This article is about the American media proprietor. For the British actor, see David Ellison (British actor).
David Ellison
Birth dateJanuary 9, 1983 (age 43)
Birth placeSanta Clara County, California, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Southern California (withdrew)
Title
OccupationFilm producer · media proprietor · actor
Years active2005–present
SpouseSandra Lynn Modic (m. 2011)
FatherLarry Ellison
RelativesMegan Ellison (sister)

David Ferris Ellison (born January 9, 1983) is an American film producer, media proprietor, and former actor serving as chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Paramount Skydance since August 2025. He founded the film and television production company Skydance Media in 2006 and later merged it with the media company Paramount Global, forming Paramount Skydance in 2025. He is the son of Oracle Corporation co-founder Larry Ellison.

Ellison founded Skydance and served as its CEO from 2006 until 2025, and produced the films Terminator Genisys, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (both 2015), Life (2017), and Top Gun: Maverick (2022), with the latter nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

In 2025, under Ellison's leadership, Skydance acquired the media company Paramount Global. An ally of President Donald Trump, Ellison hand-picked political commentator Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News and acquired her digital media outlet The Free Press after the second Trump administration approved the merger of Skydance and Paramount Global in 2025.[1] Shortly after the completion of the merger of Paramount and Skydance, Ellison launched a successful hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, while giving assurances to President Trump that he would make sweeping changes to CNN if the merger went ahead. Ellison will remain chairman and CEO of the combined company.

Early life and education

Ellison was born on January 9, 1983, in Santa Clara County, California. He is the son of billionaire Oracle Corporation co-founder and chairman Larry Ellison and his third wife, Barbara Boothe Ellison. His father is of Italian and Jewish heritage.[2] Ellison grew up in Woodside, California, with his mother, who nurtured his love for film.[3] He attended Pepperdine University and the University 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.[4][5] Ellison was influenced by businessman Steve Jobs, a friend of his father, and pitched Jobs his idea for Skydance Media before revising it under Jobs' advice.[3] He has one sister, film producer Megan Ellison, who founded Annapurna Pictures.[2]

Larry Ellison was not a day-to-day presence in David Ellison's early life.[6]

Career

Ellison's career started in acting. His father Larry heavily financed his first major film as an actor, Flyboys.[6] It was widely considered a failure.[6] Ellison also acted in Little Fish, Strange Pond, and Hole in One before giving up his acting ambitions and going into the business side of the entertainment industry.[6]

Skydance Media, LLC

Larry provided substantial investment into David's media company Skydance Media.[6] The company's films include Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Annihilation, World War Z, True Grit, Jack Reacher, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond. Ellison was named to Variety's Dealmaker list for 2010[7] and the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2011.[8] Ellison was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture for Top Gun: Maverick. Ellison's company Skydance Media expanded in 2013 with the launch of its television division. He has executive-produced shows such as Altered Carbon and Grace and Frankie. In 2014, Ellison launched a new line of men's clothing called the "LANAI Collection."[9] In 2017, Ellison helped launch Skydance Animation in partnership with Spain's Ilion Animation Studios. In 2019, Ellison hired the former Pixar CCO John Lasseter to run Skydance Animation.[10]

Paramount Skydance Corporation

In January 2024, it was reported that Ellison was interested in merging Skydance Media with Paramount Global and buying the latter's parent company National Amusements from Shari Redstone.[11] The merger received approval from the FCC under the second Donald Trump administration in July 2025. The merger was completed by August 7, 2025, and Paramount Skydance Corporation was formed. Ellison serves as chairman and CEO of the merged company.[12] Following the merger, Ellison made changes at CBS News which Le Monde called "conservative-friendly".[1][6] He appointed Bari Weiss as its editor-in-chief.[1] Shortly in her tenure, Weiss controversially held a 60 Minutes story on the Trump administration's deportations to Venezuela from being aired on CBS.[6] The report aired largely unchanged with only minor additional context the following month on January 18, 2026.[13][14]

Acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery

In September 2025, shortly after the formation of Paramount Skydance, it was reported that Ellison had started preparing a bid for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). Following an auction process, WBD entered into a merger agreement with Netflix. Ellison sought to hinder the merger of Netflix and WBD by launching a hostile takeover bid. The Wall Street Journal reported in December 2025 that Ellison had given assurances to President Donald Trump that if Paramount were to buy WBD, he would make major changes to CNN, a media organisation that Trump has frequently criticized.[15] Ellison worked with three sovereign wealth funds owned by Middle-Eastern governments, as well as Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, to finance his competing bid for WBD.[15] Defying historical precedent of non-involvement in mergers, Donald Trump personally involved himself in the merger evaluation.[16] In February 2026, after Ellison raised his bid for the company, WBD concluded that it was a superior proposal to the Netflix deal. Netflix declined to raise its bid for the company and Paramount and WBD signed a definitive merger agreement shortly after. Ellison will continue his tenure as chairman and CEO of the combined company.

In April 2026, Ellison feted Donald Trump and senior Trump administration officials at an event titled, "honoring the Trump White House," in Washington D.C., alongside top executives and journalists from CBS News. Guests at the event included Trump administration officials who were overseeing the Paramount merger with Warner Bros.[17]

Personal life

He married Sandra Lynn Modic, an actress and singer, on October 1, 2011, in Palm Springs, California.[18] They have two children.[19][citation needed]

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 of Sean D. Tucker's "Stars of Tomorrow" aerobatic team at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.[20]

Ellison and his father are close associates of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.[6] His father's first wife has described Larry as "an ardent Zionist" and he hosted Netanyahu on his Hawaiian island in 2021. Ellison once joined his father on a trip to Israel, posting a photo to Instagram from a dinner with Netanyahu that he was "very grateful for everything he has done and continues to do for the nation of Israel." After the October 7th attacks, Ellison declared that "Skydance stands with Israel."[21]

Ellison is a member of the Producers Guild of America and Television Academy.[22]

Ellison used to be a Democrat donor and said in 2022 that he is a "socially liberal person."[23] He donated $929,600 to Biden's reelection campaign in 2024.[24] But since 2025, Ellison has been described as an ally of Donald Trump.[1] Ellison has made several editorial changes to CBS News following Skydance's acquisition of Paramount, such as hiring political commentator Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of the network. It is also said that he has proposed to Trump that he would make similar changes to CNN, after Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Trump has also boasted about his friendship with David Ellison and his father Larry Ellison.[16] Ellison was the guest of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham at Trump's 2026 state of the union address.[25]

Criticism

Ellison has faced substantial criticism following the formation of Paramount Skydance, with the most notable one being the appointment of Bari Weiss as CBS editor-in-chief. The appointment came after Paramount Skydance bought Weiss' news outlet The Free Press.[26] To critics, the appointment was seen as an effort to steer CBS in a direction more aligned with the administration of President Donald Trump.[27]

Filmography

Film

Executive producer

Producer

Actor
YearFilmRoleNotes
2005The ChumscrubberStudent #1
When All Else FailsMike WilliamsShort film
2006FlyboysEddie Beagle
2009Hole in OneTyler Hayden
Little Fish, Strange PondRomeoDirect-to-video
Director
YearFilmNotes
2005When All Else FailsShort film
Writer
YearFilmNotes
2005When All Else FailsShort film
Thanks
YearFilmNotes
2013PhantomSpecial thanks

Television

Executive producer
Actor
YearTitleRoleNotes
2008Blank SlateBlake FeltzerTelevision film
2010LeverageBallardTelevision series

