You could score a Jersey job on new Queen Latifah TV show

NEWARK — The new TV series "The Equalizer," a reboot of the 1980s show and 2014 movie, films many scenes right in star Queen Latifah's New Jersey birthplace.

Garden State residents 18 and over may get the chance to work on this or other television programs if they are chosen for, and successfully complete, a two-day intensive training program next month in Newark.

The Production Assistant Bootcamp is sponsored by NBCUniversal ("The Equalizer," while airing on CBS, is produced by NBCUniversal), and has been held three previous times in New Jersey: in Atlantic City, Jersey City, and Paterson.

After going dark for a year due to COVID-19 production shutdowns, the educational event is returning on April 10 and 11, with safety protocols in place.

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Steven Gorelick, executive director of the New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission, said any adult ready to launch a career in the entertainment field will get an opportunity to get a foot in the door, and a crash course into the expectations and pressures unique to that industry.

"What the lingo is, what the equipment they need to use is, how to work on a set, and they simulate a pressure environment to get you to respond quickly," Gorelick said. "You need to be ready to take a job in the industry because once you graduate from this, you may be offered an opportunity, either by NBC or some other company that's looking for production assistants."

While future employment is not guaranteed, Gorelick said the previous bootcamps have uncovered much Jersey-grown talent, and the new location this year may open up availability to even more people — plus potentially create more jobs in the state.

"Essex County has also been extremely supportive in terms of our efforts to bring in film production over the years, and a lot of filming has been done in their facilities: the courthouses, the offices, the parks," he said.

Applicants must be free to attend both days of the camp, which Gorelick said 88 New Jerseyans have participated in across its three previous editions.

"I would tell people, apply right away, because the slots go fast. We only have 23 slots available in this particular bootcamp," he said.

To apply, email productionassistanttraining@gmail.com and put "Newark Bootcamp" in the subject line.

For more general information, go to pabootcamp.com.