A Skydance Corp.: David Ellison immediately puts his stamp on Warner Bros.
LOS ANGELES — On Tuesday, as some employees at Warner Bros.logged onto their laptops, they were met by a logo that signaled a changing of the guard.SKYDANCE, written in all caps, underlined.Similar branding was also quietly added below the famous Warner Bros.
water tower in Burbank, California, where the studio’s storied lot is located, and at the company’s New York City office.The message was clear for all to see: The $110 billion Paramount-Warner merger of two Hollywood giants closed Tuesday, and CEO David Ellison isn’t taking any time to dwell on the past.“We’re proud to write this next chapter with you,” Ellison and newly tapped co-CEO Ynon Kreiz wrote in a roughly 1,000-word memo to employees, which was titled “Day 1,” a copy of which was shared with NBC News.
“Now the real work begins.Let’s go!” Ellison’s emphasis on rebranding and moving forward signals an effort to put his own stamp on Hollywood at a moment of significant industry change.
But that push will likely come with consequences that could affect the industry as a whole, with some worried what greater corporate control could mean for the future of entertainment and media.The merger blends two historic film studios (Paramount and Warner Bros.), two popular streaming platforms (Paramount+ and HBO Max) and two news organizations (CBS News and CNN) under the leadership of the 43-year-old Ellison, son of Oracle chief Larry Ellison, who is a close ally of President Donald Trump.Larry Ellison is personally backing the deal with tens of billions of dollars of his own fortune.Skydance signage in Times Square in New York on Tuesday.
Michael Nagle / Bloomberg via Getty ImagesDavid Ellison’s nearly yearlong journey to close the deal had its ups and downs.Many outspoken actors, writers and producers in Hollywood rallied behind efforts to block the merger, arguing in an open letter earlier this year that further corporate consolidation of the entertainment industry will “threaten ...