Beth & Rip, 101 Studios coming to Fort Worth: Mayor’s State of the City address looks at booming film industry

City of Fort Worth officials rolled out the red carpet, literally and figuratively, for the State of the City event held Oct. 16 at Dickies Arena.

Mayor Mattie Parker delivered updates on the city, emphasizing that stories come to life in Fort Worth.

The walkway inside the event featured a star with the names of television series or movies that had been or are being filmed in Fort Worth. Inside, 10 monitors were playing those series, which included “Walker, Texas Ranger,” “Miss Juneteenth” and “Necessary Roughness.” The entrance featured a red carpet to enter the arena floor.

“We believe film is the next great industry in Fort Worth, just like cattle, railroads, energy, manufacturing and defense,” Parker said. “Film will become a part of the enduring economic development story that defines our city’s future.”

Current situation

Parker joined 101 Studios CEO David Glasser and WFAA’s Marc Istook on stage to highlight the current growth of the film industry in Fort Worth, with television series being filmed in town. Istook said he lives in a neighborhood in Fort Worth that was closed down for filming of the third season of “Lioness” this week. That is one of many shows under the umbrella of director Taylor Sheridan.

Sheridan, the director of hit shows “Yellowstone” and “Landman,” opened SGS Studios in the Alliance area of Fort Worth in March and will expand his footprint with more stages in the future, according to previous Community Impact reporting.

Parker highlighted the partnership between Sheridan and local colleges in the city to bring an added workforce for the growing job demand.

“I’ve been working hand-in-hand with colleges from Tarrant County, building the opportunities because I have the jobs,” Glasser said. “Right now, I don’t have enough people to fill the jobs for the shows we have here. If somebody here in this room sits up and says I could be a makeup artist or a hair artist or a grip or gaffer, I can leave here with you and take you to an appointment and you start tomorrow. … That’s the real fact.”

Put in perspective

Glasser said that 101 Studios is currently working on 16 television shows and up to nine movies this year, with a majority of them being in Fort Worth.

When quizzed by Istook about the second season of “Landman,” which starts Nov. 16 on Paramount+, Glasser didn’t reveal many details but said that actor Sam Elliott will join the show. He was previously an actor in Sheridan’s “1883” production, which was filmed in Fort Worth during the COVID-19 pandemic, Parker said.

Glasser said one of Sheridan’s newest productions, “The Dutton Ranch,” is being filmed in Fort Worth and started last month. The “Yellowstone” spinoff features characters Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler.

Glasser said that 15% of the staff for 101 Studios, currently based in Beverly Hills, California, has already moved to the Fort Worth area.

That will become 100% because he said that the business will be moving to Fort Worth, near Sheridan’s SGS Studios.

“We will move here because of the opportunities and what we can do,” he said.

In their own words

After the event, Parker discussed the impact of a Hollywood movie company moving to Cowtown and the roll that AllianceTexas played in making it happen.

“It’s an incredible investment for the city. … They could put their investments anywhere in the world,” Parker said. “Obviously, Taylor Sheridan’s personal connection to the city of Fort Worth is really impactful. He wanted to be back home, but it took convincing to see why Fort Worth, why Tarrant County. So, working alongside them to convince the state of Texas, we also want to be the No. 1 player in the country when it comes to film, television production, and bringing them here was a big deal.”

How we got here

Parker said the relationship between Sheridan, 101 Studios and Paramount+ helped line up work with AllianceTexas to work on studios, being a part of the many offerings by Hillwood.

According to previous reporting, Hillwood announced speculative buildings called Alliance Center East 2 and Alliance Center East 3, were built in late 2023. Those two buildings are now where the initial part of SGS Studios is located, though there is a need for more, Glasser said.

“Campus one, which is what you’ve seen now, is the largest in Texas, and it is fully occupied at 400,000 square feet,” Glasser said. “We don’t have enough room, so we are in the middle of the planning stages for what will be five to eight times that facility. A big part of the campus will be the education center, and then we will have a job occupation center. As well as housing all the big companies who are going to come here and have a home.”