6-7-07 - Gov. Perry Signs $22 Million Film Incentive Bill
AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry, joined by State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, Texas Motion Picture Alliance President Hector Garcia and actor Dennis Quaid, today signed House Bill 1634 which provides $22 million to help Texas attract jobs in television and film production.

"Today I am proud to sign a $22 million film incentive bill that will help reverse the export of Texas filmmaking talent, that will bring jobs and economic activity to our cities, and that will make the diverse and beautiful images of Texas more prominent in motion pictures," Perry said.

House Bill 1634 provides filmmakers with grants equal to 5 percent of what they spend in Texas. To qualify, they must spend at least $1 million in Texas, shoot at least 80 percent of the project within state borders, and hire at least 70 percent of actors, crew and extras in Texas.

Since implementing a film incentive program in 2003, Louisiana has seen film production spending increase 30 times. Likewise, New Mexico has experienced a fifty-fold increase in economic activity related to film production following the creation of film incentives.

"The motion picture industry does much more than fill movie theatres with millions of people who love to hear a good story," Perry said. "It creates jobs, builds the economy and serves as an incubator for the development of the creative arts industry, as does the production of television programs, television commercials and video games."

For many years Texas has been a net exporter of creative talent, as industry professionals move not only to Hollywood, but other states and countries that provide an environment more conducive to film production.

The Texas Film Commission is aware of 32 film projects in the last four years that researched Texas for their production location but instead chose other states that offer film incentives. Twelve of those projects had storylines set in Texas, but chose other locations such as New Mexico, Louisiana and Canada.

The loss of those projects cost Texas an estimated $327 million in project spending and forty-six hundred jobs. In recent years, Texas lost 20 percent of its film workforce, including firms that provide specialized filmmaking equipment.

1-2-07 - Texas Update (Screen Magazine)
Just over a year ago, I left Chicago to join the Texas Film Commission. It’s been a lively 12 months and I’m grateful for the timing: Texas’ legislature convenes every other January, so I’ve had a year to work with my local and regional film commission colleagues on the issue at hand. Yes, “issue” as in singular, because there’s only one: financial incentives for Texas. Our newly formed industry advocacy group, the Texas Motion Picture Alliance (www.txmpa.org) is actively working towards bringing incentives to Texas before any further ground is lost.

But our work hasn’t been entirely about legislation. 2006 Texas production highlights include 29 indie features and eight studio projects. This includes 44 days of major feature shooting in the town of Marfa, which three hours from the nearest commercial airport. Direct statewide spending from film, television and animation topped $221.9 million, our highest total in 10 years. That’s a beautiful number, and in the absence of incentives, it says volumes about the quality of Texas’ crew, actors and support services. Two major episodic series are also now based in Texas: “Prison Break” in Dallas and “Friday Night Lights” in Austin.

I’m also very proud of the work done by Katy Daiger of the Texas Film Commission to promote Texas’ thriving computer and video game industries. This is a new initiative for the office and Katy has spent this year researching the industry, creating relationships and finding unique ways to make it easier for game companies to do business in the state. We’ve been able to offer specific services to the industry including audio and reference photo scouting and have added a game-specific section to our website.

11-27-06 - Texas Update (Screen Magazine)
Let's look at a few snapshots from around the state of Texas. Houston has been lively with production of all types. Houston projects include Wal-Mart's Spanish-language regional spots; TLC's new medical reality show "Father and Son"; Animal Planet's "Animal Cops"; and the syndicated courtroom show "Cristina’s Court."

HKM Production of Los Angeles used Houston locations for an Internet-only spot for Hitachi and Space Center Houston hosted more than a week's filming of "Gold Rush," the interactive on-line game tied to CBS and AOL. The Hamburg-based production company Pan-Film Wolfes shot a German TV spot featuring the oil tanker Neptune Glory.

Ft. Worth's CRM Studios continues production on a "MetroScene," a show familiar to Chicago audiences. CRM is also partnering with Illumitoon Entertainment on anime TV programming for 2007, and they've opened a new division, CRM Healthcare, focusing on continuing medical education. CRM creative director Steve Dunning recently directed behind-the-scenes and concert footage of the Rolling Stones' east coast tour for Radio Shack's in-store network.

Fox's "Prison Break" continues filming its second season in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and the producers were kind enough to invite state legislators from the area to visit the set. The day was a great success and Texas' film professionals now have some new, well-informed friends in the Capitol Building.

11-03-06 - Texas Update (Screen Magazine)
To put Texas' size into persective, if you drove from Houston to Los Angeles, by the time you got to El Paso, you’d be halfway there. With its desert mountains, nearby Salt Flat, wide-open spaces and sunny climate, the area has been a longtime draw for commercials, still-shoots and television segments, as well as quite a few features.

