With New Jersey as the backdrop for dozens of feature films over the past year, including “Oppenheimer,” “Inappropriate Behavior” and “Maybe I Do,” and major television series filmed such as “The Walking Dead: Dead City” and “Harlan Coben’s Shelter,” in-state production spending from filmmaking exceeded $650 million in 2022, besting the previous record of $500 million set for 2021.
Moreover, motion picture, television and streaming productions in the state created over 8,500 jobs in 2022 — a number that is expected to grow significantly in the coming years as several major studios finish construction.
In fact, the industry experienced a surge in production after Thanksgiving, according to a Tuesday announcement from Gov. Phil Murphy and the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission.
Total production spending in New Jersey has surged since 2018, when Murphy reinstated the Film and Digital Media Tax Credit program. The program, which was expanded in 2021, has made New Jersey a major filming hub on the East Coast.
“Following my reinstatement of the Film and Digital Media Tax Credit program and game-changing investments in our rapidly expanding film and television industries, production has exploded in the past four years, as more people learn what New Jersey has to offer,” Murphy said. “This huge growth has fueled thousands of jobs for New Jersey residents while providing economic benefit to our towns and cities.”
“People all over the state are experiencing the thrill of having the next box office hit or television series filmed in their community. These productions, plus the recent addition of some top-tier studio development projects, will continue to drive economic activity and create many thousands of employment opportunities for New Jerseyans from diverse backgrounds long into the future,” Secretary of State Tahesha Way said. “Gov. Murphy’s leadership of the state’s thoughtful, cross-agency approach is preserving New Jersey’s legacy as the birthplace of film and cementing its place in the industry as a nurturing home where creative careers and projects can thrive.”
“From the start, Gov. Murphy has been determined not only to increase production, which we’ve done, but also to attract major studios to New Jersey,” Tim Sullivan, CEO of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, said. “With 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.”
