Skydance has defined its C-suite.
David Ellison has announced the top executives who will help him lead the Paramount-Warner Bros. combination. Discovery when the deal closes on Tuesday.
“Together, Paramount and Warner Bros. will form a creative hotbed with the scale, imagination and technology to define entertainment for a generation,” Ellison said. “The executives who joined me have built some of the industry’s most beloved franchises and businesses, and they share a deep respect for the creative process and the belief that great stories have the power to entertain, unite and inspire audiences around the world.
As previously announced, Ellison will serve as chairman and CEO, while former Mattel chief Ynon Keiz will join him as co-CEO.
Casey Bloys will lead Skydance’s streaming business, adding oversight of Paramount+ and Pluto to its HBO Max stronghold. Bloys will be tasked with overseeing a sprawling streaming empire, one of the largest in the world.
Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg will lead the combined company’s film studios, a major role in a company that is legally committed to releasing 32 films a year in just two years. George Cheeks will run television, overseeing the linear channels and television studios, which still hold enormous clout and clout.
Mark Thompson will lead CNN, maintaining some level of stability at the cable news channel and providing an answer to one of the deal’s most pressing questions: Will he stay or not?
Thompson told staff Monday that he and Ellison were able to reach a new deal, keeping him at the helm of the venerable cable news channel. Meanwhile, Bari Weiss will continue to lead CBS News.
“I’m convinced that, from David Ellison all the way down to the executives at Paramount Skydance, they truly believe that news, alongside entertainment, is a major strategic opportunity for our new company. They’ve seen our digital strategy and are as excited as we are,” Thompson told CNN staff. “And second, after speaking to them at length about the subject, I am confident that they both understand and will fully support the principle and practice of the type of independent reporting that CNN has always stood for.”
And a few other top WBD execs will join them, with James Gunn and Peter Safran heading DC Studios, and JB Perrette becoming co-president and chief business officer of Skydance TV and Skydance DTC, effectively overseeing the television and streaming businesses while Bloys and Cheeks focus on content, marketing and strategy.
Skydance is expected to be formed on Tuesday when Paramount finalizes its mega-acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The combined company will become a giant in the entertainment industry, rivaling only Disney and Netflix in terms of scale.
Kreiz added: “Our goals as a team are to build Skydance into Hollywood’s premier content engine and home to the world’s greatest storytellers, accelerate our integrated DTC platform with the best content, cutting-edge technology and superior consumer experience, and optimize our highly profitable linear television portfolio, reaching global audiences across all entertainment sectors.
Skydance’s C-suite ranking is below:
Business leadership
- David Ellison, President and CEO
- Ynon Kreiz, co-general director
CEO Business Leadership Team
- Andy Gordon, President
- Dennis Cinelli, CFO
- Makan Delrahim, General Counsel and President, Global Corporate Affairs
- Dane Glasgow, Director of Product
- Rebecca Mall, Marketing Director
- Melissa Zukerman, Director of Communications
CEO Business Leadership Team
- Casey Bloys, Co-President and Chief Content Officer, Skydance DTC
- George Cheeks, Co-President and Chief Content Officer, Skydance TV
- Dana Goldberg, Co-President, Skydance Motion Picture Group
- Josh Greenstein, Co-President, Skydance Motion Picture Group
- James Gunn, co-president of DC Studios
- JB Perrette, Co-President and Chief Commercial Officer, Skydance TV and Co-President and Chief Commercial Officer, Skydance DTC
- Peter Safran, co-president of DC Studios
CEO News Executive Management Team
- Mark Thompson, president and editor-in-chief of CNN Worldwide
- Bari Weiss, CBS News Editor-in-Chief
Gn entert
