North Texas is increasingly giving Hollywood a run for its money, thanks in part to the burgeoning film scene developing in Fort Worth.
In 2015, Cowtown created its own film commission. Since then, the city has seen its local scene evolve, including becoming the production location for 1883, the prequel to the popular show Yellowstone.
Even before the commission’s creation, North Texas hosted several notable productions, like The Chosen series, Bonnie and Clyde, and, of course, the series Dallas.
To help drive even more activity, the Fort Worth Film Collaborative was started last year, reported the Fort Worth Report. So far, the institution has 10 graduates enrolled in three focus areas: hair and makeup, gaffer and grip, and light commercial construction. However, 40 additional students are now enrolled, and organizers hope the program will continue to expand.
Fort Worth is not the only city putting North Texas in the television and film spotlight. In January, The Dallas Express reported that Forney was designated a “Film Friendly Texas Community” by the Texas Film Commission, the 22nd city in the metroplex to receive the designation.
A booming film industry can be lucrative for a city. Since starting in 2015, the Fort Worth Film Commission has helped create $655 million in economic impact and generated over 20,000 jobs, according to Fort Worth’s film commissioner, Jessica Christopherson, per the FWR. Taylor Sheridan’s 1883, for instance, led to over 13,000 hotel room night bookings, while the production for Lawmen: Bass Reeves resulted in over 20,000 bookings.
“It’s really cool to see Fort Worth kind of tapping into the rich history here in new and engaging ways through media,” says Red Sanders, owner of Backlot Studios and Red Productions, according to WFAA. Sanders, a graduate of TCU, helped convince the state to provide $200 million in incentives for the growing film industry.
“Just the overall excitement around town when people are talking about it, ‘This is cool, I saw them filming this over here the other day, what was that?’” said Sanders, per WFAA.
