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July 13, 2010

Oklahoma economy gets boost from films

Rep. Ben Sherrer Staff Reporter

Last week a new film opened in select cities across the country. The movie has an A-list cast including Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson and Jessica Alba. The movie is a suspenseful drama about a west Texas sheriff who is also a psychopath - yikes. Although the movie is not showing in any Oklahoma theatres it has already had a $5.1 million dollar impact on our state’s economy.

So, how did Oklahoma profit from the filming of movie? Although the story takes place in west Texas almost the entire movie was filmed in various locations across Oklahoma. During the 29 days of filming $256,471 was spent on hotel rooms, $128,072 was spent on transportation, and $32,761 was spent on catering. There were also 661 Oklahomans employed in various roles including crew members, security guards and extras for the film.

The Oklahoma Film and Music Office is charged with recruiting movies, TV shows, documentaries and commercials to Oklahoma. Through their efforts Oklahoma is quickly growing as a market for the film industry. In 2006, there were 772 total productions filmed in Oklahoma bringing in $11 million directly and having an approximate $18.92 million impact on our budget. In 2009, there were 1,589 productions in Oklahoma that had a $25.6 million impact on the economy. More growth is expected in the coming years because of our business friendly environment.

With our diverse terrain and scenery, Oklahoma is the perfect location for many types of films because in many instances a small town has just as much appeal as a big city – depending on the type of project. In 2009, seventy-five communities in 45 counties, including Mayes County, were scouted as potential film locations. It is an exciting time in Oklahoma as we continue to raise awareness of all that we have to offer.

If you need assistance or would like to visit about an issue, please feel free to contact my capitol office at 1-800-522-8502 or email me at bensherrer@okhouse.gov. Until next week, God bless you.

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