David Ellison

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This article is about the American producer. For the British actor, see David Ellison (British actor).

David Ellison
Born (1983-01-09) January 9, 1983 (age 42)
Santa Clara County, California, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Southern California (attended)
Occupations
  • Film producer
  • actor
Years active2005–present
TitleChairman & CEO, Paramount Skydance Corporation (2025–present)
Founder of Skydance Media
Spouse
Sandra Lynn Modic
​
(m. 2011)​
Children2
Parents
FamilyMegan 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, and has produced the films, including Terminator Genisys (2015), Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015), Life (2017), and Top Gun: Maverick (2022), with the latter nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

An ally of Donald Trump, Ellison made conservative-friendly changes to CBS News after the second Donald Trump administration approved the merger of Skydance and Paramount Global in 2025.[1] Later that year, Ellison launched a hostile bid of Warner Bros. Discovery, while giving assurances to Trump that he would make sweeping changes to CNN if the merger went ahead.[2]

Early life and education

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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.[3] Ellison grew up in Woodside, California, with his mother, who nurtured his love for film.[4] 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.[5][6] 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.[4] He has one sister, film producer Megan Ellison, who founded Annapurna Pictures.[3]

Career

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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[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.

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."[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

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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 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.[12] Following the merger, Ellison made conservative-friendly changes at CBS News, appointing Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief.[1]

Ellison sought to hinder a merger of Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery. 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.[2] Ellison worked with three sovereign wealth funds owned by Middle-Eastern governnents, as well as Trump's son-in-law Jared 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.[13]

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.[13]

Personal life

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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.[14]

Ellison is a member of the Producers Guild of America and Television Academy.[15]

He married Sandra Lynn Modic, an actress and singer, on October 1, 2011, in Palm Springs, California.[16] They have two children.[17]

Filmography

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Film

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Executive producer

Producer

Actor
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
Director
Year Film Notes
2005 When All Else Fails Short film
Writer
Year Film Notes
2005 When All Else Fails Short film
Thanks
Year Film Notes
2013 Phantom Special thanks

Television

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Executive producer
Actor
Year Title Role Notes
2008 Blank Slate Blake Feltzer Television film
2010 Leverage Ballard

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Ellison offers personal guarantee for son's Warner Bros bid". Le Monde. December 22, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Andrews, Joe Flint, Brian Schwartz and Natalie (December 9, 2025). "Behind Paramount's Relentless Campaign to Woo Warner Discovery and President Trump". The Wall Street Journal.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b Matthew Symonds, Larry Ellison. Software: An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison and Oracle Simon and Schuster, 2004. pp332-333
  4. ^ a b "David Ellison's journey from trust fund kid to media mogul vying to buy Paramount". Los Angeles Times. April 22, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  5. ^ Fritz, Ben, "Ellison: more than a trust fund kid?", Los Angeles Times, February 22, 2011.
  6. ^ 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.
  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 from the original on August 29, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  11. ^ "David Ellison Makes Offer for Redstone Family's Media Empire". Bloomberg.com. January 24, 2024. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  12. ^ FCC Approves Skydance's Acquisition of Paramount CBS[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ a b Spangler, Todd (December 16, 2025). "Trump Blasts the Ellisons Amid Their Warner Bros. Bid: 'If They Are Friends, I'd Hate to See My Enemies!'". Variety.
  14. ^ EAA News Archived December 14, 2010, at the Wayback Machine; accessed October 26, 2015.
  15. ^ "Execs Archive". Skydance Media. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  16. ^ "Tom Cruise Wedding Dance Battle...Caught On Tape". TMZ. June 10, 2011. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Tom and Katie were in Palm Springs this weekend celebrating the wedding of Sandy Modic and David Ellison.
  17. ^ 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 from the original on October 18, 2024.
  18. ^ 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.
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