If you’ve been watching Hollywood come to New Jersey and wondering whether there’s a seat at the table for you, the answer is yes. And you might not have to go any further than your local community college to get there.
New Jersey’s film industry is in the middle of a genuine boom. Netflix is building 12 soundstages at the former Fort Monmouth site. Paramount is developing 1888 Studios in Bayonne. Lionsgate has moved into Great Point Studios in Newark. Productions are up 45% year over year. The New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission reported that 556 productions were filmed in the state last year, hiring more than 30,000 crew members – nearly double the crew hires from 2023.
All of those productions need people. Lots of them. And right now, New Jersey doesn’t have enough trained local crew to fill the demand.
That’s exactly the problem the New Jersey Film Academy was created to solve.
What the NJ Film Academy Actually Is
The NJ Film Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization led by Director Diane Raver, who is also the founder of the Garden State Film Festival. It’s not a traditional film school. It’s a workforce development program built specifically to prepare New Jersey residents for entry-level careers in the film and television industry – without having to move to New York or California to do it.
The program is supported by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) and the New Jersey Council of Community Colleges, with the NJEDA committing $1 million to the initiative through a partnership with Brookdale Community College as the lead institution.
An additional $100,000 was dedicated specifically to tuition assistance and student scholarships.
Brookdale officially launched the academy with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in December 2024, with 13 community colleges statewide expressing intent to partner, creating a network to deliver training across all production areas.
Where the Courses Are Being Offered
This is what makes the NJ Film Academy genuinely accessible.
These aren’t courses at an expensive private film school in Manhattan. They’re being offered at community colleges across the state, at community college prices, on evening schedules designed for working adults.
What You’ll Actually Study
The NJ Film Academy offers three tailored curriculum tracks:
- On Set Production
- Production Office and Accounting
- Hair, Makeup, and Wardrobe
Every student starts in the same place regardless of which track they’re pursuing.
All students begin with the foundational course, Script to Screen: Introduction to the Entertainment Industry, which covers the complete production process from development through distribution.
Think of it as the course that answers the question everyone has when they start: how does a movie actually get made, and where do I fit in?
From there, the tracks branch out into specialized areas.
The Production Office course dives into the essential functions of a production office, covering the roles of Production Managers and Coordinators, industry-specific terminology, and the studio filmmaking process from prep to wrap.
The Locations course covers everything from script breakdown and pre-production scouting through contracting, logistical planning, and wrap-out — and only requires a cell phone camera to get started.
Brookdale has already awarded 67 certificates in specialized areas including Production Office Coordination and Management, Production Accounting, Location Management, and Hair and Makeup. Hudson County Community College has successfully launched three cohorts of the prerequisite Script to Screen course.
These are not light introductory workshops.
The NJFA courses and certifications are as rigorous as traditional college courses and require college-level reading skills, complex problem-solving abilities, and college-level intellectual capabilities.
The Real Hook: What Happens After You Finish
Getting a certificate is only part of the picture. What makes the NJ Film Academy stand out from a standard continuing education course is what comes after.
Upon completion of the certification programs, graduates are automatically listed on NJProductionGuide.org which is New Jersey’s database for industry professionals. That means the moment you finish, your name goes into the system that production companies and studios use to find local crew.
The academy’s work-based learning program has placed students in real-world production environments on active film and television sets throughout New Jersey, in roles ranging from production assistants to accounting department support, location management, and hair and makeup departments.
Staff works individually with students to facilitate internships and employer introductions, including connections to the digital media and esports industries.
Why This Matters for New Jersey Residents Right Now
The studios are already here or under construction and productions are already filming. The gap that exists right now is between the amount of work available and the number of trained local people to do it.
As Middlesex College’s director of Lifelong Learning put it:
“With companies like Netflix, Lionsgate, and other major studios coming to New Jersey, it’s no longer necessary to move across the country to pursue a career in film. The New Jersey Film Academy courses are designed with this in mind — to give students a chance to develop the skills these employers are looking for.”
The New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission made it plain:
“As major studios and networks continue to choose the Garden State due to its incredible locations and nation-leading incentives, New Jersey residents must be prepared to take on the jobs created by the industry.”
This isn’t about chasing a dream to Hollywood anymore. The industry came here. The question is whether you’re going to be ready when it knocks.
How to Get Started
The entry point for every track is the same: Script to Screen at your nearest partner college.
Courses run twice a week in the evenings over eight weeks, which means you can pursue this alongside a full-time job.
To find current course schedules and registration information, visit njfilmacademy.org or check the continuing education pages at Brookdale, Camden County College, Hudson County Community College, Middlesex College, or UCNJ. Scholarship assistance is available — don’t let cost be the reason you don’t look into it.
New Jersey was the birthplace of the American film industry. Thomas Edison built his first motion picture studio here. Fort Lee had 49 film studios before Hollywood ever existed. The industry left for a century. It’s coming back. The only question now is whether the workforce will be ready to meet it.
