Visit Austin official outlines film industry’s tourism value and waits on big state incentive bill

Brian Gannon, senior director of the Visit Austin Film Commission, told the Austin Tourism Commission on April 9 that commercial, television and feature film production are a steady source of tourism-related spending and local jobs — and that state incentives will determine how much production Austin can attract.

Gannon said Visit Austin markets the region’s diverse locations and local crew base to productions that primarily originate in Los Angeles, and that the office serves as an intermediary between productions and permitting and police contacts. “We advocate for production that's on the ground,” he said. “We don't finance or regulate, but we point productions to permitting offices.”

The nut graph: Gannon gave concrete recent examples of production impact in Austin and said the outcome of proposed statewide funding — referenced in the meeting as Senate Bill 22 and House Bill 4568 — would be a major…