Film Ready Initiative Is Transforming Towns Into Hollywood Backlots
By Matthew Hersh | Photo by Shutterstock
More than a century after Thomas Edison helped launch the motion picture industry in New Jersey, the Garden State is once again positioning itself as a major center for film and television production — this time by turning dozens of municipalities, soon including Princeton, into production-ready destinations for studios, streaming companies, and location scouts.
The effort is part of Film Ready New Jersey, a statewide initiative launched by the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) to help municipalities prepare for on-location filming while capturing the economic benefits of a rapidly expanding entertainment industry.
Since its launch in fall 2022 as a pilot program in Somerset County, 58 municipalities and counties have been certified as Film Ready Communities, forming a growing statewide network designed to streamline production logistics and make New Jersey more competitive with established filming hubs such as Georgia, New York, and California.
At its core, the program is intended to do more than attract occasional film crews or celebrity sightings. State officials describe it as an effort to build long-term infrastructure — training municipalities to manage productions efficiently, standardize permitting processes, and coordinate more effectively with production companies.
At the program’s launch, then-First Lady Tammy Murphy underscored the state’s geographic appeal.
“New Jersey’s range of landscapes — from bustling cities like Newark and Jersey City, to idyllic and pristine beaches, to farmland, wetlands, and forests — makes our state a uniquely diverse destination for film and television production,” she said.
That diversity, long one of New Jersey’s most defining but under-leveraged assets, has become central to the state’s strategy as it seeks to capitalize on renewed industry investment and rising production spending.
The Film Ready program is structured as a five-step certification process that guides municipalities through best practices for managing filming. Participating communities receive training in permitting, public safety coordination, parking logistics, road closures, insurance requirements, and communication with residents and businesses.
Modern filming using a digital video camera. (Shutterstock.com)
The aim, officials say, is consistency.
For years, productions filming in New Jersey often encountered widely varying rules from town to town. Some municipalities maintained formal permitting systems, while others handled filming requests on an ad hoc basis. Production companies frequently struggled to determine who oversaw approvals or what requirements applied.
Film Ready seeks to eliminate that uncertainty.
Jon Crowley, executive director of the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission, described the initiative as a way to create “statewide consistency” while offering guidance on “everything from permitting to public safety management.”
Municipalities that complete certification designate official film liaisons, establish formal procedures, and develop internal coordination plans designed to keep productions moving smoothly while minimizing disruption to residents.
The initiative arrives amid a broader resurgence in New Jersey’s entertainment sector. After decades in which production steadily migrated to states offering aggressive incentives, New Jersey retooled its own film tax credit program in 2018, sparking renewed investment from studios and streaming platforms.
Netflix Fort Monmouth, conceptual rendering. The final plan and architectural character is subject to change. (Courtesy of Netflix)
Since then, major players have moved into the state. Netflix has announced plans for a production campus at Fort Monmouth, Lionsgate is developing a studio complex in Newark, and soundstages have expanded across North and Central Jersey.
NJEDA CEO Tim Sullivan said the Film Ready initiative is designed to help communities take advantage of that momentum.
As more productions choose New Jersey, “the training provided by the Film Ready Program will generate an economic boost for communities across the state,” Sullivan said in a statement.
Supporters point to a range of local economic benefits tied to film production, from hotel bookings and catering contracts to transportation services, construction crews, and small business spending. Municipalities also benefit from permit fees and public safety reimbursements.
Former Secretary of State Tahesha Way said at the time of the initiative’s launch that the program will help ensure communities are “prepared and benefit as this industry continues to grow.”
Increasingly, towns view certification not only as a planning tool but as a branding opportunity.
Several films in production at Edison’s Bronx studio, c. 1912. Seated in the foreground, with his legs crossed, is British-American film director Charles Brabin; seated to the rear, with the card “26” under his arm, is Harold M. Shaw, an American stage performer, film actor, screenwriter, and director during the silent era. (Wikipedia)
The number of certified communities has expanded rapidly, with the newest cohort adding Edison, Fanwood, Garwood, Hamilton, Hanover, Highland Park, Hightstown, Lambertville, New Brunswick, Newton, Oceanport, Phillipsburg, Randolph, Robbinsville, and Shrewsbury. Earlier participants include Jersey City, Newark, Hoboken, Atlantic City, Rahway, Plainfield, Cranford, and Bergen County.
Each community contributes a distinct visual character to the state’s growing production map. Jersey City and Newark can double for New York or other major urban centers. Atlantic City offers casinos and its iconic boardwalk. Lambertville brings historic charm, while suburban towns such as Hamilton Township provide broad, residential settings frequently sought for television dramas and seasonal films.