It's a favorite for car commercials - including Ford Trucks, Mercedes and BMW -- and European travel shows are frequent visitors. Also, don't forget, the El Paso area has very effectively doubled for Iraq -- more than once -- and has proven to be considerably more film-friendly than the alternative.

San Antonio, the eighth-largest city in the country, is home to a very strong commercial production community. There's a good crew base and the city's location assets include the famous Riverwalk; four Spanish missions from the 1700's; a decommissioned Air Force base; Stinson Field private airport, which looks pretty much the same as it did in 1935; and a photogenic and carefully preserved downtown. In the nearby Texas Hill Country, ranch settings have hosted many truck spots, including Ford and Chevy.

There's plenty going on in San Antonio every day of the week. Local companies serving the national and international markets include Bromley Communications -- "The leading Hispanic ad agency in the country" -- with headquarters in San Antonio and additional offices in Los Angeles, New York and Miami (www.bromleyville.com).

10-09-06 - Texas Update (Screen Magazine)
This month, in my look at commercial/industrial production around Texas, I’d like to show you a snapshot of Houston. There’s a lot to tell, but I’ll hit some highlights and then defer to some terrific websites that can quickly lead you to all of Houston’s creative resources.

Houston has long been a magnet for international production. Some lasting and high-profile work has raised awareness of Houston-area locations. Michel Gondry’s multi-award-winning black and white Levi’s “Drugstore” spot, so beloved to the producers of international “Best of” collections, was shot at “Mud Alley” in nearby Richmond in 1995. And remember de Beers’ knockout “Millennium” spot from 1999? That’s Tranquility Park, one of the most (literally) reflective sites on the planet.

The city probably didn’t have car commercials in mind when its roads were laid out, but it sure looks that way. At magic hour, the western face of the skyline is a sight to see, with elevated highways running into and alongside it. Houston Film Commissioner Rick Ferguson says “every European and Japanese car company known to man” has shot in Houston since 2004, mostly for their home markets.

For obvious reasons, it’s pretty much impossible to shoot at NASA, but film-friendly Space Center Houston duplicates many NASA locations, including Mission Control. Besides the space program, other industries centered in Houston – petrochemical, medical and shipping – bring a constant flow of industrial production.

09-04-06 - Texas Update (Screen Magazine)
This month and in the months to come, I’ll take a brief look at commercial and industrial production in Texas. In a state this size, with more than one production center, it’s next to impossible to accurately track shooting days, spending and employment, but it doesn’t take a spreadsheet to recognize the tremendous impact that commercial activity continues to have on Texas’ economy.

Let’s start with Texas’ undisputed center of commercial production: Dallas. It’s been a recognized production center since the 1950s. Of the six Texas production companies in the Southwest Chapter of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers, all but one is based in Dallas. It’s also the home of the Dallas Producers Association (www.dallasproducers.org), whose membership includes strong representation from industrial production professionals.

Dallas production comes from locally based companies and from around the world, with frequent work from companies based in London, Japan, Germany and Canada. Dallas’ striking skyline has been the backdrop for many car commercials over the years, with no doubt more to come.

On the production and post-production sides, current national work coming out of the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex include spots for Hasbro, Denny’s, Joe’s Crab Shack, Harrah’s Casinos, Chuck E. Cheese’s, Radio Shack, American Airlines, Ford, Toyota, Pier One, Home Depot, Corona Beer, Wal-Mart, Chick-fil-A, Greyhound, Hyundai, Motel 6 and Zales.

08-11-06 - Texas Update (Screen Magazine)
Above and Beyond: Texas’ Plan To Supplement Its Expected Incentives Package

January seems a long time off, but the members of the Texas Association of Film Commissions and our compadres at the Texas Motion Picture Alliance are looking forward (no, really!) to Texas’ next legislative session. Though the session doesn’t convene until January, we believe that this will be the one that finally makes Texas’ financial incentives a reality.

Now, is Texas ready to get what we wish for? We’ve all seen incentivized states suddenly become so swamped with business that filmmakers’ needs can’t be met – not enough crew; not enough equipment; higher-than-expected expenses; overwhelmed film commissions; fierce competition for every hotel room, every rental car and every roll of gaffer tape.

That’s great for vendors – for a while – but not great for a state’s long-term standing as a production center. That’s the incentives driving the business, not the other way around, and that’s not the picture we want to see in Texas.

Texas is already well equipped in crew depth and infrastructure to handle a great deal more production than we currently have, but we won’t be resting on those laurels. A.I., (After Incentives) we still have to make sure that shooting in Texas is an all-around positive experience.

