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Stage 4

01.23.21

Cox Convention Center To Become Major TV & Film Studio

Oklahoma City is moving forward with plans to turn the Cox Convention Center into a major TV and film production studio. Watch the story at News9.

Urban Oklahoma

01.23.21

Oklahoma’s Film Industry Is Growing Thanks to New Facilities and More Incentives

Cannon and Payne are heading up Prairie Surf Studios, which is converting the Cox Convention Center into production facilities in downtown Oklahoma City. This will include 140,000 square feet of...

Prairie Surf Studios Stage 2

01.23.21

OKC's Downtown Film Studio Launches Production

A $160,000 CARES Act grant is helping launch a non-profit job training program to meet an increasing demand for workers needed to produce films in Oklahoma. Prairie Media donated use...

Oklahoma Historical Landmarks

01.23.21

Chamber Film Industry Forum

The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber hosted a lively forum on the Oklahoma film industry last week. The forum focused on the growing appeal of Oklahoma as a film industry destination...

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Meet one of our panelists for this weekend’s Pat

Meet one of our panelists for this weekend’s Pathways: An Introduction to Oklahoma Film, Austin Taylor. Austin is an Emmy award-winning producer and director. Most recently he produced a TV show for Disney+ called “Disney Insider.” His previous work includes Director of Production for Superbly studios, as well as Director of Production/Executive Producer for several production studios in the Greater Los Angeles area, including Tonik+ and Pollution studios, for the last 18+ years. Austin has received multiple Emmy nominations and wins for his work with the NFL Network, producing and directing documentary style films showcasing how the NFL puts on its biggest and most ambitious events every year, like the NFL Draft and SuperBowl. He also has produced incredible amounts of commercial content and documentaries for Carnival Cruise Line and its tourism industry, with so much success that he was told he fundamentally changed the way the cruise industry will market their excursions. Austin has worked with A-list celebrity talent, entrenched himself with international documentary filmmakers, traveled extensively for production, and gained unparalleled exposure and knowledge to the production process. A Texas native, Austin is bringing his two little boys and his wife home, where he will continue to utilize his unique expertise in production to continue what he started so many years ago. We can’t wait to hear from Austin THIS Saturday at the Pathways event. There are limited seats remaining, and we want you to join us. Click that link in our bio to register NOW. 🔗

Meet Andy Sipes, Prairie Surf Academy's guest spea

Meet Andy Sipes, Prairie Surf Academy's guest speaker coming to our Screenwriting 101 session on July 27th! ⁠
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Andy is a writer, editor and producer, with most of his projects being adult animations. A few of his works include 20th Century Fox's 'Think Tank' as well as the animated cult-classic G4 series 'Code Monkeys.' He created and produced two digital series for Adult Swim, created several projects for @comedycentral's animated anthology series 'Triptank', and co-wrote @sonypictures's indie film 'Supercon' starring John Malkovich. Recently, Andy developed and was writer/showrunner for 'Dallas & Robo' starring John Cena and Kat Dennings on @syfy and Youtube Premium. He currently has several animated and live-action projects in development including the stop-motion animated series 'Happy City' at @amazonprimevideo.
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TODAY is the LAST DAY to register for tonight's kickoff Screenwriting 101 session and 3 more weeks of sessions (happening July 20th, July 27th & August 3rd) ⏰ Click the link in our bio to register and we'll see you tonight at 6pm!⁠

Pathways: An Introduction to Oklahoma Film is happ

Pathways: An Introduction to Oklahoma Film is happening THIS Saturday and seats are filling up FAST🚨⁠
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For one day only, join Prairie Surf Media Co-Founders and Co-CEOs Matt Payne and Rachel Cannon, as well as CSA Casting Director Chris Freihofer, Emmy-nominated Disney+ Producer/Director Austin Taylor, and more esteemed industry professionals for a panel focused on creative and technical career paths into film. Featuring a live Q&A, breakout sessions with the panelists, and a Surf Club networking mixer for all participants. This is an afternoon dedicated to all writers, directors, actors, and anyone looking to find their PATH in the film industry! You won't want to miss it. Link in bio to register before July 16th! ⁠

What a week its been at Prairie Surf Studios. Our

What a week its been at Prairie Surf Studios. Our team had the pleasure of hosting @feio_ok, @christian_faith_publishing, and 100+ students and staff in creating a short film "Amelia's Prayer," by the spectacular Debrah Gish. ⁠Thank you to everyone who was involved in this special project! ⁠
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Prairie Surf Academy was created to help students in Oklahoma gain access to this growing industry. Learning from outside experts, hearing their experiences, and working on live sets are opportunities we provide when you join us for these workshops. ⁠
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The deadline for our next summer course series, Screenwriting 101 & Pathways: An Intro to Oklahoma Film, is coming up! Click that link in our bio to register now. 🔗 We can't wait to welcome you!

Prairie Surf is lucky not only to be located next

Prairie Surf is lucky not only to be located next door to one of Oklahoma’s most beautiful gardens, but to be able to work alongside their excellent leadership team to help make our most recent project with @feio_ok and @christian_faith_publishing happen. We are excited to see Myriad Gardens in many films and series to come! THANK YOU @myriadgardens!

Interested in learning more about screenwriting?⁠⁠
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Join us for a four-week simulated writers' room experience. Starting on July 13th, two-time Emmy-nominated filmmaker and Prairie Surf's Co-CEO Matt Payne will teach students how to come up with ideas and craft a story from outline to final draft. Sessions are at Prairie Surf Studios every Tuesday from 6-8pm. ⁠⁠
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Hit that link in our bio to register before seats are gone.

