Lights, Camera, Austin: Central Texas Emerges as America’s Next Great Production Hub
As the Austin Film Festival unfolds this week in the Texas capital, the event serves as more than just a celebration of cinema—it’s a milestone moment for a region experiencing an unprecedented transformation into one of America’s most vibrant film and television production centers.
A Legacy of Storytelling
Central Texas has long been home to cinematic magic. From Richard Linklater‘s groundbreaking Dazed and Confused (1993), which introduced the world to Matthew McConaughey‘s iconic “alright, alright, alright,” to Robert Rodriguez‘s Spy Kids franchise and Linklater’s Oscar-nominated Boyhood—filmed over 12 years with the same cast—Austin has proven itself as fertile ground for both indie innovation and studio spectacle. Classic films like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Office Space, Miss Congeniality, and the Coen Brothers‘ True Grit have all captured Austin’s diverse landscapes and vibrant character on screen.
The Infrastructure Boom
What’s happening now, however, represents a quantum leap forward. Two major studio facilities are under construction in the region, poised to fundamentally reshape Central Texas’s production capacity.
In Bastrop, the 204 Texas project spans nearly 600 acres and will feature eight sound stages, with the first phase estimated to be completed in late 2025 at a cost of around $50 million.
An economic impact study projects the Bastrop 552 development will bring nearly 1,000 jobs to the area, generate over $59 million for the local economy, and create over $9 million in local taxes.
Meanwhile, Hill Country Studios in San Marcos broke ground with plans for a $267 million, 75-acre development featuring 12 sound stages, including a highly anticipated virtual production stage that uses interactive video game engines to create virtual real-time sets. The sprawling campus will include 310,000 square feet of studio sound stages and 15 acres of outdoor production space.
Behind-the-Scenes with Kevin Bar, Chief Operating Officer – Hill Country Studios
Matthew McConaughey’s Mission
No one has been more vocal about Texas’s film industry potential than native son Matthew McConaughey. In April 2025, McConaughey testified before the Texas Legislature, stating that “one of the only regrets of my 33-year career in film and television is not making more of my films here in Texas, especially the ones that were about Texas or the ones that were set in Texas”.
McConaughey and fellow Texan Woody Harrelson are currently filming an upcoming comedy series called “Brothers” in Dripping Springs, and both actors took about a 15% pay cut to avoid moving the production to Georgia, which offers a 20% film tax credit. Their commitment speaks volumes about the challenges Texas faces—and the opportunities ahead.
Proposed legislation, Senate Bill 22 and House Bill 4568, would set aside $500 million every two years for the next decade for a new Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Fund, more than doubling the state’s current investment. This would help Texas compete with states like Georgia, New Mexico, and Louisiana, which have captured countless productions with more generous incentive programs.
Major Productions Call Texas Home
The economic impact of productions choosing Texas is substantial. The second season of 1923, the Yellowstone prequel starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, filmed in Austin in 2024 with a budget exceeding $150 million and an estimated economic impact of $51.8 million for the city, spending $15 million on local wages and hiring 200 combined cast and crew members.
Taylor Sheridan’s expanding Texas footprint—which includes Yellowstone, 1883, 1923, and Landman—demonstrates how a single creator’s commitment to the state can catalyze broader industry growth. Fort Worth has become ground zero for several Paramount+ productions, while Austin continues to attract major projects.
The Festival Circuit: Where Industry Meets Art
Central Texas doesn’t just make films and television—it celebrates them. The region hosts some of the nation’s most prestigious film and television festivals, creating a year-round ecosystem that supports creators, attracts industry professionals, and showcases diverse voices.
South by Southwest (SXSW), held each March, has become one of the world’s premier convergence events, blending film, television, music, and technology. SXSW generates an estimated economic impact of $325 million for Austin, attracting hundreds of thousands of attendees. The festival has premiered career-launching films like Everything Everywhere All At Once, Us, Civil War, and TV shows like Beef and 3 Body Problem.
The ATX Television Festival, founded in 2012, has grown from 700 attendees at its first event to 2,500 in 2017, celebrating past, present, and future television with screenings, Q&As, cast reunions, and industry panels. The 14th festival took place from May 29 to June 1, 2025, featuring notable events like a discussion panel on the revival of King of the Hill.
