David Ellison | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1983-01-09)January 9, 1983 (age 43) |
| Education | University of Southern California (attended) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Title | Chairman & CEO,Paramount Skydance Corporation (2025–present) Founder ofSkydance Media |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents |
|
| Family | Megan Ellison (sister) |
David Ellison (born January 9, 1983) is an Americanmedia executive, film producer, and former actor, currently serving as chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) ofParamount Skydance since August 2025. He is the son ofOracle Corporation co-founderLarry Ellison, acentibillionaire.
He foundedSkydance Media in 2006, and served as its CEO until 2025, and has produced the films, includingTerminator Genisys (2015),Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015),Life (2017), andTop Gun: Maverick (2022), with the latter nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Picture.
An ally of PresidentDonald Trump, Ellison made conservative-friendly changes toCBS News after thesecond Trump administration approved themerger of Skydance andParamount Global in 2025.[1] Later that year, Ellison launched a (now rejected) hostile takeover bid forWarner Bros. Discovery, while giving assurances to President Trump that he would make sweeping changes toCNN if the merger went ahead.[2]
Ellison was born on January 9, 1983, inSanta Clara County, California. He is the son of billionaireOracle Corporation co-founder and chairmanLarry Ellison and his third wife, Barbara Boothe Ellison. His father is ofItalian andJewish heritage.[3] Ellison grew up inWoodside, California, with his mother, who nurtured his love for film.[4] He attendedPepperdine University and theUniversity of Southern California, but dropped out of its film school in 2005 to fund a movie with his family's money,Flyboys, a box-office bomb.[5][6] Ellison was influenced by businessmanSteve Jobs, a friend of his father, and pitched Jobs his idea forSkydance Media before revising it under Jobs' advice.[4] He has one sister, film producerMegan Ellison, who foundedAnnapurna Pictures.[3]
Larry Ellison was not a day-to-day presence in David Ellison's early life.[7]
Ellison's career started in acting. His father Larry heavily financed his first major film as an actor, “Flyboys”.[7] It was widely considered a failure.[7] Ellison also acted inLittle Fish, Strange Pond, andHole in One before giving up his acting ambitions and going into the business side of the entertainment industry.[7]
Larry provided substantial investment into David's media companySkydance Media.[7] The company's films includeMission: Impossible – Fallout,Annihilation,World War Z,True Grit,Jack Reacher,Star Trek Into Darkness, andStar Trek Beyond. Ellison was named toVariety's Dealmaker list for 2010[8] and theForbes 30 Under 30 list in 2011.[9] Ellison was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Picture forTop Gun: Maverick. Ellison's companySkydance Media expanded in 2013 with the launch of its television division. He has executive-produced shows such asAltered Carbon andGrace and Frankie. In 2014, Ellison launched a new line of men's clothing called the "LANAI Collection."[10] In 2017, Ellison helped launchSkydance Animation in partnership with Spain'sIlion Animation Studios. In 2019, Ellison hired the formerPixar CCOJohn Lasseter to run Skydance Animation.[11]
In January 2024, it was reported that Ellison was interested inmerging Skydance Media withParamount Global and buying the latter's parent companyNational Amusements fromShari Redstone.[12] The merger received approval from the FCC under the second Donald Trump administration in July of 2025. The merger was completed by August 7, 2025, andParamount Skydance Corporation was formed. Ellison serves as Chairman and CEO of the merged company.[13] Following the merger, Ellison made conservative-friendly changes at CBS News, hand-pickingBari Weiss as its editor-in-chief.[1][7] Shortly in her tenure, Weiss controversially held a60 Minutes story on the Trump administration's deportations to Venezuela from being aired on CBS.[7]
Ellison sought to hinder a merger ofNetflix andWarner Bros. Discovery.The Wall Street Journal reported in December 2025 that Ellison had given assurances to PresidentDonald Trump that if Paramount were allowed to buy Warner, he would make sweeping changes toCNN, the news channel that Trump has frequently criticized.[2] Ellison worked with three sovereign wealth funds owned by Middle-Eastern governnents, as well as Trump's son-in-lawJared Kushner, to finance a competing bid for Warner.[2] Defying historical precedent of non-involvement in mergers, Donald Trump personally involved himself in the merger evaluation.[14]
Ellison has been described as an ally of Donald Trump.[1] Trump has boasted about his friendship with David Ellison and his father Larry Ellison.[14]
He married Sandra Lynn Modic, an actress and singer, on October 1, 2011, inPalm Springs, California.[15] They have two children.[16]
Ellison is a licensed pilot with instrument ratings for helicopter aviation,aerobatics,commercial aviation, fixed-wing aircraft, and multi-engine aircraft. In 2003, aged 20, he was selected to perform as part ofSean D. Tucker's "Stars of Tomorrow" aerobatic team atEAA AirVenture Oshkosh.[17]
Ellison and his father are close associates of Israeli prime ministerBenjamin Netanyahu.[7]
Ellison is a member of theProducers Guild of America and Television Academy.[18]
Executive producer
Producer
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The Chumscrubber | Student #1 | |
| When All Else Fails | Mike Williams | Short film | |
| 2006 | Flyboys | Eddie Beagle | |
| 2009 | Hole in One | Tyler Hayden | |
| Little Fish, Strange Pond | Romeo | Direct-to-video |
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | When All Else Fails | Short film |
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | When All Else Fails | Short film |
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Phantom | Special thanks |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Blank Slate | Blake Feltzer | Television film |
| 2010 | Leverage | Ballard |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Tom and Katie were in Palm Springs this weekend celebrating the wedding of Sandy Modic and David Ellison.
