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 | George C. Coulam 1938 (age 86) |
| 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. 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]
Coulam has been accused multiple times of sexual harassment,[7] including in a lawsuit by a former personal assistant in 2018,[8] and another lawsuit by a former personal assistant in 2020.[9][10]
In popular culture
editIn 2002, Coulam was parodied in a season 6 episode of King of the Hill entitled "Joust Like a Woman."[1]
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 lifestyle and the trials and tribulations of the festival over a three-year period.[11] 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".[12]
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.
- ^ Rouner, Jef (December 15, 2020). "New Reports About Ren Fest Owner George Coulam". Houston Press. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- ^ Suayan, John (May 23, 2018). "Court papers detail woman's 'demeaning' experience as Ren Fest owner's personal assistant". Southeast Texas Record. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- ^ Homer, Michelle (November 25, 2020). "Texas Renaissance Festival founder 'King George' Coulam accused of sexual harassment in lawsuit". khou.com. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- ^ Hennes, Rebecca (June 16, 2021). "Texas Renaissance Festival settles case with employee who accused founder of sexual harassment". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 14, 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.