Outgoing Gov. Phil Murphy (D) and 1st Lady Tammy Murphy attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the new 1888 Studios, a state-of-the-art movie and TV campus, joining local electeds under the Bayonne Bridge at the old Texaco site earlier today.
By Daniel Ulloa/Hudson County View
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) recently approved giving tax credits to Paramount Studios as an incentive to lease 1888 Studios for 10 years.
1888 Studios Vice President Flynn Busson said they are going to build the largest studio on the East Coast before introducing his father, Togus Urban Renewal and 1888 Studios Chairman Arpad “Arki” Busson.
“This campus is years in the making, and it will reshape the future generations to come … It is a realization of a bold vision to establish Bayonne as a global entertainment powerhouse,” he declared.
Arki Busson further stated that famed inventor Thomas Edison’s launched the film industry nearby in West Orange in 1888, which is where they came up wth the name.
“Our landmark partnership with Paramount signals to the world that New Jersey is ready to lead,” he asserted.
“1888 Studios will be a world-class home for the industry’s greatest storytellers … As we increasingly become aware of life’s fragility, storytellers and content creators are more important than ever.”
He explained that 1888 Studios will bring $1.2 billion to the state, which will create 2300 union jobs during construction. Once open, there will be an additional 2,000 union jobs at the studio that will bolster the local economy.
Furthermore, hey plan to build a 58-acre movie and TV studio, 23 sound stages, and a 22-acre back lot on one million square feet of land. Arki Busson added that they plan on working with the local schools to build careers for young talent.
Paramount Global Head of Operations Jose Turkienicz gushed about their lease deal.
“Today marks a major step forward as we invest in the United States and right here in New Jersey … Paramount is deeply grateful for your ongoing support and partnership,” he exclaimed.
Outgoing Bayonne Mayor and Hudson County Sheriff-elect Jimmy Davis noted he grew up just four blocks away from the site before stating “Bayonne is the center of the universe, and I’m serious when I say it.”
“This city was dying! Slowly but surely, we have transformed this city! It’s been a long five or six years. There’s been a lot of battles … I didn’t know this was going to come on my watch,” he admitted.
“We’re going to put New Jersey on the world map because that’s what the Governor’s vision was, to make New Jersey nobody’s stepchild. And we are nobody’s stepchild!” Davis exclaimed to applause.
Hudson County Executive Craig Guy also expressed excitement.
“This is a reshaping of Bayonne and Hudson County. Hudson County has been for a while now a space for many films,” he said, noting that 2019 box office smash “Joker” was filmed outside his current office in the Hudson County Courthouse.
“This is the birthplace of film! … We came first and we’re not Hollywood east: Hollywood was and now will be again…. New Jersey west!” state Senator Raj Mukherji (D-33) said enthusiastically.
“Film is one of the powerful engines of cultural influence and soft power the United States has ever known and will ever know because our stories travel further than our borders …That influence isn’t accidental.”
Additionally, NJEDA CEO Tim Sullivan noted the site had been a vacant, polluted brownfield that needed a serious cleanup, which was overseen by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Shawn LaTourette.
Sullivan expressed excitement about New Jersey becoming a $2 to $3 billion film industry, while 1st Lady Tammy Murphy noted “it takes a village.”
She joked about the persistence of Arki Busson pursuing them about the deal during their global travels promoting the State of New Jersey.
“I cannot wait to see where it goes down the road,” the first lady added.
Finally, Gov. Murphy noted that their friend Jon Bon Jovi connected them to Arki Busson.
“When we look into the mirror of New Jersey, we see an innovation economy … it wasn’t easy but we got here,” the governor declared. He also said that there is a $7 return on every dollar spent on the tax credits for the film studios.
Gov. Murphy also pointed out that Steven Spielberg made West Side Story in New Jersey, which helped small businesses.
Others in attendance included Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea (D-2), Assemblyman Will Sampson, state Senator Angela McKnight (both D-31), Hoboken Mayor-elect Emily Jabbour, Bayonne Councilman at-Large and mayoral candidate Loyad Booker, Bayonne Council President Gary La Pelusa, Councilman at-Large Juan Perez, 1st Ward Councilman Neil Carroll, and 2nd Ward Councilwoman Jackie Weimmer.
The 1888 Studios project passed the Bayonne City Council in March 2023, who worked with Davis to redevelop the property through a Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT) deal after the project had stalled.
Paramount was recently bought by Skydance, which is owned by Larry and David Ellison, who are close friends with President Donald Trump (R).
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