Fort Worth has seen a boom in film and television production over the last few years, and it’s about to get a whole lot bigger. Through their company SGS Studios, “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan and 101 Studios CEO David Glasser are partnering with Hillwood and Paramount Television on a 450,000-square-foot film and television production campus in Fort Worth.
Hillwood, the Ross Perot Jr. company that developed AllianceTexas, says it will be the largest operating film studio in Texas. The two-building campus in far north Fort Worth is as part of the Alliance development. The campus features sound stages, post-production suites and ample space to build more sets and props.
In total, the facility can support four large-scale film and television productions at the same time. “Landman” season 2 has already filmed at the new studio, and more productions will stop by soon, according to Glasser. “We found the need and demand to be so much,” Glasser told the Star-Telegram. “I mean, we are right now in phase one, fully occupied top to bottom. Every single corner is rented as it sits right now.”
Now filming in Fort Worth
Glasser, whose company works on several Taylor Sheridan-created shows, recalled the great experience shooting the “Yellowstone” prequel “1883” in the Fort Worth area in 2021.
The Western series was the tip of iceberg for production in Cowtown, which has since welcomed shows such as “Lioness” and “Landman.”
While Fort Worth, and Texas as a whole, has a ton to offer in varied topography, it lacks sound stages — covered, dedicated filming locations that are undeterred by weather or other elements, Glasser said.
When it came to finding a place for more sound stages, Glasser and crew turned to Hillwood president Mike Berry.
Berry said he got to know Glasser after “1883” filmed in Fort Worth and heard the producer’s woes about the lack of sound stages in the region. As more television productions moved to Cowtown, Berry proposed an idea to turn two of Alliance’s industrial buildings, which were built on spec, into production spaces.
Renovations on retooling the buildings, known as Alliance Center East 2 and 3, began late last year and are now open as SGS Studio 1 and 2, Berry said.
But that’s not all.
Hillwood has begun planning a new area on a different site in Alliance that could deliver another eight sound stages, which would add another 300,000 square feet of space. All of the support facilities associated with the other two buildings would be included in the new space, Berry said.
“That will drive the need for nearby retail and restaurant services and maybe a hotel,” Berry said. “Some other things that would be directly part of the campus to support that revolving door of people that are coming through all the time.”
A revolving door of film production in Fort Worth
“The Madison” season 2 will begin filming in Fort Worth in September, followed by “Lioness” season 3 in October, Glasser said. Both of the show’s previous seasons were also shot in Cowtown.
Then there’s the new “Yellowstone” spinoff “Rio Palo,” which began filming in North Texas this week. Paramount has been mum about the new show, but Glasser confirmed that “Rio Palo” is not the official name of the series.
“That’s not the name of it, that’s just a temp name, but yes, it’s really a ‘Yellowstone’ spinoff,” Glasser said. With four shows already in the chamber, Berry said the facility is booked through the rest of the year. In the event that those shows get renewed — which Sheridan has a good track record of doing — Berry expects the facility will be busy for sometime.
Plus, the facility is open for business for any project in between all the Sheridan-verse programming. “We’re not exclusive just to [Sheridan’s] productions,” Berry said. “It’s just that they’re the lead and they’re filling it up. We’ll probably have to build more to take on other people.”
How sound stages will impact job, business growth in Fort Worth
As more productions film at the campus, Berry sees that as a plus for businesses not only in Alliance, but Fort Worth as a whole.
People move to the region for months at a time to work on these shows, which in turn spurs dollars spent at hotels and restaurants and entertainment areas like the Stockyards.
“The filming and everything can be done at Alliance, at a place where they can grow easily, expand their sound stage footprint,” Berry said. “But I think the people really like living and staying in in the city. It’s sort of the perfect combo.”
Speaking of jobs, it takes a small army to make a television show.
For “Landman” season 2 alone, 1,092 people were hired as crew along with 192 cast members and more than 2,500 extras. In total, 3,856 people were hired to work on the season, Glasser said.
The total number of hires for “Landman” will likely be matched on “The Madison” and be even greater on “Lioness,” Glasser said. The producer said its safe to assume that roughly 15,000 people have been hired this year on Sheridan-verse shows.
Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker called the studio project an “exciting opportunity.” “Fort Worth is now the fourth largest city in Texas, and the film industry presents an exciting opportunity to fuel our growth while keeping our economy bold and diverse,” Parker said in a statement. “This move is significant in showcasing what Fort Worth can offer to attract major productions that create jobs and foster continued industry growth.”
To that end, Glasser said he expects 101 Studios’ film workforce program with Tarrant County College to expand. More than 150 students have already been trained through the program, with expected growth to double that number.
“It’s just growing, and we’re going to continue it,” Glasser said. “We’re going to use the stages for more community outreach, top to bottom.”