City staff briefed the Arlington City Council on June 24 on efforts to expand film and media production recruitment and to pursue certification as a film- and digital-media-friendly jurisdiction.
Jay Warren (presentation lead) described a team approach that pairs the Office of Communications’ film-friendly staff with departments across the city — planning, parks, police and others — and with economic-development staff to recruit and process production requests. Jeremy Thomas of the Office of Communication said the office has been operating the film-friendly program and is exploring an additional “digital-friendly” certification that few Texas cities have pursued.
Staff noted a related state program, media production development zones (MPDZ), that can provide incentives and bonding frameworks for certified zones. Fort Worth has previously pursued an MPDZ; staff said Arlington could explore a tailored approach and would coordinate with the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and university partners such as the University of Texas at Arlington on specific offers.
Council members asked about staffing, recruitment and how the EDC would be involved; staff said it would be a team effort with EDC and other departments assisting with outreach and processing.