For a long time, “film industry” meant one place. Hollywood. Now? New Jersey is having a moment. And not in a “cute little side project” way. In a way that says, “Wait… why is everything being filmed here?” In early 2026, film and TV production actually slowed down across the country. New Jersey said… no thanks. Filming here, in New Jersey, jumped about 45 percent.

So what changed? Why is New Jersey finding success where other states are not? The short answer? Several reasons!

The longer answer: New Jersey is seeing the benefit of lawmakers expanding and extending the state’s Film and Media Tax Credit Program, an investment that helped turn the state into one of the most competitive places in the country for film and digital media production. When production and digital media companies film here, hire here, and spend here, they get real incentives to do it. And it is working. We’re talking about Netflix building a massive studio at Fort Monmouth. Lionsgate in Newark. Paramount’s 1888 Studios in Bayonne. (1888 Studios). And so on…

And the impact goes far beyond the screen (although we love that the current hit show Big Mistakes was filmed right here in Jersey). Film crews eat at local restaurants. They stay in local hotels. They hire local workers and rent local equipment. That means more business for small shops, more foot traffic on Main Streets, and more dollars circulating in local economies across the state.

Another reason? Where else can you get beaches, cities, suburbs, farmland, and historic sites all within an hour-ish drive… Spoiler alert: You can’t!

Also, quick plot twist.

Before Hollywood was Hollywood, the film industry actually started here. Thomas Edison was developing motion picture technology in New Jersey, and Fort Lee was one of the first major film production hubs in the country.

So, this isn’t New Jersey trying something new. It’s New Jersey picking the story back up.

Lights are on. Cameras are rolling. And New Jersey? We’re not just in the background anymore.

We’re the featured act. The headliner. The main attraction.

Bravo New Jersey!

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