When Taylor Sheridan moved his productions to Texas, few could’ve predicted just how much of an economic juggernaut it would become. Now, the Yellowstone creator’s footprint in Fort Worth isn’t just about storytelling — it’s reshaping the entire city’s economy, attracting billions in investment, and making “Hollywood South” feel a lot less like a nickname and more like a reality.
At the heart of this transformation are two names long synonymous with Texas ambition — Ross Perot Jr. and Mike Berry, the chairman and president of Hillwood, the real estate development powerhouse behind the 27,000-acre AllianceTexas project. Speaking at a TCU Center for Real Estate event this fall, the pair reflected on how a small airport project became one of the country’s most dynamic regions — and how Sheridan’s presence could define its next chapter.
“You cannot be a great city if you don’t have great developers,” Perot told the crowd, crediting TCU students and their families for fueling Fort Worth’s growth. Berry added with a grin, “We have an unofficial motto at Hillwood. NML. Need more land.” But their real excitement came when the topic turned to Sheridan. As Berry recalled, when Fort Worth’s business leaders met to brainstorm the city’s next big economic push, Perot surprised everyone by bringing up Yellowstone. “He stood up and said, ‘This Taylor Sheridan thing is real. The whole Yellowstone craze is. You should grab that and make a whole economic development strategy around it.’”…