New Jersey- Hollywood East
Netflix is building a massive film and TV production campus at the former Fort Monmouth base — a multibillion-dollar project envisioned to be a major East Coast hub. 1888 Studios in Bayonne is under construction and has secured Paramount as a long-term anchor tenant.
Other major players like Lionsgate are also adding studio facilities in Newark. These facilities are designed for feature films, TV shows, soundstages, backlots, post-production and more — not just one-off location shoots. New Jersey’s Film & Digital Media Tax Credit Program — reinstated and expanded over the past several years — offers competitive tax credits (often 30–40% of qualified production costs, plus diversity bonuses), making it economically attractive compared with other states.
The state has also funded infrastructure grants and workforce training to support the growing industry.
Hundreds of productions are now shot in the state each year, with record production spending and thousands of local jobs in film crews and related services.
New Jersey’s diverse scenery — urban streetscapes, shore towns, forests, suburban neighborhoods — makes it useful for many kinds of filming. Local communities are even adopting “Film Ready” certification to make towns easier to shoot in.
Proximity to NYC’s talent pool, crew base, post-production facilities, and transportation infrastructure gives New Jersey a practical edge over other East Coast states. NJ’s growth is rapid and structural, not temporary. Investments in studio campuses mean companies will have long-term physical bases in the state.
The nickname Hollywood East reflects both marketing and real industry shifts as East Coast production grows.
New Jersey is emerging as a major film and TV production hub on the East Coast — earning the “Hollywood East” label in industry circles due to strategic tax incentives, major studio builds, and growing production volume. It may not unseat Los Angeles overnight, but it’s a legitimate and rapidly expanding center for entertainment production
