San Antonio Aims to Overtake Austin With Major Film Incentive Expansion
Sure, when most people think about Texas’ hub for filmmaking, they think Austin. The Texas capital has a long history of producing filmmakers, and it has a culture surrounding it that is compatible with the film industry. But San Antonio is aching to dispute that, and thanks to a recent expansion of the already-competitive film incentive programs throughout the city, the 210 is well on its way to becoming the prime destination for filmmakers looking to shoot in the Lone Star State.
On November 6th the San Antonio City Council approved a huge update to the city’s film incentive program with the hope to attract more global (and local) film and media productions, which, in combination with the preexisting, statewide incentives, positions our city as a leading player in the movie game. Per the San Antonio Film Commission, the new program, when paired with the state’s overarching inducements, will be able to provide up to 45% in rebates for qualifying projects. This puts San Antonio as the most financially competitive city in Texas for filmmaking, according to city officials.
San Antonio’s newly revamped film program comes at the heels of Texas’ recent historic incentive expansion, finalized in the previous legislative session, aiming to attract more high-profile TV and movie productions to the state and encourage local hiring. As a result, Texas is poised to become a major hotspot destination for filmmakers, and San Antonio has just put itself at the front of the line to reap the benefits.
Krystal Jones, Director of the city’s Department of Arts and Culture, said the goal here is in “empowering local artists, crew members, and emerging talent—including students—to take part in and benefit from the remarkable growth of our film industry right here in San Antonio.”
Not only will it benefit those tied to the industry, but the growth and attraction of big-time productions will seep into other avenues of the economy (like restaurants, hotels, and much more) creating more jobs and opportunities across the city – things that local residents will be able to see firsthand and take advantage of. Even before the unveiling of the new incentive program, San Antonio has experienced a significant boost in the number of film permits it has given out – according to a city press release, the amount of allocated permits has more than doubled over the last three years, with more and more filmmakers acknowledging the Alamo City as an ideal location for shooting their projects.
