ONE SQUARE MILE: TEXAS - A Microcosm of Texan Life and Culture. A Texas PBS documentary series by Brazos Film & Video and filmmakers Carl and Elisabeth Crum. austin, fort worth, dallas, houston, san antonio, silverton, el paso, nacogdoches, port isabel, midland, sfa stephen f austin, film, c300, klru, kera, klrd, texasPBS, betsy

About One Square Mile: Texas

One Square Mile: Texas (OSMTX) is a documentary television series that portrays Texas culture from the perspective of distinct square miles across the Lone Star state.  As a whole, the series is a microcosm of Texas life and a collective portrait of the state.

The series represents the many faces and facets of Texas from the perspective of the individual while spanning the emotional, demographic and physical landscapes. This is a series about shared challenges and aspirations.  The square miles include urban, suburban and rural communities and neighborhoods from every corner of the state.

OSMTX Episode Themes

Each episode has a theme by which the series examines the square miles and provides a cohesive thread that allows us to explore, compare and shed light on universal issues. Looking beyond the preconceived notions or stereotypes that typically define the state, OSMTX’s objective viewpoint provides a platform and outlet for discussion of the collective and varied identity of the state and the regions and towns that comprise it.

OSMTX is a is a reflection on the past, a comment on the present and a gift to future Texans.  Season one of OSMTX documents forty five stories from nine selected square miles across Texas.  The series portrays life in a sincere, meaningful and compelling way that articulates Texas culture in the 21st century.

OSMTX is a call to be engaged, to be a part of your community and to discover what is going on in your square mile and to see how individuals are making a difference. The OSMTX series is a cultural gauge and document of a specific point in time - a time capsule of an ever changing landscape of demographics, statistics, technology and people. OSMTX is the only television program that documents Texas culture as a unified story of individuals by combining different perspectives from communities across the state.

A Story as Big as Its’ Audience

Texas encompasses 268,820 square miles and if it were a country, it would be the 40th largest on the planet with a population equivalent to Canada. Texas is the fourth largest tourist destination in the US for cultural and historical travelers and has been inspiring singers, songwriters, historians, artists and general raconteurs since before its official inception in December of 1845.  

Our culture must be documented as it is happening, lest it be lost or re-interpreted. This series provides a tangible link between where we have been and where we are going.  A template and online platform for the cross-pollination of ideas will bring students and individuals together from the diverse regions across Texas. Students are encouraged to document their own square miles with video, photography, art and written word that is to be shared with the OSMTX community. OSMTX provides an accurate perspective for students and adults who have not had the opportunity to explore the state they call home.

One Square Mile: Texas is partnered with KLRU-TV and other Texas PBS stations to bring OSMTX to television markets  across the state. Collectively, Texas PBS stations reach 95% of the Texas television audience. OSMTX is airing five original half-hour episodes in the 2013 season. The episodes will also be available for rebroadcast on PBS stations in Texas and across the US.

OSMTX works with PBS partner stations to develop community outreach initiatives in local markets and across the state. The square miles featured in OSMTX are selected from PBS viewer suggestions and input by visitors to this website.

One Square Mile: Texas brings the experience of contemporary Texas to viewers across the state and ultimately, around the world. The main distribution channel for OSMTX is through PBS partner station broadcasts and websites.

The series can also be viewed for free on this website in 720p high definition video. The series is also available for viewing in 1080p on our YouTube partner channel.

In addition to complete episodes, OSMTX keeps viewers updated during the production process with exclusive documentary shorts and  behind the scenes videos. OSMTX hosts a variety of social media accounts including, Facebook, Twitter, Flicker and Instagram where viewers can keep up to date on the latest OSMTX news.

One Square Mile: Texas and friends of the series will hold community screenings across the state of Texas and will feature selections from the series, as well as a Q&A with the producers and/or participants. These screenings will be coordinated through local PBS stations and community partners.

Southwest Alternative Media Project

Southwest Alternative Media Project (SWAMP) is the non-profit & fiscal sponsor for OSMTX. As a 501c3 non-profit, SWAMP has been sponsoring cutting edge media projects in Texas for the past thirty five years. All underwriting sponsorships for OSMTX are 100% tax deductible charitable donations.

SWAMP is a Texas-based media arts center committed to the film and video art of this region, and to the cultivation of an engaged audience. It is vital to the intellectual and cultural development of any community to have the ability and resources to create its own artistic vision. In order to cultivate a climate for media representation of this region, SWAMP supports the tradition of artists who express their visions through film, video, and new media. SWAMP encourages development of audiences who seek out artistic voices that reflect, celebrate, and examine the cultural, social, and political diversity of their localities.

Background for the series

One Square Mile: Texas is based on the original web series One Square Mile, by filmmakers Carl and Elisabeth Crum. This self-financed series was filmed in nine square miles across the United States. The filmmakers interviewed over 150 individuals living in communities isolated geographically, socially, or culturally from societal norms - asking what life in their square mile means to them. Locations included Barrow, AK, Wilton Manors, FL, Hanalei, HI, Austin, Fort Worth and Kennard, TX, among others. OSM’s examination of these communities captures what makes them so distinct while revealing simultaneously that which we share in common, such as family ties, struggles with work, and dreams for the future.  For example, in Barrow, Alaska, OSM interviews a native Inupiat school teacher who feels shunned by her culture after returning to her birthplace with a college education. In Wilton Manors, Florida, OSM interviews a food bank volunteer who has lived HIV+ for over 23 years, as he shares his hope for a future after losing his partner and friends to the AIDS epidemic.

One Square Mile has been nominated for nine Emmy awards, and has won three - including Best Magazine Series in 2011, and Outstanding Achievement in Cultural Documentary in 2010 and 2011.  After viewing One Square Mile in 2011, the Independent Television Service (ITVS) partnered with Carl & Elisabeth Crum to produce the PBS/ITVS documentary series Women & Girls Lead: Campaign Shorts. The filmmakers produced the shorts as a four part series with PBS member stations across the US. For their first city, the filmmakers chose their hometown of Austin, Texas. While partnering with KLRU, the filmmakers filmed seven short documentaries in the style of One Square Mile. The now popular series has expanded, with the filmmakers producing similar shorts in Kansas City, MO, Miami, FL and Las Vegas, NV.

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