Fort Worth has snapped up new recognition as the No. 12 best place to live and work as a filmmaker in North America according to MovieMaker Magazine's annual report, "The Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker in 2026."

Cowtown has continued rising up on the list after ranking 19th in the 2025 report, and it was snubbed entirely in 2024.

The annual list ranks the best cities in the U.S. and Canada for individuals to live while working in the film industry, based on production spending, tax incentives, cost of living, the prevalence of "local film scenes," and additional factors. The list is divided into two categories: 25 big cities and 10 smaller cities or towns.

The final list of highlighted cities are the places where the publication believes filmmakers "have the best chance of both succeeding in the famously difficult entertainment industry, and making [their] own art."

MovieMaker said Yellowstone director and honorary Fort Worth resident Taylor Sheridan is to thank for the city's jump in the report. Sheridan has shot many of his TV shows in the Fort Worth area, such as Landman; Special Ops: Lioness; 1883; and a new anticipated Yellowstone spinoff called The Madison, which will premiere on March 14, 2026.

A new series, Frisco King, is set to begin filming in Fort Worth this spring. Many locals have gotten to be extras in his shows.

"SGS Studios, which Sheridan founded, recently partnered on a new 450,000-square foot production campus at Fort Worth’s 27,000-acre AllianceTexas development," the report said. "It isn’t all Taylor Sheridan: Fort Worth also draws a healthy mix of reality TV and commercial shoots, and offers local incentives that include the You Stay We Pay Hotel Rebate, a $5 return for each room night on a minimum stay of 75 nights."

Filmmakers also benefit from the city's "easy permitting process" and statewide incentives like the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program, which increased its production grant rebate from 22.5 percent to up to 31 percent for qualified in-state spending.

Elsewhere in Texas
Fort Worth was overshadowed by neighboring Dallas, which made its top-10 debut as the 10th best place to live and work as a moviemaker in 2026, a surprising resurgence after it was excluded from the 2025 list.

Dallas' eye-catching skyline, public art displays, and its "vast green spaces" are just a few of the attributes that make it an appealing place for filmmakers to thrive, but MovieMaker also noted that Dallas' film scene has "always been about commerce as much as art."

"In addition to hosting many of the same Taylor Sheridan productions as nearby Fort Worth, including Landman and The Madison, it also does brisk business with commercials for a bevy of major brands," the report said.

The report gave a special shout-out to The Dallas Film Commission and its free production assistant bootcamp, which first launched in July 2025 in partnership with Pegasus Media Project. The commission also supports and collaborates with film schools, unions, local organizations, and festivals like the Dallas International Film Festival, Oak Cliff Film Festival, and more.

Austin was named the No. 5 best place to live and work as a filmmaker in North America, Houston ranked 10th, San Antonio appeared as No. 14, and El Paso landed at No. 25 on the list.