LAWTON — Lawton has reached another milestone on the path to becoming a possible location for film and TV shows this week.
The Oklahoma Film + Music Office recently certified Lawton as a film-friendly community, which tells filmmakers they are welcome to consider Lawton as a location for their latest project.
The city got the ball rolling in 2007 when the Lawton City Council adopted a resolution saying the city was willing to work with film and TV producers. Over the next 14 years, the city’s Arts and Humanities Division worked on streamlining the permitting process for film and TV productions and compiling a list of sites whose owners would consider working with filmmakers.
The division submitted its application to the Oklahoma Film + Music Office in August and learned earlier this month that the application was successful.
The certification lets filmmakers know that Lawton is open for business, which could generate revenue for city coffers, Arts and Humanities Coordinator Jason Poudrier said Wednesday,
“When we’re able to bring production companies in, it creates a number of temporary jobs, such as extras as well as film tech support,” he said. “There’s also the increased revenue because those filmmakers stay in local hotels. They eat at local restaurants.”
Poudrier said certification could also boost Lawton’s profile among tourists who have seen the city featured in films and TV shows.
Now that Lawton has been recognized as a film-friendly community, the Arts and Humanities Division is working with the city attorney’s office on issues that aren’t covered by either the 2007 resolution or the permitting process.
The goal is to simplify the permitting process and make filmmakers feel welcome, Poudrier said.
“We want to be like, ‘OK, we’ve got you covered. We want you here. We’re going to take care of you. We’ve got policies in place,’” Poudrier said.