George C. Coulam (c. 1938) is an American business owner. He is the founder of the Texas Renaissance Festival (TRF), the largest Renaissance fair in the United States.[2] Since 1982, he has also served as the mayor of Todd Mission, Texas.[3]
George Coulam | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Other names | The King King George |
| Occupation(s) | business owner, mayor |
| Known for | founder of the Texas Renaissance Festival |
| Relatives | David Coulam |
| Website | www |
Coulam drew wider public attention after being featured in the 2024 HBO documentary series, Ren Faire. George never served in the military, yet in the series can be seen wearing numerous shirts with military medals and campaign ribbons. He would have been 65 if he had actually served during the Global War on Terror. The series explores a succession crisis as Coulam, who founded the TRF in 1974, considers retirement.[4]
Biography
editCoulam was born to a Mormon family in Salt Lake City, Utah and attended the San Fernando Valley State College. In 1974, Coulam and his brother David purchased 15 acres of land on a former strip mine and founded the TRF. In 1982, Coulam and others incorporated the city of Todd Mission and expanded the TRF. In 1999, Coulam married a woman from Thailand, Susie. Coulam's mansion, Stargate Manor, sits on 200 acres of land in Todd Mission.[5]
In 2012, Coulam authored a book entitled Mind-Wars, which claims that holistic medicine reversed his Alzheimer's disease.[6]
In 2021, American filmmaker Lance Oppenheim produced a documentary about the future of the TRF as Coulam planned to retire at the end of the season. Released in June 2024 on HBO, the three-episode series depicts Coulam's eccentric lifestyle and the trials and tribulations of the festival over a three-year period.[7] In an interview for NPR, Oppenheim described George as, "George is, I guess, for the lack of the better words, this is that someone describes him in the series, a self-made king. I don't know how many there are out there in America, probably very few, but this is a man who created the largest Renaissance fair in the country. It got so large that he decided to incorporate a city around the fair, and in that city, he became the mayor of everyone around him. Everyone votes for him every single year. And so in a way, he created a real-life fiefdom, of which he has been the sole ruler of for the last five decades".[8]
References
edit- ^ "HBO's documentary series, Ren Faire, chronicles the personal life of George Coulam and his plans after retirement!". sanctuaryfilmfestival.com. Sanctuary Film Festival. June 3, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ Mackay, Jordan (November 1999). "Renaissance Man". texasmonthly.com. Texas Monthly. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ "City Council". toddmissiontx.gov. City of Todd Mission. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ Galuppo, Mia (January 10, 2024). "Ryan Gosling's 'Fall Guy,' '3 Body Problem' Headed to SXSW". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ Prasad, Sumith (June 2, 2024). "George Coulam: Where is the TRF Founder Now?". thecinemaholic.com. TheCinemaholic. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ Coulam, George (October 30, 2012). Mind-Wars. Tate Publishing. p. 128. ISBN 978-1621470878. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ Hibberd, James (June 9, 2024). "'Ren Faire' Director on What Happened After Finale, and If George Is Still Single". hollywoodreporter.com. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ Benk, Ryan (June 9, 2024). "A new docuseries 'Ren Fair' follows the creator of a Texas Renaissance fair". npr.org. NPR. Retrieved June 10, 2024.