The sound of a wrecking ball smashing through a decommissioned military building in Eatontown, New Jersey, might not seem like a milestone moment in Hollywood history. But it is. Because with that symbolic swing, Netflix officially broke ground on its new East Coast production hub: Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth.

What was once an abandoned Army base will soon be transformed into a sprawling 500,000-square-foot production campus, complete with a dozen soundstages, a backlot, postproduction suites, and all the infrastructure needed to fuel a content powerhouse. The engine behind it all? Tax incentives—and a state with something to prove.

Governor Phil Murphy, flanked by Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and a roster of enthusiastic state legislators, called New Jersey’s film tax incentive program the best in the country. And Sarandos, a native of the Garden State himself, wasn’t about to argue. “This is good business,” he said plainly from a Netflix-branded director’s chair at the event. For the streamer that dropped more than 100 titles in the past year alone, Fort Monmouth isn’t just a symbolic homecoming—it’s a strategic one.

Netflix has already been filming in New Jersey—seven productions are underway this year alone—but this campus signals a long-term investment. A big reason? The numbers. New Jersey offers up to 35% in tax credits on qualified production expenditures, and up to 40% on postproduction work. For a company betting big on its digital pipeline, that kind of rebate is hard to ignore.

According to a recent ProdPro study, New Jersey now ranks sixth in the U.S. in total production spend—just behind Illinois and New Mexico, but still chasing juggernauts like Georgia, New York, and California. That could change, and Murphy knows it. The state has extended its incentive program through 2039, signaling to the industry that this isn’t a one-time play. This is about permanence. “This is about generations to come,” Murphy said. “That to me is the strongest statement you could make.”

Local officials also seized the moment to get a few punches in. Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin lamented past decisions to let projects like Boardwalk Empire film in New York instead of Atlantic City. State Senator Declan O’Scanlon admitted he once opposed the tax program. Now? “I was wrong,” he said simply. “We’re kicking California’s ass.”

They’re not entirely wrong. California’s historically complex permitting process and bureaucratic delays have opened the door for emerging markets like New Jersey to surge ahead. Monmouth County Commissioner Thomas Arnone was blunt: “We will make this easy for you,” he told Sarandos.

The strategy is clear: make it easy to shoot, make it cheap to finish, and make it known that you’re welcome. Fort Monmouth is more than just a Netflix campus—it’s a symbol of New Jersey’s emergence as a serious production contender.

From abandoned army base to cutting-edge content factory, Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth is a win for the streamer, a win for the state, and a blueprint for how incentives, infrastructure, and political will can reshape the global production map.

Welcome to New Jersey. Hollywood, watch your back.