Nashville Business Journal: Inside CAA's Nashville Yards office: 'This building will be a weapon for the city'

Leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) moved into its new Nashville Yards office space this week, with its name in white lettering overlooking downtown from atop the building it anchors.

As much as the two-story, 75,000-square-foot space is a place for CAA to host current and prospective clients, it will also be an introduction to Nashville, a first stop in the city, for many decision-makers across both the sports and entertainment industries.

“An office like this shows what can happen when you are headquartered in Nashville, showing that anything in the world is possible from Nashville. The key to the growth in Nashville to me, is just the people who haven’t been here touching it. … The people that come see us will be able to dream a little bigger, showing solid proof that this is what happens when you’re here,” Howie Nuchow, CAA Sports co-Head and CAA managing director, told the Business Journal. “I believe this building will be a weapon for the city.”

Founded in 1975 and headquartered in Los Angeles, CAA launched its Nashville office in 1991. It's been in downtown’s Truist Plaza, just off Lower Broadway since 2011. Knowing its lease was coming to end, CAA wanted the opportunity to design its own office space and went looking for a blank canvas.

“There was enough success going on between music, sports and the rest of the company name that we said, 'what if we could design a space that could be aspirational? Aspirational to clients, our employees and the city at large,'” Nuchow said. “That was the initial thought process of, what if we could do it, and then we wanted to do it in a vibrant place.”

After getting connected with Southwest Value Partners Managing Partner Cary Mack, the developer of Nashville Yards, and learning of the opportunity to be an anchor tenant across from event venue The Pinnacle, CAA signed a lease in 2023.

Nuchow, along with CAA Head of Nashville Music Jeff Krones and Katie Anderson, strategy & operations, touring leadership, spearheaded design in partnership with New York-based CannonDesign. Nuchow fell in love with design when he ran Mandalay Sports Entertainment’s minor league baseball business and got to help design stadiums.

“I have a passion for how physical assets, physical buildings really can speak to so many different people who use it,” Nuchow said. “If you can create the right atmosphere for your employees, the right feeling for your guests and clients, the right aspirational thinking, it’s all so important. Buildings to me are not just office spaces, they are testaments to all of those things.”

One hundred and sixty CAA employees across global touring, music brand partnerships, tour marketing, creators, baseball, football, coaches, brand consulting, property sales and CAA Icon began working from the new office on July 6.

The walls of CAA’s new Nashville office take visitors on a journey, with photographs depicting highs in clients' careers and an interactive timeline of CAA’s journey and accomplishments.

On the first floor of the office is the social hub, a large open space with varied seating that gives way to an equally large outdoor terrace and bar. Off the social hub is a speakeasy complete with a bar, piano, lounge seating and vintage speaker art installation.

Board room the "Founders Room" pays homage to Ron Baird, John Huie and Rod Essig, the three founders of the Nashville office. Upstairs, a sports lounge with a golf simulator and games lead to the second speakeasy, "Condon’s," named for renowned NFL agent Tom Condon who co-founded CAA Football.

“Whether it’s a speakeasy or conference rooms, we wanted people to have different options of feeling comfortable,” Nuchow said. 

And while there’s a focus on hosting clients, the office places the same emphasis on its employees, from desk layout and style to the women’s restroom, designed with ample space for getting ready before heading to shows and events — Nuchow leaned on tips from his two daughters who recently joined the workforce.

“We needed an entire building that would foster collaboration in every area of our business. CAA is built on collaboration, so you see it in every area of the office where we built neighborhoods. A countless number of things are being worked on at the same time during these tours that need immediate collaboration, so everything is within steps away from a conference room, or to your colleague,” Nuchow said.

At CAA, there's a phrase they regularly say to one another, “So what, now what."

“We have an incredible office now. How are we going to use it for the benefit of clients?” Nuchow said. “How are you going to multiply this great thing?”

 

Read the full story at the Nashville Business Journal: 
https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2026/07/07/inside-caas-two-story-nashville-yards-office.html