TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa is seeing a large influx in film and television productions that all stem from the desirability of the city.
On April 25, film crews were at the Harwelden Mansion just off Riverside at 22nd Street.
Laura Mandini was walking with family near the film set when 2 News spoke with her.
She said she lives in the neighborhood and was excited to see the crews filming at the historic site.
"I’m just happy they are doing something in the Harwelden," said Mandini.
Tulsa’s always been a venue for films. In recent years, however, the city pushed to make Tulsa a hub for the industry.
It was aided by the state's desire to welcome the industry. The way legislators appealed to filmmakers was through incentives.
The state passed the Filmed in Oklahoma Act in 2021. It made Oklahoma a competitive filming location compared to other states.
Meg Gould is the Executive Director of the Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Art, and Culture and said the industry gives back to our city.
"It just brings a lot of recognition to Tulsa and what we have to offer here. And it helps everything from tourism to putting people to work, and it helps our workforce here. And then it also puts money in our economy," said Gould.
It’s an industry that requires a lot. Gould said they use local businesses to supply its needs.
"So there’s local businesses such as dry cleaners, lumber yards caterers that are all hired and used here locally. So they all see and upturn when productions come in," Gould said.
She credited Oklahoma stories and a local director and writer for the influx of productions.
She said with shows like Reservation Dogs filmed in Tulsa and surrounding areas, interests peeked for the city. Sterlin Harjo is also filming his latest pilot The Sensitive Kind in Tulsa.
"We have heroes like Sterlin Harjo. He has done an incredible job building up the crew base here," said Gould. "He wants to film here, and people admire that."
Gould said Tulsa was recently nominated for the City of Film at the Global Production Awards.
"We are one of the top five cities that are being recognized for City of Film and we are the on United States city that was on that list."
The winner will be announced at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
The city is said to have a variety of other productions gearing up to start.
While Gould couldn’t say exactly what was coming next, she said there is a lot to look forward to in the film industry here in Tulsa.
If you are interested in becoming a crew member or background actor click here.
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