RedBird Capital’s $2 billion power play: Meet Gerry Cardinale, the private equity kingmaker behind the Paramount–Skydance deal

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...