Skydance Chairman & CEO David Ellison and Skydance Co-CEO Ynon Kreiz rang the New York Stock Exchange Opening Bell
Ellison told CNBC on Thursday that the combined company is “positioned to win in every single vertical that we operate in.”
Skydance includes film studios Paramount and Warner Bros.; the CBS broadcast network; a sprawling pay TV portfolio that includes CNN, TNT, MTV and BET; and streaming services Paramount+ and HBO Max.
“By combining Paramount and Warner Bros, we have the greatest content engine,” Ellison said. Specifically noting blockbuster intellectual property and a strong sports portfolio. “You’re immediately getting to scale in streaming between HBO Max and Paramount+, over 200 million global streaming subscribers. … Not to mention the Olympics internationally and an incredibly profitable linear portfolio, anchored by CBS.”
Ellison and co-CEO Ynon Kreiz plan to split executive duties. With that arrangement, Ellison will focus on the company’s creative vision, technological innovations and long-term strategy. Meanwhile, Kreiz leads the integration of the two companies and handles day-to-day management and operations.
“We have a unique opportunity to build the next generation media and entertainment global company that is powered by creativity and technology,” Kreiz said.
LuminoCity Holiday Lights Festival Celebrates Five Years at Eisenhower Park with Its First Holiday Train Ride
LuminoCity Holiday Lights Festival returns to Nassau County’s Eisenhower Park for its fifth year. The experience runs November 11, 2026, through January 3, 2027. Spanning 14 acres, this year’s festival debuts the Lumi Express, Eisenhower Park’s first holiday train ride. Furthermore,expect children’s artwork, and new family attractions across four immersive worlds. [LuminoCity]
Chef Daniel Boulud Opens Brasserie Boulud
Today, acclaimed chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud celebrates the highly anticipated opening of Brasserie Boulud at 1900 Broadway—One Lincoln Plaza. This is directly across from the iconic Lincoln Center on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
Designed by celebrated architect David Rockwell, the expansive restaurant offers a fresh interpretation of the classic French brasserie. Timeless yet distinctly modern, rooted in the culinary traditions of France and infused with the unmistakable energy and rhythm of New York City. The opening marks a new chapter for the celebrated address. It has long been part of the Upper West Side’s dining landscape.
Renowned as a Michelin-starred French chef who has built his reputation over the past four decades in the United States, Boulud returns to his roots with this vibrant new restaurant. The completely redesigned space brings together and reimagines the address that had long been home to three of his beloved concepts. Including Boulud Sud, Bar Boulud, and Épicerie Boulud. The extensive menu features classic dishes such as Seafood Tower, French Onion Soup, Steak Frites, Lobster Soufflé, and Boudin Blanc. In addition, a rotation of seasonal daily specials, from Dover Sole, Lamb Daube, and Duck Pie to Salt-Baked Branzino. Wide-ranging and varied, the selection references not only European tradition but also Boulud’s own culinary legacy. Notably reintroducing his cult-favorite DB Burger.
ICA Names Byron Berkley Board Member Emeritus
The Independent Cinema Alliance (ICA), a leading cinema trade organization representing approximately 5,000 independently operated movie screens across the United States and Canada, today announced that its Board of Directors has unanimously voted to name longtime industry leader and ICA founding board member Byron Berkley a Board Member Emeritus. This recognizes his service to the organization and leadership on behalf of independent theatrical exhibition. [Cinema Alliance]
Why Mark Zuckerberg Is a Mere Supporting Character in the New Facebook Movie
Nearly every scene in the 2010 movie “The Social Network” features Mark Zuckerberg.
In this year’s follow up, “The Social Reckoning,” which is in theaters this week, Zuckerberg is a supporting character.
Rather than doing a deeper dive into the Meta CEO, the new film, written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, centers on then-Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White) and Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison), as they work to expose how the company knew about and failed to fix elements of its platforms that were causing harm. Zuckerberg, now played by Jeremy Strong, looms over the narrative, but doesn’t interact directly with the protagonists.
What piqued Sorkin’s interest was the story of Haugen and Horwitz, the latter of whom currently works for Reuters. (You can read the original Wall Street Journal investigation here.) Sorkin was specifically inspired when he learned how Haugen’s concerns about social media’s impact were shaped by losing a friendship with someone who had become interested in radical viewpoints online. [WSJ]
