Bob Hudgins is back home and he could not be happier.

The native Texan (born in Witchita Falls) left his position as deputy director of the Illinois Film Office and headed back to the Lone Star State to take over as the head of the Texas Film Commission after his friend Tom Copeland retired from the post. Copeland, who left the Commission about six months ago, holds Hudgins in high regard and lobbied for him to take over the governement agency.

Hudgins, a longtime locations manager with credits including Groundhog Day and Field of Dreams, is looking forward to bringing even more production to Texas, using the success of Austin's film scene as a model by which to strengthen the allure and viability of the Dallas and Houston markets.

"Austin's doing really well right now, and I think we can use Austin as a template for what a community is doing right," Hudgins says. "But one of the biggest challenges is to make productions aware of the great wealth of the rest of the state."

Another hurdle Hudgins faces is getting productions to continue to come to Texas even though we do not have financial incentives like other states such as Louisiana. Unfortunately, even though Gov. Perry approved a $30 million film incentive package, the state legislature could not come up with the money. Shocker! Can those folks do anything right?

In the meantime, we welcome Bob home and look forward to seeing the film community continue to flourish here in Austin and across the state. And, although we have yet to meet Mr. Hudgins, we already hold him in the highest esteem, as he recently mentioned that a certain blog you all know and love was his favorite.