MPAA Applauds New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy for Signing New Production Incentive Program

July 3, 2018

New Legislation to Attract Major Film and Television Projects
at more Locations in the Garden State 

WASHINGTON – Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin today hailed the leadership of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy for his support of a new film and television production incentive. The newly signed law will create a tax credit of up to 35 percent of qualified expenses related to film and television production and is fueled by an up to $75 million budget allocation annually for the next five years.

“Governor Murphy’s vision to bring the economic and cultural power of storytelling to New Jersey was the catalyst for this strong production incentive program and his leadership was crucial to its enactment,” said Motion Picture Association of America Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin. “I also want to thank the sponsors of the legislation, Senator Loretta Weinberg and Assembly Commerce and Economic Development Chair Gordon Johnson, for their commitment to creativity and growth. This program will benefit New Jersey’s creative community for years to come by attracting major film and television projects that generate thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in economic development.”

Steven Gorelick, Executive Director of the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission, confirmed that there is great demand by the major TV and film producers to make New Jersey a prime production location. “My phone has been ringing off the hook in the past month since the New Jersey Legislature passed the incentive bill and the Governor announced that he would sign it,” Gorelick said. “We have been traveling all over the state with a number of producers scouting scores of locations for major productions.”

“There are at least ten motion picture productions and 15 television series — ranging from television networks and cable/satellite program services to Internet distributors — that are looking for locations in New Jersey or are in the planning stages to greenlight projects,” Gorelick added.

With the new incentive program, major producers, including 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures Entertainment, NBCUniversal, Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, ABC, CBS, HBO, Twentieth Century Fox Television, and Warner Bros. Television have all expressed interest in locating productions in New Jersey.

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About the MPAA
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) serves as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture, home video and television industries from its offices in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Its members include: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.; Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation; Universal City Studios LLC; and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

For more information, contact:

MPAA Washington, D.C.
Chris Ortman
(202) 293-1966
Chris_Ortman@motionpictures.org