Austin Film Festival, running October 23-30 this year, is known as “The Writers Festival” and has earned recognition as one of MovieMaker’s Top 50 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee. It focuses on narrative storytelling and hosts the largest screenwriters conference in the world, providing a crucial bridge between emerging talent and the industry.
These festivals, along with others like Fantastic Fest, Cine Las Americas, and the Austin Asian American Film Festival, create a vibrant cultural tapestry that enriches the community year-round while providing platforms for diverse storytelling.
Economic Engines and Local Talent
The economic benefits extend far beyond the headline-grabbing numbers. Film and television productions support countless local businesses—hotels, restaurants, equipment rental companies, catering services, and construction firms. They create well-paying jobs for camera operators, sound technicians, set designers, costume makers, hair and makeup artists, and dozens of other skilled professionals.
McConaughey and Harrelson estimated about 90% of the crew working on “Brothers” are Texas residents, countering arguments that expanded incentives simply benefit “Hollywood folks”. The goal is to create a sustainable local industry where Texans can build careers without leaving the state.
Brian Gannon, Director of the Austin Film Commission, noted that Austin’s production capabilities are constantly growing, with crew bases that know what they’re doing and facilities ranging from 2,000 to 200,000 square feet. The city offers the Austin Creative Content Incentive Program, providing stipends that go toward wages paid to local residents.
The Competitive Landscape
Despite recent progress, Texas still faces stiff competition. Georgia’s film industry has exploded over the past decade, attracting productions like Black Panther, Stranger Things, and The Walking Dead with a 30% film incentive built into state law. Louisiana offers up to 40% tax credits, while New Mexico and other states provide competitive packages.
Texas’s incentive program has historically been less stable, with funding that expires and requires legislative renewal, creating uncertainty that makes producers hesitant to commit. This instability has cost the state productions—Fear the Walking Dead shot four 16-episode seasons in Texas but left for Georgia when incentives couldn’t be guaranteed for the final season.
Looking Ahead
As construction crews work to complete the Bastrop and San Marcos studio facilities, and as the Texas Legislature debates expanded incentive programs, Central Texas stands at a crossroads. The region has the talent, the landscapes, the creative community, and the infrastructure. What it needs now is the sustained commitment to compete with states that have made film and television production economic priorities.
As McConaughey told the Texas Senate Finance Committee, “We do this, and we start to create our own industry. We do this, and we create our own pipeline for film and television. We do this, and there will be a point when we are not going to need financial incentives from the state”.
With the Austin Film Festival in full swing this week, the city is once again proving it’s a place where storytellers gather, where creative communities thrive, and where the future of American film and television production is being written—one frame at a time.
The question isn’t whether Central Texas can become a major production hub. The question is whether Texas will seize the moment and invest in making it happen. Based on the energy in the air this week in Austin, the answer seems increasingly clear: It’s time for Texas to take center stage.
Early voting totals in Travis County, through Wednesday, show 8.42% of registered voters have cast ballots. The highest turnout in-person so far has been at the Ben Hur Shrine Center location with 6,807.
Tomorrow is the final day to vote early. Tuesday, November 4, is Election Day.
The latest Texas Politics Project poll gives a clearer picture of how voters are feeling about everything from the government shutdown to the 2026 Senate race.
View more of the latest polls from The Texas Politics Project here.
One person has died after a collision on I-35 last night around 9:00 p.m.
Later reports say the seriously injured patient later died. That stretch of I-35 reopened overnight. (CBS Austin)
A fugitive wanted on approximately 30 sexual assault warrants has been extradited from Canada to Texas. He was re-booked into the Hays County Jail Wednesday.
Austin police are looking for the driver involved in a hit-and-run accident last week that killed one person.
APD investigators are looking for two men involved in a burglary and auto theft earlier case this month.
Officials are looking for a Georgetown man accused of sexually assaulting two children, according to a news release.
Williamson County authorities are seeking information on a 46-year-old cold case.
A man accused of slapping and pulling a box cutter on a gay man on a CapMetro bus has been found guilty. (FOX 7 Austin)
Georgetown police arrested an individual after a barricade situation yesterday that involved a SWAT team.
