Tim McGraw Launches Media Company With Backing From Skydance
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Tim McGraw — the Grammy-winning singer and prolific actor — is venturing further into Hollywood, launching a media company with backing from Skydance Media.
The banner, named Down Home, is described as a new entertainment, media and marketing company and will be based in Nashville. McGraw is launching Down Home with his management company, EM.Co, and social content studio Shareability.
More from The Hollywood Reporter
Shareability’s founder, Tim Staples, is Down Home’s co-founder and CEO, while EM.Co’s Brian Kaplan, also a co-founder, will serve as chief strategy officer.
According to today’s announcement, Down Home will connect “McGraw’s country music audience with Hollywood and brands by producing film, TV, and digital media that focus on relatable stories that capture the essence and spirit of everyday Americans.”
As part of the deal, Skydance will develop film and TV projects with the company. Skydance’s David Ellison will serve on the Down Home board, and the company is already in development on two scripted series with Top Gun: Maverick producers. The Down Home slate is led by Joel Bergvall, head of film and television.
Down Home also secured private investment from Nashville-based TriScore Entertainment and The Laurel Group, the latter of which will continue to advise the company.
“Country music has always been about storytelling,” says McGraw, who most recently starred in Yellowstone spinoff 1883. “Our stories are honest vignettes of life and family and community. I think there’s a longing for that. For me, that’s Down Home. That’s how I grew up, those are the stories I like to tell, and that’s what I want our company to be about.”
“Tim McGraw is an outstanding artist and entertainer. He is truly gifted at telling stories across mediums that deeply connect with the audience and has built an unmatched community of fans around the world,” says Ellison. Adds Staples: “From 1883 to Friday Night Lights, or songs like ‘Humble and Kind’, Tim McGraw knows how to connect with this audience in a way that can be really powerful for both Hollywood and brands.”
The company also plans to establish a social content studio to nurture Nashville’s emerging talent, fostering connections across music, sports, entertainment and brands. Says Kaplan, “We’re thrilled to be a part of the next chapter in Nashville’s evolution, empowering artists and visionaries to create a new hub for storytelling that combines talent, passion, and innovation.”
Down Home will establish a social content studio that will focus on local Nashville talent by, according to the announcement, “fostering connections across music, sports, entertainment, and brands.” Says Kaplan, “We’re thrilled to be a part of the next chapter in Nashville’s evolution, empowering artists and visionaries to create a new hub for storytelling that combines talent, passion, and innovation.”
McGraw was represented in the transaction by EM.Co. He is also repped by CAA.
Best of The Hollywood Reporter
