandy, and effectuating Local Law 11 exterior restorations with Landmarks Preservation Commission approval to create our co-op roof garden — all the stuff that makes our landmark building feel like home to 10 families.

Pets?
We’ve always been dog people — after all, they’re pretty much the perfect humans, right? Over the years, you could often spot us at the dog runs at Pier 26 or North End Avenue with Russian Wolfhounds — seven in total (only one at a time). And these days we share our home with Malie, a 9-year-old mixed-breed rescue.

Where do you live?
I live in a landmarked 10-story red-brick Romanesque Revival building on a corner in northwest Tribeca. Around here it’s known as one of those classic downtown addresses — solid, a little gritty five-column with one elevator, built in 1899, and full of history. From our place you see the mix that makes Tribeca what it is: the river, the cobblestones underfoot, the neighbors who’ve been around long enough to remember when this was still warehouse territory.

What do you do for a living?
I’m a TV producer and digital agency owner known for producing and shooting for Saturday Night Live, directing the Superbowl for CBS Sports, and building a highly successful online ecommerce businesses for global brands like Chanel, BBC and Estee Lauder. I continue to create original projects, including the Tribeca-set dark humor murder mystery TV series “Tribeca Co-op” now in development with my producer partners G. Mac Brown (produced “The Departed,” “Men in Black 3,” “St. Vincent,” “Billions,” etc.) and James Signorelli (directed 400+ TV commercial parodies for SNL starting in 1976 for which the show is known, and comedy films like “Easy Money” with Rodney Dangerfield and Joe Pesci.) I wrote the pilot for the TV series with my LA writing partner Dash Finley, whose parents writer Susan Weiser Finley and actor William Finley were original Tribeca residents/neighbors of mine on Franklin Street here in the mid ’70s.

The best deal around
The best deal in town is a daily walk around Pier 26 with my dogs. You get it all — vibrant city life, the energy of Grand Banks and City Vineyard, kids laughing and playing in the playgrounds — and then the views: the Statue of Liberty, Manhattan’s skyline, the river dotted with sailboats, ferries, jet skis, and people out exercising and enjoying themselves. Pure good vibes.

Most-frequented restaurants
Olive’s is basically our version of “the place where everybody knows your name.” I’m in there at least two or three times a day — the coffee’s fantastic, and the owner, Nick Hartman, and baristas really know their stuff. By 5 o’clock, the craft beers on tap are hard to resist. When we’re in the mood for a big meal, we’ll head to Wolfgang’s — the steak is unbeatable, and honestly, the fish might be the best in all of Tribeca. We also love File Gumbo Bar, Los Tacos No. 1, Raoul’s (since they opened in 1970s), and Odeon (since it was called Towers Cafeteria).

For special occasions, I go to: Wolfgang’s. It’s only a block away, the service is spot-on, and honestly, the food just can’t be beat.

Best sandwich: Easy — the meatloaf at Olive’s. Chef Joe makes it, and you can smell its delicious aromas the night before when he’s baking it in their Vulcan convection oven. It’s the savory aroma that makes you forget whatever kale smoothie you promised yourself earlier. The meatloaf is tender, juicy, packed into bread that holds it all together without falling apart — a small miracle in itself. First bite in and you get it: this isn’t just a sandwich, it’s a statement. Around here, people will argue about a lot of things — parking spots, condo boards, Yankees vs. Mets — but nobody argues about Joe’s meatloaf. It’s the real deal.

Sweet-tooth satisfaction: When Erica and I sense a sweet tooth among us, Duane Park Patisserie is the place — and Madeline Lanciani is the wizard behind it all. Madeline made our wedding cake 42 years ago! I correlate our long marriage with her longevity in the hood. Her cakes, ring dings, croissants, and those chocolate-covered leaf cookies — they’re dangerously good. Madeline’s not just any baker — she’s a Michelin-starred pastry chef, which basically means you can forget every other dessert you thought was your favorite.

I discovered Madeline when my office was up on West 4th Street in Greenwich Village in the early 1980s when she was the brains behind Patisserie Lanciani a block down the street from my studio. I’d go there every morning for a croissant and cappuccino. When she came downtown and relocated in Tribeca I celebrated her proximity…and still do!

Most delicious cocktail: My “favorite” cocktail is a Beefeater martini with a twist, straight up, or a Tanqueray martini with three olives. But truth be told, I don’t even like cocktails that much. I’m a red wine guy, through and through. Preferably Merlot.

I usually order in from Estancia and I always order the Chicken Deshuesado.
When we order in, Katz’s is also at the top of the list — it’s always the pastrami on rye with mustard and sour pickles, no questions asked. We’re also big fans of LTD Pizza, and for me it’s not complete without their Caesar salad every time.

I can’t resist popping into Olive’s for the espresso, cappuccino, coffee or the beer – stuff that owners Nick and Toni have down pat any day of the week!

The last non-essential item I bought: a pair of 1986 vintage Klipsch speakers on eBay. I love the warm, rich audio quality of mid-1970s analog solid state — it’s got a depth and character you just don’t get with new stuff.

When I walk into my apartment, the first thing I see that I got around here is: a bronze sculpture by my friend the artist Oded Halahmy. He created it in his SoHo loft on Prince Street back when SoHo was still full of working artists, not billionaires, luxury boutiques and chain stores. His loft was raw, filled with sunlight cutting through big industrial windows, and the energy of Downtown when it was still affordable for creatives to actually live and work here.

