# David Ellison
**David Ellison** (born 1983) is an American film producer and media executive who is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Skydance Corporation, the combined Paramount and [Warner Bros. Discovery](https://www.edgepedia.org/warner-bros-discovery) company created in October 2026[1](https://www.skydance.com/about/leadership). He founded Skydance as a film production company in 2006 with financial backing from his father, Oracle co-founder [Larry Ellison](https://www.edgepedia.org/larry-ellison), and went on to produce films grossing nearly $10 billion globally before acquiring Paramount for $8 billion in 2025 and Warner Bros. Discovery for $81 billion in 2026[1](https://www.skydance.com/about/leadership) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/5f4326c083ca2fc084ff399c1b8aa035).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current role | Chairman and CEO of Skydance Corporation (NYSE: SKYD), formed October 2026 through Paramount's merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, with Ynon Kreiz as Co-CEO[1](https://www.skydance.com/about/leadership) • [3](https://ir.skydance.com/news-releases/news-release-details/chairman-and-ceo-david-ellison-announces-ynon-kreiz-co-ceo) |
| Founded Skydance | 2006, at age 23, with backing from his father Larry Ellison; reorganized as Skydance Media in 2010[4](https://apnews.com/article/6e2d783a23c1012c19340b565b8f4b61) • [5](https://skydance.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Grasso_Release_FINAL.pdf) |
| Paramount acquisition | Skydance investors bought National Amusements, Paramount's controlling stockholder, closing August 7, 2025, in a deal Ellison's biographies value at $8 billion[6](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2041610/000204161026000011/psky-20251231.htm) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/5f4326c083ca2fc084ff399c1b8aa035) |
| Warner Bros. acquisition | Paramount closed an $81 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery on October 6, 2026, excluding debt; the combined company took on roughly $80 billion in net debt[2](https://apnews.com/article/5f4326c083ca2fc084ff399c1b8aa035) • [7](https://apnews.com/article/6176e95ed00d9c2e3afe7bbe7e9935bb) • [8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/10/06/paramount-closes-110b-deal-with-warner-bros-discovery-after-months-wrangling/) |
| Producing record | Films grossed nearly $10 billion globally, including 2022's *Top Gun: Maverick*; Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Emmy Award nominations as a producer[1](https://www.skydance.com/about/leadership) |
| Cost plan | $6 billion in cuts within three years to service about $80 billion of acquisition debt[8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/10/06/paramount-closes-110b-deal-with-warner-bros-discovery-after-months-wrangling/) |
## Early life and acting career
Ellison grew up in [Woodside, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/woodside-california), south of San Francisco[9](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2011-feb-22-la-fi-0222-ct-ellison-20110222-story.html). He became fixated on flying after watching *Top Gun* as a child; his father, Oracle founder and one of the world's richest men, bought him a plane at age 13, and he flew aerobatic airshows[10](https://fortune.com/2025/12/09/david-ellison-pilot-plane-airshows-acrobatics-skydance-paramount-career/). The name Skydance reflects his passion for stunt flying, also known as skydancing[10](https://fortune.com/2025/12/09/david-ellison-pilot-plane-airshows-acrobatics-skydance-paramount-career/).
His first Hollywood ambition was acting. He transferred to the [University of Southern California](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-southern-california) and gravitated toward the film school, then starred as a World War I fighter pilot in *Flyboys* (2006), the debut film of his own nascent production company, Skydance Productions, which he co-financed with MGM[9](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2011-feb-22-la-fi-0222-ct-ellison-20110222-story.html) • [4](https://apnews.com/article/6e2d783a23c1012c19340b565b8f4b61). The film was a commercial failure: it cost about $65 million and earned roughly $18 million, and reviewers mocked it; The Washington Post called it an "inflated wannabe epic"[10](https://fortune.com/2025/12/09/david-ellison-pilot-plane-airshows-acrobatics-skydance-paramount-career/) • [4](https://apnews.com/article/6e2d783a23c1012c19340b565b8f4b61). The Associated Press later described the debut as "a box office bomb" from a studio "once brushed off as a billionaire scion's vanity project"[4](https://apnews.com/article/6e2d783a23c1012c19340b565b8f4b61).
