Austin has taken a decisive step toward bolstering its film and television industry by awarding a $150,000 incentive to the upcoming Apple TV+ series Brothers, starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson.
The Incentive and the Creative Content Incentive Program
The $150,000 incentive is part of Austin’s Creative Content Incentive Program (CCIP), a city-wide initiative that rewards productions for hiring local talent and spending locally. The incentive is calculated from wages paid to cast and crew members who are hired in Austin. The city’s press release emphasized that the program “ensures that funding directly supports Austin-based creative professionals, small businesses, and the local ecosystem that makes Austin a magnet for storytelling.”
CCIP was first approved by the city council in 2014 and was recently updated. The updated guidelines were designed to streamline the application process, clarify eligibility, modernize reporting requirements, and strengthen incentives tied directly to local economic impact. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis with no deadlines.
Economic Impact of Brothers
According to the city’s release, Brothers is expected to spend more than $6.2 million on local wages and an additional $9 million on local goods and services. The production will employ roughly 320 cast and crew members and will work with local vendors, including minority-owned (MBE) and women-owned (WBE) businesses. The combined payroll and local spending are projected to generate nearly $160,000 in direct and related economic impact for the community.
The Austin Economic Development Department highlighted that, following the program’s recent update, the city has seen “renewed interest from productions, increased inquiries from studios and independent creators, and early signs of stronger local hiring commitments.” Brothers is the first project to advance under the revised guidelines.
What the Show Is About
Apple TV announced that the series will be a heartfelt odd-couple love story that centers on the bond between McConaughey and Harrelson. The friendship of the two actors is tested when their combined families attempt to live together on McConaughey’s ranch in Texas. The show will consist of ten half-hour episodes.
Austin’s Vision for the Creative Industry
Interim Director of Austin Economic Development Anthony Segura said in the release that “Austin has always been a place where creativity doesn’t just live. It leads.” He added that with the updated CCIP, the city is “doubling down on what makes our city unmistakably ‘Austin’: our storytellers, our creatives, our crews, and the communities that fuel them.” Segura noted that having Brothers, led by two iconic Austinites, as the first recipient under the new guidelines is “more than fitting. It is a reminder that when productions choose Austin, they aren’t just filming here. They’re becoming part of our culture, our workforce, and our future. That’s something every Austinite can be proud of.”
Key Takeaways
- Austin’s CCIP awarded a $150,000 incentive to Apple TV’s Brothers, based on local wages.
- The production will spend over $6.2 million on local wages and $9 million on goods and services, employing about 320 people.
- Brothers will run for ten half-hour episodes, focusing on the friendship of McConaughey and Harrelson’s characters living together on a Texas ranch.
- The updated CCIP is aimed at attracting more film, television, animation, and gaming productions to Austin, with streamlined application and stronger local hiring incentives.
Austin’s investment in Brothers underscores the city’s commitment to fostering a thriving creative economy and demonstrates how local incentives can attract high-profile productions while delivering tangible economic benefits to the community.
