New Jersey Goes Hollywood: How Film Ready Towns Are Becoming Screen Stars
By: Dr. Susan Adelizzi-Schmidt, Ed.D., MBA, Suasion Communications Group President
As of early 2026, the Film Ready New Jersey program has significantly expanded, positioning the state as a top national production hub behind Los Angeles and New York. For New Jersey downtowns, this marks a transition from early adoption to a booming economic driver, with the state recording $833 million in qualified spending, a 44% increase over the previous year.
New Jersey’s Film Ready program, led by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) in partnership with the New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission (NJMPTVC), has quietly turned many of our Garden State towns into movie and television sets in an increasingly competitive industry. Municipalities are doing the work behind the scenes so that when Hollywood scouts call, the answer is a simple, “yes, we are Film Ready.”
The Film Ready program has been years in the making and the industry has responded. Netflix has announced an investment of nearly $1 billion in a production hub at Fort Monmouth to access the state’s diverse backdrops and incentive programs. Several major films have already started or completed production in New Jersey since the program’s launch, including Happy Gilmore 2, which filmed in several North Jersey towns, and the box office hit It Ends with Us. The Oscar-nominated A Complete Unknown, filmed in Cape May, Jersey City, and other locations. An upcoming Steven Spielberg science fiction film, Disclosure Day, starring Emily Blunt and Wyatt Russell, shot scenes in Woodbine and other South Jersey locations in early 2025 and is scheduled for release in June.
From small towns to major city look-alikes and architectural doppelgängers, communities across the state portray other places, provide atmosphere and scenery for a story, and offer mountains, beaches, and vibrant downtowns. The NJEDA has been working with municipalities statewide not only to entice filmmakers and studios to bring their productions here, but to prepare towns for the incoming production boom.
The Film Ready program is expediting a quiet shift in Hollywood, taking blockbuster productions beyond Los Angeles and into locations across New Jersey. It provides towns with the training and knowledge needed to accommodate film productions of all sizes, enabling them to capitalize on the economic momentum of the industry’s growing presence in the state.
Film Ready New Jersey is a five-step certification and marketing program that educated municipalities on the fundamentals of motion picture and television production and sets clear standards for attracting filmmaking. The Film Ready designation provides an elevated platform for certified communities to promote themselves as filming destinations and connects film and television professionals with skilled and knowledgeable liaisons across the state.
The Film Ready certification is a signal to prospective productions that your town is prepared to accommodate them. Becoming Film Ready tells studios that your town offers the professionalism, organization, and resources expected from a premier filming location.
Step 1: Attend a ‘How to Become a Film Ready Community’ Workshop
Representatives of municipal governments receive training and guidance from industry professionals, local mayors, and Commission staff, and walk away with a practical toolkit to attract and welcome productions to their community.
Step 2: Designate a Film Ready Liaison
The designated Film Ready liaison must be employed by a division of the city or county’s local government and serve as a skilled and knowledgeable official who understands the ins and outs of the community.
Step 3: Adopt a Formal Permit Process
Municipalities must either pass a film ordinance that promotes media production in a way that is mutually beneficial for residents and industry professionals alike or adopt administratively enforceable guidelines recommended by the Commission.
Step 4: Upload Film Locations
A community affiliate submits photos of ten or more interesting and frequently requested filming locations for inclusion in the Commission’s location library. At least ten images per location, along with a public description, are required.
Step 5: Submit a List of Local Resources
A list of at least five current local production resources, such as caterers or food trucks, restaurants, lodging, construction suppliers, car rentals, office suppliers, or security services, must be compiled and submitted.
The Film Ready designation provides an elevated platform for certified communities to promote themselves as filming destinations and connects film and television professionals with skilled and knowledgeable liaisons.
There are many benefits to becoming Film Ready and welcoming film and television productions to your town.
Attracting Productions
The Film Ready certification serves as a clear signal to prospective film and television productions that your town in ready to accommodate them. It demonstrates that your municipality may offer everything studios expect from a filming location.
Clear Guidelines for Accommodation
Being Film Ready means your town already has standardized procedures outlining what to expect when hosting a production, how to interact with production teams, and how to manage logistics such as location agreements, ordinances, and neighborhood notifications.
Economic Benefits
Film productions can employ anywhere from a few dozen to several thousand people. Many bring hundreds of on-site employees into a municipality for weeks at a time, all of whom utilize local lodging, catering, restaurants, and retail shops, providing a meaningful economic boost to towns and cities.
Visibility and Tourism
For communities seeking to strengthen local tourism, serving as the backdrop to a film or television show increases visibility and enhances name recognition long after production wraps.
At Suasion Communications Group, we have collaborated with towns across the state to identify and promote their unique brands. With the tools provided by Film Ready, it is more important than ever to understand these new dynamics and position your town to become the next big screen star.
Every town has something distinctive to offer. Sometimes that identity simply needs to be defined and elevated. Whether it is a charming downtown, beaches, natural landscapes, or exceptional nightlife, understanding what residents and visitors value most is essential to strengthening a town’s brand. With a Film Ready certification, filmmakers are made aware of what your community has to offer.
Through the Film Ready program, towns can prepare for prospective production partners, creating economic opportunity and silver screen visibility, while offering studios distinctive filming locations.
For more information on the program, visit: https://www.nj.gov/njfilm/filmready-nj.shtml