Raised Right Here
TRAHC's 2026 Honors Gala celebrates two hometown sons who took their love of storytelling all the way to Hollywood and Broadway.
Every city has a story it tells about itself. Texarkana's best story might be the one about the kids who grew up here, fell in love with something creative, and chased it all the way to the top. On March 21, the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council is putting two of those kids in the spotlight.
The bi-annual Honors Gala will celebrate Clay Mills, an Emmy-nominated producer and New York talent manager, and Ben McGinnis, a two-time Emmy Award winner whose credits include some of the most talked-about television of the last decade. They are Texarkana natives who went out into the world and made something of the spark that was lit here. The evening runs from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the TRAHC ArtSpace on Pine Street, and it promises to be one of the most dazzling nights Texarkana's arts scene has seen in years.
Two Stories, One Hometown
Clay Mills grew up with rhythm in his blood. As Drum Major of the Texas High School Tiger Marching Band, he learned early what it meant to lead, to perform, and to understand the invisible thread that connects an audience to something beautiful. That thread never broke.
After earning a degree in Music Performance from Centenary College of Louisiana, Mills made his way to New York, where he now works as a talent manager at The Katz Company, representing a diverse roster of performers, content creators, and cultural change-makers across television, film, theater, and digital platforms. His clients work at the highest levels of the industry, and so does he.
As a producer, Mills earned a 2022 New York Emmy Award nomination for the documentary short Swipe Monster, a project that also drew acclaim on the international festival circuit. He has produced live performances at some of the most storied venues in the city, including Lincoln Center, 54 Below, and Joe's Pub, and continues to shepherd the long-running Kevin Smith Kirkwood Is Classic Whitney: Alive!, a touring production that recently marked its tenth anniversary.
"Texarkana has always nurtured creativity, sending artists of all kinds into the world to do extraordinary things," Mills said. "I'm proud to be one of them, and to receive this recognition. The arts are not a luxury. They are the heartbeat of our communities, and it is up to us to protect them."
Ben McGinnis found his calling with a camera in his hands long before he ever set foot in Los Angeles. Growing up in Texarkana, he was always filming something: stunt videos with neighborhood friends, wedding footage, aerial shots from a helicopter, weekly services at First United Methodist Church. At Arkansas High, Razorback TV became his favorite class, where he produced a daily newscast and a beloved annual Halloween horror short. The final films were, by his own admission, funnier than scary. But they were enough to cement a dream.
"I still learned the power of narrative storytelling," McGinnis said, "and cemented my goal of becoming a creative producer."
He did exactly that. While studying Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas at Austin, he landed an internship with Ridley Scott's production company, Scott Free Productions, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. From there, he connected with writer and show-runner Ronald D. Moore, first serving as a writer's assistant on Battlestar Galactica and Caprica for Syfy, then working his way up through Moore's production company, Tall Ship Productions.
His producer credits now include Outlander on Starz and For All Mankind on Apple TV+, a critically acclaimed alternate history series for which he accepted two Creative Arts Emmy Awards in 2021 and 2023, for Outstanding Interactive and Emerging Media Program. He is currently serving as Co-Executive Producer on For All Mankind and is in active development on an adaptation of the hit video game series God of War for Amazon.
Both men, in other words, have more than made good.
An Evening to Remember
The gala will kick off with a VIP Sponsor Dinner catered by Verona, featuring a performance from New York-based singer Gracie McGraw, who can currently be seen in the PBS special American Heart in WWII: A Carnegie Hall Tribute. She has been called a showstopper by outlets ranging from Hello! Magazine to Billboard to CNN.
Afterward, the celebration moves into TRAHC's ArtSpace for a one-night-only performance by The Twin City Sound, a variety band of regional musicians covering hits from across every era of popular music. Emmie P's Bistro and Catering will provide on-theme bites, while beverages for the evening will be provided by MK Distributors and Eagle Distributors.
The evening will also feature a raffle with prizes that include a two-night glamping stay for up to four guests at Clear Sky Resorts in Bryce Canyon, a glass dome resort known for some of the most spectacular night sky views in the country, and a two-night stay for two at Forest Springs Resort and Spa in Eureka Springs. Raffle tickets are $30 each, and winners do not have to be present to win.
"The dazzle of Hollywood meets the flash of Broadway in one unforgettable night," said Gala Committee Chair Lydia Wommack. "It will absolutely sell out."
Tickets are $100 for single admission and $175 per couple. Proceeds support TRAHC's mission of growing people and community through the arts, a mission that, in the careers of Clay Mills and Ben McGinnis, has already proven what it can do.
For tickets and sponsorship information, visit www.trahc.org/gala or call 903.792.8681.
