Netflix CEO Joins Murphy for Signing Ceremony

By Laura D.C. Kolnoski

FORT MONMOUTH – It was more a celebration than a press conference.

Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, traveled to Fort Monmouth last Friday to take center stage at a press event announcing a key step toward building its planned production facility on the former U.S. Army Base. 

An overflow crowd of local, county, state and labor union representatives watched Gov. Phil Murphy approve Netflix’s detailed plans for the almost 300-acre site that basically runs down the center of the 1,126-acre property within the borders of Eatontown and Oceanport. 

Procedurally, the governor’s signature moves Netflix’s proposed plans to a 45-day public comment period commencing Nov. 6 during which all three towns the fort spans, including Tinton Falls, will review the contents with their lawyers, planners and engineers as well as first responders and emergency services. The public will have opportunities to comment during regular planning board and governing body meetings when the matter is on the agenda. Considering major holidays fall within the comment period, officials estimated hearing back from the municipalities in late January. 

The municipal input will then be reviewed by professional staff of the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA), who will respond in a report of their own prior to presenting the proposal for final adoption by the authority’s voting members. If Netflix’s plan is approved, the entertainment firm will enter a 36-month period of review by additional local, county and state entities. Once those approval processes are finalized, and closing occurs, the project is expected to be completed in two phases over several years.

The timeframe for opening the facility has been estimated at seven to 10 years. 

“New Jersey is ready for its close-up,” said Murphy. “This will be a new cornerstone for film production in New Jersey. There is an army of Netflix folks and a cavalcade of union leaders here. We will lift up the fort and surrounding communities.”

At the podium, Sarandos said, “We’re still a long way from the world class production facility becoming reality. It really does take a village and we have found that here in New Jersey. Netflix will create meaningful union job opportunities. This is where the modern film industry was born. I hope to see ‘filmed in New Jersey’ in the credits soon.”

Sarandos noted he was born at Monmouth Medical Center and his mother is from Red Bank. 

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

Netflix has committed to $848 million in capital investments to develop the state-of-the-art production facility, its second largest in the world after New Mexico. It is estimated the studio will create more than 3,500 construction-related jobs and over 1,500 permanent production jobs.

“Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth will drive significant economic growth and create meaningful job opportunities while boosting the vibrant production ecosystem here in the state where the modern film industry was born,” Sarandos said.

Both he and Murphy noted Thomas Edison created the first film studio in New Jersey, citing movies dating back to the “Perils of Pauline” shot in the Palisades in 1914. Recent Jersey-filmed productions include Stephen Spielberg’s “West Side Story,” the Apple TV show “Severance” and “Joker.” The governor said existing film-related studios and businesses throughout New Jersey have already created thousands of jobs, including the Lionsgate Studios in Newark expected to commence operations next year. 

Among the press conference attendees was Mike Hellstrom, international vice president and Eastern Regional manager of the Laborers International Union of North America representing New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, Delaware and Puerto Rico. “I’m here because of economic development,” he told The Two River Times. “This will be an exciting economic boom for New Jersey as a whole bringing thousands of middle-class union jobs.” 

Greg Hancox, secretary-treasurer of District Ten of The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, its Territories and Canada (IATSE), called New Jersey, “the new Hollywood of the East Coast.”

“By making Fort Monmouth Netflix’s East Coast Hub,” he said, “thousands of construction jobs with high-paying wages and benefits for New Jersey families will be created and many additional permanent union jobs in the entertainment industry will become available.”

“Netflix’s historic investment in Fort Monmouth’s future… is a testament to our broader strategy when it comes to establishing New Jersey as the Northeastern home for film and entertainment,” Murphy said. Over the past six years, his administration has worked with state legislators and the New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission to create a film incentive program that has attracted more business to the state. Last year, officials reported, film and television production added over $650 million to the state’s economy and created more than 8,500 jobs.

Other attendees included Charles Wowkanech, president of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO, William T. Mullen, president of the New Jersey Building and Construction Trades Council and Thomas De Bartolo, president of Monmouth and Ocean Counties Building and Construction Trades Council.

In addition to 12 soundstages comprised of over 500,000 square feet of new development, some existing structures will be repurposed for studio support activities, while others will be demolished. The plans also permit the creation of affordable housing units to fulfill the state’s mandate. As Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth is a commercial project, affordable housing originally planned for that site will be relocated elsewhere in Eatontown and Oceanport. 

Murphy confirmed a promise made by a Netflix spokesperson that training programs for area residents for a variety of jobs at the studio would be provided.

“The training will happen,” Murphy said during a media Q & A after the press conference. “We want to be sure we’re developing the training and the workforce.” He added that initially, all job-related inquiries will go through the Monmouth and Ocean Counties Building and Trade Council. 

A Team Effort

Murphy emphasized bipartisanship during the press conference – scheduled five days before Election Day – in a room filled with elected officials from both parties. “This doesn’t get done without working together on both sides of the aisle,” he said.  

“We made sure local chambers of commerce, small businesses, and mom-and-pops get to be part of it,” said state Sen. Vin Gopal (D-11), adding his mother worked on Fort Monmouth. “We have the most generous, competitive tax credits now. This is going to change a lot of lives, and Monmouth County forever.”   

“Our team is incredibly passionate about Fort Monmouth’s revitalization and is committed to surpassing the fort’s prior role as a major economic driver in the region,” said FMERA executive director Kara Kopach. “A project of this scale… will also result in significant investment on the fort and spur local development in support of the project. The magnitude of Netflix’s investment is an absolute windfall for our stakeholders and the State of New Jersey.” 

“This campus is no longer a painful reminder of economic decline and disinvestment,” Murphy said. “Instead, Fort Monmouth now stands as a symbol of renewal and revived hope. I thank Netflix and our partners in both government and labor for their support in advancing this crucial project.”

Quoting Humphrey Bogart in “Casablanca,” he said, “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

The 137-page document detailing plans for Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth can be viewed on FMERA’s website.

View this story in the November 9 – 15, 2023 issue of The Two River Times.