GET READY! Next week, we are working on something

GET READY! Next week, we are working on something big. In a collaborative effort with Christian Faith Publishing, the Oklahoma Film and Music Office and the Film Education Institute of Oklahoma, Prairie Surf Academy is hosting a simulated set experience for 50 students and 21 union crew members to prep and shoot a union film. With a script based on “Amelia’s Prayer” by Debrah Gish, written by our very own Co-CEO Matt Payne, Prairie Surf intern Cole Deaver, and Jeff Robison (“Rudderless”), the project will star Co-CEO Rachel Cannon (“Fresh Off the Boat”), Michael Friedman (“Blue Bloods”), Pam Dougherty (“Dallas”) and Eleanor Threatt (“Crazy Enough”). It will be directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker and deadCenter Film’s past Executive Director, Lance McDaniel. ⁠⁠
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We are excited to facilitate the growth of the Oklahoma workforce and to share the end results of this project with the world. Stay tuned for first looks at the shoot process all next week, where we will be taking you behind the scenes and giving you insider access to the film process. More to come!

Have you heard the news? There is STILL time to si

Have you heard the news? There is STILL time to sign up for our Summer Workshop Series, but tickets are going fast. If you’re interested in working in Oklahoma film, these courses will teach you how to take your next steps. Sign up today to reserve your seat before they’re gone! (🔗 link in bio) #prairiesurfacademy

This weekend, Prairie Surf had the honor of hostin

This weekend, Prairie Surf had the honor of hosting a collaborative recording session on Stage 2 with Oklahoma’s own @mynameisjabee and musicians from the @okc_phil. It was an honor to be a part of this event merging two musical styles and highlighting some of the unique talent in our state. We look forward to future collaborations within this wonderful community!

ICYMI: This week we held an Art Department product

ICYMI: This week we held an Art Department production workshop in partnership with Oklahoma City University. All of these wonderful artists were awarded with a certificate upon completion of a real film set. ⁠
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For more chances like this to get hands-on experience with incredible filmmakers, visit the link in our bio and sign up for our “Summer at Prairie Surf” events. You won't want to miss these. #prairiesurfacademy

THIS JUST IN: Join us at the newly renovated Prair

THIS JUST IN: Join us at the newly renovated Prairie Surf Studios for our FIRST-EVER summer course series. We are kickstarting the summer with a four-week Screenwriting class and a one-day Pathways panel. Both events will feature elite guest speakers and will be hosted by the team at Prairie Surf Media. ⁠⁠
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Starting July 13, students will have the chance to participate in a four-week Screenwriting 101 course taught by two-time Emmy nominated filmmaker and our very own Co-CEO Matt Payne. Students will learn how to come up with ideas and craft a story from outline to final draft. ⁠⁠
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On July 17th, Prairie Surf is hosting PATHWAYS: An Introduction to Oklahoma Film, a one-day panel with an esteemed group of industry professionals including Prairie Surf Co-CEOs Matt Payne and Rachel Cannon, CSA Casting Director Chris Freihofer, Emmy nominated Disney+ Producer and Director Austin Taylor, and more. Spend the day with us and find your path into the Oklahoma film industry.⁠⁠
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The link to sign up for both events is in our bio! 🔗 #prairiesurfacademy

Today is the final day of our collaborative Art De

Today is the final day of our collaborative Art Department Workshop Series with Oklahoma City University and the fantastic Production Designer Tristan Dalley. We thought we’d share a few stills from this wonderfully productive week focused on scenic design, construction, painting, and more. ⁠Thank you to all of the students and staff who participated to help make this workshop a success!
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If you feel like you missed out, or if you're interested in the film industry but don't know where to start, stay tuned on our social media this week. This is just the beginning; we have some very exciting things in store. #prairiesurfacademy

Prairie Surf Studios had the honor of hosting the

Prairie Surf Studios had the honor of hosting the Friday night after-party for this year’s @deadcenterfilm, Oklahoma’s largest and most celebrated film festival.⁠
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Thank you to all who came out to celebrate at the studio! A huge congratulations to all of the award winners, as well as those who submitted their pro⁠jects for this year’s festival. The Oklahoma film community thrives when we come together to celebrate our creative voices. We can't wait for next year’s festival!

Thank you to @indiewire for this comprehensive dee

Thank you to @indiewire for this comprehensive deep dive into Oklahoma film and Prairie Surf Studios. We are so proud to share our story and our vision for this state. Head to the link in our bio for the full article!

Are you interested in set design? Painting? Constr

Are you interested in set design? Painting? Construction? Props? Join ACCLAIMED Production Designer Tristan Dalley alongside PRAIRIE SURF MEDIA and OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY for our FIRST EVER week-long Art Department Workshop series happening June 19-23. If you have an eye for detail and an interest in visual arts and design, designing and reimagining locations as film sets, or a love for visual storytelling, you could be eligible to work in the film industry. Head to the link in our bio to sign up for the training workshops now and kickstart your journey in the Oklahoma film industry. 🔗 #prairiesurfacademy

Hot off the press 🔥 Thank you @deadline for the

Hot off the press 🔥 Thank you @deadline for the feature. Prairie Surf Media is eager to welcome the global film industry to our state! Head to the link in our bio to read the full story.

Oklahoma’s film incentive is passed, and Prairie

Oklahoma’s film incentive is passed, and Prairie Surf Studios is open for business. With our five stages ranging in size from 25,000 to 32,000 SQ FT, we can meet any of your production needs. Head to our website at the link in bio for more.

This past Friday, Prairie Surf Media Co-Founders M

This past Friday, Prairie Surf Media Co-Founders Matt Payne and Rachel Cannon were honored with an Official Citation presented by Representative Brian Hill on behalf of Senator Roger Thompson, Senator Chuck Hall, and Representative Fetgatter from the Oklahoma Senate and the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Thank you so much for the collaboration this session. We are touched by this beautiful gesture and look forward to the year ahead.