In the last decade, Taylor Hardy has risen from humble intern to leader of the Film Commission at Visit Fort Worth \u2014 and the city\u2019s ascent in the film business has been just as dramatic. \u201cWe\u2019ve worked with over a thousand projects since we launched in 2015,\u201d says Hardy, who is seeing the groundwork she laid 10 years ago come to fruition. \u201cIn that time, film production has generated about $1 billion in economic impact and created 50,000 jobs in Fort Worth.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
A Las Vegas native, Hardy grew up surrounded by entertainment before heading to TCU to study advertising and public relations. \u201cI was in the same building as the film school and decided to take a film class, just for fun,\u201d she says. \u201cThat was a turning point for me.\u201d Joining the Film Commission just three months after its founding, her first tasks included taking photos of filming locations and reaching out to local businesses. The goal: Attract filmmakers to the city. \u201cOriginally we were fighting for one scene in a movie or one commercial,\u201d says Hardy. \u201cThen we started to gain momentum.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Momentum might be an understatement. Fort Worth is now home to the largest film production campus in Texas, SGS Studios, owned by the award-winning \u201cYellowstone\u201d creator Taylor Sheridan (he filmed five shows in Tarrant County just this year). We also have the largest virtual stage in the state, a 157-foot-wide LED screen at Trilogy Studios.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Several high-impact shows have been filmed in Fort Worth, such as \u201cThe Old Man & the Gun,\u201d \u201cA Ghost Story,\u201d \u201c12 Mighty Orphans,\u201d \u201cMiss Juneteenth,\u201d \u201c1883,\u201d \u201cLawmen: Bass Reeves,\u201d and \u201cLandman\u201d \u2014 and tourists have taken notice. \u201cAbout a quarter million new visitors a year come to our city just because they saw us on a TV show. That\u2019s a big change over the past decade.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another coup: The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex was recently named one of the world\u2019s six Oscar-qualifying cities, bumping out Miami to join Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and San Francisco. This means that movies screened for seven days in a certified Fort Worth theater can now be submitted for Academy Award consideration. \u201cIt\u2019s recognizing that DFW is a major media market.\u201d The Commission\u2019s new Premiere Package awards filmmakers a weeklong screening and red-carpet premiere, plus travel expenses and promotion.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
But out-of-towners aren\u2019t the only ones benefiting from Fort Worth\u2019s film boom. \u201cSo many of our locals have been able to be part of it,\u201d says Hardy. \u201cFor \u2018Landman\u2019 Season 2, which just wrapped recently, they hired 1,092 crew members, 192 cast, and over 2,500 extras.\u201d For aspiring crew members, Tarrant County College has a new fast-track program that offers certifications in hair and makeup, grip and lighting, and set construction. \u201cThere are so many ways to get involved,\u201d she adds. \u201cNow is the time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
With such success over its 10-year journey, the Film Commission has now shifted its focus to sustainable growth. But no success has meant more to Hardy than the people who\u2019ve shared the journey with her. \u201cI\u2019ve been able to grow alongside our community,\u201d she says. \u201cEveryone is very welcoming and supportive, and I don\u2019t think you have that everywhere. It makes me really proud of everybody who worked to bring these shows to life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Lone Star Film Festival comes to life Oct. 30 to Nov. 5 with the longest run and most dazzling star power ever, including Sam Elliott and Abraham Alexander. You\u2019ll also find red-carpet premieres and free events year-round, from networking mixers to educational panels. \u201cWe would love to have more people get involved in the film scene. Community is our superpower.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
As for the next decade? \u201cIt\u2019s almost hard to imagine what will happen,\u201d says Hardy. \u201cI think we have a really bright future ahead.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
FROM THE FEED<\/p>\n
1.<\/strong> On set during filming for \u201c12 Mighty Orphans\u201d at the Masonic Temple. Several locals were hired as background talent to cheer on the Mighty Mites!\u00a0<\/p>\n 2.<\/strong> At the wrap party for \u201cThe Senior,\u201d an independent feature film starring Michael Chiklis.<\/p>\n 3.<\/strong> Behind the scenes with Nick Utter and team on a marketing video for Visit Fort Worth.<\/p>\n 4.<\/strong> My husband and best friend, Logan Spiddle, on our wedding day in 2023!<\/p>\n 5.<\/strong> Grateful for my time at TCU where I studied film, TV, digital media and strategic communication.<\/p>\n 6.<\/strong> Welcoming the \u201cGood Morning America\u201d team to Fort Worth for a live broadcast from the Stockyards.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the last decade, Taylor Hardy has risen from humble intern to leader of the Film Commission at…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":347793,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5138],"tags":[5229,7371,7372,112785,358,7453,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-347792","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fort-worth","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-fort-worth","10":"tag-fortworth","11":"tag-shilo-urban","12":"tag-texas","13":"tag-top-story","14":"tag-tx","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-united-states-of-america","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","19":"tag-us","20":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115474069977337882","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347792"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347792\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/347793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}