Casting Calls in Texas: Austin, Dallas & Houston 2026

Casting calls in Texas are changing shape. In 2025 the state committed roughly $1.5 billion to the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program over a decade, allocated at about $300 million every two years, and stackable bonuses taking effective grant rates to around 31% began on 1 September 2026. Union background work pays $231 per 8 hours in 2026, while Texas itself sets no minimum wage and adopts the federal $7.25.

The other thing to understand about Texas is that it is not one market. Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio are separated by hours of driving and cast independently of each other, with different industries feeding each.

This guide covers all four cities, how the new incentive works, what the work pays, the rules for child performers, and how to tell a real Texas casting call from a fake one.

The incentive, and what it changes

Texas previously ran a small and unpredictable incentive that productions could not plan around. Senate Bill 22, signed in 2025, replaced that with a long-term commitment: roughly $1.5 billion over ten years, allocated in biennial tranches of about $300 million, with additional stackable bonuses from 1 September 2026 that can lift effective grant rates to around 31% when criteria including in-state post-production and crew payroll are met.

Treat this as a reason to be registered rather than a promise of work. Incentive money changes where productions choose to shoot, but the effect shows up over years, not weeks. What it does mean is that being visible in Texas now, before the market fills up, costs you nothing.

Four markets, four kinds of work

• Austin — the deepest independent film and music community in the state, plus tech-adjacent commercial and branded work. The most creative work and the most competition.
• Dallas — heavily commercial and corporate, with a large advertising base and steady industrial and training production.
• Houston — energy and medical industry production, corporate work, and a substantial Spanish-language market serving a large bilingual population.
• San Antonio — military, tourism and period work, with locations that read very differently from the other three cities.

Because the cities are hours apart, casting treats them as separate pools. A performer who registers only for their own city sees a fraction of what is actually available in the state.

What does casting work in Texas pay?

Union scale, effective 1 July 2026

On a SAG-AFTRA production, background work pays $231 for an 8-hour day, special ability background $241, and stand-ins and photo doubles $270. A day performer earns $1,283 and a weekly performer $4,456. Overtime, meal penalties, night premiums and wardrobe allowances are paid on top, and the production contributes 20.5% towards pension and health.

Texas is a right-to-work state, so union membership can never be a condition of being hired. SAG-AFTRA's Dallas-Fort Worth Local represents members working in northern Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Non-union rates and a very low floor

Texas does not set its own minimum wage. It adopts the federal rate of $7.25 by reference, and its law excludes employment already covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. Non-union work is therefore negotiated entirely on market terms, with an unusually low legal floor beneath it.

In practice, commercial and corporate day rates in Dallas, Houston and Austin sit far above $7.25 — but the gap between the legal minimum and the market rate is exactly why you should confirm the figure, the call time and the expected wrap in writing before accepting a booking.

Child performers in Texas

Texas is not one of the four states that require a child performer trust account. SAG-AFTRA lists only California, New York, Louisiana and New Mexico.

General youth employment rules still apply and vary by age and schooling, so confirm what a production expects before your child is booked. Because state protection specific to performers is limited, ask in writing about working hours, schooling on set, who supervises your child between setups, and when and how payment is made. On a SAG-AFTRA production the union's young performer provisions apply regardless of state law.

How to spot a fake Texas casting call

Publicity around the new state incentive has produced a wave of notices promising work on unnamed "new Texas productions". Apply the same tests you would anywhere.

1. You are asked to pay to audition, to be submitted, or to be registered for a named production.
2. A paid role is offered before any audition, from a photograph and a message.
3. Money arrives first and you are told to deposit it and forward part onward. This is fraud without exception.
4. The audition is at a private address or hotel room rather than an office, studio or secure self-tape platform.
5. A named photographer is required before you can be considered.

Official sources: US Department of Labor state minimum wage table · SAG-AFTRA Dallas-Fort Worth Local

Casting calls in nearby states: Louisiana · Oklahoma · New Mexico · Arizona

Find Texas casting calls on allcasting

allcasting is a casting marketplace: verified casting professionals post roles and talent applies directly. Applying is free, and nobody on the platform can promise you a role.

• Browse Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio casting calls, updated daily
• Go straight to acting roles or extras work in Austin
• Before you accept a booking, see what acting work actually pays in 2026

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