Skydance Extends 4 Top Executives Through 2032, Raising Ellison Pay to $5 Million
Updated
Updated · Deadline · Oct 6
Skydance Extends 4 Top Executives Through 2032, Raising Ellison Pay to $5 Million
3 articles · Updated · Deadline · Oct 6
Summary
Skydance renewed contracts for CEO David Ellison, President Andrew Brandon-Gordon, CFO Dennis Cinelli and legal chief Makan Delrahim, with terms now running into 2031 and 2032 after the Paramount-WBD merger closed Tuesday.
Base salaries rose to $5 million for Ellison, $4 million for Brandon-Gordon and Delrahim, and $3.4 million for Cinelli; target annual bonuses increased to $5 million for Ellison and $2.6 million for each of the other three.
Starting in 2027, the four become eligible for annual equity awards that climb sharply by 2031, reaching $20 million for Ellison, $13.4 million for Brandon-Gordon and Delrahim, and $12.5 million for Cinelli.
Merger-close payouts also kicked in: Ellison gets a $50 million cash award plus $100 million in RSUs, while Brandon-Gordon and Delrahim receive $15 million and $12.5 million in cash, respectively, alongside stock awards.
Warner Bros. Discovery separately disclosed transaction bonuses for departing executives including CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels and Bruce Campbell, while CEO David Zaslav exits with a package previously pegged at at least about $550 million.