HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Hillsborough Township was recently re-certified as a New Jersey film-ready community, which Hillsborough director and filmmaker, Tom Baldinger, says will bring a boost to the community.
The film-ready designation means the municipality has completed training meant to help accommodate on-location film and television production in the state.
Baldinger, owner of 624 Productions, said his company has been operating for more than a decade and has worked on feature films, short films, music videos, and series projects in New Jersey and beyond.
He has been involved in the arts since he went to Wagner College on Staten Island, where he was a musical theatre actor. He then went on to Mike Nichols Acting school for one semester, but soon realized he "wasn't in love with acting… but I wanted to still be involved."
He wrote his first play in 1999 and produced it off-off Broadway for a two-week stint. That’s when he realized he wanted to pursue directing, writing and producing.
"I got into film in 2012/2013 with my first short film Two Sides Of Love," Baldinger previously told Patch in 2019. "From there, I built my production company 624 Productions, and we went on to make a few more shorts and a feature."
Since then he has amassed many projects, including Hook'd, the web series "Checked Out," which he said was filmed in Somerville, the pilot for "Beer League: Last Licks," and "Unsuited," a six-episode first season that he said is expected later in June.
Baldinger said "Beer League" was filmed in several New Jersey locations, including Hillsborough softball fields, New Brunswick, Freehold, Red Bank, and Atlantic City. "Unsuited" also involved filming in Las Vegas, Palm Springs, Joshua Tree, and Los Angeles.
Asked whether more film-ready towns help independent filmmakers, Baldinger said, "Definitely, I think that it's eased the burden of people and wondering if they can do this, if it's okay to have something shot in their restaurant or in their place of business, or in their home, knowing that the Township is getting behind this and has been certified as a film ready town. It's very helpful, because then people are more excited about it, more willing to let an independent company come in and film."
Baldinger also described benefits for businesses in the township.
"I think it's a fabulous thing for the Township, because if we're shooting at a local restaurant, I can tell you right now my crew and my team, we would not only rent out or buy out the restaurant to shoot in, but we'd also pay them to feed us, to cater," Baldinger said.
On the flipside, Baldinger said filming in towns without the "film-ready" certification can be harder unless filmmakers already know local business owners or others involved.
Another benefit Baldinger noted is that the New Jersey film and TV commission keeps a list of film-ready locations, and that Hillsborough has provided locations that can be shared with independent filmmakers and larger studios.
Hillsborough was among the first members of New Jersey’s Film Ready Communities program, a new certification from the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission in 2023.
The recertification was announced by Hillsborough Mayor Catherine Payne in March.
For more information on 624 Productions, visit instagram.com/624productions, or facebook.com/624ProdLLC, or youtube.com/@624Prod.
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