By: Dr. Janet Alvarez Gonzalez
Legislator, Dallas County District 25
21st Texas Silver-Haired Legislature, Human Services Committee
Texas is home to roughly 5.6 million adults aged 60 and older. We are not a quiet demographic waiting on the sidelines. We are skilled, reliable, creative professionals whose decades of experience can strengthen every industry in the state—including the booming film and media sector that already pumps more than $3 billion a year into the Texas economy.
Through programs like the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program, the state has successfully drawn major productions, created well-paying jobs, and boosted local businesses. Yet we are still leaving a massive talent pool largely untapped. As the author of Resolution SL016—adopted by the 21st Session of the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature under the Health and Human Resources Committee—I believe we can make this industry even stronger by rewarding productions that deliberately hire Texans 60 and older.
The proposal is straightforward and voluntary. Expand existing film incentives with extra cash rebates, higher grant scoring, workforce development support, and formal state recognition for studios that actively recruit older workers. No mandates. No heavy-handed rules. Just clear financial and operational advantages for producers who choose experience. The result is a genuine win-win: filmmakers get tangible benefits, Texas gets a higher return on its public investment, and more older adults stay employed and contributing.
Film sets need far more than faces on camera. Veteran insurance professionals and attorneys handle completion bonds, talent contracts, intellectual property, and liability. Master carpenters with decades of experience build sets, soundstages, props, and safe rigging. Nurses and medical staff monitor health and respond to emergencies during long shooting days. Culinary teams keep hundreds of cast and crew fed and focused. Older paid extras and character actors bring authenticity and depth to background scenes and period pieces that younger performers simply cannot match.
These opportunities matter. Age discrimination remains a stubborn barrier, according to research from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Too many skilled older workers face involuntary unemployment or early exit from the workforce. Targeted incentives help counter that bias by making experience an asset rather than a liability.
The benefits go beyond paychecks. Studies from the National Institutes of Health and the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging show that continued meaningful work later in life protects cognitive health and improves psychological well-being. More than 70% of working older adults report that staying employed boosts their mental health—keeping minds sharp, maintaining social connections, and providing purpose. Replacing isolation with collaborative work on film sets is a practical way to fight loneliness and depression.
Texas already has a thriving film industry. By rewarding productions that hire from our 5.6 million adults aged 60 and older, we can make it stronger, fairer, and more productive. The talent is here. The economic case is clear. The only missing piece is the incentive to put experience to work.
