The Texas Media Cluster

Below is a list of 17 of the most well-known films made in Texas, which recently appeared in The Houston Chronicle:

Popular movies filmed in Texas

1. Giant (1956)
2. Hud (1963)
3. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
4. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
5. Sugarland Express (1974)
6. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
7. Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982)
8. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
9. Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
10. Wild at Heart (1990)
11. Dazed and Confused (1993)
12. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993)
13. Reality Bites (1994)
14. Apollo 13 (1995)
15. Office Space (1999)
16. All the Pretty Horses (2000)
17. Friday Night Lights (2004) 

Of course, these are not the only productions made in Texas, IMDB.com provides an exhaustive list of Texas TV and film locations.The site further lists 3,386 titles (240,000+ in IMDB.com database) in which Texas shows up in the television show or movie.   

The state's Film Commission has been active since 1971 promoting Texas to film makers and Austin has become somewhat of hub for movie production. In addition to the small screen and the big screen, the film commission also helps promote video game development. 

The state maintains Texas-made filmography and gameography databases. Click here for a PDF list of the 1,300 films and productions made in Texas. And here is the PDF of video games made here. .:.

What a Cluster

 Film board refuses grant to maker of Waco movie .:. 

Business Media Sources

210 - All Media

210 ... Business South Texas Magazine

210 ... San Antonio Business Journal

210 ... SanAntonioStartups.com

214 - All Media

214 - Dallas CEO Magazine

214 ... Dallas Business Journal

214 ... DallasStartups.com

325 ... AbileneStartups.com

512 - All Media

512 ... Austin Business District Magazine

512 ... Austin Business Journal

512 ... AustinStartup.com

512 ... Texas: The McCombs School of Business Magazine

713 - All Media

713 ... 002 Magazine

713 ... H Texas Magazine

713 ... Houston Business Journal

713 ... StartupHouston

817 ... Fort Worth Business Press

817 ... FortWorthStartups.com

972 ... Collin County Business Press

Texas Magazine

Texas Monthly

TexasStartupBlog.com

TexasTechPulse.com

TexasTriangle.biz

Elephant in the Room

Texans use the "S-word" and all "H" breaks loose

When Texan governor Rick Perry announced his strong support for HCR 50 (being discussed today by the Texas legislature), it looked like the first step toward secession. Certainly it was a savvy political move for Perry, who is seeking re-election in 2010. But there's more going on here than mere Machiavellian positioning.

A Yankee by upbringing, no I'm not from Dallas, I was first shocked when I heard this increasingly discussed by Texans over the last six to nine months. I've been taught to view "secession" as inextricably linked with racism and other ugly concepts, which likewise are wrapped up into a generally negative worldview of the South.

I can only imagine the shock experienced by scores of millions of Northerners when they heard Governor Perry say openly what his constituents have been discussing privately. But I've come to understand secession is a far more complex issue than it appears on the surface. Below is a list of links related to the secession hullabaloo that bring up important points of discussion:

Custom RSS Feed
Texas secession blog posts

U.S. News & World Reports
Commentary by John Aloysius Farrell - You might not agree with his conclusions, but Farrell does bring up real challenges for an independent Texas at this moment in history.

Houston Chronicle
Democrats: Perry should disavow secession talk

The Dallas Morning News
Rick Perry strikes a chord with comments about Texas secession

Texas Secede!
Doesn't the Texas Constitution reserve the right of Texas to secede?

Fresh Ink... April 2009

Dallas CEO

Having recruited Glenn Hunter as editor last year, Dallas CEO stepped up the competition this month by covering areas traditionally in the purview of the American City Business Journal weeklies, i.e., Dallas Business Journal, Austin Business Journal, San Antonio Business Journal and Houston Business Journal.

D CEO placed Phillip Jones, the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau chief, on its cover, with the headline "Selling Texas." The mag discussed commercial real estate investments and offered readers the best commercial real estate brokers. Not surprisingly, the magazine contained a special ad supplement called "50 Years of Downtown Dallas."

Austin Fit Magazine

Featuring a surprising amount of business coverage, this month's cover story featured Joe Vitale, but the real star is Austin-area Ronn Motors and its Scorpion supercar, which purportedly offers 450 horsepower, 40 miles to the gallon, and nearly zero emissions. The magazine also features an interview with the Scorpion inventor and creator Ronn Maxwell.

A concisely written feature story on alga biofuel. Article mentions PetroSun, an Arizona-based energy company with developing an algae-to-biofuel facility in Rio Hondo, Texas, near Brownsville. (Sidenote: According to the article, Cotinental Airlines was the first U.S. commercial airline to conduct a demonstration flight partly powered by alternative fuels.) .:.

Texas' Top Social Media Minds

Newspaper names 25 winners

The Austin American-Statesman did its bit to promote Texas' technology community today, naming the 2009 Texas Social Media Award Winners.

Not surprisingly, the winners were weighted towards the capital city, but the winners represented a broad cross section. From Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams to J.R. Cohen, owner of The Coffee Groundz in Houston.

In between there's a wide range of interesting social media entrepreneurs that are worth checking out. The overall winner will be announced at an awards banquet on March 15. The newspaper also makes available a list of the nominees for the award. .:.