Doug Ellin Sees Nashville Film Boom Taking Shape as Paramount Skydance Eyes Space and Tennessee Courts Hollywood With Incentives and Infrastructure

NASHVILLE, TN — Nashville’s reputation has long been built on music, but a growing group of entertainment insiders says the city may be ready to claim a bigger role in film and television too. Interest in Paramount Skydance exploring space in Nashville has revived talk about whether Tennessee could become a serious production destination.

That conversation is gaining traction because supporters say the city already has many of the basics needed for a larger screen industry: crews, studios, training programs and an established creative community. For some in the business, the question is no longer whether Nashville has potential, but how quickly that potential can turn into regular work and lasting production momentum.

Doug Ellin says Nashville already feels like an industry magnet

Doug Ellin, the creator of HBO’s Entourage, is among the most visible names signaling confidence in Nashville’s future. He plans to move his family from Los Angeles to Nashville in the new year, and he said the move is about family and lifestyle rather than a career change.

Even so, Ellin said the number of entertainment people he has seen relocating to Tennessee has been striking. He compared the atmosphere to Los Angeles years ago, saying the creative energy around him has been impossible to ignore. Ellin also said he has already talked about developing a show in Nashville and would like to film a future project there.

For him, the city now feels like a place where big ideas could take root, not just a place to live. He said the possibility is real enough that he is already thinking about what could be made there next.

Hollywood uncertainty is pushing more people to look elsewhere

Ellin’s enthusiasm is tied in part to the instability hanging over Los Angeles, where he says even highly experienced entertainment professionals are struggling to stay busy. He described a business in which Emmy-level and Oscar-level veterans with decades of credits are having trouble finding steady work.

That slowdown, paired with high living costs, is prompting some workers to reconsider whether they need to remain in California. Ellin said many people are searching for a different path because Los Angeles is expensive even when work is scarce.

He still believes California remains one of the best places in the world to make movies and television. But he also said its leaders need to treat the entertainment business as a higher priority if they want to keep production from drifting to other markets.

Nashville Film Institute points to a built-in production base

Dion Hawley, program coordinator at the Nashville Film Institute, says Nashville is not trying to invent a film industry from nothing. He argues the city already has the ingredients needed to support more productions, including experienced crews, production studios, training programs, recording facilities and major agencies such as CAA and Endeavor.

Hawley said Nashville is building on what is already there rather than starting from scratch. In his view, that matters because it gives producers access to both the technical side of filmmaking and the creative side that comes from the city’s broader arts community.

He said Nashville’s music business is a major advantage, especially for projects that need musicians, composers, studios and storytellers. That overlap, he believes, could help the city compete with Atlanta as a southeastern production center while still keeping its own identity.

Hawley says Nashville should grow on its own terms, not copy Hollywood

Hawley is optimistic about the city’s trajectory, but he does not want Nashville to become a duplicate of Los Angeles. He said the city should protect its own identity even as more premieres and productions bring attention to the market.

He also said one-off projects are not enough to build a durable business. Long-term success, in his view, will depend on a steady flow of productions, jobs and professionals who choose to base themselves in Tennessee rather than simply passing through for a shoot.

That distinction matters because attention alone does not keep a crew employed. Hawley said Nashville needs enough continuing activity that the industry can expand over time instead of spiking and then fading.

Tennessee’s incentives are part of the pitch to productions

Tennessee already offers film and television productions a 25% cash grant on at least $500,000 in qualified in-state spending. Productions may also be eligible for tax credits, exemptions and other assistance, while larger corporate projects could qualify for separate incentives tied to jobs, training, infrastructure and development.

No Paramount-specific package has been made public. Still, Hawley said incentives can help draw projects to a state, even if they are not enough by themselves to build a lasting industry.

He warned that a market can lose momentum if companies move on as soon as another state offers a better deal. For Nashville, he said, the goal should be to keep production and talent in place long enough to create a real presence, not just a temporary surge.

State officials began courting Paramount months ago

Tennessee’s outreach to Paramount did not begin with the latest round of speculation. FOX 17 News confirmed that the state had already started making its case by July, when Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart McWhorter sent a letter to Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison.

The July 2 letter urged Ellison to consider Tennessee as a home for the company’s future and highlighted the state’s workforce, creative industries, technology sector, location and business climate. The department later said it could not discuss specifics, but reaffirmed that it remains open to companies looking to invest and grow in Tennessee.

Politico has reported that Paramount is exploring about 400,000 square feet of space in Nashville and has also considered property outside downtown for a possible campus. Paramount has not announced any move, and Ellin said the discussion may also be part of the company’s leverage with California. Even so, both Ellin and Hawley say the attention alone shows how much the entertainment map is changing.

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