As the TV and film industry grows in the state, South Jersey is pushing to make itself a premiere destination for productions, launching its own film office cooperative and other resources to attract filmmakers.

Leaders from the area recently touted the big names they've pulled in and the ones they're still hoping to get as they show off all the southern half of the Garden State has to offer.

Melissa Rose Cooper reports.

M. Night Shyamalan fans got a chance to see his work again when his latest film, Knock at the Cabin, hit the big screen earlier this year.

But what some moviegoers might not realize is it was shot right here in South Jersey.

It's a real cabin, though.

It's built in Tabernacle, New Jersey, and an area of the Pine Barrens that M. Night Shyamalan said he just loved filming in and filming.

Industry advocates are hoping more production companies will want to bring their projects to the southern part of the state.

Steve Gorelick, executive director for the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission, highlighting a few upcoming projects during the Southern New Jersey Development Council's Annual Construction Forecast at Stockton University.

The high energy picture Call her King, which was filmed primarily in Camden and Gloucester counties and will have a premiere screening by the way in Camden this month before it airs on BET this summer BET+.

That was filmed here.

So Fly Christmas with Jackie, Harry and Gina Arnold just wrapped in Atlantic City and the Paragon Pictures thriller Rachel's Revenge just just wrapped weeks ago in Cinnaminson.

The point is that movies work.

They have entertained this nation through depressions, through recessions, through good times and bad times.

And New Jersey always had a place.

That's why John Burzichelli, chairman for the South Jersey Film Cooperative, is applauding the state's film credit incentive program, which provides tax credits of up to 35% for film and digital media productions.

We export a lot of people that want to be in this business, that get educated in places like this to be part of this, whether it be writing, whether it be the technical side.

They had to go elsewhere.

To work.

This gives us a chance to keep those very talented people closer to home where they can be nearer to their families, not have to travel.

Camden County Commissioner Louis Cappelli saying the industry is a huge win for the community.

We've seen hotel rooms, rented restaurants.

Foles is having a very positive economic impact on our region and the growth of the filming industry also means more jobs, making the Garden State a great place for setting up shop in 2017.

Before the incentive program began, revenue from film and television production in New Jersey stood at about $67 million a year last year, which is a record year.

Annual revenue rose to over $700 million.

We had well over 1,170 shooting days in the state last year and 14,000 jobs were created.

But Assemblywoman Carol Murphy believes more should be done to make sure South Jersey gets as much recognition as northern parts of the state.

There is just so much down here and so much rich with just rich with I don't know how else to explain it other than know South Jersey, but so much country down here that I think and this is why I had said this in the studio budget that there so much that a studio could do down here used for so many sceneries used for so many photos down here and pictures and things that they need.

And you know what?

As we start getting deeper into South Jersey.

A studio would fit very nicely in there because of the property that is available the farms understanding the true life of what New Jersey brings in when we say garden state.

You get the full flavor of the Garden State really means when South Jersey.

And industry film advocates hope will continue to flourish making New Jersey a mainstream filming destination for years to come.

For NJ Spotlight News, I'm Melissa Rose Cooper.

Support for the business report provided by Newark Alliance.

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