# David Ellison

> David Ellison is an American producer and media executive who leads Skydance as chairman and CEO following the October 2026 combination of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery. He built Skydance Media through film financing, production and expansion into television, animation, games and sports, and received a best-picture Oscar nomination as a producer of Top Gun: Maverick. He is the son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.

- **Role:** Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Skydance
- **Organizations:** Skydance, Paramount, Skydance Media
- **From:** Santa Clara, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Pepperdine University, University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts
- **Known for:** Academy Award nomination for Best Picture for Top Gun: Maverick at the 2023 ceremony., Built Skydance from a film production and financing venture into a business spanning multiple entertainment formats., Led the Paramount combination in 2025 and Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition in 2026.

## Career timeline

- **1996** — Began flying at age 13; took his first lesson with his father.
- **2006** — Acted in and helped finance Flyboys; the original Skydance production venture dates to this period.
- **2010** — Established Skydance Media and a Paramount co-financing partnership, backed by $350 million in equity and credit.
- **2013** — Skydance Television launched.
- **2016** — Skydance Interactive launched.
- **2017** — Skydance announced its animation division and partnership with Ilion.
- **2021** — Skydance launched its sports division.
- **2022** — Top Gun: Maverick released with Ellison as a producer.
- **2023** — Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture for Top Gun: Maverick.
- **2025-08** — Became chairman and CEO of Paramount after its merger with Skydance closed on August 7.
- **2026-10** — Following the Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition, became chairman and CEO of the combined Skydance company, with Ynon Kreiz as co-CEO.

## Achievements

- Academy Award nomination for Best Picture for Top Gun: Maverick at the 2023 ceremony.
- Built Skydance from a film production and financing venture into a business spanning multiple entertainment formats.
- Led the Paramount combination in 2025 and Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition in 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — On October 6, the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery combination closed and the combined company adopted the Skydance name; Ellison is chairman and CEO and Ynon Kreiz is co-CEO.
- **2026-10** — A joint October 6 company letter committed to at least 30 films annually, preservation of the Paramount and Warner Bros. studio names, and at least $6 billion in targeted synergies.
- **2026-09** — Announced Ynon Kreiz, previously Mattel chairman and CEO, as co-CEO of the anticipated combined company.

## Links

- Website: https://www.skydance.com/about/leadership
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidellisonskydance/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/david-ellison
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-15