A Nov. 14 news release from the Texas Film Commission, a branch of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Tourism first created in 1971, was the first to announce the city’s accomplishment.
“I thank the Texas Film Commission for helping communities like Celina market their unique appeal and support local job creation through media production,” Gov. Greg Abott said in the news release.
The big picture
Since its creation more than 50 years ago, the Texas Film Commission serves to grow local jobs and economies by promoting Texas as a destination for film, television, visual effects, animation, video game, extended reality and commercial production projects, according to the news release.
“I am grateful the Texas Film Commission selected Celina as a Film Friendly Texas Certified Community,” Mayor Ryan Tubbs said in the news release. “This adds great value to multimedia projects and professionals in and around our city.”
The commission estimates it has attracted more than $2 billion in local spending and created more than 183,000 production jobs statewide since 2007, according to the news release.
Zooming out
The film-friendly program itself was first created in 2007 and, including Celina, encompasses more than 175 communities across the state, according to the news release.
“This [film-friendly designation] also ranks us in a unique group of cities from which we can draw experience and expertise while offering some of the most talented people and resources in the industry who live in our community,” Tubbs said in the news release. “This distinction further allows Celina to market our unique hometown resources directly to media industry professionals working in Texas.”
Communities interested in becoming film friendly must complete certain steps prior to certification, according to the Texas Film Commission’s website. These steps include:
- Attending a “How to Become a Film Friendly Texas Certified Community” workshop
- Passing administratively enforceable filming guidelines that promote media production in a way that is both mutually beneficial for residents and industry professionals
- Submitting photos of a minimum of five filming locations in the community for inclusion in the Texas Film Commission location database.
One more thing
Even before the official designation, shots of Celina have made it to the big screen, according to the Texas Film Commission’s website. Some of its television and film credits include:
- “Dangerous Curves” (TV series: 1992-1993)
- “Three Days to a Kill” (Film: 1992)
- “Walker, Texas Ranger” (TV series: 1996)
More information on film-friendly communities can be found on the Texas Film Commission’s website.
