Are certain movies and television shows starting to look familiar to you? It is quite possible, as New Jersey has quickly become a hot commodity for producers and directors looking to shoot on-location footage.
While the recent surge of entertainment productions in New Jersey might leave some out-of-towners scratching their heads, North Bergen resident Michael Proscia has been working for more than two decades to get to this point. His volunteer work on the board of the New Jersey Motion Picture & Film Commission is finally paying off in more ways than one. After 22 years of volunteering on the board of the commission, Proscia was recently named its chairman.
Created in 1978, the commission attempts to attract the entertainment industry by serving as a liaison to the state’s geography. Producers often approach the commission with a script and ask for assistance in finding locations.
Whether it is a mansion or a mall, Proscia believes that Jersey is one of the most photogenic places in the world.
“We have a library,” Proscia said of the Newark-based commission. In that library, thousands of photographs depict New Jersey’s geographical and architectural landscape.
Why do state officials want the motion picture industry in their backyard? Aside from the fact that the industry delivers revenue for the state’s coffers, provides jobs, and diversifies the state’s economic portfolio, the end product winds up being a type of advertisement for New Jersey. According to Proscia, the entertainment industry spent $63 million in production during the course of 692 projects in New Jersey last year.
Whether it was spent on producing movies, television shows, or commercials, the growing popularity of New Jersey has far exceeded the commission’s expectations when it formed over two decades ago. “This is a global market and it’s grown in leaps and bounds on the East Coast,” Proscia said. He added that that the business at the commission’s inception was “nothing compared to what it is today.”
Recently, Proscia said, the ubiquitous hype of The Sopranos on HBO has contributed to the demand for New Jersey’s portfolio of landscapes. The story of a New Jersey crime family has captured the state’s suburban and urban elements for the past four years. “[The Sopranos] benefits [New Jersey] tremendously,” Proscia said.
In addition, sitcoms like “Ed” on CBS and “Law and Order” have found homes in the Garden State.
Proscia, who has spent his life working behind the camera, said that the commission’s members have two common interests: film and New Jersey. Like Proscia, many of the board members have ties to the entertainment industry. The former chairman, Gloria Monty, directed television shows. Others in the past have been screenwriters, actresses, and producers.
Longtime NB resident
Originally born in New York City, Proscia has resided in North Bergen for the last 38 years. During this time, he has become an aficionado of Jersey’s cinematic scenes. But his life in the film industry began earlier, when he served as a cameraman for the Army during the Korean War.
While most of the footage was classified, some segments were released to the media. When the war ended, Proscia used his experience behind the camera to find a job working in the news industry. For the next 20 years, he worked for CBS News with esteemed anchormen Mike Wallace, Dan Rather, and Walter Cronkite, among others. “I had a very wonderful career at CBS News,” Proscia recalled.
His technical knowledge of the film business alongside his deep-rooted connections gained over the course of his career led to a position as a union leader. He has been affiliated with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees for over 45 years. During the 1990s, he served as general secretary-treasurer of the International Alliance before taking his current position as the assistant to the president. Furthermore, he served as chairman and president for Local 52, a union of stagehands.
Committed to volunteerism, he decided to use his industry connections to help his adopted state of New Jersey by joining the commission.
Serving on the board since 1980, Proscia said the new title as chairman of the commission is an honor he graciously accepts.
“I’m very proud of it,” Proscia said. “I’m very happy the governor made that choice. I’m going to do everything in my power to enhance the commissioner’s role and bring as much production into New Jersey as I can.”
Looking ahead, Proscia said that he would like to see a Hollywood-like studio open in New Jersey. Such a facility would not only convince producers to film their projects in New Jersey, but stick around and the post-production duties here as well. Up until now, Silver Studios in Long Island City has been the headquarters for many productions that are filmed on location in New Jersey because the facility provides the rest of the producers’ needs. Even “The Sopranos” must cross the river after the director says, “it’s a wrap.”
Recent talks have put an archaic train terminal in Bayonne in the spotlight as a plausible venue for such a studio. According to Proscia, the search for investors has already started. “That’s a tremendous facility and I hope that pans out because it has great potential,” Proscia said. “[The commission] will try to push and promote it.”