## Skydance as a production company
**Financing and franchise hits.** Ellison shifted from acting to producing and financing. In 2010, at 27, he raised $350 million to co-finance films with [Paramount Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount-pictures) under a first-look deal giving Skydance the option to co-finance most of Paramount's greenlights[11](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-aug-17-la-fi-ct-ellison-20100817-story.html). Over the next decade he partnered with Paramount, Netflix, and Apple and produced a string of hits, including *Top Gun: Maverick* (2022) and installments of the *Mission: Impossible* and *Star Trek* series; his films grossed nearly $10 billion globally, and he was later nominated for Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and Emmys as a producer[4](https://apnews.com/article/6e2d783a23c1012c19340b565b8f4b61) • [1](https://www.skydance.com/about/leadership). He also expanded Skydance into television, animation (acquiring the animation unit of Madrid-based Ilion Studios in 2020), sports, and games[1](https://www.skydance.com/about/leadership) • [12](https://skydance.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Skydance_Ilion_FINAL5April.pdf).
## Acquisition of Paramount
In 2024 Ellison negotiated with Paramount's controlling shareholder, [Shari Redstone](https://www.edgepedia.org/shari-redstone)'s National Amusements. Under a purchase and sale agreement dated July 7, 2024, affiliates of the Ellison Family and [RedBird Capital Partners](https://www.edgepedia.org/redbird-capital-partners) bought all outstanding equity of [National Amusements](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-amusements), and the Skydance transaction closed on August 7, 2025; the Ellison Family became the controlling stockholder of the new Paramount Skydance Corporation[6](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2041610/000204161026000011/psky-20251231.htm). Ellison became Chairman and CEO of Paramount, a Skydance Corporation[1](https://www.skydance.com/about/leadership).
His first move as Paramount's owner was an $8 billion deal to stream UFC mixed martial arts, a signal of the strategy Reuters described as building an empire in the mold of [Rupert Murdoch](https://www.edgepedia.org/rupert-murdoch) or John Malone through acquisitions of scale[13](https://www.breakingviews.com/columns/big-view/fledgling-media-mogul-arrives-unfashionably-late-2025-09-03/). The start was politically contentious: Paramount settled a $16 million voter-interference lawsuit filed by President Trump, the FCC approved the Skydance deal shortly afterward, and critics accused the company of capitulating to Trump after he suggested he had brokered a side deal involving public service announcements; Paramount denied the settlement included PSAs[14](https://www.axios.com/2026/01/24/ellison-media-paramount-cbs).
## Warner Bros. Discovery and the combined company
Within months of taking Paramount, Ellison pursued Warner Bros. Discovery, valuing the offer at about $110 to $111 billion including debt. Warner's leadership repeatedly backed Netflix as its preferred suitor; Netflix withdrew in February 2026 after Ellison submitted up to nine offers and persuaded shareholders to suspend the Netflix deal and open a competitive bidding period[15](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2026/09/22/paramount-skydance-bluff-or-not-relocation-blackmail-always-works_6757811_19.html) • [16](https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2026-09-23/david-ellisons-final-stunt-to-become-the-new-king-of-hollywood.html?outputType=amp).
**Regulatory path.** The U.S. Justice Department closed its antitrust probe in June 2026, concluding the merger was not likely to harm competition and would "increase competition across the media and entertainment ecosystem"; Paramount said it had received approvals from roughly 65 regulators representing 65 countries[17](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/06/12/paramount-warner-regulation-antitrust/8ab96686-66b1-11f1-bdd4-805ebb99a693_story.html) • [18](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/f30a3e84-0c37-469a-ac8b-02d308401c00). State attorneys general, led by California's Rob Bonta, sued to block the deal; District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín later approved Paramount's settlement with 12 state attorneys general, allowing the acquisition to close[16](https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2026-09-23/david-ellisons-final-stunt-to-become-the-new-king-of-hollywood.html?outputType=amp) • [19](https://www.axios.com/2026/09/30/david-ellison-paramount-wbd-ynon-kreiz).
The merger closed on October 6, 2026, at $81 billion excluding debt. The combined company kept the Skydance name, while retaining the Paramount and Warner Bros. studio names and symbols; [HBO Max](https://www.edgepedia.org/hbo-max), CNN, CBS, Paramount+, and libraries from *Harry Potter* to *The Godfather* now sit under one owner[2](https://apnews.com/article/5f4326c083ca2fc084ff399c1b8aa035) • [8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/10/06/paramount-closes-110b-deal-with-warner-bros-discovery-after-months-wrangling/). Ellison chairs the board and continues as Chairman and CEO, with former Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz as Co-CEO; new directors include [Laurene Powell Jobs](https://www.edgepedia.org/laurene-powell-jobs) and [Bobby Kotick](https://www.edgepedia.org/bobby-kotick), with former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair as board advisor[3](https://ir.skydance.com/news-releases/news-release-details/chairman-and-ceo-david-ellison-announces-ynon-kreiz-co-ceo) • [20](https://www.skydance.com/news/press/skydance-announces-board-adding-ynon-kreiz-laurene-powell-jobs-and-bobby-kotick-as-directors-and-tony-blair-as-advisor).
