LETTER: Oregon should be fighting for film jobs, not fighting Paramount-Warner Bros. merger
Published 3:37 pm Friday, August 28, 2026
“The Goonies” was filmed in Astoria. “Stand By Me” in Brownsville. “Grimm” spent six seasons filming in Portland. So did “Leverage” and “Portlandia.”
Oregon has a long history with movies and television. But somewhere along the way, we stopped simply being a great place to film and built a real industry around it.
We established the Oregon Film Office in 1968, the oldest state film commission in the nation. Since then, Oregon policymakers have created incentives, developed a skilled workforce and competed aggressively for productions.
Those efforts are paying off. In 2002, Oregon’s film and video sector generated roughly $357 million in total economic activity. By 2023, that had grown to more than $2 billion.
But those numbers don’t tell the whole story. Productions fill hotel rooms and restaurants, rent vehicles, purchase supplies and hire Oregon workers. Production dollars ripple through local economies.
There is also tourism. Visitors spent $14.6 billion in Oregon in 2025, supporting nearly 123,000 jobs. Movies and television introduce audiences around the world to our landscapes and communities.
Film production is economic development. It’s tourism. And it’s an opportunity to bring outside dollars into Oregon communities.
That’s why Attorney General Dan Rayfield’s decision to join California and 10 other states in a lawsuit seeking to block the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger deserves scrutiny here at home.
There are legitimate arguments on both sides of a merger this large. Antitrust laws serve an important purpose, and no merger should get a free pass.
But I keep coming back to a simple question: What does Oregon gain by stopping this one?
The U.S. Department of Justice spent eight months reviewing the transaction before concluding it was unlikely to harm competition and could instead increase it. Regulators in numerous other countries have also cleared the transaction.
The marketplace has changed dramatically. Paramount and Warner Bros. aren’t simply competing against traditional studios anymore. They’re competing with Netflix, Amazon, Apple and other global technology and streaming companies with enormous resources.
That isn’t an argument for approving every merger. It is an argument for looking at competition as it actually exists today.
There is also investment at stake. Paramount has committed to releasing 30 theatrical films annually. An economic analysis of its plans projected nearly $1 billion in new investment and support for approximately 40,000 production and related jobs.
Those aren’t 40,000 Oregon jobs, and this lawsuit doesn’t automatically mean Oregon will lose film jobs.
But Oregon competes for exactly this kind of investment.
When entertainment companies make more movies and television shows, Oregon has more opportunities to compete for productions, payroll and spending. When investment stalls, there are fewer opportunities for Oregon to win.
Oregon has spent decades building a film and television economy. We have talented crews, extraordinary locations and communities that understand the value of production.
During my more than two decades in the Oregon Legislature, I watched our state compete every day for jobs and investment. When we’ve built an industry where Oregon has a genuine competitive advantage, we shouldn’t take it for granted.
Oregon doesn’t need to follow California’s lead.
We should compete with California.
If entertainment companies are deciding where to make their next movie or television series, Oregon should be at the front of the line saying: Come here. Employ Oregon workers. Stay in our hotels. Eat in our restaurants. Do business with our small businesses.
That doesn’t mean Oregon should support this merger simply because Paramount and Warner Bros. want it.
But if our attorney general is going to help stop it, Oregonians deserve a clear explanation of why that outcome is better for competition, consumers and Oregon’s economic interests.
We have spent decades making sure that when the next “Goonies,” “Stand By Me” or “Grimm” is looking for a home, Oregon has a chance to compete for it.
Let’s keep competing.
Sen. Bruce Starr is the Oregon Senate Republican Leader representing Senate District 12, which includes rural Yamhill and Polk counties.
