To my City of Kilgore Friends and Neighbors ...
Over the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of seeing Kilgore from many angles: behind a camera lens, across a boardroom table, sweeping the floors of historic buildings, and riding scooters on new downtown sidewalks with my daughter.
I’ve been thoughtfully pondering and openly discussing running for Kilgore City Council since 2019. It’s not because of personal ambition but, rather, because of a calling to serve. At this time in my life, I had spent years volunteering at Helping Hands, serving on the SAFFE Day board, being part of the E4 Leadership Kilgore program, working with the Kilgore Historic Preservation Foundation, sitting on the Community Development Corporation, and helping guide our Comprehensive Plan.
Through all this work, one thing became clear…
Kilgore is worth the work.
Why am I running?
My first real immersion into city involvement began at our local food pantry and one of my downtown neighbors, Helping Hands. From 2015 to 2020, I witnessed, firsthand, that true change begins at the grassroots level. In 2016, I produced a short documentary for SAFFE Day called Everyday Heroes; soon after, I was invited to join the SAFFE Day board, where I still proudly serve today.
In 2017, I was part of the E4 Leadership Kilgore class. It was an excellent opportunity to dig deeper into the inner workings of local government.
In 2018, opportunities for me to serve expanded. I began volunteering for the Kilgore Historic Preservation Foundation, where I have served as Board President since 2022. Additionally, I was asked to contribute to the Community Development Corporation, and I continue that work today. I was also honored to serve on the Kilgore Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee.
That year made something clear to me: a strong future for Kilgore won’t happen by chance.
We have to build it together, on purpose.
I haven’t slowed down since – because Kilgore deserves leaders who show up.
That’s why I’m running for City Council.
So let me introduce myself.
I am Chip Hale. I was raised here in East Texas by a single mother, Judy, who is one of the strongest and most empathetic people I’ve ever known. My grade school years were split between Longview and Sabine before graduating from Overton High School in 1993. After high school, I attended Kilgore College, where I wrote for The Flare and served as a Rangerette Manager. In 1999, I earned a degree in Radio, Television & Film from the University of North Texas.
My early career took me to Dallas, where I worked with a small company owned by my godfather, Mike Miller, who was a pivotal mentor in my life. Under his guidance, I learned that leadership meant staying calm in the chaos, caring deeply about people, and always doing what you said you would do. The company organized large-scale travel events, including taking more than 2,000 students and families to New York City each year for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Somehow, an East Texas kid found himself leading high school performers and their parents through America’s largest city (and this was long before Google Maps when you had to rely on paper maps and a little courage).
Eventually, my journey took me to Los Angeles, where I spent more than a decade manifesting a Hollywood dream. While I didn’t become Spielberg, I gained resilience, resourcefulness, and the determination to work long hours for something that matters.
Home has a way of calling you back.
While producing Sweethearts of the Gridiron, a critically acclaimed documentary about the World Famous Kilgore College Rangerettes from 2013 to 2015, I found my way back to Kilgore. The film earned praise on the festival circuit, resonated with audiences far beyond East Texas, and helped shine a national spotlight on a uniquely Texas legacy. That project didn’t just shape my filmmaking career here; it strengthened my connection to the city and the people who make it special.
The irony in all of this is I have made more films in Kilgore in 11 years than I did in 13 years in Los Angeles. I couldn’t be more proud of this.
In 2021, I became a father when my daughter, Eden, was born. She is, without question, the best thing about me. She loves riding her scooter downtown, exploring the World’s Richest Acre, and biking the Meadowbrook Trail. She’s just 4 years-old, but she has already attended her fair share of CDC, KHPF, REEL East Texas, and SAFFE Day meetings. She’s more civic than I ever was at four.
Here’s why I’m asking for your trust – and your vote.
I believe in sweat equity.
After the first REEL East Texas Film Festival in 2017, it became clear that our community wanted the Old Post Office and the Texan Theater open year-round. Thanks to the original members of the Kilgore Historic Preservation Foundation, those buildings were preserved for long-term progress, and we owe them a great debt of gratitude for protecting those anchors of downtown. In partnership with the City of Kilgore, we revitalized two historic buildings and turned them into thriving community venues. Since 2018, they’ve welcomed everything from weddings and homecoming dances to concerts, festivals, and celebrations of life. All of these moments are when Kilgore truly comes together.
Most importantly, they belong to each of you.
My priorities are clear.
Relationships matter. Over the past eleven years, I’ve built meaningful professional and personal connections across Kilgore – at local events, at local restaurants and shops, on the ball fields, at graduations, weddings, and in moments of both joy and loss.
These relationships ground me and drive my commitment to serve this town.
I know how to work hard, and I believe in rolling up my sleeves. I started working at sixteen at JW Operating Company here in Kilgore, and I’ve never been afraid of long hours. In film production, twelve-hour days are the norm, and it’s where you learn how to squeeze water from a rock, where you learn to adapt, solve problems on the fly, and push through when things get tough. I’ve hauled trash when volunteers were stretched thin, cleaned bathrooms between events, and rallied friends to help build out the Texan Theater’s second floor.
Whatever needed to be done, I showed up because that’s what invested citizens do.
As your council member, my priorities are clear:
- Address & modernize infrastructure
- Promote more local housing development
- Strengthen Kilgore’s economic & population growth
- Support Kilgore’s vibrant tourism endeavors
- Grow and sustain Kilgore’s film & television industry
Let's invest in the future.
I bring a rich and varied background to this seat as a filmmaker, a small business owner, an executive director, a venue manager, a board member, a volunteer, and homegrown citizen.
I am ready to work, ready to lead, and ready to serve.
Kilgore has invested in me. Now I’m asking for the opportunity to invest even more in Kilgore’s future.
Chip in.
Let’s work for Kilgore, together.
Sincerely,
Chip Hale
VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE:
Thursday, April 2, 2026
EARLY VOTING:
April 20-28, 2026
ELECTION DAY:
Saturday, May 2, 2026
Donate Today!
No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.”
— Theodore Roosevelt
Contact Us
- chip@workingforkilgore.com
- (818) 915-2713
- P.O. Box 926, Kilgore, TX 75663
