A Farewell from Director Heather Page
This edition of our newsletter is an announcement that it will be my last, as this chapter of my career in the moving image industries has come to close. Friday, September 22 marks my final day at the Texas Film Commission.
I’m sending this newsletter as a formal “Thank You” to everyone involved in the moving image industries of Texas. Whether you’re a game developer, crew member, Film Friendly community representative, or Texan who just loves watching what our industries do, it has been an honor to serve you during my five-year tenure as director. I have seen so much of what this great state has to offer economically and creatively in film, television, commercial, video games and animation, and I look forward to watching our state realize its potential in these industries for a long time ahead.
In the past few weeks alone, I’ve seen exactly the reason why I took this job in the first place – that #TexasStrong mentality. From every corner of the state, our industries have banded together to support our fellow Texans in a time when so many needed it most. From crew members and Texas business resources traveling to affected areas in assisting flood victims, to film festivals and game companies raising funds for relief efforts, I’ve never been prouder to call myself a member of this community.
One of the goals of the Texas Film Commission, in addition to recruiting immediate production to the state, has been to increase awareness of the positive impact our industries have on Texas communities over time. I’m so pleased about the growing participation of Texas municipalities in the Film Friendly Texas certification program which can broaden their economic development. I’m also loving the positive feedback we are getting from Texans and non-Texans alike about our Texas Film Trails program that is a new, fun way to encourage film tourism across the state. And I am encouraged about the future for infrastructure growth in our state. In 2016, Austin video game developer, Certain Affinity, successfully utilized our facilities incentive, the Media Production Development Zone Program, which helped the company expand into new headquarters. These programs underscore that the industry isn’t a fleeting, in-the-moment enterprise that benefits only a few, but instead a strong contributor to the state’s economic diversity, strength and heritage of which we can be proud.
I leave you in the very capable hands of our tireless, committed office staff, still overseen and supported by the Office of the Governor. The TFC will continue operations per its mission of providing resources that serve the moving image industries of Texas while supporting our state’s global position as a premier production destination. In the meantime, I look forward to completing my quest to visit every county courthouse in the state, hitting the Texas Classics Film Trail and rooting on the film, television, commercial, animation, visual effects, video games and mixed reality industries in Texas for years to come!
Warmest Regards,
Heather Page
The September 2017 edition of the TFC newsletter will be released next week.