Skydance will be run by two chief executives, a setup that pairs a creative-focused leader with a business-first operator across its major units. David Ellison continues as chief executive officer and chairman, guiding long-term strategy and the creative slate. He is joined by co-CEO Ynon Kreiz, who left the top job at Mattel Inc. last week and will concentrate on day-to-day management. Andy Gordon becomes president, while Dennis Cinelli remains chief financial officer.
"I'm incredibly proud to introduce the team that will lead Skydance forward, a group that reflects the ambition behind this historic combination," Ellison said on Monday.
Leading the newly configured Skydance Motion Picture Group will be Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein as co-heads. Goldberg is a veteran Skydance Media executive who helped develop and produce Top Gun: Maverick and several Mission: Impossible films. Before this, Greenstein was president of Sony Pictures' Motion Picture Group, overseeing titles such as the Spider-Man series. At Skydance, James Gunn and Peter Safran keep their posts atop DC Studios - the Warner Bros. label responsible for Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman.
Casey Bloys will run Skydance's streaming arm, with responsibility for programming on HBO Max and Paramount+. JB Perrette, who led the global rollout of HBO Max at Warner Bros., will keep working in tandem with Bloys as co chair and chief business officer for Skydance TV and Skydance DTC streaming. George Cheeks, hired by Paramount in 2020, will lead a newly formed TV group that brings together Paramount and Warner Bros. studios, along with networks, sports, and cable brands.
Who runs a merged studio decides what gets greenlit and what gets shelved. Market Briefs covers media consolidation free every morning.
Merging the news businesses has been bumpy, with lots of uncertainty about who would lead and how coverage might change. The outcome for now: CNN CEO Mark Thompson will remain chairman and editor-in-chief of CNN, and Bari Weiss will continue as editor-in-chief of CBS News. Thompson told staff that details of CNN's place in the new structure are still being finalized, but he said he was in "a positive frame of mind" ahead of the merger. "I have real confidence that they both understand and will fully support the principle and practice of the kind of independent news that CNN has always stood for," he wrote.
A single leadership bench now controls a deep library, a double-stack of streamers and a broad TV portfolio. That can mean cleaner call-making on budgets and releases, plus fewer turf fights across brands you actually watch. If you care about where your subscription dollars and ad eyeballs end up, this setup tells you who will decide what gets greenlit next. The deal is expected to close on Tuesday.
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