Austin College credits Bells graduate and ex-Denison councilman Rayce Guess with 25-plus TV episodes

Rayce Guess, a retired teacher and coach, has appeared in more than 25 television episodes, along with movies and commercials, according to a February 2025 announcement from Austin College. The college identifies him as a 1980 Bells High School graduate and a former Denison city councilman, and says he retired in 2015 after 27 years in education and coaching.

Those ties to Bells and Denison place Guess in Texoma, where one city already holds a state film designation and Gainesville is aiming for one. Gainesville's adopted downtown master plan, attached to Ordinance 1610-02-2026, lists participation in Film Friendly Texas as a medium-priority, near-term action. The plan proposes measuring progress by whether the city obtains certification and by counting film inquiries or permits.

Denison received the certification on May 20, 2021, according to the governor's office. It joined a network then made up of more than 150 other communities. The program provides training and guidance for accommodating filming and connecting productions with local businesses.

Denison had set its own rules months earlier. The City Council adopted filming guidelines through Resolution 4030 on Dec. 7, 2020, with seven votes in favor and none recorded against. The guidelines suggest a $25 application-processing fee, which the city manager may waive, and require productions to pay for city personnel assigned to them.

Gainesville has handled a filming request before. On May 15, 2007, the City Council approved Bone Movie's use of two city-owned locations, the area in front of the airport terminal and Fairview Cemetery, by a 6-0 vote, according to city records.

The state's incentive program is a separate matter from local certification. The governor's 2026 report says Texas increased moving-image incentive funding to $300 million for fiscal years 2026-27, with that biennial level continuing through 2035. The report says 102 applications were accepted in fiscal 2025, associated with $336 million in local spending and more than 17,200 positions.

The Texas Film Commission says grants can reach 31% of eligible Texas spending. To qualify, a production needs at least $250,000 in eligible spending and at least 60% of production in Texas. Texas residents must make up at least 35% of paid crew and, separately, at least 35% of paid cast, including paid extras. The commission says applicants must submit cast and crew lists, call sheets and production reports to substantiate those counts. Across the Red River, the Oklahoma Film and Music Office lists a Filmed in Oklahoma Act incentive that starts at 20%, with qualifying additions raising the rebate to as much as 30%.

Separately from Guess's credits, Apple's comedy series Brothers is among the productions shot in Texas. According to Apple, Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson play fictionalized versions of themselves whose families converge at McConaughey's Austin ranch, and the series is listed for a Sept. 23, 2026, premiere. Austin's council approved authorization on Dec. 11, 2025, to negotiate and execute an incentive agreement with Hermanos Productions worth up to $150,000, according to the city's action record. A city briefing projected about 320 cast and crew members and said filming began in March 2025, halted for a creative reset and began again for the entire series in October 2025.