David Ellison | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 9, 1983 |
| Education | University of Southern California (attended) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Title | Chairman & CEO, Paramount Skydance Corporation (2025–present) Founder of Skydance Media |
| Spouse | Sandra Lynn Modic (m. 2011) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents |
|
| Family | Megan Ellison (sister) |
David Ellison (born January 9, 1983) is an American film producer serving as chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Paramount Skydance since August 2025. He is the son of Oracle Corporation co-founder Larry Ellison, a centibillionaire.
He founded Skydance Media in 2006, and served as its CEO until 2025.
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 ex-wife, Barbara Boothe Ellison. His father is of Italian and Jewish heritage. [1] Ellison grew up in Woodside, California, with his mother, who nurtured his love for film. [2] He attended 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. [3] [4] 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. [2] He has one sister, film producer Megan Ellison, who founded Annapurna Pictures. [1]
Ellison is the CEO and founder of Skydance Media. 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 [5] and the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2011. [6] Ellison was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture for Top Gun: Maverick .
As an actor, Ellison has performed in the films Flyboys , Little Fish, Strange Pond, and Hole in One .
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." [7]
In 2017, Ellison helped launch Skydance Animation in partnership with Spain's Ilion Animation Studios. He hired the former Pixar CCO John Lasseter to run Skydance Animation. [8]
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. [9] The merger received approval from the FCC in July of 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. [10]
Ellison sought to hinder a merger of Netflix and Warner Bros. The Wall Street Journal reported in December 2025 that Ellison had given assurances to President Donald Trump that if Paramount were allowed to buy Warner, he would make sweeping changes to CNN, the news channel that Trump has frequently criticized. [11] Ellison worked with three Middle-Eastern sovereign wealth funds and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner to finance a competing bid for Warner. [11]
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. [12]
Ellison is a member of the Producers Guild of America and Television Academy. [13]
He married Sandra Lynn Modic, an actress and singer, on October 1, 2011, in Palm Springs, California. [14] They have two children. [15]
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.