The high risk of wildfires during this dry, windy weather pattern was evident yesterday after 20 acres burned at Lostwood Circle and Bear Springs Trail in South Austin. (FOX 7 Austin)
The Austin Parks and Recreation Department has issued a temporary burning restriction at all city parks Wednesday as high fire danger continues across Central Texas.
Austin’s firefighter’s union took to social media yesterday to ask the public to petition city leaders over a plan to cut the minimum number of crew members per engine from four to three, a move the union says will compromise safety.
WE NEED YOUR HELP. The facts are simple:
— Austin Firefighters Association (@AFA975) October 29, 2025
Austin follows the national gold standard of Four Firefighter Minimum Staffing—a science-backed, safety-endorsed law that ensures:
🚒 Faster rescues.
🧯 Safer operations.
❤️ Better outcomes for you and your family.
Whether it’s a fire,…
Pflugerville has a new police chief.
ASML, a company that specializes in the development and manufacturing of photolithography machines which are used to produce integrated circuits has expanded its office space in Hutto. (Austin Business Journal)
From KUT 90.5:
AISD is partnering with the nonprofit Austin Ed Fund to work with businesses and organizations to name six facilities. Those include the AISD Performing Arts Center, House Park Athletics Facility, Nelson Field, Toney Burger Athletic Center, Delco Center and Noack Sports Complex.
Meanwhile, parents and students of Maplewood Elementary School are fighting the proposed closure of their school.
WEATHER
WEDNESDAY’S HIGH / LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
TEXAS DROUGHT MONITOR
Hurricane Melissa has strengthened as it continues to pull away from the Bahamas and remains on track to move toward Bermuda days after the deadly storm tore across the Caribbean.
The storm left parts of Jamaica in tatters.
Then Cuba took a hit.
GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN: DAY 30
The pause in SNAP benefits for Texas recipients will also have a negative effect on the state’s grocery stores.
Camp Mystic sent a letter to Texas lawmakers inviting members of newly formed investigative committees to physically tour their campsite, saying it “is the best and only way to learn exactly what happened” in the early hours of July 4.
Last week we heard from COPS/METRO making their case against Prop B and Project Marvel.We give equal time to the pro-Prop B side as they are explaining why raising the venue tax is a generational investment in San Antonio’s future. Supporters argue that the new arena would bring economic benefits and secure the Spurs’ long-term presence in San Antonio.
U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt on Thursday called for a debate between the three leading candidates in Texas’ Republican Senate primary, arguing that voters should hear from the candidates beyond the millions they are spending on paid advertising. (Texas Tribune)
A look at the messy Republican Texas Senate primary…
Uvalde and Bexar County officials are now citing an ongoing criminal investigation into the death of a staffer of U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales—despite previous claims that no one else was involved in the incident. (Houston Chronicle)
One week after the announcement that TEA would take oversight of Fort Worth ISD, district leaders will be in Austin for a review of the plan and a chance to appeal.
An Amtrak train heading north out of San Antonio was involved in an accident Tuesday morning, a collision involving the Texas Eagle and a semi-tractor in Comal County.
There were no injuries. (My San Antonio)
SPORTS
MLS: Austin FC fell in a narrow 2-1 defeat at LAFC in Game 1 of the teams’ Audi MLS Cup Playoffs Round One Best-of-3 series.
The only goal of a close first half came via a bit of bad fortune for the Verde & Black. LAFC’s Ryan Hollingshead played a low pass across the six-yard box which deflected in off Brendan Hines-Ike. (Austin FC)
ON THE SCHEDULE
NBA: Kevin Durant scored 31 points, Jabari Smith Jr. added a season-high 25 and the Houston Rockets thumped the struggling Toronto Raptors 139-121 on Wednesday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
Brandon Williams scored 20 and Dwight Powell scored 18 points as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Indiana Pacers 107-105 on Wednesday night in a matchup of injured-depleted teams. (Yahoo! Sports)
ON THE SCHEDULE
Houston and Dallas are off tonight while the San Antonio Spurs host Miami.
STANDINGS
NHL: The Dallas Stars are on the road tonight.
Texas Football Preps for MUST-WIN Game vs. Vandy | LIVE | 10/30/25
Residents of many small Texas towns look forward to deer hunting season, for the time it brings with friends and family, as well as for the economic boost hunting brings to local businesses. See how one community comes alive when hunters arrive.
A new episode from Texas Parks & Wildlife.