## Strategy and finances
The financial scale is the defining constraint of the new company. To finance the acquisition Skydance took on roughly $80 billion in total debt, Morningstar estimated net debt at about $80 billion, and the company plans $6 billion in cuts within three years; executives told lenders about $1.8 billion of savings would arrive in the first year[8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/10/06/paramount-closes-110b-deal-with-warner-bros-discovery-after-months-wrangling/) • [7](https://apnews.com/article/6176e95ed00d9c2e3afe7bbe7e9935bb). Ellison has pitched the combination as a counterweight to Netflix, Disney, and Amazon, saying the goal was to unite the two studios "into a stronger competitor, one with the scale to take on the biggest players in our industry," and has repeatedly said "Technology will transform every single aspect of this company"[21](https://www.skydance.com/news/from-our-chairman-and-ceo-david-ellison-and-co-ceo-ynon-kreiz). His stated strategy includes positioning HBO, rather than Paramount+, at the center of streaming, promising 30 theatrical releases a year with a 45-day window, and unifying the technology platforms of [Paramount+](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount) and [Pluto TV](https://www.edgepedia.org/pluto-tv)[22](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2026-09-27/paramount-warner-bros-discovery-david-ellison-antitrust-lawsuit-state-attorneys-general-bonta) • [14](https://www.axios.com/2026/01/24/ellison-media-paramount-cbs).
He has courted political controversy. As Paramount's owner he installed [Bari Weiss](https://www.edgepedia.org/bari-weiss) as CBS News editor-in-chief, where her decision to pull a *60 Minutes* segment on Trump administration deportations drew backlash[14](https://www.axios.com/2026/01/24/ellison-media-paramount-cbs). After the merger he asked CNN chief Mark Thompson to stay, and the company confirmed Thompson remains editor-in-chief of CNN, separate from CBS[23](https://theweek.com/media/what-is-the-future-of-cnn-under-skydance) • [24](https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/skydance-says-cnns-thompson-cbs-news-weiss-will-stay-on-4932280). During the merger fight he publicly defended his politics after accusations of a MAGA turn at CBS News, and filmmaker Judd Apatow criticized him as hostile to political satire[25](https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/david-ellison-paramount-deal-cbs-cnn-b3027170.html) • [26](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/judd-apatow-trump-satire-is-dead-under-maga-studio-boss-david-ellison).
**California dispute.** While the state lawsuit was pending, Ellison told his senior leadership team he would begin moving Paramount Skydance out of California on October 1 if no settlement was reached, citing Tennessee, Texas, Georgia, or other states as candidates; reporting put potential annual tax savings at $500 million[27](https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-media-trends-bf093250-94d2-11f1-9aec-6513e37496d7) • [28](https://monorepo-sample2.nyt.net/2026/08/11/business/media/david-ellison-hollywood-paramount-warner-bros.html). Le Monde characterized the move as relocation leverage in the settlement talks[15](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2026/09/22/paramount-skydance-bluff-or-not-relocation-blackmail-always-works_6757811_19.html).
