The film industry in New Jersey employed more than 8,500 people throughout 2023 – and that number is on the rise. Netflix is investing $1 billion to build its East Coast flagship production studio at Fort Monmouth, creating 1,500 industry jobs. Lionsgate is building a major studio in Newark, and 1888 Studios, the largest ground-up movie studio complex in North America, will soon call Bayonne home. It’s expected that by 2026, the motion picture industry in the state will amount to $1 billion per year and, by 2035, the industry will cross the multi-billion-dollar threshold. In recent years, the state has played host to a number of successful film and TV productions. According to the Motion Picture Association, New Jersey has seen $2.15 billion in wages through the film industry since 2020 – with more than 19,000 jobs created in the larger motion picture and television industry, including indirect and induced impact on local vendors. I recently spoke, via email, with Tim Sullivan, CEO of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to get a sense of what lies ahead for his state in film and television production. Here is that conversation.
Digital Cinema Report: Please introduce yourself.
Tim Sullivan: I lead the state’s principal agency for driving economic growth with the goal of making New Jersey a national model for inclusive and sustainable economic development. Since 2018, the NJEDA has grown into a comprehensive economic development organization dedicated to implementing Governor Murphy’s vision for a stronger and fairer New Jersey. This includes overseeing new programs that drive the state’s innovation economy, strengthen emerging and historic sectors, support small businesses, and cultivate equitable community development to create good jobs for residents and provide pathways to a robust economy and dynamic communities.
As part of the NJEDA’s strategy to develop emerging sectors, like film and digital media, last year, the Authority became home to the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission. The Commission is staffed by industry professionals and serves as a resource for production companies to promote film and television production in New Jersey.
DCR: To what do you attribute New Jersey’s recent successes in the motion picture business?
TS: Many factors contribute to New Jersey’s long-term success in the film industry, including:
In harmony with our values, New Jersey is championing a more inclusive and diverse business model in film and TV. That’s why we’re one of the few states with a film tax credit that includes a 2% or 4% diversity bonus for plans to hire women and minorities for key creative positions and production crews.
Under Governor Murphy’s leadership, New Jersey’s commitment to protecting and bolstering civil liberties has enhanced an already compelling case for filming in New Jersey, including NJEDA’s Film and Digital Media Tax Credit program, which includes incentives for productions filming in the state as well as for studios looking to create a more permanent, physical presence here.
New Jersey's diverse landscapes and urban settings are attractive to filmmakers looking for backdrops for their productions. These range from Princeton University, where key scenes from Oppenheimer were filmed, to the Jersey Shore, the Pine Barrens and more. New Jersey's proximity to major cities like New York City makes it convenient for film production, providing access to a wide range of resources, talent and services.
New Jersey offers well-equipped film studios, post-production facilities and a skilled workforce—all of which are crucial for filmmakers. Most recently, production giants Netflix, Lionsgate and 1888 Studios announced their plans in New Jersey. Netflix is investing $1 billion to build its East Coast flagship production studio and Fort Monmouth, creating 1,500 industry jobs; Lionsgate is building a major studio in Newark, and 1888 Studios, the largest ground-up movie studio complex in North America, will soon call Bayonne home.
DCR: Several recent feature films and television series were filmed all or in part in New Jersey. What projects stand out in your mind?
TS: New Jersey is the staging location for many films and television productions from box office hits and Academy Award nominees to independent gems that recently appeared at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Some of the most notable productions in film history feature New Jersey as a backdrop including Universal Pictures’ Oppenheimer, nominated for 13 Oscars and winner of five Golden Globes including the award for Best Motion Picture. Others include Paramount Pictures' Mean Girls adaptation, Warner Bros.’ thriller Joker, Zach Braff’s A Good Person, Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story, the Apple TV+ Emmy-Award winning television series Severance, and AMC’s upcoming The Walking Dead spin-off series The Ones Who Live. And, of course, it would be remiss of me to not include the long-running cultural icon The Sopranos as a monumental television series filmed throughout the state.
DCR: What, if any, tax incentives does New Jersey currently offer filmmakers?
