Austin Film Industry Needs Your Help

AN URENT MESSAGE FROM THE TXMPA!

Let's Save the Austin Film Commission

URGENT: The Austin Film Industry Needs Your Help!

First, thank you to all the amazing Austin crew and vendors for the tremendous rallying call for the Texas Film Rebate Program during this tough Texas Legislative Session.

We need your help again, as the Austin film industry is under attack.

Next week, the Austin City Council is set to gut the budget from Visit Austin which not only oversees Tourism and Convention marketing but is the parent office of the Austin Film Commission (AFC), the Austin Music Office and the Austin Sports Commission.

The AFC has worked to bring film, television and commercial productions of all sizes to Austin for over 30 years. As well as marketing Austin as location for production, the Austin Film Commission also works tirelessly to promote local vendors, facilities and crew to studios and producers. As the sole office advocating for filming in the city, the Austin Film Commission has assisted countless productions and filmmakers locally over the years—assisting with everything from permitting issues to local film festival promotion to location scouting—it’s a Swiss army knife of support for local film community.

The Austin City Council intends to reallocate up to $11 million of Visit Austin’s currant $15.4 million budget. This massive cut to the Visit Austin budget would ripple through the organization and significantly impact the Austin Film Commission’s ability to operate. It would be detrimental to the AFC’s resources to market and bring production work to Austin and in doing so put local industry jobs and spending in jeopardy.

The AFC would have no way to stay competitive in getting film, television and commercial projects to come film in Austin. With no marketing ability—not only would Austin lose projects, crew jobs and vendors but the city does not see the economic impact that each production brings. The truly independent filmmakers start to lose the support that was in place to that allowed them to tell their stories in Austin. Creative voices fall silent.

We know this is a tremendous blow, especially after such a grueling session but you can help turn this around.

Please call, email or connect your Austin City Council representative on social media. Speak up for Austin Film Commission.Spread the word to family and friends. Have them tell the Austin City Council that the film industry matters. Speak up for your businesses and jobs. Keep the film industry alive and well in Austin,Texas.

Thank you for your support.

Below you will find phone numbers, email addresses and social accounts for the members of Austin City Council. Be heard by your elected officials.

Not sure who your council member is? Find out here:

https://austintexas.gov/email/all-council-members

District 1 Council Member Ora Houston

Ora.Houston@austintexas.gov

512-978-2101

Social:

https://twitter.com/oraatx1

https://www.facebook.com/oraatx/

District 2 Council Member Delia Garza

delia.garza@austintexas.gov