OKC FILM OFFICE LAUNCHES; WEBSITE CREATED TO ASSIST AND TOUT CITY ASSETS The Oklahoma City Office of Film and Creative Industries is officially open for business. Created through a partnership between the City of Oklahoma City and Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, the goal is to support the burgeoning film industry and facilitate its further growth. Jill Simpson, a film industry veteran and former director of the Oklahoma Film and Music Office, has been tapped to lead the effort. “Oklahoma City is quickly establishing itself as a place that welcomes creatives of various art forms and expressions, in particular those who are engaged in the film industry,” said Chamber President and CEO Christy Gillenwater. “There is a lot that goes into creating a film or television series -- much more than the average person may even realize -- from pre-production all the way through post-production, and it is exciting that OKC is providing people and companies the opportunities to perform their magic and, at the same time, provide jobs for a ready-made workforce right here in the local area.” Simpson said Oklahoma City has so much momentum for the growth of this industry. “The increase of activity, combined with new assets such as Prairie Surf Studios, Boiling Point Media’s LED virtual production studio and Green Pastures Studio, and the expanded State incentive, have made Oklahoma City the new film destination to watch nationally. Our mission will include both recruitment and support of our existing local film community with an emphasis on economic development and jobs creation for the region,” Simpson said. The film office was established to facilitate that growth and help coalesce the industry around crucial factors such as workforce development and advocacy. The office will also serve as a one-stop concierge and ombudsman with the industry, providing location scouting assistance and support databases, cataloging Oklahoma City crews, talent, locations and production services. “The industry here is hungry to collaborate and work together to explore our full potential. So many
Oklahomans who have worked in film across the country are coming back here to make this place the next big destination for film,” Simpson said. In fact, Oklahoma City has been recognized nationally as an up-and-coming film destination. MovieMaker magazine named the region #13 on its list of Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker and named Oklahoma City Community College as one of the country’s 40 best film schools. The Paramount+ series “Tulsa King” completed its first season of filming in Oklahoma City earlier this year. “Reagan,” “God’s Not Dead: We the People,” “American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story” and “I Can Only Imagine” are just some of the feature films that have recently been shot in and around the Oklahoma City metro area. A new film office website has also been created that details the office’s work, as well as Oklahoma City’s assets for the industry. The website, which can be found at filminokc.com, provides filmmakers and production studios with a variety of helpful resources, including a production guide complete with a crew directory and listing of OKC’s sound stages and studios, information on close to 500 prospective filming sites across the city, and information on current city and state rebates, plus much more. The city rebate can be combined with the state program, creating a highly competitive incentive package.
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