Every time I see that piece, I’m reminded of the city I first fell in love with — the scrappy, bronzed, unpredictable, slightly rough-around-the-edges gritty New York where you could stumble into a loft, meet an artist, and walk out with a work of art under your arm. That sculpture isn’t just decoration, it’s a little time capsule of the old SoHo spirit and the Brooklyn art foundry Benny Makky on India Street where he fabricated it pouring molten bronze using lost wax process. Having it in my living room feels like keeping a piece of that world alive.

I’m so glad the Hudson River is in the neighborhood…
I’m grateful for the view and proximity of the Hudson River that runs through the neighborhood — it’s the city’s breath of fresh air. The light glinting off the water, the endless horizon, the rhythm of tides and sailboats — it’s a reminder that New York has always been connected to the wider world through this river. When I look out, I think about the centuries of ships that have passed along this route, carrying goods, stories, and people. It’s even the path Frederick Douglass traveled on his way here in Tribeca to freedom, a waterway that carried not just commerce, but hope. Without the Hudson, Manhattan would feel like it was closing in, but with it, there’s always space, history, and the sense of possibility flowing right past our doorstep.

How I stay fit: I cut out carbs and walk four to five miles daily along Hudson River Park, from Laight Street to Pier 40, then down around Pier 25 and 26 then into Battery Park City and back to northwest Tribeca. I love passing the playgrounds where my grandson played when he visited from Australia, stopping by the dog runs with our pup Malie girl, and just taking in the river — the boats, the birds, the wildlife you notice when you slow down. It makes the exercise feel less like a routine and more like being part of life’s daily rhythm.

Where I get beautiful… I get my haircut at Ray’s on Park Place

What’s the area’s best-kept secret?
We had a presidential family living across the street from us and United States Secret Service agents were protecting them and the residents in our building. Friends of ours who live in the building didn’t know.

A recent enthusiasm: The Yankees start of the ’25 season…but that quickly faded.

A worthy splurge: My favorite ’22 vintage French right-bank Bordeaux cab at Verve wine shop.

A recent case of sticker shock: A bottle of Peter Luger steak sauce at Gourmet Garage at Broadway and Franklin Street…over $10.

When my kids are older, they’ll always remember: September 11, 2001

Rainy-day activity: Putting the raincoat on my doggy and going for a walk under the sidewalk overhangs on landmarked buildings in Tribeca.

Advice for other parents: Teach your children to be kind.

I’ve never been to Mr. Chow’s and I don’t know why.

I’m sorry, Houseman, but I won’t be coming back.

How do all the med spas stay in business?

I tend to take out-of-towners to: Pier 25

My very favorite spot is my home in NW Tribeca

Pet peeve: The 1st Precinct hardly has any patrol cars out in the hood, instead they’re parked at the precinct building. A few weeks ago we waited over 45 minutes for the NYPD to arrive when an arsonist was setting fires outside my building.

If money were no object, I’d give it to all the immigrants who are homeless in Tribeca.

A doctor I’d recommend: Jeff Shapiro DDS

My most memorable celebrity sighting: Jim Gandolfini in the elevator at Dietz Lantern Building.

A local celebrity I’d like to run into: Taylor Swift

The most romantic spot around: our co-op’s rooftop garden.

Tribeca could use more NYPD on foot in the hood and fewer New Jersey drivers making right turns on red lights.

If I could change one thing about the neighborhood I’d replace the cobble stone streets with smoother pavement so bikers and scooters would not use the sidewalks.

A business I miss: Delphi, the Greek restaurant on Church Street

My best Tribeca story: One of my favorite stories is about my old friend Chuck Low, who was as much a fixture of downtown as the cobblestones. Chuck owned quite a few buildings in Tribeca. You know Chuck…he played Morris “Morrie” Kessler, the pestering wig salesman in Scorsese’s ”Goodfellas” who wanted his share of the Lufthansa heist. Chuck owned a building on the corner of Franklin and Hudson and, in a move that now feels legendary, rented a floor to Bob De Niro — back before “TriBeCa” was even a name people recognized. De Niro helped put Tribeca on the cultural map, but it was Chuck who quietly laid the groundwork by giving him the space.

Chuck also owned the building that eventually became our co-op. He used to tool around the neighborhood in his Cadillac convertible with his boxer, aptly named “Rocky,” sitting shotgun. Chuck always had a J&R El Presidente cigar smoldering in his mouth so you could smell him from down the block. He’d see me walking with my Russian wolfhound (hard to miss) and he’d shout: “Neal, I NEVER should have sold you that building!”

Of course… he was right…he got just $125,000 for the whole kit and kaboodle.

Someone who lives here whom I really think you should meet: Edward Albee, but alas, it’s too late…

Proof that change is good: I can remember a time when there were no stop signs or traffic controls on Greenwich and Laight streets (very busy intersections!) where automobiles exited the Holland Tunnel and the frequent sounds of car crashes.

A new building I admire: 70 Vestry. A new building I don’t: Jenga.

Best reason to go AboCa (aboveCanal): Raoul’s

If I couldn’t live here, I’d live in Santa Monica.

I wish you had asked me about all the films I produced, shot and edited in Tribeca for SNL. [Next time…]