The Man Behind “Yellowstone”: $50,000 a Ranch, $25 a Cow – The Tricks of Genius by Taylor Sheridan

• Paramount is enjoying the huge success of Taylor Sheridan’s “Yellowstone” universe.
• Sheridan himself now profitably exploits the freedom of the fool that this success brings with it.
• As a writer and showrunner, Sheridan can control when, how and where to shoot, giving himself a financial advantage.

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Taylor Sheridan’s talent as a showrunner may make shows like “Yellowstone” or “Tulsa King” a success, but it’s Sheridan’s clever production strategies that make him one of the wealthiest showrunners in the United States.

Sheridan not only came up with “Yellowstone”, various spin-offs and other series, he also controls the production as showrunner, writes numerous scripts and directs himself. That alone is an extremely lucrative occupation, but Sheridan earns even more through an ingenious trick.

Due to his important role in the production of all his series, Sheridan always ensures that his own ranches and animals such as horses and cows are used for the shooting. So Paramount pays Sheridan $25 per animal every day – so it’s not surprising that the number of horses went from 30 in season 4 to 46 in season 5.

Even more can be earned by renting out the ranches. The location scouts for the upcoming series “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” were looking for a suitable ranch in Arkansas, where the real Reeves once worked as a marshal. However, Sheridan insisted that it be filmed at Bosque Ranch in Fort Worth, which he owns.

Paramount is now paying $50,000 per week for this. Contributors to the show told The Wall Street Journal that this price is well above the usual cost for a ranch of this type. But Sheridan sets the price and Paramount is in no position to argue with their cash cow, Sheridan.

However, Paramount Treasury does occasionally investigate, including when 24 horse saddles were purchased during Season 5 of “Yellowstone” for nearly $23,520. Ultimately, however, Sheridan always has the upper hand: If Paramount pays for its horses, then Paramount also pays for their equipment and care.

Away from filming, Sheridan also asks Paramount to pay. Sheridan offers a “Cowboy Camp” at one of his ranches in Texas. There, actors learn how to handle horses correctly and more about life on a ranch. Paramount paid $214,979 for a week.

The Four Sixes Ranch in Texas is Sheridan’s control center. The massive property cost Sheridan $341 million, but he didn’t pay that sum alone. Instead, he turned the Yellowstone co-producers into investors and now plans to brand the Four Sixes Ranch.

Four Sixes beer, Four Sixes apparel, a Four Sixes pickup truck, and a Four Sixes beef delivery service are all in the works. In addition, of course, there is another “Yellowstone” spin-off series entitled “6666”, which of course is to be shot at the Four Sixes Ranch.

So the cancellation of “Yellowstone” after season 5 doesn’t hit Sheridan particularly badly, after all, Kevin Costner’s desire for more free time has caused a lot of tension on the set. For the upcoming spin-off starring Matthew McConaughey, however, Sheridan may find new ways to bill Paramount for his own holdings.