There was a story about an amazing film editor, Tim Squires, who lives in Maplewood.
A story about Michael Uslan, the creator and longtime protector of the current Batman franchise and a member of the New Jersey Film Commission.
Stories about the Netflix studio going up in Fort Monmouth — and the first studio that ever went up in New Jersey, the Black Maria, created by Thomas Edison in West Orange.
And that was just the first day for Socko!, the site created to cover the film industry in the state. It launched last Thursday — timed to coincide with the 2026 N.J. Film Expo.
The site, sockomagazine.com, is the creation of two co-founders: Editor Angela Matusik (a longtime entertainment journalist who was one of the founding editors of InStyle magazine) and Publisher Adam Nelson (the founder of Workhouse, an award-winning public relations agency, and a professor at the New Jersey Film Academy at Brookdale Community College).
According to Matusik, the inspiration for the site came in the same way so many good pieces of journalism do: by observing the world around you.
“Sometimes you just feel that pulse — when everybody’s always talking about the same thing,” she said. “Lately, I’ve found that everybody was talking about the movies and TV series being made in New Jersey.
“I thought, the state needs a niche publication covering that.”
It has one now — and for now, all the content on Socko! can be found on the site, which will be updated continuously.
Matusik and Nelson have big plans moving forward. Matusik spoke of a newsletter being released on Substack and a print edition of Socko! being produced in the fall.
They will be free.
Matusik said the goal is to get people to support the industry. Of course, Socko! needs support, too. The plan is to use an advertising-supported model. It’s the reason why Matusik and Nelson got a booth at the event.
“We’re essentially meeting all of our potential partners and advertisers today,” she said. “This is our proof-of-concept day.”
The industry couldn’t be hotter.
New Jersey is the fastest-growing film production market in the country — and the only one increasing in volume while every other major market is declining.
And that’s before the three-coming brick-and-mortar studios (Netflix in Fort Monmouth, Lionsgate in Newark and 1888 Studios in Bayonne) have opened.
Like so many others at the expo, Matusik and Nelson are hoping to take advantage of the growth.
On launch day, they did just that. The hope is that their sequel will be just as hot.
“Our plan is to work with all of these amazing businesses that are here at the expo today to find a way to bring to life what’s happening in film in New Jersey through our stories,” Matusik said. “Ultimately, the goal is not just to promote the film production industry, but to get people to go see movies — to create more fans around film.”
