Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Skydance signed a merger agreement on May 27, signaling the birth of a massive media conglomerate. Industry attention is now focused on David Ellison, CEO of Paramount Skydance, who will lead this media empire.
Film Major Turned Hollywood Executive
According to Fortune, Ellison studied film at the University of Southern California and entered Hollywood as an actor. He played a pilot in the 2006 film "Flyboys" but failed to gain public recognition.
He subsequently founded Skydance Media and pivoted to producing. After his first success with "True Grit" in 2011, he partnered with Paramount to produce box-office hits including the "Mission: Impossible" series and "Top Gun: Maverick."
Ellison rose to prominence when he entered the bidding war for Paramount Global in 2024. Paramount Global owns Paramount Pictures—the studio behind "The Godfather" and "Titanic"—as well as CBS and MTV.
Skydance defeated competitors including Sony Group and completed the $8 billion acquisition last August. Less than a year later, with Warner Bros. Discovery now in his grasp, CNN described him as "on the verge of becoming the king of Hollywood" from a small production company executive.
Oracle Founder Father Provided Full Financial Backing
Behind this meteoric rise was the full support of his father, Oracle founder Larry Ellison. Larry provided initial investment capital when Skydance was founded in 2006 and continued funding through the early 2010s when the company faced financial difficulties, enabling investments in major franchises.
In the current acquisition battle, when Netflix emerged as a competitor, David reportedly secured a $40 billion funding guarantee from his father to persuade Warner Bros.
His father's political connections also proved valuable. Larry Ellison is a longtime friend of U.S. President Donald Trump and maintains extensive ties within the Republican Party. The New York Times predicted that once this acquisition closes, the Ellison family will wield enormous influence across film, television, news, and technology.
Oracle currently generates stable revenue from its artificial intelligence achievements and holds a 15% stake in TikTok's parent company.
David Ellison will now simultaneously own CBS and CNN news operations while controlling Warner Bros.' vast film library and Paramount Pictures. Synergies are also expected between streaming services Paramount+ and HBO Max.
The Times compared the Ellisons to the Murdoch family, the former media moguls. If this deal closes, the Ellisons' combined assets will surpass the scale of properties the Murdochs owned at their peak, including The Wall Street Journal and Fox News.