North Jersey Becomes Hub for Emerging Urban Filmmakers – Press Release
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 11, 2025
Contact: Jerry Dean Hocek
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North Jersey Becomes Hub for Emerging Urban Filmmakers
Paterson, New Jersey — Jerry Dean Hocek started pre-production for his first full-length independent film titled Homecoming. The film’s production is set to begin in July 2025. The plot is loosely based on Hocek’s temporary move from New Jersey to the West Coast in 2020 and his eventual return to The Garden State. The film spins a harrowing tale of a small-time hustler that must quickly raise $100,000 to avoid being murdered when he returns to New Jersey after a self-imposed exile on the Washington Coast.
The story includes gangsters and other colorful characters, along with abundant references to New Jersey stereotypes. Much of Homecoming will be filmed in distressed urban areas. Hocek is cultivating a film crew of mostly college interns to produce the film. Most of the crew members are selected from applicants that reside in these urban environments in New jersey. To manage the process and help train the novice crew, Hocek has partnered with cinematographer and film editor Eric Peña-Tobias, a graduate from Rutgers University’s film school. Hocek says, “It’s my film script, but it’s the young crew’s film. They will produce it. Eric and I will simply nurture the process along.”
Hocek was inspired to make the film while recently residing on the slow, largely undeveloped coast of Washington. He recalls, “I had the perfect conditions for some deep contemplation to decide what else I wanted to accomplish, and producing a full-length film landed at the top of my list.”
Hocek attributes his past experience in acting and co-producing short films with friends that previously working in the film industry as the catalyst for his love for filmmaking. He states, “I witnessed how producing a film lifted the spirits of everyone involved. I believe that engaging in creative expression develops purpose, joy, passion, and can also be instrumental in therapeutic programs. Filmmaking requires effective execution of ongoing tasks in a structured process within a team dynamic, which mirrors the work environment in most corporations and the military. Why aren’t they teaching film production in public schools?”
The entire production of Homecoming will be documented in an ongoing series of behind-the-scenes video episodes published on Hocek’s blog at JerryDeanShow.com, as well as various social media platforms. The documentary will serve as an online video tutorial for those interested in learning how to produce films, and will chronicle how the lives of the young film crew are impacted from working on the film. The project is being funded by advertisers and sponsors featured in the documentary, as well as product placement opportunities in the film itself. This allows participating businesses to write off their contributions as marketing expenses.
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