He grew up a few doors down from Steve Jobs, crashed and burned in a $60 million flying movie most people have forgotten, and spent the next two decades quietly turning his father’s money into a working Hollywood studio. Now, at 43, David Ellison is the man trying to swallow Warner Bros. Discovery whole.
Here is a closer look at who he is, who he married, what he is worth, and how he ended up running one of the biggest media empires in the world.
Who Is David Ellison? The Short Answer
David Ferris Ellison is an American film producer and media executive who serves as chairman and CEO of Paramount Skydance Corporation, the company formed when his studio Skydance Media merged with Paramount Global in August 2025. He is the son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, one of the wealthiest people in the world, and his own estimated net worth sits around $500 million. In early 2026, his company secured a roughly $111 billion agreement to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal that — if regulators clear it — will reshape the American entertainment industry for a generation.
Quick Bio (At a Glance)
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full Name | David Ferris Ellison |
| Date of Birth | January 9, 1983 |
| Age (in 2026) | 43 |
| Birthplace | Santa Clara County, California, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Heritage | Italian and Jewish (paternal side) |
| Father | Lawrence Joseph “Larry” Ellison (Oracle co-founder) |
| Mother | Barbara Boothe Ellison |
| Sister | Megan Ellison (founder, Annapurna Pictures) |
| Education | Pepperdine University; USC School of Cinematic Arts (did not graduate) |
| Wife | Sandra Lynn Modic (married October 1, 2011) |
| Children | Two daughters |
| Profession | Film producer, media executive, former actor, licensed pilot |
| Current Role | Chairman & CEO, Paramount Skydance Corporation |
| Estimated Net Worth | ~$500 million (Celebrity Net Worth) |
Early Life and Silicon Valley Roots
David was born on January 9, 1983, in Santa Clara County, California. His father, Larry Ellison, co-founded Oracle and would later become one of the richest people on the planet. His mother, Barbara Boothe Ellison, was Larry’s third wife. By most accounts, David grew up primarily with his mother in the quiet, wooded enclave of Woodside, California. His father was not especially present in his day-to-day childhood, even though they lived in the same stratosphere of wealth.
What he did have, unusually for a kid, was proximity to Steve Jobs. The Apple co-founder was a close friend of his father, and Jobs became something of a creative mentor figure to the younger Ellison. That detail matters because it shows up again later — when David tried to turn a film-school idea into a production company, Jobs was one of the first people he pitched.
His younger sister, Megan Ellison, would take a very different road into the same industry. She launched Annapurna Pictures in 2011 and built it into one of the most respected indie financiers in the business, producing awards-circuit films like Zero Dark Thirty, Her, and American Hustle.
Education and a Very Expensive First Lesson
David attended Pepperdine University before transferring to the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. He never finished. He dropped out in 2005 to help fund a passion project: a World War I flying movie called Flyboys.
It did not go well. Flyboys (2006), in which he also appeared on screen, flopped badly at the box office. For a 23-year-old who had just left film school to bankroll his own debut, it was a public, expensive failure. In hindsight, though, it was also the moment that clarified the rest of his career. He was not going to be an actor. He was going to be a producer — the person deciding which movies get made and how they get paid for.
His acting résumé from that brief window includes The Chumscrubber (2005), Flyboys (2006), Hole in One (2009), and Little Fish, Strange Pond (2009), plus a guest spot on Leverage.
Founding Skydance Media
He named the company Skydance, and that name was not random. David is a licensed pilot with instrument ratings across helicopters, aerobatics, commercial aviation, fixed-wing, and multi-engine aircraft. Back in 2003, when he was 20, he was selected to perform with Sean D. Tucker’s “Stars of Tomorrow” aerobatic team at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. He has genuinely loved flying since he was a teenager, and “skydancing” is the aerobatic term of art.
Skydance Productions was set up in 2006, and he formally launched the company in 2010 after raising a $350 million co-financing deal with Paramount Pictures. Before pitching it to anyone else, he ran the concept by Steve Jobs, then revised it based on Jobs’ feedback. From the outside, this looked like a rich kid playing in Hollywood. It was not. Skydance became a real studio, with real slate financing, real partnerships, and real franchises.
In 2013, he launched Skydance Television. In 2017, he launched Skydance Animation in partnership with Spain’s Ilion Animation Studios. He brought on former Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter in 2019 to run the animation division — a controversial hire given the circumstances of Lasseter’s Pixar departure, but a signal of the ambitions Ellison had for the company.
Major Films and Shows Produced
Skydance’s fingerprints are on a shocking amount of 2010s and 2020s popcorn cinema.
