r/HappeningInAtlanta

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August 18, 2026

BY: Nicholas Creel - for The Alanta Journal-Constitution

(From the article) ...

California is showing Georgia exactly what not to do. Paramount CEO David Ellison told his executives that he is prepared to begin moving the studio out of the state as soon as Oct. 1.

The reasons are mounting costs, a merger with Warner Bros. that California’s attorney general is leading a 12-state lawsuit to block and a company that no longer feels welcome in its home state.

California’s response to the prospect of losing one of its signature employers wasn’t to reconsider. It was for Attorney General Rob Bonta to call the threat “blackmail.”

Next Peach State governor should welcome the company in regardless of where they stand with the proposed merger with Warner Bros ..."

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August 11, 2026

(From the article) ...

Paramount CEO David Ellison told a group of the company’s top executives that he will start the process of exiting California on October 1 if the state’s Attorney General Rob Bonta will not negotiate to settle an antitrust suit around the planned merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.

Rumors had surfaced months ago that Ellison was considering a California exit if the AG did not soften his stance. Destinations mentioned have included Tennessee, Texas and Georgia. Potential new home states have presumably offered significant incentives if Paramount relocates.

SOURCE/CREDIT: Jill Goldsmith - Deadline

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NOTES:

I heard this article about Paramount's CEO David Ellison threatening to relocate his company out of California, being discussed by several passengers (who work in the entertainment industry) during a flight delay.

California's AG says it's a 'scare tactic' by David Ellison -- but these passengers said they don' t think it is. They said although some people think that Florida or Texas would be Ellison's two top choices because they are 'red states' -- these passengers said they believe that Ellison will choose either Georgia or Tennessee -- with Georgia having a slight edge because it has a strong entertainment/studio infrastructure already in place.

However, there were also some passengers from California sitting nearby, and they said that David Ellison would never take Paramount out of California, because 'talent' and 'executives' would not move and uproot their lives. Just as that was being said, an entertainment attorney from California chimed in and said, that 'entertainment jobs' have been drying up in California the past few years, and because of that, 'talent' and 'executives' will go wherever the 'money' and 'jobs' are -- if they don't, it won't be that hard for Ellison to replace them.

These Californians shot back and said that it would be too drastic of a culture change for long-time Californians and Hollywood workers to adapt to 'backward' states like Tennessee and Georgia. Before some nearby Georgia passengers could 'chime in', the entertainment attorney said that Georgia is not a 'backwards' state, and that they have a strong entertainment infrastructure (Assembly Atlanta Studios was mentioned), and that Georgia has a lot of talented actors and writers as well. He also said that Nashville has a strong entertainment infrastructure too.

It will be interesting to see if David Ellison relocates Paramount out of California -- and which state he chooses.

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From chilled lobster tossed in mayo to warm meat bathed in butter, these 10 Atlanta restaurants deliver standout takes on the New England classic

CREDIT: Sarah Bisacca - DiningOut Atlanta