Can Austin become America's next moviemaking hub? Not unless these things change

As he stands on a lush, empty stretch of land east of Austin, all Alton Butler sees are the bustling streets of New York City, the tropical trees of the Amazon rainforest and the starry skies of a Wyoming dude ranch. That's because he's in the magic-making movie business now, and a studio like the one he is building is just one of the many things experts said must happen if the area is to capture the huge demand coming from icons such as HBO and Netflix.