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | True Grit | Executive Producer | Film |
| 2011 | Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | Executive Producer | Film |
| 2012 | Jack Reacher | Executive Producer | Film |
| 2013 | Star Trek Into Darkness | Executive Producer | Film |
| 2013 | G.I. Joe: Retaliation | Executive Producer | Film |
| 2015 | Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation | Executive Producer | Film |
| 2015 | Terminator Genisys | Executive Producer | Film |
| 2015–2022 | Grace and Frankie | Executive Producer | TV |
| 2018 | Mission: Impossible – Fallout | Executive Producer | Film |
| 2018–2023 | Jack Ryan | Executive Producer | TV |
| 2021 | Foundation | Executive Producer | TV |
| 2022 | Top Gun: Maverick | Producer (Oscar-nominated) | Film |
| 2022–present | Reacher | Executive Producer | TV |
| 2023 | Transformers: Rise of the Beasts | Executive Producer | Film |
Top Gun: Maverick is the crown jewel. It grossed nearly $1.5 billion worldwide, revived the theatrical business after the pandemic, and earned Ellison a personal Academy Award nomination for Best Picture as a producer.
The Paramount Merger of 2025
In January 2024, reports surfaced that Ellison wanted to merge Skydance with Paramount Global and buy National Amusements, the Redstone family holding company that controlled Paramount, from Shari Redstone. It took more than eighteen months to get there. The deal cleared the Federal Communications Commission under the second Trump administration in July 2025 and officially closed on August 7, 2025.
The result: Paramount Skydance Corporation. Total deal value: roughly $8 billion. David Ellison became chairman and CEO of a company that owns Paramount Pictures, CBS, Showtime, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, and Paramount+. Jeff Shell — the former NBCUniversal chief — came on as president.
One of the earliest and most controversial moves afterward was at CBS News. Ellison hired commentator Bari Weiss as its new editor-in-chief, and his company acquired her digital outlet The Free Press. Critics called the shift “conservative-friendly,” pointing to a 60 Minutes story on Trump administration deportations to Venezuela that was held from airing, then run in largely unchanged form in January 2026.
The Warner Bros. Discovery Takeover
By September 2025, barely a month after the Paramount merger closed, reporting surfaced that Ellison was already preparing a bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. WBD had been in its own merger conversation with Netflix. Ellison effectively ran a hostile counter-bid.
In December 2025, Warner’s board rejected his first offer as “illusory” and questioned the financial structure. Ellison did not go quietly. In February 2026, after he raised the offer to $31 per share and added a $7 billion regulatory termination fee plus a quarterly “ticking fee” if the deal doesn’t close by late September 2026, WBD’s board flipped. It concluded that Paramount’s proposal was a superior offer to Netflix’s deal. Netflix declined to raise its bid. Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount signed their definitive merger agreement.
Valuation on the deal: roughly $111 billion. Financing came in part from three Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds and, reportedly, involvement from Jared Kushner. President Trump personally involved himself in evaluating the merger — an unusual break from historical precedent, where the executive branch has stayed out of specific M&A calls. Reports also surfaced that Ellison had assured Trump he would reshape CNN if the acquisition closed, though the company is still awaiting shareholder approval and regulatory clearance from the Justice Department.
At CinemaCon in Las Vegas in April 2026, Ellison used his first major stage appearance since the deal to try to reassure theater owners. He committed to releasing 30 movies a year between Paramount and Warner Bros. once the deal closes and promised a 45-day exclusive theatrical window effective immediately.
Personal Life: Sandra Lynn Modic and Their Family
David met Sandra Lynn Modic on the set of Hole in One in 2009. Both had small acting parts. She played Mandy Hayden; he was in the ensemble too. They started dating, and after about two years together, they married on October 1, 2011, in Palm Springs, California. The wedding was deliberately private.
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were among the guests. The reception also produced one of the more delightful footnotes in early-2010s tabloid history: Cruise got pulled into an impromptu dance-off on the dance floor to Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger,” and a phone-shot clip of it went everywhere. David, by then, was deep in business with Cruise on the Mission: Impossible franchise.
About Sandra Lynn
Sandra was born in 1985 in Chino, Southern California, and grew up around horses and ranch-style homes before her family moved to Brea. She graduated from Brea Olinda High School in 2003, then from Pepperdine University in 2007 with a degree in theatre and television production.
After her short acting run, she pivoted to music. She launched her country-pop career in 2014 with a self-titled EP produced by Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts and followed it with a 2018 EP called Fight. In November 2018, she made her debut at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium during the Christmas 4 Kids benefit concert, performing “My Christmas Wish for You,” a song written by Linda Thompson and Richard Marx. She has opened live shows for Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney, Cole Swindell, and Kenny Rogers.
Their Children
The couple has two daughters, reportedly born in 2021 and late 2023. David and Sandra have been unusually disciplined about keeping them out of the public eye. Their names are not public. There are no paparazzi photos. On their tenth anniversary, David posted a short tribute to Sandra on Instagram calling her the kindest and most warm-hearted person he had ever known.
