Originally slated to break ground in 2023 and open by 2025, the empty lot at Ranch Road 12 and West Centerpoint Road next to La Cima raises the question: What happened to Hill Country Studios?
Studio CEO Cory McLoud and COO Kevin Bar said that the project is far from dead; it’s just hit a few financing snags along the way. With the passing of a recent bill, there is now plenty of funding to get the ball rolling.
According to previous reporting by the Daily Record, in 2022, the city of San Marcos entered into an economic development agreement with Hill Country Studios that involved a $267 million capital investment and rebates for the $11.4 million in property taxes, which would be accrued over a ten-year period, starting with 90% in the first year and drawing down over time.
McLoud said the initial timeline was “purposefully aggressive” and driven by the financial terms of that time. The 2025 opening date was also dependent upon financing from the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program to hopefully be increased substantially in the 2023 legislative session. Although the funding did increase from $45 million to $200 million that year, it did not provide that “evergreen” funding that McLoud said would be needed to sustain the project long term.
“This year, with Senate Bill 22 having passed… that gave us a long road map for the next 10 years,” McLoud said. “That’s what we’ve really been waiting on and so much of our timeline’s been waiting on.”
According to the Texas Tribune article, “Texas Senate approves $500 million infusion for film incentives,” SB 22 allocates $500 million to the TMIIIP every two years through 2035 — the largest investment in media production since the grant began in 2007.
McLoud said the development is on “a sliding timeline,” but he is currently projecting to break ground in quarter one of 2026.
“It’s 18 months of construction for phase one, so that’s our first seven stages and four workshops,” McLoud said. “All of our individual buildings have their own individual certificates of occupancy, so they can all just come online independently of one another. Actually, our first building can be expedited to be open as soon as 12 months from ground break.”
As for what type of studio it will be, rumors can be laid to rest, as McLoud said it will be an independent studio built for “tier one tentpole productions,” which are “blockbuster summer features.” However, smaller independent productions will also find a home on the lot.
According to Bar, the goal is to have purpose built facilities with sound stages, workshops, offices and more — all the assets needed to serve several large projects simultaneously.
“All productions have some level of infrastructure and brick-and-mortar needs,” Bar said. “We’d be trying to attract all of them and have a multi-client face and network to work with and be growing with in Texas.”
McLoud said the studio’s silence has been somewhat “purposeful” but assured that the team continues to work on the project every day behind the scenes.
The studio is currently focused on building strategic partnerships.
“Now that we’re past lobbying efforts, we’re trying to focus on growing the business, getting our studio going but also partnering with other businesses that would be a big help to not only our studio but the whole production and entertainment ecosystem that’s growing in Texas,” Bar said.
For more information on the project go to www.hillcountry.studio.
