# David Ferris Ellison
> Chairman and CEO at paramount skydance corporation
- Profile type: Person
- Profile status: baseline
- Last updated: 2026-04-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Canonical URL: https://thestateofstreaming.com/people/david-ellison-2/
- Also known as: David F. Ellison
## Summary
Chairman and CEO of Paramount Skydance Corporation since the August 7, 2025 close of the Skydance-Paramount merger. Founded Skydance in 2006 (formally launched 2010 with $350M financing), built it into a film-and-TV producer behind Top Gun: Maverick and the Mission: Impossible series, then engineered the $8B Paramount take-private and the pending $110B Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition agreed Feb. 27, 2026.

## Profile facts

- Current title: Chairman and CEO
- Current company: paramount skydance corporation (https://thestateofstreaming.com/companies/paramount-skydance-corporation/)


## Career trajectory

- 2006-04-04 — Founder at skydance-media. Founded Skydance Productions; first film Flyboys (2006).
- 2010-08-01 — Founder and CEO at skydance-media. Formally launched Skydance with $350M in equity and credit and a Paramount Pictures co-financing deal.
- 2013-01-01 — Founder and CEO at skydance-media. Launched Skydance Television, expanding beyond film production.
- 2024-07-08 — Founder and CEO at skydance-media. Skydance and Paramount Global signed definitive merger agreement valuing the combined company at roughly $28B.
- 2025-08-07 — Chairman and CEO at paramount-skydance-corporation. Skydance-Paramount merger closed; Ellison assumed top role at the combined Paramount Skydance Corporation.
- 2026-02-27 — Chairman and CEO at paramount-skydance-corporation. Announced definitive agreement for Paramount Skydance to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery for $31/share in cash.

_This page uses only public-professional information — executive roles, company actions, and disclosures filed with the SEC or made in official company communications._

## Key facts

- Became chairman and CEO of Paramount Skydance Corporation on August 7, 2025, when the ~$8 billion Skydance-Paramount merger closed. — Paramount press release: https://www.paramount.com/press/skydance-media-and-paramount-global-complete-merger-creating-next-generation-media-company
- Founded Skydance in 2006 and formally launched it in 2010 with $350M in equity and credit alongside a Paramount Pictures co-financing deal. — Skydance Media corporate history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skydance_Media
- Engineered the definitive Feb. 27, 2026 agreement for Paramount Skydance to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery for $31 per share in cash, valuing WBD at roughly $110 billion enterprise value. — Paramount Skydance press release: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/paramount-to-acquire-warner-bros-discovery-to-form-next-generation-global-media-and-entertainment-company-302699998.html
- WBD shareholders overwhelmingly approved the Paramount Skydance takeover on April 23, 2026, clearing a key gating condition; transaction is targeted to close in Q3 2026. — Variety: https://variety.com/2026/film/news/warner-bros-discovery-paramount-shareholder-approval-zaslav-pay-package-1236727798/
- 2025 total compensation as Paramount Skydance CEO disclosed at $63.2 million, weighted to a $58.7M stock award vesting over five years, with cash salary and bonus pro-rated from the August 7 merger close. — Variety (citing Paramount Skydance NEO disclosure): https://variety.com/2026/film/news/paramount-skydance-david-ellison-jeff-shell-pay-2025-compensation-1236730070/
- WBD acquisition equity stake ($47B) is fully backed by the Ellison family and RedBird Capital Partners; debt commitments totaling $54B come from Bank of America, Citigroup, and Apollo. — Paramount Skydance press release: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/paramount-to-acquire-warner-bros-discovery-to-form-next-generation-global-media-and-entertainment-company-302699998.html


## Related

- paramount skydance corporation (Chairman and CEO) — https://thestateofstreaming.com/companies/paramount-skydance-corporation/
- skydance media (Founder; CEO 2006-2025) — https://thestateofstreaming.com/companies/skydance-media/
- warner bros discovery (Acquirer (pending Q3 2026 close)) — https://thestateofstreaming.com/companies/warner-bros-discovery/
- david zaslav (Counterpart CEO at Warner Bros. Discovery on the merger) — https://thestateofstreaming.com/people/david-zaslav/
- bob bakish (Predecessor as Paramount Global CEO) — https://thestateofstreaming.com/people/bob-bakish/
- jay askinasi (Reports to Ellison as Paramount Skydance Chief Revenue Officer) — https://thestateofstreaming.com/people/jay-askinasi/
- redbird capital partners (Co-equity backer on Paramount and WBD transactions) — https://thestateofstreaming.com/companies/redbird-capital-partners/


## External coverage

- 2025-08-07 — Paramount: A Message From Our Chairman and CEO (https://www.paramount.com/news/david-ellison-ceo-letter-merger-2025)
- 2025-08-07 — Paramount: Skydance Media and Paramount Global Complete Merger, Creating Next Generation Media Company (https://www.paramount.com/press/skydance-media-and-paramount-global-complete-merger-creating-next-generation-media-company)
- 2026-02-27 — Paramount Skydance / PR Newswire: Paramount To Acquire Warner Bros. Discovery To Form Next-Generation Global Media and Entertainment Company (https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/paramount-to-acquire-warner-bros-discovery-to-form-next-generation-global-media-and-entertainment-company-302699998.html)
- 2026-04-24 — Variety: Paramount CEO David Ellison's Pay in 2025 Was $63.2 Million (https://variety.com/2026/film/news/paramount-skydance-david-ellison-jeff-shell-pay-2025-compensation-1236730070/)
- 2026-03-01 — Variety: Paramount's David Ellison Addresses Warner Bros. Execs at Town Hall (https://variety.com/2026/film/news/paramount-david-ellison-warner-bros-town-hall-turbulent-deal-process-1236684048/)
- 2025-08-07 — Deadline: Paramount Skydance Merger Finally Closes (https://deadline.com/2025/08/paramount-skydance-merger-closes-david-ellison-1236481065/)
- Wikipedia: David Ellison (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ellison)

## Profile
Ellison is the operator at the center of the largest wave of U.S. studio consolidation in a generation. Inside eight months of taking over Paramount, he moved from integrating the Skydance-Paramount combination to negotiating a $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery — a deal that, if it closes on its targeted Q3 2026 schedule, would fold Warner Bros., HBO, CNN, Discovery, Paramount Pictures, CBS, and Showtime under a single corporate roof.

For ad buyers and the streaming-distribution market, the throughline is scale. Paramount Skydance's upfront posture, Pluto TV's FAST footprint, and Paramount+'s SVOD/AVOD mix all sit downstream of Ellison's capital-allocation choices and his stated intent to compete head-to-head with Netflix and Disney at the global-content-spend tier. Coverage on this site tracks his moves where they touch streaming distribution, advertising, or measurement — not the broader film-slate or talent-deal beat.

## Tags

- paramount-skydance
- m-and-a
- ceos
- studio-consolidation

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