A big win, according to the report, would be for the city to secure a Media Production Development Zone (MPDZ) in Arlington. That would provide tax breaks for the creation or renovation of a media production site, making Arlington more attractive to the media industry. The tax breaks could count toward sound stages, animation studios and video game studios.<\/p>\n
Staff recommended the city find a qualifying production facility to apply for the MPDZ or through the economic development department find a company that wants to build a production studio in Arlington that qualifies for the MPDZ.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithin our zone there\u2019s only one city that\u2019s gone after that, it\u2019s Fort Worth,\u201d Marty Wieder, executive director of the Arlington Economic Development Corporation, said at Tuesday\u2019s city council work session. \u201cSo there\u2019s room for us to pursue that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The media industry had a $655 million impact on Fort Worth from 2016 to 2023, according to the staff report.<\/p>\n
Wieder also said city officials had conversations with Great American Media, which is headquartered in Arlington and makes family and faith-based shows and getting help from city staff who have experience with the media production zones.<\/p>\n
The city could also explore developing its own film incentive program independent of the state, according to the staff report. Many large cities like\u00a0Austin offer such programs<\/a>.<\/p>\n The state\u2019s $1.5 billion investment through Senate Bill 22 will fund tax rebates film productions receive for filming in Texas. It also gives the productions more of a rebate if they film in a rural or historic area or if 5% of their crew are veterans.<\/p>\n Arlington has been designated Film Friendly by the Texas Film Commission since 2016. That helps market the city as a filming location and means staff are trained on how to help movie producers work in the city, according to the\u00a0Texas Film Commission<\/a>.<\/p>\n Arlington has been home to movies and shows like \u201cLogan\u2019s Run,\u201d \u201cBull Durham,\u201d \u201cJFK,\u201d \u201cAmerican Sniper\u201d and \u201cHouse Hunters,\u201d according to the\u00a0city\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to the report, staff members have seen an increase of filming interest since 2021 and have recently started using an app called\u00a0FilmApp<\/a>\u00a0that helps them track movie productions and how much they boost spending in the city.<\/p>\n The city is also looking to incentivize other types of media production in the city like animation, video games, visual effects and virtual reality through the Digital Media Friendly Texas Certified Community Program.<\/p>\n Staff said Arlington is one of three cities in the process of applying for this certification and expect to be certified in 2026.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n
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