Texas Film Commission

How to become Certified?

With an emphasis on working with Texas' rural communities, the Texas Film Commission has partnered with the Texas Leadership Institute to present the Film Friendly Texas training program.

Film Friendly Texas workshops provide training and ongoing guidance on how communities can effectively deal with on-location filming, and put their best foot forward in marketing their resources. Whether it's a two-day television commercial or a two-month feature film, the Texas Film Commission wants your community to be ready to welcome filmmakers in a way that also benefits your residents, businesses and community in general. When Hollywood comes calling, the Texas Film Commission wants to be your partner in the process, and your first resource for support and information.

You're welcome to use the information and templates available on the Sample Guidelines page immediately, but we hope you'll also make plans to send a representative (or several) to one of our day-long workshops, where you'll hear from industry professionals on the front lines of making location decisions; learn how to draft an effective Film Policy for your hometown; and receive instruction on how to select and photograph locations in the film industry's preferred format.

Workshop attendance is the first step in becoming a certified Film Friendly Texas community, with recognition as such on the Texas Film Commission's Web site. The steps for certification are:

  • Attendance at a daylong Film Friendly Texas workshop ($99 per person) by at least one official community representative, i.e., a member of your city government, convention and visitors bureau, chamber of commerce, economic development council, etc.;
  • Passage of Film Guidelines, as approved by the Texas Film Commission; and
  • Inclusion of selected area locations in the Texas Film Commission's location database.

UPCOMING FILM FRIENDLY TEXAS WORKSHOPS

View the Texas Leadership Institute Course Outline via Texas Leadership Institute.

Additional statewide workshops will be posted on this page as they are scheduled. Email Carol Pirie, Film Friendly Texas Program Manager in our office, to add your email to a list for notification of future workshops.

We hope you'll join us in our goal of bringing the Film Friendly Texas message to every part of Texas. For information on submitting your community as a potential location for a future workshop, or for questions on any aspect of the program, please contact:

Carol Pirie, Film Friendly Texas Program Manager
Texas Film Commission

512-463-9200