Several communites in the GVEC Region are happy to work with Hollywood as Film Friendly Locations. Communities including Cuero, Gonzales, Seguin, Shiner, Yorktown, New Braunfels and Yoakum, are officially recognized as Film Friendly Certified Communities under the Texas Film Commission’s program. This designation, shared by over 175 cities across Texas, helps draw film and TV production projects to the area. For local communities, it means more tourism and economic opportunities for businesses. For filmmakers, it means access to historic, scenic locations and a warm, welcoming atmosphere—making the GVEC region a perfect choice for filming.
What does being a Film Friendly Certified Community mean?
The Texas Film Commission’s Film Friendly Texas (FFTX) program links media industry professionals with skilled community liaisons across the state so they can provide local expertise and production support. Participating communities in GVEC’s service area can use the program to promote media production and show they’re serious about being ‘film-friendly.’ The program also emphasizes working with both rural and suburban communities within the GVEC region—allowing certified communities to market their unique features, qualities and resources directly to the film and TV industry professionals.
The Benefits of Being a Film Friendly Certified Community in the GVEC Region
Media industry professionals can count on community liaisons who:
• Complete FFTX training workshops, and receive ongoing training and guidance from the Texas Film Commission
• Pass the Filming Guidelines & Permit Application
• Contribute photos of filming locations for the Texas Film Commission location database
The Process and Impact of Being Film Friendly
In 2016, the Texas Film Commission held Film Friendly workshops attended by City of Gonzales staff and Daisy Scheske Freeman, then executive director of the Gonzales Chamber of Commerce, now GVEC economic development director. Within a few months,Freeman had completed the necessary training and certification process and Gonzales was designated a Texas Film Commission Film Friendly Certified Community in the summer of 2016.
After the city received the designation, Freeman worked with the Texas Film Commission and local filmmaker Erik McCowan to catalog Gonzales’ historic and scenic locations. “Through that certification, the Texas Film Commission staff helps communities build a film profile, for those seeking certain scenes in Texas,” Freeman explained. Some of the picturesque sites included in the film profile are the Gonzales County Courthouse, Pioneer Village, Gonzales Memorial Museum, Palmetto State Park and numerous grand, privately owned historic homes.
The profile then becomes part of Texas Film Commission’s location database, which is available to filmmakers, thereby increasing Gonzales’ visibility and accessibility to scouts seeking an ideal location in this part of Texas. According to the Texas Film Commission, this helped the city attract the production of a Pierce Brosnan series, “The Son” on AMC. When the project requested more information about filming in Gonzales, the commission quickly connected them with local contacts in Gonzales, like Freeman, who was equipped to accommodate filming requests under FFTX guidelines. “The Son” went on to film segments of its season two in locations across Gonzales County and portions of downtown Gonzales which were transformed into an early 1900s Mexican border town.
There was a buzz of excitement with the special visitors and extra attention, and a few locals made their film debut when they were cast as extras in the streets of old Gonzales. Main Street Marketplace store owners, Sarah Tenberg and Wendy Hodge worked with the production’s art department crew. “We got great business from them. It made a huge impact on our vendors and profitability,” they said.
Another business that benefited from the production was the Gonzales Food Market, run by multiple generations, including fourth-generation family member, Daniel Lopez. The food market served authentic Texas cuisine to the production crew, providing a boost to its bottom line.
How Film and TV Production Can Boost the Local Economy
When a film or TV project lands in a community like Gonzales, the local spending that takes place and positive economic impact is immediate. On-location filming activity stimulates local economies by creating jobs for Texas- based crew members and local residents. It also generates on-site spending on local goods and services at small businesses, including lodging, catering, transportation, location fees, lumber, construction supplies and local hires. Scheske Freeman says that when a city like Gonzales is accommodating and its residents, visitors and business owners welcome production projects, the entire community benefits. And that’s what we call Texas-friendly.
