On a recent episode of “Minding Your Business” on News 12+, Diane Raver, Executive Director of the New Jersey Film Academy, and Joan Scocco, Chief Strategic Initiatives Officer at Brookdale Community College, discussed the role of community colleges in training New Jersey’s future film and television workforce. The discussion highlighted the New Jersey Pathways to Career Opportunities Initiative.
Diane Raver emphasized the historical significance of New Jersey in the film industry. “This is our birthright. The film business was born in New Jersey with Thomas Edison in Menlo Park,” she stated. She noted that Fort Lee, New Jersey, once hosted 49 studios and was home to Alice Guy-Blaché, the first woman director and studio owner who invented narrative film.
Raver remarked on Hollywood’s influence but expressed a sense of reclaiming this heritage: “It was all here in New Jersey when the Chamber of Commerce of Hollywood came out and coerced them to go West, but this is our birthright and we’re taking it back.”
The TV show “Minding Your Business,” produced by NJBIA, has been recognized for its quality content with seven Telly Awards over three years, including a gold award in 2024 for Interview & Talk Show.
