Commissioner Katie Schuck pitches to producers from the film industry.
Dallas Film Commissioner Katie Schuck has spent her first two months in the role immersing herself in the city’s production scene and mapping out the future of her office.
Undeterred by snow or wind, Schuck recently braved the cold at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, where she networked and highlighted the advantages of filming in Dallas.
“As a film commissioner, my top priority is to promote the destination I represent,” says Schuck. “My job is to bring in as many projects as possible so that local crews can work, vendors can benefit from film-related spending, and the city can profit from film-induced tourism.”
Schuck emphasizes the importance of tourism, noting that her office works not only to bring people to the city for production but also to get Dallas featured in projects. This exposure pays off as fans of TV shows or movies are often drawn to visit filming locations.
While Dallas boasts a solid film infrastructure, Schuck leverages the city’s unique character in her pitches to producers.
“Dallas is an amazing city,” she says. “It’s renowned for its architecture and is frequently recognized as one of the top architectural destinations in the U.S. These attributes make it cinematic and perfect for the big screen.”
Another highlight Schuck loves to promote is Dallas’s food scene.
“As a New Yorker and a self-proclaimed foodie, I love dining out, and Dallas has an incredible food scene.”
Though Schuck’s career started in New York, she’s lived in several Northeastern states, including Delaware and Pennsylvania, before returning to New York to pursue a career in entertainment. Her journey took a turn when she began receiving calls from friends in Georgia, who told her the region was booming with job opportunities in the industry. She began flying between New York and Georgia, focusing on location work, a shift from her previous studio-based work.
“I was mostly involved in studio productions and unscripted content, but I fell in love with location work,” Schuck recalls. “It tapped into both my creative and logistical sides, and I just loved it.”
This passion led Schuck to a role with the Savannah Regional Film Commission, where she developed an interest in policy. She spent more than eight years there, gaining experience and skills that she now applies in Dallas.
While attracting productions to Dallas remains a primary goal for her office, Schuck is also focused on continuing the work of her predecessor, Tony Armer, by providing educational opportunities and supporting workforce development initiatives.
Schuck’s career in the arts feels like a natural fit, having grown up as a theater kid who wasn’t interested in acting but loved the technical side of production. She first discovered her passion for video production in high school.
“I was hooked,” she says. “I loved every part of building a world and creating images. It’s like theater—playing pretend—but with a technical challenge that makes it exciting and fun.”
As production began to grow in Georgia due to the state’s tax incentives, Schuck followed the work. After the 2007-08 Writer’s Guild of America strike, she earned a master’s degree in film and television from the Savannah College of Art and Design, before returning to New York to work on daytime talk shows.
