A red state is capitalizing on a major Hollywood studio’s rift with California over a Trump-backed merger, per reports.
According to a Tuesday article by The Hollywood Reporter, Tennessee is courting Paramount Skydance as it sets its sights on a new home. Paramount Skydance has threatened to leave California after a coalition of a dozen attorneys general filed a lawsuit to block a $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. The Trump Department of Justice greenlit the merger earlier this year.
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development sent a letter on July 2 to Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, in which it tried to woo the Trump-allied chairman.
“Congratulations on this remarkable new chapter for Paramount Skydance. Few leaders have the opportunity to redefine an iconic company while simultaneously shaping the future of an industry,” reads the letter, signed by Tennessee Deputy Governor Stuart McWhorter. “As you look ahead, I encourage you to consider Tennessee as the home for that future.”
The Hollywood Reporter noted that Ellison used to live on and off in Tennessee for 11 years from 2014 to 2025. The Reporter added that Oracle, the tech company owned by Larry Ellison, plans on building a massive campus in Nashville, and Clay Magouyrk, the co-CEO of Oracle, lives in Tennessee.
Warner Bros. Discovery also used to maintain an office complex in Knoxville after a 2017 Scripps Network deal. Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of the historic Hollywood studio, sold the property in 2023, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Tennessee offers a compelling proposition: a state where creativity and technology converge, where talent is developed intentionally, and where innovation is embraced,” the letter promised.
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