Group behind advocacy for Texas' film incentive bill to present new award at ATX TV Fest

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- ATX TV Festival is premiering its 14th Season Thursday in downtown Austin. The festival is running May 29 through June 1 this year, with the opening night featuring Seth Meyers.

While there are plenty of events, screenings, panels, and expected celebrity sightings happening all throughout the weekend, the closing day will be special in its own right.

On Sunday, a new award centered around Texas-related people and productions will be presented for the first time.

Aptly named, the Texas Made Award "celebrates individuals and productions with Texas ties who are creating professional opportunities for the creative community within the state, and bolstering Texas as a creative and cultural center through their work," according to a release from ATX TV Fest.

The award will be presented in partnership with Media For Texas, the advocacy group/nonprofit organization behind pushing advocacy for Texas Senate Bill 22, which provides tax breaks for films shot in Texas.

The inaugural award will be presented to "Landman," which was created by Texans Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace. The show, set in West Texas and primarily filmed in and around Fort Worth, is a "modern tale of fortune seeking amongst roughnecks and billionaires in the world of oil," per ATX TV Fest. It was inspired by "Boomtown," a podcast from Texas Monthly and Imperative Entertainment hosted by Wallace, the fest's release noted.

Creator/executive producer Wallace and stars Billy Bob Thornton and Jacob Lofland will accept the award and then hold a panel following the award presentation Sunday to take a "deep dive" into season one of the show.

Media For Texas founders Chase Musslewhite and Grant Wood talked to KXAN on Thursday about the award and their organization's involvement in the film industry in Texas.

"We're really excited to be able to partner with ATX TV Fest, because we feel like our joint vision of doing, you know, building the film and TV landscape here in Texas is one in the same, but especially off the back of this past [legislative] session, and doing what we could to help get the bill passed," Musslewhite said.

"We are very excited to be able to come on board and present this award, especially for "Landman," because "Landman" is like one of those TV shows that was a Texas show, shot in Texas, Texas story, and Taylor Sheridan has done so much wonderful work for our industry here. So it's really special for us to be able to do that," she continued.

Musslewhite and Wood are both six-generation Texans, so when asked "why Texas?" in regards to pushing for better incentives and growth in the film industry, they all but said, "why not?"

"First of all, you're talking to two six-generation Texans, so deep in our heart, everything is better in Texas, and we stand by that with whatever industry you want to ask about," Musslewhite said. "But specifically with film, there are so many reasons why we're poised to be like the next coast."

Musslewhite also explained that the diverse landscape across the state lends itself to ease of recreating other settings. "You can make almost anywhere happen in Texas," she said.

She also said Texas "just has the best people." Musslewhite expanded on that, saying she's never met crewmembers anywhere else who want to "know and engage with the story so that they can do their job better."

Geographically, Texas is between two other big film and TV hubs -- New York and California. Musslewhite thinks that is another aspect that will help expand development in the state, along with simple timing and readiness.

"I think that people are looking for a new space, energy wise, they're looking for a fresh start to this industry. Off the back of COVID, the industry had, you know, went through a rough patch of figuring itself out" she explained. "And I think Texas is going to bring a brand new, fresh swing of energy that's going to get everybody -- I mean, we can already feel it here -- that's going to get everybody really excited about the prospect of making new stuff and doing it in a new place."

Texas is already home to several famed films, including "Apollo 13," "Bonnie and Clyde," "Cast Away," "The Karate Kid" (1984), "Spy Kids" and "Spy Kids 2," and many others.