State lawmakers approved another major expansion of New Jersey’s film, television and digital media incentive program on Monday, sending the legislation to Gov. Phil Murphy's desk, as the state eyes how to boost its sluggish economic recovery amid 22 months of the pandemic.

In 2018, Gov. Phil Murphy revived the program, under which the state compensates producers for filming scenes in New Jersey and buying in-state goods. He approved a first expansion in early 2020, and another in the $14.5 billion economic subsidy package he signed this past January.

Seven awards were doled out for the program at the New Jersey Economic Development Authority's last board meeting of 2021. The initiative has picked up some of the tab for 30 productions in the state since its reintroduction in 2018.

Legislation to bolster the program cleared an Assembly committee on Dec. 6. The effort comes as productions pick up in the Garden State, following the standstill imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The legislation comes as productions stream into New Jersey following the COVID-19 pandemic, and as players such as Netflix eye the former Fort Monmouth Army base, and NBC Universal uses the former Meadowlands Arena, for its productions.

The independent film and television production company expects to open the post-production and office facility, which will also feature a 25-seat theater, in Bergen County next year.

The live broadcasts throughout October will allow entrepreneurs to pitch ready-made products to home viewers; the one who sells the most of their product “before the buying window closes during the episode will win the chance to strike a life-changing deal with one of the show's retail giants.”

Media productions in the Garden State are projected to reach a historic level, as the state's lucrative incentive program has bolstered demand and ramped up the amount of studio, network and independent filming.

Many projects filmed in New Jersey have already claimed millions of dollars in state subsidies. And now that is coming back to the state, thanks to its lucrative incentive program, and demand for TV and film content, according to many industry insiders.

In 2019, the media giant received nearly $14.4 million for its season one production in East Rutherford of “The Enemy Within,” and an $11.2 million award for the Kearny production of “Little America.”

The soon-to-be renovated venue will feature independent, non-fiction and international films, keeping with the theme of the festival's programming since its inception in 2011.

When NJBIZ last checked in on the state of showbiz in the Garden State in October few producers were willing to talk about what they were up to. Film and television production all but shut down during the pandemic, with few exceptions for projects that imposed strict standards for social distancing, mask usage and sanitization. But now, with New Jersey reopening, industry insiders are more forthcoming.