07-17-06 - Texas Update (Screen Magazine)
In past columns, I’ve covered Texas’ production activities in fairly broad strokes. Of course, much of a film commission’s work is in the details of individual projects. The basic work continues through legislative sessions, new programs, staff changes and budget surprises. Let’s take a quick look at some projects and issues that have kept all eight of Texas’ film commissions hopping lately:

• Lining up a boot camp facility where the cast of Kimberley Peirce’s feature can be trained to become convincing military combatants. Meanwhile, an Iraqi village is under construction three miles from downtown Austin on the flat, treeless terrain that was once Austin’s airport.

• Absorbing a great deal of information about the nesting season of endangered sea turtles in Texas for a shoot on the beach. The Brownsville Film Commission found a great location that would work around the turtles, but in the end, the show went to California. At least we now have a working relationship with every living soul at U.S. Fish & Wildlife.

• Location research for a feature that needs to own a freeway for three weeks. South Texas has a 22-mile stretch of road – built as a toll-way by private investors – that may just work.

06-26-06 - Texas Update (Screen Magazine)
In June, the Texas Motion Picture Alliance held its statewide organizational meeting to choose a board and take the next steps toward creating an effective statewide advocacy group. More than 150 production professionals attended from all around the state. One drove 600 miles – one way! – just to be there.

This is the first time Texas’ production industries have joined together in this way. At day’s end with a board in place, it was a history-making event.

I couldn’t be more pleased with the professional and geographic diversity represented by these 21 professionals from the worlds of production, animation and computer games. I’m happy to introduce you to the new board:

• President: Hector Garcia, longtime SAG/AFTRA and Dallas CVB board member. Hector has been very active in past legislative efforts on the state level (Dallas).

• Vice-President: Drew Mayer-Oakes, Director of the San Antonio Film Commission (San Antonio).

• Secretary: Meredith Seawright Stephens, Director of Development, MPS Studios (Dallas).

• Treasurer: Craig Berlin, President/CEO, Pro Tape Systems (Austin).

06-19-06 - The Texas Motion Picture Alliance elects Board of Directors
The Texas Motion Picture Alliance continues to take shape as the Board of Directors was elected Friday June 16. The Alliance, which will focus on creating legislation to generate incentives for the industry, held elections in Austin. Production professionals from throughout Texas arrived to cast a vote, and get the new Board in place.

Hector Garcia (Dallas) as President
Drew Mayer-Oakes (San Antonio) as Vice President
Meredith Stephens (Dallas) as Secretary
Craig Berlin (Austin) as Treasurer

Additional Board members are:
Todd Sims, Dallas/Fort Worth Regional Rep
Rebecca Campbell, Austin Regional Rep
Cynthia Neely, Houston Regional Rep
Nikki Young, San Antonio Regional Rep
Jacob Cena, El Paso/West Texas Regional Rep
Chelse Benham, Rio Grande Valley/South Texas Rep
Linda Dowell, Talent Rep
Stephen Belsky, Union Labor Rep
Chuck Hatcher, Texas Assoc. of Film/Tape Professionals Rep
Tony Miglini, Producers Rep

At-Large Reps: Don Stokes; Mary Lampe; Donna Warndof; J.R. Flournoy; Marten Davies, Roger Castillo. Amarillo Regional Rep to be announced.

The Texas Motion Picture Alliance began as the Legislative Committee of the Dallas Producers Association. The Committee formed when members of the DPA saw the need for statewide legislation supporting motion picture incentives in order to compete with neighboring states who offer incentives that drive production outside of Texas. When Texas Film Commissioner Bob Hudgins took office earlier this year, he, too, recognized the need for incentives. Having played an instrumental role in getting incentives passed in Illinois, Mr. Hudgins met with DPA President Todd Sims to discuss expanding the Legislative Committee into a statewide organization. The result is the Texas Motion Picture Alliance. Mr. Hudgins traveled throughout Texas educating production personnel about the new organization. Meanwhile, the DPA continued development of the organization.

The Texas Motion Picture Alliance will begin legislative efforts immediately.

05-29-06 - Texas Update (Screen Magazine)
Very few states (and not very many countries, for that matter) would need to hold seven regional meetings in order to reach their entire production community, but that’s what it takes to cover all of Texas.

We’re now in full swing in the creation of the Texas Motion Picture Alliance (TMPA), a new advocacy organization. I was very pleased to see a much larger turnout than expected at our first TMPA organizational meeting in San Antonio. Over the next two weeks, we’ll hold meetings in the Rio Grande Valley, El Paso, Dallas, Amarillo, Houston and Austin.

