On Thursday, the closing of the $8.4 billion merger of Paramount Global and Skydance Media ushered in a new era for the iconic entertainment company, and a new Hollywood mogul: David Ellison , CEO of Paramount, a Skydance Corporation.

Ellison, a film producer and the founder of Skysance, is rapidly becoming a household name amid intense media coverage of the biggest deal in entertainment and media this year. His father and partner in the deal, Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison, has long been famous as one of the richest men in the world. Less well known, however, is the other guy behind the deal: Gerry Cardinale of the private equity firm RedBird Capital.

With RedBird’s $2 billion stake in Skydance’s $8 billion acquisition of Paramount Global, Cardinale has been a key player in

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