Austin, Texas Named to MovieMaker Magazine's 2022 Best Places to Live and Work as a Movie Maker & the Austin Film Tourism Guide Launches

Austin, Texas – Today, the Austin Film Commission announced that Austin has been named one of MovieMaker Magazine’s Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker in 2022, ranking eighth out of 25 cities nationally and placing as the top city in Texas for moviemakers.

This year, Austin is the only Texas city to be in the top 10, a place Austin has held every year for as long as Moviemaker has run the survey. MovieMaker determined the winners using multiple surveys, editorial research on state and city incentives, and reviewing a count of recently filmed productions. Austin’s diverse locations, film culture and large number of talented filmmakers that call Austin home also added to the ranking.

“It’s an honor to be included on MovieMaker’s list of the Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker,” said Brian Gannon, Director of the Austin Film Commission. “We have such a talented crew base here in Austin as well as the cast, local vendors, production companies and facilities that make Austin the place for commercial, film and television production. Thanks to the reputation cultivated by the hard-working Austin professionals over the past 45 years, productions that film here always know they will come in on time, on budget and looking great.“

In 2021, the feature film “Hypnotic,” directed by Robert Rodriguez and starring Ben Affleck was produced in Austin, along with the indie features “Mirasol,” “Chocolate Lizards,” “Match Me If You Can,” “Plus/Minus” and “Home Free.” Richard Linklater also shot part of his 20-year project, “Merrily We Roll Along” in Austin in 2021. The hit CW series “Walker,” starring Jared Padalecki, continues to call Austin home with Season 2 of the production, while HBO is also currently filming a new David E. Kelly limited series “Love & Death,” starring Elizabeth Olsen. Austin has also seen an uptick in unscripted television productions, with both of Netflix’s “Queer Eye” and “Twentysomethings: Austin” having filmed in the city. After four years in Austin, the hit AMC series “Fear the Walking Dead,” wrapped up filming in December of last year. Throughout 2021, Austin was also home to dozens of commercial shoots by brands like Ford, Kia, Toyota, Lowe’s, Dell, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Buick, Samsung, Capital One, Indian Motorcycle and HEB.

Austin Film Tourism Guide
The Austin Film Commission is also excited to launch the Austin Film Tourism Guide on VisitAustin.org, featuring famous filming locations around Austin that can be visited by visitors and locals alike.

Hundreds of films and television series have been produced in Austin over the past 50 years. Many of the iconic productions included in the Film Tourism Guide captured the cultural zeitgeist of the time, including the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “Dazed and Confused,” “Office Space,” “Friday Night Lights” and many more. Independent and Hollywood productions film in Austin, not only because of the city’s stellar crews and friendly local lifestyle but also due to the breadth of diverse locations, all within a short distance of the city center. Locations add character and aesthetic to a film or TV show, and these settings are what make so many iconic productions memorable. Many of these noteworthy locations are tangible places that visitors can experience in real life, such as Top Notch Hamburgers, Mount Bonnell and the Long Center. Find more iconic locations here.

“We hope The Austin Film Tourism Guide spurs lots of fun for fans and that the local businesses featured in these  historic film and television shows see a boost in foot traffic from the guide. We get calls from all over the world asking where “Friday Night Lights” or “Fear the Walking Dead” filmed and we are happy to share this guide so everyone can visit the places where their favorite scenes were shot,” said Gannon.

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About the Austin Film Commission
The Austin Film Commission works to bring film, television and commercial production to the city, as well as advocating for and assisting with production filming in the city. Part of Visit Austin, the Commission’s goals are to create jobs for Austin professionals, increase spending at local businesses and to promote Austin domestically and internationally. For more details visit AustinFilmCommission.com

Contact:
Brian Gannon, Director of the Austin Film Commission: bgannon@visitaustin.org