TV, Film Crews Flocking To Oklahoma For New Productions

Northeastern Oklahoma has become a filming hub as more movie and TV productions are choosing the area for their needs.

Monday, April 11th 2022, 9:10 am

By: Brooke Griffin

TULSA, Oklahoma -

Northeastern Oklahoma has become a filming hub as more movie and TV productions are choosing the area for their needs. The Tulsa Film, Music, Arts and Culture Office said the state is on track to have the biggest year yet.

There have been several productions filming in Tulsa and the surrounding areas in the past couple of years largely due to the incentives Oklahoma has to offer and the state having a wide array of land types to choose from.

Tulsa FMAC Executive Director Abby Kurin says those incentives vary in amounts of money depending on what area of the state a crew is filming in. Tulsa, Oklahoma City, the Cherokee Nation, and the state of Oklahoma all offer monetary incentives that productions can apply for if they choose our state for filming.

In 2020, $90,000 worth of Cares Act Funding was allotted for five different productions in the area.

In March of this year, $600,000 of American Rescue Plan funding was approved for the same measures. Currently, applications are open for productions to secure funding in the state. The incentive is capped at $150,000 per production and those who are applying must have a film budget of less than $5 million.

“We are a cultural hub of Oklahoma, being a film destination and music city we can offer a lot of resources, it’s been incredible to see our film crew have multiple job opportunities,” Kurin said.

The $600,000 American Rescue Plan incentive is just for the Tulsa area. There are other incentives provided by other offices.

The Oklahoma Film and Music Office said they are thrilled with how many productions have chosen Oklahoma for their filming needs.

“With the support of state and city leadership, the Oklahoma Film + Music Office is thrilled to see the growth of the film and television industry throughout the state,” said OF+MO Director Tava Maloy Sofsky. “We continue to cross new thresholds in expanding our local film workforce, businesses, educational opportunities and infrastructure, including sound stage development, to meet the needs of the industry. In our most recent fiscal year, over $170.4 million in direct impact and 11,000 local career opportunities were created by film and television productions in Oklahoma, which utilized the state’s incentive program. We look forward to continued success in the year ahead.”

In turn, the film crews spend millions of dollars in the state for lodging, crew members, food, and more.

“Just in the last quarter the direct spend in Tulsa is upwards of $15 million dollars,” Kurin said.”So that money is going to small businesses, vendors, hotels, so absolutely that money is felt all through our community.”

She said since 2017, northeastern Oklahoma has hosted 120 film productions, with a record of 34 of those being done just last year.

There have already been six movies and shows shot in the area in 2022, putting Green Country on track to have another record filming year.