Welcome to Hollywood, NJ: Film Academy preps workers for new jobs

🎬Brookdale anchors film academy
🎬Community colleges sign up
🎬Credentialed workforce program

As New Jersey continues to show strength as an entertainment production site, a new resource has launched for residents who want to join the film and television workforce.

The New Jersey Film Academy is up and running, where enrolled students earn credentials and develop skills to join “the business.”

Brookdale Community College in Monmouth County was the first campus with students finishing up “Script to Screen: Introduction to the Entertainment Industry" this school year.

Mercer County Community College, Camden County College and Hudson County Community College also among the first round of schools to join the program.

New Jersey Film Academy Executive Director Diane Raver says at least 13 community colleges interested in joining the academy program.

After the intro course, there will ultimately be three curriculum tracks that students can pursue.

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Certificate programs being rolled out

The first track launched is for entry-level work in production, office and accounting.

An “Introduction to Production Office: Production Coordinating & Management” course is running from late March through May, for those who completed the initial academy class.

Still to launch are courses called “Introduction to Production Accounting for Film and Television” and “Introduction to Location Management.”

The second track for students is certification in hair, makeup and wardrobe, listed online as "coming soon" as of March.

Raver said a third track for certification will be on set production.

Beyond Monmouth County, Raver said the first community colleges in New Jersey to sign on have been Atlantic Cape Community, Camden Community, County College of Morris, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex and Raritan Valley.

In addition to existing productions filming in New Jersey, there has been a lot of anticipation over the Netflix plan to build a 12 soundstage production facility at Fort Monmouth.

Raver said she likes to think of it as the Garden State reclaiming its birthright, since years before Hollywood lured studios away, New Jersey was the movie capital of the world.

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