Gov. Phil Murphy on New Jersey’s Courtship of Content: ‘This Has Been an Absolute, Cold-Blooded, Focused Strategy’

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Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey is approaching the final nine months of his second term as leader of the Garden State. So far, he’s had a highly productive period in office. Since day one, Murphy has prioritized significantly increasing New Jersey’s role in television and film production. Over time, he and his team have worked diligently to establish physical studios and necessary infrastructure within the state. In the latest edition of the EbMaster podcast “Strictly Business,” Murphy discusses the evolution of this initiative and why he believed it was essential for New Jersey to enhance its presence in this field.

Murphy states that everything isn’t just happening by chance; instead, it’s a deliberate, cold-blooded strategy from the very beginning to emerge as a significant player in the field. This strategy is evident in both sports and entertainment industries.

https://omny.fm/shows/strictly-business/gov-phil-murphy-on-new-jerseys-courtship-of-content-creators-this-has-been-an-absolute-cold-blooded-focused-strategy/embed

Previously, Chris Christie, who succeeded Murphy in Trenton as a Republican, eliminated New Jersey’s relatively small incentive program entirely, allegedly due to frustration over how the state was depicted on MTV’s “Jersey Shore.” (Murphy tactfully evades answering whether this is true.) Currently, the state invests over half a billion dollars annually in tax credits to attract film, television, music, and digital productions. Murphy asserts that the tax credits have widespread bipartisan backing because their positive effects can be seen throughout the state.

Currently, we’ve achieved global relevance. It seems our discussions often revolve around locations such as New Jersey, London, or even places like Hungary and New Zealand. The list changes frequently, but we find ourselves consistently among the top contenders. We aim to maintain this prominent position.

Murphy is an uncommon type nowadays – a widely respected Democrat. He expresses his views on the recent challenges faced by his political party and where he believes leaders should focus their efforts. Additionally, he discusses what it means to be a public figure today amidst increasing instances of violence, such as the arson attack this month on the home of Murphy’s fellow governor, Josh Shapiro from Pennsylvania.

Murphy emphasizes the importance of unity among us as a nation,” he said. “After all, we are primarily Americans, and this fundamental truth seems to be overlooked by far too many individuals at present.

EbMaster’s weekly podcast, titled ‘Strictly Business,’ discusses the business aspects of media and entertainment with prominent industry figures. Each new episode is released every Wednesday. You can listen to it on various platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Google Play, SoundCloud, and others by clicking here to subscribe to our free newsletter.

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2025-04-17 22:46