Pinellas County film commissioner to depart for job in Texas

Pinellas County Film Commissioner Tony Armer has announced his resignation, effective Jan. 1, 2023, from the role that he’s held since 2014.

According to a news release, Armer has been named commissioner of the Dallas Film & Creative Industries Office, a department within Visit Dallas that serves as the city’s official film commission, music office and creative industries resource. In a statement that accompanies the announcement, Armer, a Pinellas County resident since 1995, says he didn’t seek out the Dallas job and intends to keep a home in the St. Petersburg-Clearwater region.

“I wasn’t looking to leave,” Armer states. “When this opportunity presented itself, I had to listen. To be able to take over as the film commissioner in the fourth-largest metro area in the United States, in a state with a state film incentive, in one of America’s most iconic cities, was [an opportunity] too good to pass up. After a nationwide search, Visit Dallas made me an offer, and I couldn’t say no. Opportunities don’t come up like this frequently, so when they do you have to embrace them.”

In addition to his work as Pinellas County film commissioner, Armer, the release states, is an award-winning filmmaker in his own right and founded the internationally acclaimed Sunscreen Film Festival. During his tenure, the St. Petersburg-Clearwater Film Commission achieved record-breaking revenues and became the first U.S. film commission to have a major presence at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. He also helped develop “Life’s Rewards,” the innovative Amazon Prime Video series that serves as destination marketing vehicle for the St. Pete-Clearwater area.

“We are thrilled to welcome Tony to the Visit Dallas team,” Visit Dallas President and CEO Craig Davis states in the release. “With his extensive experience, strategic mindset and immense creativity, he is uniquely qualified to revitalize the Dallas Film & Creative Industries Office and position Dallas as a premier destination for creative leaders across the country and beyond.”