After nearly five years of planning, collaboration, and repeated delays, Amarillo College has formally severed ties with Sharpened Iron Studios, a private film production company that had been leasing college property downtown. In a vote taken Tuesday evening, the Amarillo College Board of Regents terminated the lease agreement with the studio, citing what they described as a prolonged failure to meet contractual obligations, including incomplete construction, missed deadlines, and a lack of promised student engagement.
The decision followed nearly two hours of closed-door deliberations and was made during the board’s regular public meeting. The motion passed with a majority vote; Regent Peggy Thomas abstained, while Regent Jay Barrett participated via phone during the executive session but did not cast a vote in open session.
“There was a lot of goodwill at the beginning of this relationship,” said Regent Michele Fortunato. “We’ve gone out of our way to grant extensions for performance, and it just hasn’t happened. It’s regrettable that we have to take this action.”
A Partnership with High Hopes
The partnership began in 2020 with significant enthusiasm from both parties. The original lease, signed on October 29 of that year, outlined a bold vision: Amarillo College would lease a portion of its downtown property to Sharpened Iron Studios, which in turn would invest $8 million into renovating two buildings and constructing a third — a full-scale sound stage — to help launch Amarillo as a regional center for film production and training.
That vision aligned closely with the college’s expanding media arts curriculum and its broader workforce development goals. It was expected to provide internship opportunities, student film projects, and hands-on industry experience.
The lease was amended in March 2023 to give the studio more time and greater flexibility, after progress on the renovations lagged. Key construction deadlines were updated — including substantial completion of Building 2 by November 30, 2023 — and the final completion of all “Tenant’s Work” was pushed to May 31, 2025.
But those milestones came and went without the necessary results. By this spring, Amarillo College officials said, not only was construction far from complete, but Sharpened Iron had also not met its $8 million investment obligation.
Disappointment and Legal Ramifications
College officials expressed deep frustration and sadness over the termination, emphasizing that the decision was not punitive but necessary to protect the institution and its students.
“I’m disappointed that we’ve come to this place in the relationship,” said Regent Johnny Mize during open session. “We all had big dreams for what might happen within our Sharpened Iron partnership, and it hasn’t materialized.
According to the lease agreement, once Sharpened Iron missed the November 2023 milestone, the lease reverted to a month-to-month “tenancy-at-will.” When the final construction deadline passed in May, the college's legal team began preparing for possible termination.
“We’ve come to a place in our relationship where Sharpened Iron has not lived up to the agreement that we signed nearly five years ago,” Barrett said. “We were all very hopeful at the beginning. The vision was so bright — we imagined Amarillo becoming a film industry hub. But reality hasn’t kept pace with that vision.””
Sharpened Iron Studios did host a premiere for its first feature film, What Remains, in December 2022 and celebrated the opening of an editing suite in March 2024. But college officials said those isolated achievements were not enough to satisfy the broader goals of the lease agreement or serve Amarillo College students in a meaningful way.
Legal and Financial Uncertainties
The college declined to comment further after the meeting, citing the legal sensitivities surrounding an active contract dispute.
When reached for comment, Sharpened Iron CEO Sean Doherty said he was unable to comment due to legal reasons.
Sharpened Iron Studios declined to address the lease termination directly. The studio did release the following comment:
“We’re excited about the future of film in Amarillo, and we’re excited to be part of that.”
It remains unclear whether the studio will challenge the termination legally or seek damages. Meanwhile, the physical location on Polk Street remains the property of Amarillo College.
“We haven’t fully decided what comes next for the facility, but it won’t sit unused,” Barrett said. “We’ll find a purpose that serves students or the community.”
Context: A Booming Film Industry — Without Amarillo?
Ironically, the termination comes at a moment of unprecedented growth for the Texas film industry. Recent legislation, including SB 22, has expanded the state’s film incentive program by hundreds of millions of dollars. Sharpened Iron has been active in lobbying for those incentives, with Doherty recently visiting the Texas Capitol to advocate for expanded support.
But Amarillo College’s experience underscores a key challenge: government and educational institutions can be eager to partner with industry leaders in high-growth sectors, but successful outcomes require more than ambition — they require follow-through, infrastructure, and accountability.
“We created curriculum and envisioned internships, students working on sets and building careers in film — but that didn’t happen. Without a sound stage and actual productions, none of that could take root,” Barrett said. “It’s just been sitting on the table, gathering dust.”
Lessons for the Future
The decision may mark a shift in how Amarillo College approaches future partnerships with private entities. While the institution remains committed to innovative workforce development programs, leaders emphasized that future agreements would likely include stricter enforcement mechanisms and performance metrics.
