David Ellison is Chief Executive Officer of Skydance, the diversified media company he founded in 2010 to create elevated, event-level, commercial entertainment for global audiences. As CEO, he sets and executes the strategic vision for the company: to create memorable experiences by building immersive worlds and bringing exceptionally crafted stories to life across time and platforms.
Under David's leadership, Skydance has produced blockbuster and award-winning films including True Grit, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Jack Reacher, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, World War Z, Star Trek Into Darkness, Terminator Genisys, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, and Star Trek Beyond. He oversaw Skydance's feature film slate, including Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, Life and Geostorm.
In 2013, David launched Skydance Television, which has created two Emmy nominated series – Manhattan on WGN America and Grace and Frankie on Netflix – and has a diverse slate of series across various networks, including Altered Carbon on Netflix, Red Mars on Spike TV, Jack Ryan on Amazon, Condor on DirecTV, and Ten Days in the Valley on ABC.
In 2016, David led the Company's first acquisition – of leading game developer The Workshop Entertainment, Inc. – and formed Skydance Interactive, a dedicated subsidiary that creates and owns original video games and virtual reality experiences.
He is an accomplished pilot and a lifelong film enthusiast. David attended the School of Cinematic Arts at USC and is a member of the Producers Guild of America.
Paramount Pictures
