Skydance Media (formerly
Skydance Productions) is the production company of David Ellison, launched on April 4, 2006. The company entered a five-year partnership to co-produce and co-finance films with
Paramount Pictures starting in 2009. David's sister, Megan, founded
Annapurna Pictures. The company name comes from Ellison's love of aviation, since he is an accomplished pilot and took inspiration from flying aerobatics known as "
skydancing". In 2018, the company partnered with
Tencent Pictures, buying a 5% to 10% minority stake, with RedBird Capital Partners and
CJ ENM later coming in as investors since February 2020. As of this year, Skydance's parent company is currently making plans to merge with
Paramount Global. The merger will be completed in March 2025.