Tennessee officials want to lure Los Angeles-based mass media and entertainment conglomerate Paramount Skydance Corp., The Hollywood Reporter reports.
The entertainment news publication notes, citing a July 2 letter from Tennessee Deputy Gov. Stuart McWhorter, that the state is asking Paramount CEO David Ellison to consider relocating his company’s corporate headquarters to the Volunteer State.
"We are also uniquely positioned geographically," McWhorter writes.
"Located within a day's drive of nearly half the U.S. population, Tennessee provides unmatched access to markets, customers, and talent. Nashville International Airport has become one of the fastest-growing airports in the nation, offering extensive domestic connectivity and growing international reach. Whether moving people, ideas, or business, Tennessee sits at the crossroads of America."
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The attempt by McWhorter, who also serves as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, comes as Paramount and California state officials are at odds regarding Paramount’s planned $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
California is part of a coalition of 12 states suing to block the transaction, claiming antitrust violations. THR reports that Paramount offered an “olive branch” prior to the lawsuit filing (undertaken on July 13) by “committing to produce 30 films per year with a 45-day theatrical window.” The offer ultimately was declined by California officials.
Paramount Skydance Corp. is the parent company of Paramount Pictures, a storied film production and distribution company.
The article does not note to what Tennessee city the Department of Economic and Community Development would prefer to see Paramount relocate its corporate offices. State officials could not be reached for comment by Scene sister publication the Nashville Post.
Ellison has ties to Tennessee, having lived in the state in various years from 2014 to 2025, according to The Hollywood Reporter. His father is billionaire Oracle chairman Larry Ellison, who has said that his company plans to eventually relocate its global headquarters from Austin to its under-construction campus within the East Bank’s River North area.
The Hollywood Reporter notes that David Ellison sold his Tennessee residential property after Paramount’s bid to acquire Skydance closed in August 2025.
Middle Tennessee specifically has been known in recent years to lure West Coast-based companies, such as In-N-Out and Starbucks, to open another headquarters location in the area.
This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post.