“With our new certification, Hamilton’s iconic landmarks and charming locations are officially part of the state’s filming database,” said Hamilton Mayor Jeff Martin in a statement released following the township’s March 2026 Film Ready certification. “This presents an incredible opportunity for major studios and independent filmmakers to highlight the beauty of Hamilton along its stunning 40-square-mile radius. I hope this will not only attract more production companies but also benefit our local businesses and community.”
Smaller municipalities have also increasingly joined the effort, recognizing that while they may not host large studio facilities, they can still serve as attractive filming locations. Communities such as Highland Park, Newton, Fanwood, and Hightstown have begun positioning their downtowns, parks, and residential neighborhoods as production-ready environments.
Film Ready provides these towns with the structure to manage productions without overwhelming local government resources. Training sessions focus on coordination with police and public works departments, parking and traffic planning, resident communication, and fee structures.
For many communities, certification has also become a marketing tool — a signal to location scouts that a municipality understands production needs and can respond quickly in an industry where schedules are tight and decisions move quickly.
Princeton offers a particularly notable example of how municipalities are adapting to the state’s growing film economy.
This March, Princeton Council adopted a modernized filming ordinance that completed the final step required before applying for Film Ready certification.
The ordinance standardized permitting procedures and aligned local regulations with the state framework, reflecting growing recognition that Princeton’s University setting, historic architecture, and downtown streets already make it an attractive filming location.
Productions including IQ, A Beautiful Mind, and Oppenheimer have all used Princeton as a backdrop, drawn to its distinctive collegiate environment and historic streetscapes.
The updated ordinance established clearer rules governing filming in residential areas and public spaces while streamlining the approval process for production companies.
Council President Michelle Pirone Lambros said the effort reflects Princeton’s desire to support both the creative economy and local businesses.
“Princeton has long been a sought-after filming location because of its rich history, distinctive architecture, collegiate atmosphere, and abundant green spaces,” she said. “Productions such as Oppenheimer and IQ have already recognized Princeton’s unique character.”
As production spending in New Jersey surpassed $833 million in 2024, municipalities across the state have increasingly begun to view film infrastructure not simply as a cultural initiative, but as a practical economic strategy capable of generating tourism, visibility, and local investment.
And if there are any temporary disruptions, such as road closures, Film Ready communities are willing to manage those trade-offs in exchange for economic and reputational benefits. The program is not intended to encourage unchecked filming, but rather to ensure municipalities are prepared to manage it effectively.
Taken together, New Jersey’s tax incentives, studio expansion, geographic diversity, and growing network of Film Ready communities have positioned the state as a serious long-term competitor in the national production landscape.
More importantly, the state is building something more cohesive than a collection of isolated filming locations. From Newark to New Brunswick, Atlantic City to Princeton, municipalities across New Jersey are now part of a coordinated system designed to support and sustain a growing entertainment economy.
More than 100 years after Edison’s early studios helped define the motion picture industry, New Jersey is once again embedding itself in the future of filmmaking — not through a single studio lot, but through an interconnected network of towns prepared to become the backdrop for what comes next.
And That’s a Wrap: Notable Films Made in New Jersey
Before New Jersey was Film Ready, filmmakers already knew that New Jersey’s history, vast array of scenic landscapes, diverse downtowns and neighborhoods, and urban hubs make New Jersey an ideal film production location.
According to the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission, hundreds of feature films, TV shows, and streaming productions have been filmed throughout the state.
Along with the Academy Award-winning Oppenheimer, shot in Princeton, other recent productions filmed in New Jersey include Marty Supreme, A Complete Unknown, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, Song Sung Blue, It Ends with Us, and The Housemaid.
Comic book fans might recognize New Jersey from Joker and Joker: Folie à Deux, both of which featured scenes in Newark, Jersey City, and other North Jersey communities to create the gritty atmosphere of Gotham City.
The state has also played a starring role in films rooted in New Jersey culture itself. Kevin Smith’s Clerks II and Clerks III continued the filmmaker’s love letter to the state that began with Clerks, while Clint Eastwood’s Jersey Boys illustrated the rise of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.
Other notable films shot in New Jersey include Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, the Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark, The Trial of the Chicago 7, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Paterson, and Halle Berry’s directorial debut, Bruised. Television and streaming productions include The Sopranos, Succession, The Beast in Me, and Severance. The Equalizer and The Walking Dead: Dead City have also used locations throughout the state.
