David Ferris Ellison was born on 9 January 1983 in Santa Clara County, California.
He is an American film producer, media executive and entrepreneur who founded Skydance Media and serves as its chairman and chief executive officer.
He is the son of Oracle Corporation co-founder Larry Ellison and Barbara Boothe.
Raised primarily by his mother on a horse farm in Woodside, California, after his parents’ divorce, he developed an early passion for both aviation and filmmaking.
He attended the University of Southern California’s film school but left to pursue a career in entertainment.
Siblings
David has one sibling, his younger sister Megan Ellison, who is also a prominent film producer.
She founded Annapurna Pictures and has been involved in acclaimed films including Zero Dark Thirty, Her, American Hustle and Phantom Thread.
The two share a background shaped by their mother’s emphasis on routine and a shared family love of cinema.
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Career
Ellison began with a brief acting role in the 2006 film Flyboys, which his father helped finance.
In 2006 he founded Skydance Media (formally launched with major financing in 2010 through a partnership with Paramount), building it into a major production company known for high-profile action and franchise films.
Skydance titles include entries in the Mission: Impossible and Star Trek series, True Grit, World War Z, Jack Reacher, Terminator Genisys and the highly successful Top Gun: Maverick.
The company expanded into television, animation and interactive entertainment.
In 2025 Skydance merged with Paramount Global, and in 2026 the combined entity completed the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, with Ellison leading the resulting larger media company as chairman and CEO.
He is also a licensed pilot with extensive aerobatic experience.
Accolades
David received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture as a producer of Top Gun: Maverick.
He has been named to Variety’s Dealmaker list and the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
Additional recognition includes a Showmanship Award from the ICG Publicists and nominations from the Producers Guild of America.
His leadership of Skydance’s growth into a major Hollywood force, culminating in large-scale mergers and acquisitions, represents the central professional distinction of his career.
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