References

  1. ^ "Ellison offers personal guarantee for son's Warner Bros bid". Le Monde. 2025-12-22.
  2. ^ Matthew Symonds, Larry Ellison. Software: An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison and Oracle Simon and Schuster, 2004. pp332-333
  3. ^ "David Ellison's journey from trust fund kid to media mogul vying to buy Paramount". Los Angeles Times. April 22, 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  4. ^ Fritz, Ben, "Ellison: more than a trust fund kid?", Los Angeles Times, February 22, 2011.
  5. ^ Masters, Kim, "How David Ellison, Son of Larry Ellison, Scored Big With 'True Grit'" Archived April 29, 2021 at the Wayback Machine, Hollywood Reporter, March 1, 2011.
  6. ^ "A Father, a Son and Their $108 Billion Push for Media Moguldom". New York Times. 2025.
  7. ^ Lowry, Tom. "Paramount-Skydance deal: Dealmakers Impact Report 2010", Variety.com, December 9, 2010.
  8. ^ Dorothy Pomerantz, Michael K. Ozanian, and David M. Ewalt. "Forbes 30 Under 30" Archived February 6, 2012 at the Wayback Machine, "Forbes.com", December 19, 2011.
  9. ^ Bort, Julie (December 4, 2014). "Larry Ellison's Son Launches A Clothing Line Inspired By His Dad's Hawaiian Island". Business Insider. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  10. ^ McNary, Dave (March 16, 2017). "David Ellison's Skydance Launching Animation Division With Spain's Ilion". Variety. Archived August 29, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  11. ^ "David Ellison Makes Offer for Redstone Family's Media Empire". Bloomberg.com. 2024-01-24. Archived January 25, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  12. ^ FCC Approves Skydance's Acquisition of Paramount CBS[dead link]
  13. ^ Stelter, Brian (2026-01-18). "'60 Minutes' is finally airing the shelved 'Inside CECOT' segment | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  14. ^ Grynbaum, Michael M. (2026-01-19). "One Month Later, CBS Airs Postponed '60 Minutes' Report With Few Changes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  15. ^ Flint, Joe; Schwartz, Brian; Andrews, Natalie (2025-12-09). "Behind Paramount's Relentless Campaign to Woo Warner Discovery and President Trump". The Wall Street Journal
  16. ^ Spangler, Todd (2025-12-16). "Trump Blasts the Ellisons Amid Their Warner Bros. Bid: 'If They Are Friends, I'd Hate to See My Enemies!'". Variety
  17. ^ Grynbaum, Michael M. (2026-04-24). "Inside Trump and David Ellison's Private Party in Washington". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331
  18. ^ "Tom Cruise Wedding Dance Battle...Caught On Tape". TMZ. June 10, 2011. Archived May 30, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Tom and Katie were in Palm Springs this weekend celebrating the wedding of Sandy Modic and David Ellison.
  19. ^ Farah, Lynn (March 21, 2024). "Meet Larry Ellison's Hollywood children, David and Megan: the heirs to the Oracle co-founder's billion-dollar fortune are nepo babies in film, but remain largely behind-the-scenes". South China Morning Post. Archived October 18, 2024 at the Wayback Machine.
  20. ^ EAA News Archived December 14, 2010 at the Wayback Machine; accessed October 26, 2015.
  21. ^ Reeves Wiedeman (2026-01-12). "The Son King of Hollywood: With help from his billionaire father, Larry, David Ellison is trying to become the biggest studio mogul in history.". New York. New York: Vox Media.
  22. ^ "Execs Archive". Skydance Media. Archived May 27, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  23. ^ Gold, Hadas (2025-09-26). "How Larry and David Ellison reached the peak of their wealth – and political power | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
  24. ^ Schwartz, Brian (2024-04-16). "Biden fund gets big donation from son of Republican megadonor Larry Ellison". CNBC. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
  25. ^ Dorn, Sara (24 February 2026). "Paramount's David Ellison Tapped As State Of The Union Guest After Trump Wades Into Warner Bros. Battle". Forbes
  26. ^ Chmielewski, Dawn & Coster, Helen (October 6, 2025). "Bari Weiss named editor-in-chief of CBS News under Free Press-Paramount deal". Reuters
  27. ^ Osgood, Brian (October 6, 2025). "Conservative writer Bari Weiss named editor-in-chief of CBS News". Aljazeera
  28. ^ Schneider, Michael (February 27, 2025). "Bill Nighy Joins Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham in Amazon Prime Video Action Series 'Ride or Die' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved December 24, 2025.