Newark Will Use $750K Grant To Help Film Workers Get Jobs

NEWARK, NJ — The City of Newark was recently awarded a $750,000 state grant to help local film workers train for – and find – jobs in the industry.

The grant from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) will support in-person training and job placement for production assistant and rigger/grip/set grip positions.

Training facilitators and partners include Invest Newark, the Newark Office of Film and TV (NOFTV), Express Newark’s Community Media Center, NewarkWORKS One Stop Career Center, Newark Film School, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.

Grant awardees were required to propose “impactful workforce development training, internship, apprenticeship, or learning opportunities in occupations such as editing, set construction, special effects, wardrobe and camera operation.”

Marcus Randolph, president and CEO of Invest Newark, said the funding is another feather in the cap for New Jersey’s booming film industry, which has generated more than $833 million and employed more than 30,000 crew members statewide in 2024.

The latest grants from the NJEDA will be put to good use on the local level, Newark city officials said.

Desireè Hadley, director of the Newark Office of Film and Television, said the grant money will help to generate a pool of skilled production professionals in the area.

“Newark has firmly put itself on the map as a production-ready city, with growing infrastructure and a deep reserve of locally-sourced talent,” Hadley said.

“Newark continues to bask in the spotlight of attention to our multi-faceted development of artists and makers as we celebrate this significant investment in our film and production industry,” Mayor Ras Baraka said.

• See Related: Whoopi Goldberg-Led 'Hollywood Studio' May Be Coming To Newark
• See Related: Lights, Camera, Action: Filming Boom Continues In NJ's Largest City

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