In mid-June, the statewide leadership meeting will be held in the State Capitol Building in Austin. We will establish a board of directors and get started on a legislative agenda to create an effective financial incentive for Texas.

The key word here is “effective.” In some states, incentives have created a production industry where virtually none existed before. But, like Illinois, Texas has been in the game a long time. Its assets include crew, infrastructure, support services, locations, weather and a tremendous track record, with 300-plus projects shot here over the past five years.

Those assets translate into dollars for producers, so I don’t expect our incentive program to be a carbon copy of those from states with less to offer. For example, Texas recently lost a $35 million feature to a state with incentives. On paper, the incentives totaled $8 million, but after budgets were done for both locations, the difference came down to $1.5 million. That’s the gap we have to close.

05-01-06 - Texas Update (Screen Magazine)
Here in Texas, we’re working to expand public and legislative awareness of an area of production that’s often overlooked – the computer/video game industry. “The game industry?” you ask. “Isn’t that a bunch of guys working out of their garages?” Well, no, though that’s a more common perception than we want to believe. Despite reaching a worldwide audience of hundreds of millions every day, the creators of these games still fly under the radar of general public awareness. In fact, the industry has been active in Texas since the 1980s, keeping up with and setting the pace for rapidly changing times and technologies.

For years, computer/video games have been blurring the traditional lines of filmed entertainment, and it’s a natural progression for film commissions to support this industry in every way that we can. All over the state, Texans make their livings through game development. For example:

• Dallas is home to such industry veterans as id Software of “Doom” and “Quake” fame, and Microsoft-owned Ensemble Studios, creators of the “Age of Empires” series. Southern Methodist University has recently created The Guildhall, a masters degree program in video game development.

• Austin is one of the top locations in the United States for online game development. Texas’ capitol city was the birthplace of the tremendously successful Origin Systems, whose accomplishments included the “Ultima” series, ‘Ultima Online”, and the “Wing Commander” series, which was later developed into a feature film directed by Origin’s own Chris Roberts. A number of development studios have popped up around Austin under the direction of Origin graduates, including the Korean-based NCsoft, run by Richard and Robert Garriott.

04-17-06 - Texas Motion Picture Alliance Meeting Schedule
An organization of organizations, The Texas Motion Picture Alliance (TMPA), is currently being formed to significantly bolster and expand the existing infrastructure of the film, television, animation and game production industries in the State of Texas. Its purpose is to support the creation of financial incentives to producers of all such media both from within and outside of the state.

Regional Meetings and the Statewide Leadership Meetings are being scheduled and will be open to representatives of ALL organizations that stand to benefit for the objectives of the alliance. Visit www.txmpa.org for more information and a schedule of meetings in your area.

04-10-06 - Locations Trade Show 2006 Booth Award
The TXAFC wins 3rd Place for Most Informative Display at Locations Trade Show 2006.

04-03-06 - Texas Update (Screen Magazine)
It's Spring, and it’s heating up in Texas, in every sense of the word. There’s been a great deal of commercial activity, centered mostly in Dallas, Houston and Austin. Houston in particular has had quite a swarm of national commercials; its skyline and highways have made it a longtime favorite for car commercials.

On the feature front, the Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino project “Grind” has begun in Austin. April/May feature starts include an untitled Kimberly Peirce project in the Austin area and, in far west Texas, both Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood” and the Coen brothers’ “No Country for Old Men.” Also in west Texas, Ethan Hawke’s “The Hottest State” wrapped in El Paso in March.

Six independent features are prepping, mostly in central Texas. Episodic television is, of course, the Holy Grail of economic impact, so we’re especially pleased to have had two network pilots here this spring: NBC’s “Friday Night Lights” in Austin and ABC’s “A House Divided,” in Dallas.

03-06-06 - Texas Update (Screen Magazine)
It’s great that SCREEN is making Texas coverage a regular part of its content, and I’m proud to be the initial contributor for what will be a monthly feature.

I’m pretty sure that some readers will remember me from my 20 years in Chicago as a location manager and then as deputy director of the Illinois Film Office, and from my work on the board of the IFP/Midwest. Back in December, I moved to Austin to become the director of the Texas Film Commission.

There’s a lot to be done. The number one issue facing Texas is the state’s lack of any significant incentive program. That lack is still a shock to many, considering Texas’ crew depth, consistently high level of production activity and long-standing infrastructure. Work continues every day to find new ways to make Texas more competitive.

Can you imagine how strong our voice would be if all Texans in all facets of this industry were sending the same message to our lawmakers? To support that goal, we’ve formed the Texas Association of Film Commissions (TXAFC) with representatives of Texas’ regional film commissions and the state office. Our members come from Amarillo, Austin, Brownsville, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, San Antonio and South Padre Island.