TS: NJEDA’s Film and Digital Media Tax Credit Program provides a transferable credit against the corporation business tax and the gross income tax for qualified expenses incurred to produce certain film and digital media content in the state. The program offers eligible production companies up to 35 percent transferable tax credit on qualified film production expenses, plus an additional two percent or four percent diversity bonus for qualified productions. Since the revival of the tax credit program, production has boomed in New Jersey, unlocking opportunities for thousands of businesses, residents and filming locations across the state.
DCR: I assume New Jersey filmmakers take advantage of the post-production benefits of working in New York. Is that the case?
TS: In addition to New Jersey’s post-production facilities, editing suites, sound studios, visual effects companies and other related services, the state’s robust transit system allows for easy transportation of footage and materials between shooting locations both within the state and across the river to New York City. The transit systems, coupled with the proximity to the city enables filmmakers to utilize New York’s resources as well, should they choose to.
DCR: The New Jersey film and television production infrastructure is growing. Tell us about what’s happening in that regard.
TS: From the start, Governor Murphy has been determined to not only increase production, which we’ve done, but also attract major studios to New Jersey through the 2023 Appropriations Act. This act allocates significant state funding for numerous strategic economic development investments to support key industries, advance the innovation economy, continue to bolster recovery and spur statewide growth. It also allocates $15 million for a Film Industry Strategic Support Fund. The fund is focused on growing and strengthening the state’s film and digital media industry, including attracting film studio production facilities and expanding job opportunities, and pays for the Film and Digital Media Studio Infrastructure Program.
This is a competitive grant program that will proactively deploy $9.5 million to fund infrastructure improvements and site work connected to or in support of the development of a film or digital media studio production facility. The program aims to stimulate economic growth and enhance the state’s long-term economic competitiveness by supporting and encouraging strategic economic development investments in the Film and Digital Media sector.
These initiatives have helped boost a surge in production with increased interest from studios looking to set up shop in New Jersey. With Netflix, Lionsgate and 1888 Studios’ investments, the industry is expected to amount to $1 billion per year by 2026 and cross the multi-billion-dollar threshold by 2035. Thanks to the flood of interest from major content producers, we could see millions of square feet of studio space become available in the next three years.
DCR: What has been the economic benefit to New Jersey taxpayers?
TS: New Jersey has seen $2.15 billion in wages through the film industry since 2020 – with over 19,000 jobs created in the larger motion picture and television industry. Including indirect and induced impact on local vendors and other businesses, the Motion Picture Association reported a total of more than 57,670 jobs created in New Jersey.
Throughout the first six months of 2023 alone, the Garden State saw $550 million in film productions, including 46 feature films. According to Governor Murphy and the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission, over all in-state production spending from filmmaking exceeded $700 million in 2022 – besting the previous record of $500 million set for 2021 – and was on track to beat that in 2023 before strikes halted production. In addition, motion picture, television and digital media productions in the state created over 8,500 jobs throughout 2022, and that number is expected to grow significantly in the coming years after several major studios finish construction.
DCR: What does the future hold for the movie industry in New Jersey?
TS: I expect to see quite a bit of growth in New Jersey in terms of studio development. There are proposed projects in Atlantic, Essex, Hudson and Middlesex counties. Studio development will contribute to the growth of our economy, and further the state’s leadership in film and television.
Additionally, as more productions choose to film in New Jersey, more New Jersey communities and small businesses will see opportunities to showcase their towns and reap the economic benefits of local film and television productions. The New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission is working to help communities welcome large-scale productions through its Film Ready New Jersey program. This innovative program supports municipalities and counties as they work to accommodate location filming and market their communities as filming destinations, positioning the state as a top production destination.
The production boom and New Jersey’s competitive incentives are creating another renaissance. We have a lot of momentum in the industry already, and the Garden State is poised to build upon this in the coming years. As the birthplace of the film industry, our rich history is now back in center stage. We look forward to welcoming new productions and studios that will create jobs and support small businesses as we become an East Coast hub for the film industry.