Net Worth, Salary, and Lifestyle (2026)
Celebrity Net Worth and most major biographical outlets estimate David Ellison’s personal net worth at roughly $500 million as of 2026. That figure reflects his equity in Skydance (now rolled into Paramount Skydance), his executive compensation, and his accumulated producer fees over nearly two decades. He has not been publicly listed among the top-tier billionaires — that is still his father’s league — but he is comfortably inside the media-mogul bracket.
His executive pay package at Paramount Skydance reportedly includes a base salary of around $3.5 million, an annual target bonus of $1.5 million, and a one-time restricted stock grant valued at approximately $75 million tied to the merger.
For context: Larry Ellison is currently one of the wealthiest individuals in the world, with a personal fortune often reported in the hundreds of billions. David’s career has been built with his father’s backing — Larry’s financing has been central to Skydance since day one — but the creative and operational bets have been David’s.
In 2019, David spent roughly $321 million on a Santa Monica real estate portfolio, one of the largest California real estate transactions of that year.
Aviation and Personal Passions
Flying is the through-line of his life. He is a licensed pilot with instrument ratings across helicopters, aerobatics, commercial, fixed-wing, and multi-engine aircraft. In 2003, at age 20, he was selected to perform with Sean D. Tucker’s “Stars of Tomorrow” aerobatic team at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, the biggest aviation event in the world. His aerobatic flying is the reason his production company is called Skydance — “skydancing” is the term for the moves he performs. It is also the reason he bankrolled Flyboys, the movie that almost ended his career before it started.
Political Ties and Controversies
Ellison has been widely described as an ally of President Donald Trump. Trump has publicly praised both David and Larry Ellison on multiple occasions. At the 2026 State of the Union address, David attended as the guest of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.
The political dimension bleeds into his business decisions. The Bari Weiss hire at CBS News, the acquisition of The Free Press, reported assurances about CNN editorial direction post-Warner deal, and the reliance on Middle Eastern sovereign wealth and Jared Kushner’s network for financing have all drawn scrutiny from industry analysts and press freedom groups.
There is also a strong Israel connection. Larry Ellison is a close associate of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and David has accompanied his father on trips to Israel and posted publicly supportive messages about Netanyahu. After the October 7, 2023 attacks, David posted a statement that “Skydance stands with Israel.”
Lesser-Known Facts
- Steve Jobs personally advised David on his original Skydance Media pitch and pushed him to refine the business plan before he tried to raise money from anyone else.
- In 2014, he launched a men’s clothing line called the LANAI Collection, named after his father’s Hawaiian island.
- He landed on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2011 and Variety’s Dealmaker list in 2010.
- He received his Academy Award nomination as a producer for Top Gun: Maverick in 2023.
- His sister Megan Ellison has been nominated for multiple Best Picture Oscars through Annapurna, meaning the Ellison siblings have been nominated for the top prize in Hollywood at roughly the same career stage — a remarkable family dynamic.
Conclusion
David Ellison’s arc is strange and specific. He started as a trust-fund kid with a crashed flying movie and no film-school degree. He ended up, twenty years later, as arguably the single most powerful decision-maker in American entertainment — the person who chooses what gets greenlit, what gets killed, and who gets a seat at CBS News, CNN, Paramount+, and HBO Max. Whether that is a good thing for Hollywood depends on which part of the industry you work in and which editorial lines you care about. What is not debatable is that the guy who was supposed to be Larry Ellison’s forgotten son is now the one rearranging the furniture.
His legacy is still being written. Regulators still have to approve the Warner deal. Shareholders still have to vote. The Justice Department still has to weigh in. But even if the Warner deal collapses tomorrow, David Ellison has already pulled off one of the most audacious corporate moves in entertainment history — and he is only 43.
FAQ
Who is David Ellison? David Ellison is the American film producer and media executive who founded Skydance Media in 2006 and now serves as chairman and CEO of Paramount Skydance Corporation. He is the son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.
How old is David Ellison? He was born on January 9, 1983, making him 43 years old in 2026.
Who is David Ellison’s wife? He is married to Sandra Lynn Modic, a former actress and country-pop singer-songwriter who performs under the stage name Sandra Lynn. They married on October 1, 2011, in Palm Springs, California.
How many children does David Ellison have? He and Sandra have two daughters, reportedly born in 2021 and 2023. The couple keeps the children’s names and photos entirely out of the public eye.
What is David Ellison’s net worth in 2026? Most outlets, including Celebrity Net Worth, estimate his personal net worth at around $500 million. His Paramount Skydance compensation includes a base salary of roughly $3.5 million, a $1.5 million annual target bonus, and a one-time equity grant reportedly worth about $75 million.
Is David Ellison related to Larry Ellison? Yes. David is the son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and his third wife, Barbara Boothe Ellison. His sister is Megan Ellison, founder of Annapurna Pictures.
