Mayor Ras J. Baraka today announced the newly created Newark Office of Film and Television (NOFTV), a specialized agency dedicated to facilitating film, television, and multimedia production in the city.
Recently appointed Director of Film & TV Desireé Hadley is at the helm and serving as the city’s primary liaison to the film and television industry. In her role, she will ensure that production companies are presented with a seamless experience in accessing municipal locations and city services as well as build workforce development initiatives that provide residents with access to career opportunities in the film industry. This spring alone, the city has hosted star studded productions like Fox Searchlight’s “A Complete Unknown,” starring Timothée Chalamet and Warner Brothers’ “The Bride!” featuring well-known Hollywood stars Penelope Cruz and Christian Bale.
“As the birthplace of nitrocellulose film in 1887, Newark has long stood at the vanguard of the world’s filmmaking industry, and has welcomed countless productions ever since,” said Mayor Baraka. “Against the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline, our city offers every imaginable on-location setting and ambiance – and now, under the leadership of Desireé Hadley, we have achieved the State of New Jersey’s coveted ‘Film Ready’ designation that elevates our city’s turnkey production services to Hollywood standards. Desireé is singularly qualified to attract producers and merge their efforts with our talented local workforce. I am proud to have her serve as the Klieg light illuminating Newark to the rest of the world.”
A proud Newark native, Director Hadley holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University-Newark. Hadley joined the Baraka administration as a Press Information Officer, helping to grow the Mayor’s social media reach through innovative programs, including the Mayor’s popular “Ras in 60” podcast which she also co-hosts.
Expanding on this work, she began to oversee the management of the growing production interest in Newark. Under her leadership, the city has hosted production for a diverse mix of top entertainment projects and franchises: Hulu’s “Wu-Tang: An American Saga,” Peacock’s “The Best Man: The Final Chapters,” “Ezra,” “Law and Order: Organized Crime,” AMC’s “The Walking Dead: Dead City,” BET+’s “Diarra From Detroit” and more.
“I am honored to be assigned the role of Director of the Newark Office of Film and Television,” said Director Hadley. “Newark is the ideal place to film a TV show or movie. We have diverse architecture throughout our five wards and we offer a pool of talented professionals as well as residents who are eager for their opportunity to break into the industry. In this role, I am committed to fostering collaboration with the creative community to drive meaningful and long-lasting economic and workforce development opportunities into our city.”
Hadley’s appointment comes in the lead-up to the opening of Lionsgate Newark, a TV/film production facility slated to open in Spring 2026.
The Newark Office of Film & TV (NOFTV) is housed in one of Newark and New Jersey’s most celebrated cultural institutions, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, which is in partnership with Lionsgate and Great Point Studios, developers and operators of the new 275,000 square-foot sound stage facility. Located in the South Ward, next to the now vacant Dayton Street School, the studio is expected to drive $400- $550 million of annual economic impact for New Jersey.
“Our development and construction of Lionsgate Studios Newark marks a pivotal moment for the city and also for the broader landscape of filmmaking in New Jersey,” said Robert Halmi, Founder of Great Point Studios, owner and operator of Lionsgate Studios Newark. “As we develop and build New Jersey’s first purpose-built film & television studio, we’re thrilled to significantly contribute to the growth of the film and television industry in Newark.”
“I can’t imagine a better leader for Newark’s Office of Film and TV than Desireé Hadley,” said NJ Performing Arts Center CEO John Schreiber. “She not only understands the ins, outs, and eccentricities of the entertainment industry, but she also has an encyclopedic knowledge of so many locations around our city ideal for filming. NJPAC is thrilled to partner with Desireé to bring the new Lionsgate studio to Newark.”
In addition to serving as a one-stop shop for film productions, the Newark Film Office is committed to collaborating with the Newark Workforce Development Board in providing jobs for residents. Director Hadley has developed key relationships with Disney Searchlight, the Warner Bros. Access to Action Program, and Group Effort Initiative, which has helped to place residents in early career roles to learn more about the film industry.
The Office recently worked with Searchlight Pictures while they filmed the Bob Dylan bio-pic, “A Complete Unknown” in Newark. City residents were hired to join their production team.
The Warner Bros. Access to Action initiative offered paid internship employment opportunities to Newark residents’ while they filmed “The Bride!” Downtown in mid-April 2024.
Since the non-profit organization Group Effort Initiative has begun collaborating with the office, they have assisted with hiring locally for both “The Bride!” and “A Complete Unknown” as well as other production sets.
“I am delighted to announce our partnership with Mayor Baraka and NOFTV that will expand our training, mentorship, and employment opportunities to Newark’s underrepresented communities,” said Sumi Parekh, Executive Director of GEI. “As Newark’s entertainment industry flourishes, it’s imperative to establish a robust local job pipeline, ensuring that Newark residents reap the rewards.”
For more information on what makes Newark a film-friendly city please visit the NOFTV’s website, https://film.newarknj.gov/.
For photos, click here.
About GEI
Group Effort Initiative (GEI) was launched and financed by Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively in August 2020. It creates a pipeline for members of underrepresented communities to get real experience towards lasting careers within the entertainment industry by providing the following: a network of paid corporate and creative internships and entry-level jobs, on-set production job opportunities, ongoing educational events and training, and focused mentoring. To date, GEI has provided its participants 1,057 corporate entry-level positions and internships and 205 on-set jobs on 136 productions across North America and hosted 85 educational events, impacting more than 1,000 people. For more information on GEI, please visit groupeffortinitiative.com.
About Warner Bros. Access to Action Program
The Warner Bros. Access to Action Program provides individuals who have not traditionally had pathways to below-the- line jobs with entry into Warner Bros. Discovery productions. The program fosters an emerging production workforce that aligns with their commitment to the communities in which they film and the stories they tell.