Paramount Skydance announced Monday the executive team expected to lead Skydance after its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery closes, with CNN chief Mark Thompson remaining chairman and editor-in-chief of the news network.
Thompson’s retention resolves weeks of uncertainty over CNN’s leadership as the companies prepared to combine their news operations under one corporate parent. The announcement also indicates that Bari Weiss, who will remain editor-in-chief of CBS News, will not oversee CNN.
Thompson told CNN employees in a memo that he would lead the network with the same responsibilities and editorial authority he has now, while details of CNN’s integration into the new company are still being worked out.
Skydance officials said David Ellison will serve as chairman and chief executive officer of the combined company, to be called Skydance, while Ynon Kreiz will be co-chief executive officer. Andy Gordon will serve as Skydance president.
Casey Bloys will become co-chair and chief content officer of Skydance’s direct-to-consumer business, overseeing HBO Max and Paramount+ original programming, while George Cheeks will serve as co-chair and chief content officer of Skydance TV.
Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein will co-chair the Skydance Motion Picture Group, overseeing Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. and the broader film portfolio, officials said.
James Gunn and Peter Safran will remain co-chairmen of DC Studios.
JB Perrette will be co-chair and chief business officer of both Skydance TV and the direct-to-consumer business, with oversight of global distribution, advertising sales, content sales and other operations, according to the company.
“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. “Together, Paramount and Warner Bros. will form a creative-first home with the scale, imagination and technology to define entertainment for a generation.”
Other top corporate executives include Dennis Cinelli as chief financial officer, Makan Delrahim as chief legal officer and president of global corporate affairs, Dane Glasgow as chief product officer, Rebecca Mall as chief marketing officer and Melissa Zukerman as chief communications officer.
Each of the leaders will report directly to Ellison and Kreiz, according to the company.