Edmond is Oklahoma Film Friendly Certified

Have you noticed more cameras around Edmond lately? Not the latest iPhone or digital camera, but the “lights, camera, action” type of camera. Well, keep an eye out because Edmond has recently been proclaimed an “Oklahoma film-friendly community.”

“We’re thrilled to announce the City of Edmond as the latest community to achieve ‘film-friendly’ certification through the Oklahoma Film Friendly Community Program,” said Oklahoma Film and Music Office Director Tava Maloy Sofsky. “We appreciate the city’s long-standing support of the film and television industry in their community and look forward to the future of production in this area.” 

The Oklahoma Film and Music Office (a division of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce) implemented its Oklahoma Film Friendly Community Program in 2010. Edmond completed the certification in October 2021 to develop the necessary permits and protocols to address film and television production. Now, Edmond is certified to assist film and television production companies and has a designated film liaison for the film industry and Oklahoma Film and Music.  

 “The City of Edmond is honored to be recognized as an Oklahoma Film Friendly Community,” said City Manager Larry Stevens. “In recent years, we have seen the great benefit of working closely with movie productions in our city and want to ensure that everyone in the future knows that Edmond is a ‘great place to film’.” 

Edmond has welcomed many recent film productions, including Dotty and Soul, A Country Romance, Deadly Misconduct, and Family Camp. In 2014, Rudderless, a musical drama about a grieving father who finds hope through his late son’s recordings, features the University of Central Oklahoma and showcases Oklahoma musicians Chelsey Cope and Travis Linville, and even includes cameos from newscasters Kevin Ogle and Linda Cavanaugh.

The newest Lionsgate release American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story will be in theaters on Christmas Day. Kyle Callard, manager at The Mule in Edmond, remembers the restaurant filled with film equipment on March 24, 2021.

The Art Director wanted a small-city feel for a conversation scene. He stopped in The Mule for a Dr. Pepper and fell in love with the restaurant ambiance. “We helped the film crew with communication, set up, and took down for a full day of filming,” said Kyle.

Kyle also says, “The only stressful part was they kept changing the date due to weather and other circumstances. Shooting during COVID was interesting. Everyone wore masks except the actors, and all staff had to show negative COVID tests. They took pictures of everything so they could put the restaurant back together after filming. We were fairly compensated to close all day and they shot multiple angles for one short segment!” 

With a fresh film-friendly certification, you may catch glimpses of Edmond in more upcoming movies or television shows. Quaint shopping and dining options, hiking and biking trails, city parks, and historic sites, like the 1889 Territorial Schoolhouse and University of Central Oklahoma’s Old North, have proven to be attractive sites for filmmakers.

For more information on Oklahoma Film and Music Office’s Oklahoma Film Friendly Community Program including a list of certified film-friendly communities, visit okfilmmusic.org/filmfriendly.