Garland wins Film Friendly Texas certification; staff outlines outreach to list locations and attract productions

Dana Lodge, director of the Convention & Visitors Bureau, told council Garland will be presented with a Film Friendly Texas certification at the next council meeting and described early marketing and administrative steps to capitalize on the designation.

Lodge said the Texas Film Commission acts as a central repository for location photos and that Garland had submitted a preliminary set of images to qualify for certification. She explained that the Special Events Department will be the official city liaison for film requests and outlined next steps: expand the location inventory on the state site, create a city landing page, coordinate outreach with regional film commissions and encourage private property owners and businesses to list their locations in the database. "We will be presented the city will be presented with that certification tomorrow, at the council," Lodge said; staff encouraged volunteer partnerships to broaden the inventory.

Councilmembers recommended using local partners such as the Garland Film Collective to help populate listings and suggested low-cost marketing tactics; staff said production fees (for police details, barricades or other services) are passed to the filmmaker and that many productions prefer low-profile visits.