Skydance Media facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Skydance Media, LLC

Logo used from 2020
Trade name	Skydance
Formerly	Skydance Productions (2006–2016)
Type	Private
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	April 4, 2006; 19 years ago (2006-04-04)
Founder	David Ellison
Headquarters	Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Area served	Global
Key people	David Ellison (chairman and CEO) Dana Goldberg (CCO) Don Granger (EVP of Feature Productions) Jesse Sisgold (president and COO) Larry Wasserman (CFO)
Products	Animation Motion pictures Television Video games/Interactive Games
Brands	Uncharted (label)
Owners	David Ellison (controlling) RedBird Capital Partners (minor) CJ ENM (minor) Tencent (minor) KKR
Divisions	Pictures Skydance Television Skydance Animation Interactive Sports Nocturna Development Productions

The evolution of Paramount

1912	Famous Players Film Company is founded by Adolph Zukor
1913	Lasky Feature Play Company is founded by Jesse Lasky
1914	Paramount Pictures is founded as a film distributor by W. W. Hodkinson
1916	Famous Players & Lasky merge as Famous Players–Lasky and acquire Paramount.
1920	Group W forms with the launch of KDKA-AM
1927	CBS is founded; Famous Players–Lasky assumes Paramount name
1929	Paramount buys 49% of CBS
1932	Paramount sells back shares of CBS.
1950	Desilu is founded & CBS distributes its television programs
1952	CBS creates the CBS Television Film Sales division
1958	CBS Television Film Sales renamed to CBS Films
1966	Gulf+Western buys Paramount
1968	Gulf+Western acquires Desilu and renames it Paramount Television; CBS Films becomes CBS Enterprises
1970	CBS Enterprises renamed to Viacom
1971	Viacom is spun off from CBS as a separate company
1985	Viacom buys full ownership of Showtime & MTV Networks
1986	National Amusements buys Viacom
1989	Gulf+Western renamed to Paramount Communications
1994	Viacom acquires Paramount Communications
1995	Westinghouse buys CBS
1997	Westinghouse renamed to CBS Corporation
2000	Viacom buys CBS Corporation
2001	Viacom buys BET Networks
2005	Viacom splits into second CBS Corporation and Viacom
2019	CBS Corporation and Viacom re-merge to form ViacomCBS
2022	ViacomCBS changes its name to Paramount Global
v t e

Skydance Media, LLC is an American entertainment company. It creates and finances movies, animated films, TV shows, video games, and sports content. The company is based in Santa Monica, California. David Ellison started Skydance in 2006.

In 2009, Skydance began a partnership with Paramount Pictures. They worked together to make and fund movies. This partnership was renewed several times, lasting until 2021. On July 7, 2024, Skydance announced its plan to merge with Paramount Global. This big deal was valued at $8 billion.

About Skydance Media

How Skydance Started

Logo from 2016 to 2020

Skydance Productions was created in 2006. It was founded by David Ellison. David is the son of Larry Ellison, who co-founded Oracle Corporation. David loves flying planes, and the company's name comes from a flying trick called "skydancing."

Skydance's first movie was Flyboys in 2006. David Ellison also starred in this film. In 2009, Skydance teamed up with Paramount Pictures. They agreed to work together on movies for five years. This partnership helped Skydance grow.

Growing the Company

Skydance started expanding into new areas. In 2013, they launched Skydance Television. This new part of the company would focus on making TV shows. In 2016, Skydance started a division for video games called Skydance Interactive. They also created a special label called Uncharted for movies that weren't action, sci-fi, or fantasy. In the same year, Skydance Productions changed its name to "Skydance Media."

In 2017, Skydance Animation was launched. This division creates animated movies and TV shows. Skydance also continued its partnership with Paramount Pictures. This new deal included animated films for distribution. In 2018, a company called Tencent bought a small part of Skydance. Other companies like RedBird Capital Partners and CJ ENM also invested in Skydance. In 2021, Skydance Sports was launched. This division focuses on sports-related movies and shows.

In January 2022, Skydance made a deal with Apple Original Films. They agreed to make live-action movies together. In October 2022, Skydance received a large investment of $400 million. This money came from KKR and the Ellison family.

Proposed Merger with Paramount Global

In January 2024, there were reports that David Ellison wanted to buy Paramount Global. Skydance had special talks with Paramount about a merger. On July 7, 2024, David Ellison officially announced Skydance's plan to take over Paramount Global. This deal was worth $8 billion. The plan involved Skydance buying Paramount's main shareholder, National Amusements. Then, Skydance Media and Paramount would merge into one company. Paramount Global was given 45 days to consider other offers before finalizing the deal.

Movies and Shows

Movies Released by Skydance

Skydance Media has helped create many popular movies. Here are some of them:

Upcoming Movies

Skydance also has several movies planned for the future:

Skydance Divisions

Skydance Media has several specialized divisions.

Skydance Television

Skydance Television, LLC

Type	Division
Industry	TV production
Founded	May 1, 2013; 12 years ago (2013-05-01)
Headquarters	Santa Monica, California , United States
Key people	Matt Thunell (president) Carolyn Harris (vice president)
Products	Television shows
Parent	Skydance Media

Original logo

Skydance Television makes TV shows. It started on May 1, 2013. Their first show was Manhattan in 2014. It was praised by critics. Skydance Television works with many talented writers and producers. They create shows for different streaming services and networks.

TV Shows Released

Skydance Interactive

Skydance Interactive, LLC

Formerly	The Workshop Entertainment
Type	Division
Industry	Video games
Founded	May 5, 2016; 9 years ago (May 5, 2016)
Headquarters	Marina del Rey, California , United States
Key people	Peter Akemann (president) Dan Prigg
Parent	Skydance Media

Original logo

Skydance Interactive is the video game division of Skydance. It started on May 5, 2016. This division creates exciting video games, especially for VR (virtual reality). They also work with other game developers.

Games Released

Skydance Animation

Skydance Animation is the part of Skydance Media that makes animated movies and TV shows. It was founded on March 16, 2017. Their first animated movie was Luck. They also made a short film called Blush.

Skydance New Media

Skydance New Media

Type	Division
Industry	Video games
Founded	November 18, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-11-18)
Headquarters	Santa Monica, California , United States
Key people	Amy Hennig (president)
Parent	Skydance Media

Skydance New Media is a video game studio that started on November 18, 2019. It is led by Amy Hennig. This studio works on big action-adventure games. They are working with Marvel Entertainment on a game set during World War II. This game will feature Captain America and Black Panther. They are also making a game based on the Star Wars universe with Lucasfilm Games.

Games by Skydance New Media

Skydance Sports

Skydance Sports is a division that focuses on sports-related movies, TV shows, and documentaries. It was launched on October 20, 2021, and is led by Jon Weinbach. They have partnered with other companies to create sports content. For example, they made Good Rivals, a documentary series about the soccer rivalry between Mexico and the United States. They also work with the NFL to create sports productions.

See also

In Spanish: Skydance Media para niños