Could Fort Worth build something like Mansfield’s 405,000-square-foot movie studio?

Despite launching less than 10 years ago, the Fort Worth Film Commission has worked on a wide array of projects from “12 Mighty Orphans”, “Miss Juneteenth” and “Yellowstone” prequel “1883.”

Fort Worth was the last major city in Texas to start its film commission in 2015, Vice President of Marketing Jessica Christopherson said.

The city of Mansfield approved an over 405,000-square-foot mixed-use studio complex this month which will include hotels and retail space. The complex is expected to bring in over 2,000 jobs to the city.

Could Fort Worth get a complex like Mansfield?

Here’s what Christopherson told the Star-Telegram.

What have been some of the larger projects the commission has worked on?

Channing Godfrey Peoples’ “Miss Juneteenth” was one of the films, “12 Mighty Orphans”, “[The] Old Man & the Gun” with Robert Redford, “A Ghost Story” and, of course, “1883” and now “1883: The Bass Reeves Story” both Taylor Sheridan’s projects.

We’ve also had episodes of “Yellowstone” film scenes in Fort Worth, so it’s been great in addition to some commercials and then unscripted series like “Flip or Flop Fort Worth” and those type of shows.

What was the commissions’ involvement in those projects? What goes into that as far as scheduling, planning, etc.?

Our main goal is to attract business to the city, so we’re actively pitching producers and studios and projects to come to Fort Worth. Then once they’re on the ground, we try to be their main resource for anything they need so to assist with permitting, to help find locations…connect them with local businesses or districts or anything they need once they’re here.

We also work closely with our hotel partners to help provide production rates and get them the accommodations that are needed for their crew.

One thing we’ve really tried to do a good job of is have great customer service with our clients and be quick. Film productions move at a pretty rapid rate so it’s really important to make sure that we’re able to provide all the resources they need on a timely basis.

How does Mansfield’s planned studio complex compare to studio spaces in Fort Worth?

So Fort Worth doesn’t have a studio space of that capacity or that size yet. Ultimately the goal would be to eventually have something like that based in the city.

It’s great growth for the region if that does happen in Mansfield, but we don’t have anything like that in Fort Worth right now.

Most of the productions that come into Fort Worth, they have been utilizing warehouse space that they have been using as studio space.

Are there existing studios dedicated for film making in Fort Worth?

There are some smaller ones like Backlot Studios. They have a studio space, but nothing to the size that’s really needed to have a full-on production or long term television series.

Ideally we’ll eventually get one in Fort Worth, but there’s nothing like that right now.

Do you think something like a studio complex could happen down the line?

Yeah, I think there’s potential. One of the main things that’s gonna be a factor in that is going to be the state film incentive and film rebate.

Right now we’re in our legislative session, so a lot of industry folks including the TXMPA, which is the Texas Motion Picture Alliance, our film commission and other regional film commissions are advocating to get the Texas state rebate up to a higher threshold.

We have a lot of competition with other states like New Mexico, Oklahoma and Louisiana who have really competitive film incentives, so we lose a lot of business to those neighboring states. If we can get the state film incentive up, then it makes sense to have studio space because then we can attract business.