Oklahoma

Oklahoma had to turn away $80M in film, television business, lieutenant governor says

Published

11 months ago

June 23, 2023

Oklahoma had to turn away $80M in film, television business, lieutenant governor says

Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell said Oklahoma has turned away $80 million worth of film and television business leading to possible economic development due to the tight cap on the state’s film incentive program.

Pinnell has strongly pushed for House Bill 1362, which would boost the cap from $30 million to $80 million. He said Friday the reason the number is $80 million is because that’s how much the state had to turn away because it couldn’t afford to invest in the film and television industry.

“I’ve turned away $80 million worth of economic development projects. That’s the way that I look at it, and that’s the way that you should look at it, too,” Pinnell said. “I know that it’s not permanent jobs, but in some ways, it is. … So to go from $30 (million) to $80 (million) puts us in a completely different stratosphere.”

Pinnell said states like Georgia, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas have recently poured funds into film and television businesses. Pinnell said Texas sees Oklahoma as a threat to the film industry, quoting a recent campaign video by Good for Texas showcasing Texas-born actors pleading for more investment.

Pinnell said Oklahoma needs to diversify its economy and not focus on just oil and gas. He said Texas’s incentive program is hard to compete with, but Oklahoma has more to offer than other states.

“There will be productions possibly over the next two years that were supposed to be in Oklahoma that will go to Texas,” Pinnell said. “I’ll tell you right now, we’re locked in on the number of our productions, but I got the $30 million cap rebate, and I can’t go $1 above it. …

“We have a lot of advantages over Texas. We do. We’re a whole lot more diverse, and our landscapes are easier to get around. It’s true. Our crew base in Oklahoma is better than Texas because we built up our crew base over the last 10 years.”

Pinnell said Oklahoma will soon see the benefits of an “Oscar-winning” movie filmed in the state with state history at the center.

Pinnell traveled to the Cannes Film Festival in May for the world debut of Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” adapted from David Grann’s novel of the same name that focuses on the 1920s serial murders of oil-rich members of the Osage Nation. The investigation of the murders later led to the creation of the FBI.

Pinnell, who is also the secretary of tourism and oversees the state’s film and music office, worked closely with production for the movie.

The movie is one that will win awards and bring people to Oklahoma for tourism and for business, Pinnell said.

Pinnell also emphasized Friday that everybody should read “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

Oklahoma teachers have expressed concern about teaching the books in classrooms because of possible ramifications or pushback due to House Bill 1775, which was passed in 2021 and prohibits teaching that one race or gender is inherently superior, many considering it a ban against critical race theory.

Pinnell told the Tulsa World that he doesn’t believe the Legislature will repeal the law but, because of its vagueness, the bill can be interpreted to keep children from reading the book or learning about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, which he said needs to be taught.

He said he’s had conversations with legislators who pushed for the law, asking for a clear set of guidelines about what can and cannot be taught.

“If we have teachers that don’t think we can teach (‘Killers of the Flower Moon’), that needs to be clarified,” Pinnell said. “(HB 1775’s authors) are telling me that it can, the 1921 Race Massacre can and ‘The Outsiders’ can be in schools.

“You’ve got to explain this; you’ve got to clarify it somewhere if that is the case. I don’t think the Legislature is going to revoke that legislation, but what I hope they would do is clarify.”

Other notes

Pinnell discussed possible tourism investments coming in the future, such as continually investing in Route 66 ahead of the centennial in 2026.

He said the two commissions focused on Route 66 will soon be allocating money to cities with the historic road in it to help build up Main Streets and infrastructure.

Pinnell said nobody is going to do as much for Route 66 as Oklahoma. The state has the most miles of the road, and he said Tulsa will specifically be an epicenter for this centennial with the attractions and investments.

Pinnell also announced unofficially an Oklahoma Hit List Music Trail through the state to highlight 40 to 50 artists from Oklahoma.

He said the current trail doesn’t attract tourism to the state, but he hopes to encourage infrastructure around these artists to attract people to the state and showcase Oklahoma’s music scene.

Pinnell said he wants to boost shoreline developments at all of Oklahoma’s man-made lakes. He also said one of his big goals is to finish OKPOP.

OKPOP hopes to showcase the state’s popular culture and is in the Tulsa Arts District. Work has stalled on the museum after some legislative pushback, but Pinnell said the Legislature knows it needs to be finished and it is one of his goals moving forward.

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September 2021 photos: Final days of filming for ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ crew in Oklahoma

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Crew members cover equipment during a rainshower before filming of the movie based on the book, “Killers of the Flower Moon” Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021 in Pawhuska, Okla.

Mike Simons, Tulsa World

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Flower Moon

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma State Basketball Four-Star Signee Rises in Updated Rankings

Published

29 mins ago

May 11, 2024

Press Room

Oklahoma State Basketball Four-Star Signee Rises in Updated Rankings

The Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball roster has seen some turnover this offseason. This isn’t foreign in college basketball, though. Every program in the sport is dealing with it. This is the current era of college athletics, and college basketball roster building has changed because of it.

