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Considering that Houston is the largest city in the whole South and is just as modern and cosmopolitan as those 2 cities, you would think there'd be a lot more TV shows and movies centered around the Houston setting and city life.
Instead, it seems Atlanta and Miami are much bigger in pop culture and television and get the majority of spotlight as far as Southern cities goes. Why is that?
Lack of a standout factor, maybe? Miami has its luxurious architecture and density, and is the undisputed center of a small but influential Hispanic demographic. Atlanta is arguably the national center of black culture --- since it's a large metro located in the middle of the traditional slaveholding areas (and many of their descendants never left the region).
Houston has a pretty large Hispanic community, a pretty large black community, a pretty large Asian community (but the center is really coastal CA), and has certain areas that feel dense and urban. But it doesn't really stand out in any particular way, at least not any way that would easily lend itself to TV and movies.
Ted Turner, by and large, is to thank for Atlanta being a significant TV / pop culture center. For years, many of the most popular TV channels and programs on cable TV were produced and broadcasted out of Atlanta. If you watched CNN back in the 80s - 2000s, it was literally a requirement for the anchors to announce they were live from the World Headquarters in Atlanta.
Unfortunately, since Ted Turner sold the company back in the late 90s, much of this work has shifted to LA and NYC. That said, the bones from Ted Turner's empire are still in Atlanta, so startup operations have moved in to capitalize on that infrastructure (such as Tyler Perry).
Another factor, of course, is that Georgia has some of the most generous film tax incentives in the country right now. Given how ridiculously expensive it's become to film in NY and California, Hollywood is more concerned about being able to produce projects at the lowest cost possible, which has made Georgia (specifically the Atlanta area) a very attractive place to do so.
Houston's a fine city and all, but its cache is being an industrial powerhouse and there's nothing wrong with that. Houston still plays a very important role in the US as the operations there help to provide the fuel we need to heat our buildings ans transport our goods/services. That said, the vibe is more "blue collar" in that it's a place people can move to if they want to easily land a good-paying job while subsequently being able to see it go very far in terms of the homes and cars they can buy, regardless of their education and experience.
As far as Miami, Miami it what it is. There isn't any other urban place I can think of in the US can you can find a combination of clean beaches for miles and hot/sunny weather year round. This makes for good TV / movie scenes.
Last edited by citidata18; 09-25-2020 at 06:58 AM..
1) Houston never tried. Until recently Houston never really marketed itself. Its a city that lets things play out on their own, not one that puts itself out there.
2) Houston's biggest selling points are its great diversity, culinary scene, culture, and worldwide dominance of energy. Those things are great, but dont add up to pop culture appeal.
3) Houston never bothered making anything out of the natural environment it does have. We dont have LA or Miami's scenery, but there are things that could have been done with the coast line or the forests to appeal to tourists. While there is Kemah, no one outside Houston even knows about it.
4) Houston doesn't appeal to white Americans. White Americans are so ga-ga over Austin and to a far lesser degree Dallas that they dont notice Houston. Houston is a hot and humid city full of minorities and people from other countries that is also very industrial. White Americans dont like that. The pop culture appeal Houston does hold seems to appeal mostly to African Americans and Hispanics.
5) Its very difficult to get around Houston in the way Americans like to. Houston has a great bus system, but Americans dont like buses, they like subways and rail. Houston's public transportation rail infrastructure is very subpar.
1) Houston never tried. Until recently Houston never really marketed itself. Its a city that lets things play out on their own, not one that puts itself out there.
2) Houston's biggest selling points are its great diversity, culinary scene, culture, and worldwide dominance of energy. Those things are great, but dont add up to pop culture appeal.
3) Houston never bothered making anything out of the natural environment it does have. We dont have LA or Miami's scenery, but there are things that could have been done with the coast line or the forests to appeal to tourists. While there is Kemah, no one outside Houston even knows about it.
4) Houston doesn't appeal to white Americans. White Americans are so ga-ga over Austin and to a far lesser degree Dallas that they dont notice Houston. Houston is a hot and humid city full of minorities and people from other countries that is also very industrial. White Americans dont like that. The pop culture appeal Houston does hold seems to appeal mostly to African Americans and Hispanics.
5) Its very difficult to get around Houston in the way Americans like to. Houston has a great bus system, but Americans dont like buses, they like subways and rail. Houston's public transportation rail infrastructure is very subpar.
Because to be popular in pop culture, you have to be a place that people want to visit and a place that is easy to visit. Every single city in the US that has pop culture appeal is that way. They are either cities that have good rail transit or they are small enough where everything to see and do are in a short radius (like Austin).
1) Houston never tried. Until recently Houston never really marketed itself. Its a city that lets things play out on their own, not one that puts itself out there.
2) Houston's biggest selling points are its great diversity, culinary scene, culture, and worldwide dominance of energy. Those things are great, but dont add up to pop culture appeal.
3) Houston never bothered making anything out of the natural environment it does have. We dont have LA or Miami's scenery, but there are things that could have been done with the coast line or the forests to appeal to tourists. While there is Kemah, no one outside Houston even knows about it.
4) Houston doesn't appeal to white Americans. White Americans are so ga-ga over Austin and to a far lesser degree Dallas that they dont notice Houston. Houston is a hot and humid city full of minorities and people from other countries that is also very industrial. White Americans dont like that. The pop culture appeal Houston does hold seems to appeal mostly to African Americans and Hispanics.
5) Its very difficult to get around Houston in the way Americans like to. Houston has a great bus system, but Americans dont like buses, they like subways and rail. Houston's public transportation rail infrastructure is very subpar.
Exactly what I said: White Americans go ga-ga over Austin. I dont need to clarify anything on that front. It isnt an insult. That demographic is just extremely fond of Austin and doesnt care for Houston.
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