( CNN ) It 's seen a rapacious Leonardo DiCaprio rip-off the gullible , Sarah Jessica Parker ponder sweet amor and an air-headed Brad Pitt harbor intentions of blackmailing a CIA agent -- all just a bridge away from the madness of Manhattan . In the old times , Brooklyn 's historic Navy Yard would be lucky to attract the stars of the silver screen to a USO show . Today , its home to one of the largest film studios outside of Hollywood . The `` Wolf of Wall Street '' , `` Sex and the City Two '' and `` Burn After Reading '' are just a few of the major motion pictures shot at Steiner Studios in recent times . More than 40 feature length and TV productions were filmed here in the last year alone . Studio chairman , Doug Steiner , opened the site just over 10 years ago . `` It was really awful looking with wild dogs -- literally wild dogs -- roaming the streets here , '' Steiner said . `` I liked the industrial landscape a lot and the opportunity . To me Brooklyn was a great opportunity waiting to happen because of the proximity to Manhattan . '' At its peak during World War II , the Brooklyn Navy Yard employed some 70,000 people . But the 1.2 square kilometer site fell into steep decline in the 1960s when the sailors moved out . Today , the yard is a vastly different place -- and not just because of the Hollywood A-listers strutting around . A non-profit corporation has been regenerating the location with the aim of creating new employment opportunities since the turn of the century . Steiner studios was one of the first tenants but others have followed . One former warehouse represents the corporation 's biggest project to date , with more than 90,000 square meters of space up for grabs and the potential creation of 3,000 new jobs . `` I think our influence on Brooklyn in general has been quite substantial , '' said David Ehrenberg , CEO of the Brooklyn Naval Yard Development Corporation . `` We were the first entity that started investing substantially back into these old buildings on the Brooklyn waterfront . `` And to some extent ( we ) proved a concept -- that manufacturing and industrial and creative companies would want to take root in Brooklyn , '' Ehrenberg said . Being at the forefront of these wider trends has helped attract a new type of workforce to the area . Steiner says housing prices within half a kilometer have risen up to ten times . Some 1,500 people already work at the studio , which is set on a path of rapid expansion . It is benefiting from the explosion in demand for high quality content across mobile devices - and Steiner sees it as part of a wider trend . `` Old media has always been based in New York City and continues to be based ( here ) , film and television has been anchored in LA and high-tech has always been in northern California , '' Steiner said . `` But I think right now we 're seeing everything coming together in New York . ''
Brooklyn Navy Yard has been transformed from disused site into hub of commercial activity . The new development is a major boost for the city, which was struggling to attract businesses and residents after years of economic decline.