The program offered 20 percent tax credits statewide and 22% in urban enterprise zone, to television and film productions that met the standards for hiring and local spending.
[16][17] When Governor Phil Murphy took office, he instated the New Jersey Film & Digital Media Tax Credit Program in 2018 and expanded it in 2020 and 2023.
The tax credit includes a 2% or 4% diversity bonus for productions that hire creatives and crew who are women and/or persons who identify as the following ethnicities: Black, Native American, Latino, of Spanish cultural origin regardless of race, or Asian.
"[26] The program, overseen by the commission, is a five-step certification and marketing initiative that prepares towns to handle film and TV production more efficiently and safely as designated film-ready communities.
[27] The program aims to attract more production companies to the state, as filmmaking is said to have contributed significantly to the local economy in New Jersey, bringing in over $650 million in 2022 alone.