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Making It In the Texas Film Industry
Texas is becoming a powerhouse for film and media, but how do you actually break in and build a sustainable career here? Join Budro Partida (Pennyrock Productions) and Chase Musslewhite (Co-Founder of Media for Texas) as they share their experience producing major feature films and commercials across the state. From navigating incentives and new legislation to finding resources and building networks, this session will give you the insider knowledge you need to thrive in the Texas film industry.
BUDRO PARTIDA
PENNYROCK PRODUCTIONS LLC.
J. Budro Partida is an Emmy award-winning video producer and award-winning filmmaker from Austin, Texas.
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He has worked professionally in television and media production since 1997. His spectrum of work includes award-winning films and music videos, television commercials, multiple television series, and the Emmy award-winning late night TV series, "Austin After Hours".
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He is a 14-time Telly Award winner (including two Silver Tellys), and has garnered multiple industry awards throughout his career.
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In early 2024, he completed a feature-length music documentary titled "Bloody & Bruised: The Untold Story of The Back Room", which has won multiple BEST DOCUMENTARY awards, as well as other filmmaker and technical awards, during its film festival run 2024-2025. He was also awarded BEST MALE FILMMAKER OF THE YEAR at the 2025 Austin Revolution Film Festival. His short documentary "Sunset at Dry Creek" won "Best Short Documentary" at Austin Indie Fest (2023), "Best Documentary" at The Longhorn Film Festival (2022) , and "Best Short Documentary" at the Grand New York Film Awards (2022). In 2020, his micro-short, "Devastated" won the Platinum Award (beating 375+ other short films) and named Season 6 Winner of the 15 Second Horror Film Challenge Competition in 2020. His 2019 werewolf short, "Bewere", won "Best Horror Film" at the 2020 Austin Indie Fest, "Best Picture" at the 2020 Demonic Brilliance Film Festival and won "Best Horror Short" at the 2019 San Antonio Horrific Film Fest.
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In 2013, he formed his production company, PennyRock Productions LLC, with the company motto "A National Look on a Local Budget". PennyRock Productions LLC has been providing Central Texas and the surrounding areas with professional, award-winning video and media services specializing in client commercial production, film, music videos, and promotional materials for online advertising since 1997.
CHASE MUSSLEWHITE
CO-FOUDER OF MEDIA FOR TEXAS
Her dream as a young girl: turn the Astrodome into a movie studio. She attended St. John’s School, which means she shares an alma mater with Wes Anderson.
She studied film theory at the University of Virginia, ran a production company in Cape Town, South Africa, and attended Graduate Film School at The University of Texas.