SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Film Commission, a division of the city’s Arts and Culture Department, has named a successor to former commissioner Kim LeBlanc.
Christine Hill was named the new film commissioner in a Facebook post on Monday morning.
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The San Antonio Film Commission works with film, television, commercial and digital media productions working in the city, according to its website.
Hill had previously worked as a film and music project manager at the San Antonio Department of Arts and Culture for four years.
She took over the job after LeBlanc joined the Austin Film Commission’s team as a film marketing manager in March.
LeBlanc, in a LinkedIn post, called Hill’s new role “fantastic news for the San Antonio Film Commission and for San Antonio’s film and music communities.”
Hill brings “a wealth of knowledge and experience with film permits, production coordination and incentives” to the role, the commission said in its Facebook post.
The announcement drew support from Paul Ardoin, film and media program director at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
“We were delighted to hear that Christine Hill will serve as the next Film Commission for San Antonio at such a key moment for the development of the film industry in both the state and the city, which is well-positioned to capitalize on new incentives and interest,” Ardoin said. ”Christine is already well-known to our faculty from her years of dedication to the city’s film and music communities, and—because of that—is well-positioned to hit the ground running spreading the word about our City’s desirable locations, talent, stories, incentives, and support services.”
Hill grew up in San Antonio and returned to the city after receiving a Bachelor of Arts in History from Fordham University. She has been a regular for several years in San Antonio’s local music and hospitality industry, the commission said.
“I’m honored to step into the role of San Antonio Film Commissioner and am deeply committed to advancing the Commission’s remarkable legacy,” Hill said in an emailed statement to KSAT on Wednesday.
‘A pivotal and exciting time’
The promotion comes as a surge of investment around Texas’ film industry looms from lawmakers in Austin.
Support from actors such as Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson has been coupled with federal moves to support building out incentives for productions to work in Texas.
One piece of legislation lawmakers are hashing out is Senate Bill 22, which aims to pad the state’s incentives package, specifically to the tune of nearly $500 million.
“This is a pivotal and exciting time for filmmaking in Texas ... The San Antonio Film Commission is well-positioned to build on this momentum by continuing to champion our local incentive — the most competitive in the state — to attract more productions, create jobs, and expand opportunities here in San Antonio," Hill said.
Stacey Norton, film and music administrator for the City of San Antonio, said in fiscal year 2024, 416 permits were issued for filming on city-owned property, a 72% increase from the prior fiscal year.
Last year, San Antonio saw its incentives work come to fruition when “Yellowstone” prequel “1923″ took over part of Broadway for filming.
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