Norman invites in Hollywood with new 'film-friendly' designation

Andrea Hancock, The Norman Transcript, Okla.
·2 min read

May 24—On Thursday, the City of Norman received "Film-Friendly Community" status from the State of Oklahoma.

At VisitNorman's annual tourism luncheon, Jeanette Stanton, the director of the state's Film and Music Office, announced Norman has officially received the designation after months of ramping up its involvement in the film industry.

First, producers Richard Greenberg and Randy Turrow announced in February they plan to set up their headquarters in Norman.

Then, in March, the Norman City Council voted unanimously to classify film and television production events as special events, a designation previously given to festivals, concerts and similar activities. The Council also voted to create a new film permit and allow film and production crews to request temporary street closures to create closed sets.

Now, Norman will be one of 32 film-friendly certified cities in Oklahoma.

The program helps communities get in contact with and prepare for production crews. VisitNorman will serve as the primary point-of-contact and maintain a list of filming locations for producers, including historic locations such as Sooner Theatre and The Depot.

Stanton said attracting production crews injects a lot of new money into local economies.

"A fascinating number that we just received from Champions Hotels from the production of 'Twisters,' which will be out in theaters July 19, is Twisters, or Universal (Studios), booked 10,000 room-nights," Stanton said. "When a production of that scale comes to any town, they spend money. That is their main purpose, is to hire locals and spend money."

Turrow, the keynote speaker at Thursday's luncheon, thanked the City and entities like VisitNorman, the Norman Chamber of Commerce, and the Norman Economic Development Coalition for their help in making Norman film-friendly.

He also encouraged leaders to keep residents informed on what film productions could contribute to Norman's economy.

"The city's objective is to diligently promote this potential economic boon," Turrow said. "Jobs can range from hospitality, to rentals, to greenery, to trucking, to all sorts of different services that many would be surprised when they were called upon to contribute."

The film industry has grown quickly over the past decade, paying $1.8 million in wages across 466 jobs in 2014 to $58 million in wages across 7,652 jobs in 2023.

A law passed in 2021 created financial incentives for producers to come to the state, offering a cash rebate of between 20% and 38% for filming in Oklahoma's rural counties and small municipalities or using Oklahoma-based soundstages and post-production facilities.

Stanton said the Office of Film and Music is hopeful all of Oklahoma can benefit from the increase in production activity.

"We have been working very diligently over several years to make all cities and communities film-friendly," she said. "We provide training; we want to be your advocate when a film production comes to town."