The Lone Star State is doubling down on its efforts to foster local job creation and economic growth through an industry as simultaneously ubiquitous and magical as the moving image, and its digital kin. Governor Greg Abbott has announced a joint virtual workshop that aims to help Texas communities attract more film and digital media production. The event, set for April 10, is a partnership between the Texas Film Commission and the City of Cedar Park and looks to provide insights into how communities can get certified under the Film Friendly Texas and Digital Media Friendly Texas programs.
According to a recent announcement from the Governor's Office, the film and digital media industries are seen as major contributors to the Texan economy. "Texas’ growing media production industry supports local jobs and creates revenue in communities across our great state," the governor emphasized, pointing out that over $2.5 billion has been injected into the local economy through such initiatives. These have also paved the way for over 189,000 production jobs across Texas, a figure that is hard to ignore, especially by communities looking to harvest the economic fruits of these expressive fields.
The upcoming workshop will cover topics including the steps needed for communities to become certified and the advantages such certification holds. Those who are employed by city or county governments, convention and visitors bureaus, chambers of commerce, or economic development corporations are the target attendees for this workshop. Participants will essentially be the mediators, tasked with enabling and facilitating media production queries and opportunities within their respective communities.
The requirement for certification includes attending a Texas Film Commission workshop, an item that the forthcoming virtual event will tick off the checklist for interested parties. The virtual setup provides a convenient platform for participants to engage from wherever they are located, in Texas. Since its inception in 2007, the Film Friendly Texas Certified Community program has onboarded more than 175 communities, and the relatively nascent Digital Media Friendly Texas Certified Community program is focusing on a similar trajectory. This initiative aims to attract jobs in animation, visual effects, video games, and extended reality (XR), a sure sign that Texas is hitching its wagon not just to the film industry but firmly to the digital wave sweeping across modern media production.
For more information and to register for the workshop, visit the Texas Film Commission's website. With over 50 years of work, the Texas Film Commission, part of the Governor's Economic Development & Tourism Office, has helped establish Texas as a key hub for media production.
.jpg){kind=link}