Skydance Media

David Ellison founded Skydance Media in 2006, though the company did not begin active operations until 2010. The name came from Ellison's interest in aerobatic flying maneuvers known as skydancing. The company initially worked out of a hangar at Santa Monica Airport before moving to formal headquarters in Santa Monica, California. Ellison, then 27 years old, backed the venture largely with family capital from his father Larry Ellison, the Oracle co-founder and one of the wealthiest people in the United States.

Skydance built its reputation through a long-running co-financing and production partnership with Paramount Pictures. It co-produced films including True Grit (2010), which earned ten Academy Award nominations, and Top Gun: Maverick (2022), the second highest-grossing film of that year. The company also worked on entries in the Mission: Impossible, Star Trek, and Terminator franchises. Over time Skydance expanded into television, animation (with studios in Los Angeles and Madrid employing over 350 people), and interactive entertainment, producing the award-winning VR game The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners. By 2022 the company was valued at over $4 billion after a $400 million investment from KKR.

The most consequential chapter came in 2025, when Skydance completed a merger with Paramount Global. The transaction involved Skydance's investor group acquiring National Amusements for $2.4 billion and merging Skydance into the larger company, creating a new entity often referred to as Paramount Skydance Corporation. The deal was valued at approximately $8 billion and required FCC approval. Skydance's film library was folded into Paramount Pictures. The merger raised concerns about journalistic independence at CBS News, with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr welcoming Skydance's commitment to make changes at the network. [edit]