Boomtown: What Fort Worth, Texas, Teaches Us About the Role of Film Commissions in the Era of Mobile Production

ABSTRACT This article argues that local film commissions in the United States are increasingly stepping beyond their traditional roles as facilitators of location scouting and permitting to become active agents shaping the long‐term viability of media production in their regions. Using the Fort Worth Film Commission and its collaboration with Taylor Sheridan and 101 Studios as a case study, the essay demonstrates how commissions are engaging in legislative lobbying, workforce development, and infrastructure planning to compete in the unpredictable landscape of mobile production. Through interviews, economic data, scholarship, and legislative analysis, the article reveals how Fort Worth's film commission has helped transform a city with no major production infrastructure into an emergent media hub—offering a template for how commissions in politically conservative or under‐resourced regions might sustain production beyond one‐off projects. Ultimately, the case study provides new insights into the evolving functions of film commissions in shaping where and how contemporary media production takes root.