## References
1. [Leadership, Skydance](https://www.skydance.com/about/leadership)
2. [Paramount completes its takeover of Warner Bros to become one Hollywood giant known as Skydance](https://apnews.com/article/5f4326c083ca2fc084ff399c1b8aa035)
3. [Chairman and CEO David Ellison Announces Ynon Kreiz Co-CEO of the Anticipated Combined Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, Skydance IR](https://ir.skydance.com/news-releases/news-release-details/chairman-and-ceo-david-ellison-announces-ynon-kreiz-co-ceo)
4. [From box office bomb to media powerhouse: Skydance's 20-year rise to overtake Paramount, Warner Bros, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/6e2d783a23c1012c19340b565b8f4b61)
5. [About Skydance Media, Skydance press release (2016)](https://skydance.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Grasso_Release_FINAL.pdf)
6. [Paramount Skydance Corporation Form 10-K for fiscal year 2025, SEC EDGAR](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2041610/000204161026000011/psky-20251231.htm)
7. [Skydance now runs two of Hollywood's legacy film studios. A look at the new company, by the numbers, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/6176e95ed00d9c2e3afe7bbe7e9935bb)
8. [Paramount closes $110B deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/10/06/paramount-closes-110b-deal-with-warner-bros-discovery-after-months-wrangling/)
9. [Ellison: more than a trust fund kid?, Los Angeles Times (2011)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2011-feb-22-la-fi-0222-ct-ellison-20110222-story.html)
10. [David Ellison's billionaire dad got him a plane at 13. He flew in airshows then went to Hollywood, Fortune (2025)](https://fortune.com/2025/12/09/david-ellison-pilot-plane-airshows-acrobatics-skydance-paramount-career/)
11. [David Ellison raises $350 million to co-finance movies with Paramount, Los Angeles Times (2010)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-aug-17-la-fi-ct-ellison-20100817-story.html)
12. [Microsoft Word - Skydance_Ilion Animation_FINAL5April.docx](https://skydance.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Skydance_Ilion_FINAL5April.pdf)
13. [Fledgling media mogul arrives unfashionably late, Reuters Breakingviews (2025)](https://www.breakingviews.com/columns/big-view/fledgling-media-mogul-arrives-unfashionably-late-2025-09-03/)
14. [The challenges facing the Ellisons' media empire, Axios (2026)](https://www.axios.com/2026/01/24/ellison-media-paramount-cbs)
15. [Paramount Skydance: 'Bluff or not, relocation blackmail always works', Le Monde (2026)](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2026/09/22/paramount-skydance-bluff-or-not-relocation-blackmail-always-works_6757811_19.html)
16. [David Ellison's final maneuver to become the new king of Hollywood, El País English (2026)](https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2026-09-23/david-ellisons-final-stunt-to-become-the-new-king-of-hollywood.html?outputType=amp)
17. [Paramount Skydance merger with Warner Bros. Discovery won't harm competition, consumers, DOJ says, The Washington Post (2026)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/06/12/paramount-warner-regulation-antitrust/8ab96686-66b1-11f1-bdd4-805ebb99a693_story.html)
18. [Paramount Skydance investor materials, earnings call transcript](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/f30a3e84-0c37-469a-ac8b-02d308401c00)
19. [David Ellison names Ynon Kreiz as Paramount-WBD co-CEO, Axios (2026)](https://www.axios.com/2026/09/30/david-ellison-paramount-wbd-ynon-kreiz)
20. [Skydance Announces Board, Adding Ynon Kreiz, Laurene Powell Jobs and Bobby Kotick as Directors and Tony Blair as Advisor, Skydance](https://www.skydance.com/news/press/skydance-announces-board-adding-ynon-kreiz-laurene-powell-jobs-and-bobby-kotick-as-directors-and-tony-blair-as-advisor)
21. [From our Chairman and CEO David Ellison and Co-CEO Ynon Kreiz, Skydance (2026)](https://www.skydance.com/news/from-our-chairman-and-ceo-david-ellison-and-co-ceo-ynon-kreiz)
22. [Paramount's David Ellison faces daunting challenges in Hollywood, Los Angeles Times (2026)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2026-09-27/paramount-warner-bros-discovery-david-ellison-antitrust-lawsuit-state-attorneys-general-bonta)
23. [What is the future of CNN under Skydance?, The Week (2026)](https://theweek.com/media/what-is-the-future-of-cnn-under-skydance)
24. [Ellison retains Thompson as CNN chief, unveils Skydance leadership team, Reuters via Investing.com (2026)](https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/skydance-says-cnns-thompson-cbs-news-weiss-will-stay-on-4932280)
25. [Paramount CEO David Ellison defends his politics after accusations of MAGA turn at CBS News, The Independent (2026)](https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/david-ellison-paramount-deal-cbs-cnn-b3027170.html)
26. [Judd Apatow: Trump Satire Is 'Dead' Under MAGA Studio Boss, The Daily Beast (2026)](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/judd-apatow-trump-satire-is-dead-under-maga-studio-boss-david-ellison)
27. [Axios Media Trends: Risky TV bet, Axios (2026)](https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-media-trends-bf093250-94d2-11f1-9aec-6513e37496d7)
28. [David Ellison Floats Hollywood Exit as States Threaten His Warner Bros. Deal, The New York Times (2026)](https://monorepo-sample2.nyt.net/2026/08/11/business/media/david-ellison-hollywood-paramount-warner-bros.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen production organizations › Production companies and industry people › Production founders and executives › American production company founders*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license