With the Cowboys parting ways with Mike Boynton, the program’s head coach for the past seven seasons, Oklahoma State and Steve Lutz had to fill out their roster. With Boynton departing, many of his incredible recruits followed suit. Not four-star signee Jeremiah Johnson, though. He stayed committed to Oklahoma State.

Johnson, as mentioned, is a four-star recruit. He was a big commit to Boynton’s 2024 class, and it’s good for the program that he’s still headed to Stillwater. In the recent 247Sports recruit rankings update, Johnson’s overall ranking received a bump.

Previously ranked as the No. 141 prospect in the nation, Johnson saw a two-spot increase, now being ranked No. 139 in the nation. He’s the No. 13 point guard in the class and the No. 8 prospect in Arizona. Still, Johnson’s commitment to Oklahoma State is incredible, helping Lutz have a head start in recruitment and roster building ahead of this fall.

Johnson is an Oklahoma native, and the Cowboys secured his commitment last fall, beating out Oklahoma, TCU and SMU. He’s since moved around during his high school basketball career, spending time in both Utah and Phoenix.

The four-star guard averaged 18.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game this past season in high school. The talented 6-foot-3 guard reaffirmed his commitment to Lutz and the Pokes after Boynton was fired.

“When I came to Oklahoma State, of course I came for who was coaching, but I also came for the community and just wanting to play in an Oklahoma State jersey, just wanting to always do that,” Johnson told the Pistols Firing Blog last month.

Johnson cited that the program retaining Keiton Page was huge, and helped in his decision to remain committed.

Want to join the discussion? Like All Pokes on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Cowboys news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.

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Oklahoma

Robert F. Kennedy files to run as independent presidential candidate in Oklahoma

Published

7 hours ago

May 11, 2024

Press Room

Robert F. Kennedy files to run as independent presidential candidate in Oklahoma

Janelle Stecklein
| Oklahoma Voice

Oklahoma voters now have another choice for president in November.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 70, completed his statement of candidacy and paid Oklahoma’s $35,000 fee to appear on the ballot as an independent candidate, Oklahoma State Election Board officials confirmed Thursday.

The campaign said in a statement Oklahoma marks the fifth state where Kennedy and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, will officially appear on the ballot. Other states where Kennedy has qualified are Utah, Michigan, California and Delaware.

Kennedy is expected to face Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump on Election Day.

“Today, RFK Jr. was placed on the ballot in my home state of Oklahoma,” said Tami Mitchell, a campaign volunteer, in a statement released by the campaign.

More: Among Republicans, Trump’s support is weakest in and around Oklahoma City

“For me, it sparked a fire,” Mitchell said. “This gives so many of us hope that the next president will be a voice for the people of our great country.”

Kennedy initially campaigned as a Democrat before switching to independent. The Michigan Advance reports he’s known for his work as an environmental lawyer and his anti-vaccine stances. He is the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy and son of former U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.

Kennedy’s campaign said it has collected enough signatures to appear in eight additional states, including New Hampshire, Nevada, Hawaii, North Carolina, Idaho, Nebraska, Iowa and Ohio.

It plans to work to get Kennedy’s name on the ballot in every state.

More: Donald Trump is outraising GOP rivals in Oklahoma. Here are the numbers

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Oklahoma

2 thoughts before the Dallas Mavericks take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3

Published

14 hours ago

May 11, 2024

Press Room

2 thoughts before the Dallas Mavericks take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3

The Dallas Mavericks evened the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday night, and now the matchup shifts to the Lone Star State. The Mavericks will face off against the Thunder Saturday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Saturday afternoon. Day games can be a little weird, so hopefully the Mavericks come out focused and ready to play.

The Mavericks looked like they were finding their rhythm again Thursday, with Luka Doncic resembling the player who scorched the league all season. Add in the fact that P.J. Washington had the game of his life, and well, it’s no wonder they beat the Thunder on the road. If they play the same way at home in Dallas, there’s a good chance they’ll take a 2-1 series lead.

Here are a couple thoughts to ponder before the game starts:

Will the hot shooting continue?

The odd thing about the Mavericks’ hot finish to the season is that they stopped shooting well from deep. They only shot 36 percent as a team from behind the arc after the All-Star break. Instead, they wore teams down with defense and killed them in the paint and from the midrange.

Thursday night, that changed. They shot the lights out against the Thunder, hitting almost 49 percent of their 37 3-point attempts. It put pressure on Oklahoma City early, and the Thunder never recovered. They couldn’t keep up with the Mavericks’ shooting. Dallas doesn’t necessarily have to shoot that well from three again, but even hitting that close will put the Thunder on their heels.

Did Kyrie Irving have a bad game, or have the Thunder figured out how to contain him?

Irving was held to just nine points in Game 2, which is just completely out of character for him. Even when he struggles, Irving manages to manufacture points and get into the low twenties. But Irving was oddly passive, only taking eight shots total, and only two 3-point attempts. Did the Thunder figure out some way to turn him into just a distributor? Irving had 11 assists, which is great, but the Mavericks need his scoring as well. Maybe this was just a case of Irving playing within the flow of the game, and the shots just weren’t there. But if Game 3 passes with Irving taking less than 10 shots, the Mavericks might be in trouble.