THE EXPLOSIVE GROWTH OF FILM AND TV PRODUCTION FACILITIES IN THE NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY AREA

By CHIP DEFFAA

Editor-at-Large

Film and television production facilities—spurred by generous tax incentives–continue to expand rapidly in New York and New Jersey.  And for all in the New York-based entertainment community, that’s very good news.  And it’s an under-reported story.

Major players are putting a lot of money into the development of new studios, which will give New York and New Jersey an unprecedented ability to compete with Hollywood and London.  The studio complex that Netflix is currently constructing in New Jersey—to be completed in 2028–will add no less than 12 soundstages to the region, along with a sizable grassy backlot, on a 289-acre campus.  That will be an enormous addition to the East Coast film and television eco-system, with tremendous positive benefits for many in the entertainment community.

The new film and television studios in the region will not only generate considerable economic activity,  they will give talented actors, writers, directors, designers, and other creative people in the theater world more reasons to stay in the New York area rather than move to L.A.

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Here are some developments worth noting.

This year, Manhattan’s very first purpose-built motion-picture studio, “Sunset Pier 94 Studios,” opened its doors. This long-anticipated 5.4 acre, $350 million facility has now secured its first major client–a network TV series.  The facility boasts six sound stages (the largest being 20,000 square feet in size, with a 36-foot clear height), four private production suites, premium support space, and high-tech infrastructure.   It can handle anything from major motion pictures and television productions, to commercials, to Internet productions. And it’s been designed so that everything needed for a production can be done on site.  The  new “Sunset Pier 94 Studios” are at the Hudson River, by West 54th Street.

New York City already has several thriving motion-picture and TV studios in Queens—the most recent addition being Robert DeNiro’s state-of-the-art “Wildflower Studios,” which opened in Astoria (as noted in these pages at the time) in December of 2024.  Additional film studios are in development or have opened in Newark, Bayonne, the Bronx, Paterson, and  Monmouth County, NJ.

The addition of each new studio to the region makes it easier for producers to shoot in the New York area. And it provides more opportunities for New York-based artists.  In England, theater, film, and television are all centered in London, which keeps all of the creative talent in one place.  Because so much American film and television production has been based in Los Angeles,  many actors, writers, directors, and designers have moved from New York to L.A.  New York should be able to hold onto more creative talent as more and more studios open in and around New York.

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Right now, real-estate developer Alan Mruvka, co-creator of “E! Entertainment Television,” is creating a $250 million film studio—called “Filmology Labs”–in Paterson, New Jersey. (The new studio hopes to open this summer.)  The location (50 State Street, Paterson)   is terrific—just  off Route 80, only 15 miles from the George Washington Bridge.  Property is inexpensive in Paterson–a “steal” compared to Manhattan, or even Queens. The studio can make good use of existing, vacant former factory and mill buildings with high ceilings. (Paterson was once known as the “Silk Capitol of the World,” but when synthetic fabrics come along and demand for silk production lessened, Paterson’s silk mills were shuttered.)

The studio’s forward-thinking plan is to create some spaces particularly suitable for content-creation in the digital age, including vertical micro-dramas and AI-driven media formats.  Mruvka also plans to offer some permanent, standing sets, which filmmakers may choose to use (rather than building entirely new sets from scratch)  to reduce production costs.

Mrvuvka also intends to  work with local schools to train people to work at the studio.  The studio’s design plans include a commissary that can feed up to 200 people at a time. And that’s good, too—a vote of confidence in the success of the project–although there are plenty of good, inexpensive places to eat within easy walking distance of the studio.

“We are thrilled to welcome Filmology Labs to Paterson,” said Paterson Mayor André Sayegh in a statement. “This significant investment will create jobs, spark innovation, and help position our city at the forefront of the evolving media and entertainment economy. Projects like this generate new opportunities for residents, support local businesses, and accelerate Paterson’s continued growth and revitalization.”

 That’s not just hype.  I’ve long felt that Paterson—with its close proximity to New York, huge vacant former mills, and much lower costs in general compared to NYC–would make a great location for film and television production  (And I even wrote the Mayor, some years back, urging such development.)    I wish Filmology Labs every success.

And I give credit, too, to the government figures in both New York and New Jersey who have used tax credits and other incentives to attract film production from L.A. to New York.  John Lindsay, in his years as Mayor of New York City (1966-1973) started that ball rolling.  And while subsequent political leaders have sometimes dropped that ball, in recent years leaders from both parties, in New York and NJ, have realized that luring film and TV production to  the region pays off economically.  And they have sought to create tax incentives to attract film and TV production to New York and New Jersey, away from California, Canada, and Great Britain.

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In December of 2025, Netflix closed on a deal (reportedly costing upwards of $900 million) to acquire and re-develop 289 acres in Monmouth County, NJ that formerly served as the site of the Fort Monmouth Army base.  Construction will extend from 2026-2028 to create a mega-studio campus that will feature  a whopping 12 soundstages totaling nearly 500,000 square feet, production and office buildings, a cafeteria, retail shops, trailer parks for crews, a theater, a hotel and visitor attractions, and a grassy, outdoor backlot.

This will be, by far,  the biggest investment in film and television production in New Jersey’s history.  “Netflix Fort Monmouth” –as Netflix’s East Coast production hub is being called–is receiving support from the State of  New Jersey’s tax incentive program, which offers companies a 35% to 40% credit on productions that spend at least 60% of their budget in New Jersey.

Netflix co-chief executive Ted Sarandos stated this  month  that since New Jersey’s current tax incentive program went into effect, seven projects “which were slated to go to the UK [have been] pulled back into New Jersey.”