Skydance is losing one of its longest-serving executives.
Jesse Sisgold, the former president and COO of Skydance Media, who most recently led Paramount’s Paramount Sports Entertainment division, is leaving the company. He will join RedBird Capital Partners, a strategic partner of Skydance, as a senior C-suite advisor across the company’s sports and entertainment portfolio.
Skydance CEO David Ellison informed staff of Sisgold’s departure in a memo Wednesday, which was seen by The Hollywood Reporter.
“I simply could not have built Skydance without him,” Ellison wrote in the memo. “From the beginning, he helped define our strategy, then worked hard to bring it to fruition. He played an integral role in building our interactive business, raised the capital that fueled our growth, and forged relationships that fundamentally changed the trajectory of the company – with Tencent, RedBird, CJ ENM and KKR. He helped us create Skydance Animation Madrid and ultimately guided us through the merger with Paramount. There are very few parts of Skydance that Jesse has not been touched, shaped or improved.”
Sisgold joined Skydance in 2014 to lead strategy and business affairs, and was elevated to COO later that year. He also ran Skydance Sports, until the creation of Paramount Sports Entertainment when Skydance acquired Paramount last year.
You can read Ellison\’s note below.
Team,
I wanted to share with you some news from someone who has been by my side through much of what we’ve built at Skydance – my longtime colleague and close friend, Jesse Sisgold. After over a decade helping to build Skydance, Jesse has made the decision to step away from his official role with the company. But fortunately, it doesn’t go far.
You can’t tell the story of Skydance without Jesse. He helped start this business with me. When we were 14 people working in a bungalow on the Paramount Lot, Jesse was there – helping us imagine, build and shape the future we live in today.
He also joined Skydance at a time when it was, in every sense of the word, a family business. His father-in-law, Skip Brittenham, was one of my first advisors in Hollywood and someone who had a huge impact on me. When we lost Skip last year, it reminded us how important those early relationships are — and how lucky I was to have people like Jesse by my side for so many times.
I simply could not have built Skydance without him. From the first days, he helped define our strategy and then worked hard to make it a reality. He played a critical role in building our interactive business, raised the capital that fueled our growth, and forged relationships that fundamentally changed the trajectory of the company – with Tencent, RedBird, CJ ENM, and KKR. He helped us create Skydance Animation Madrid and ultimately helped us complete the merger with Paramount. There are very few parts of Skydance that Jesse hasn’t touched, shaped, or improved.
And then, because Jesse is Jesse, he decided to do even more.
Jesse was instrumental in building Skydance Sports with the NFL, and following our merger with Paramount, he expanded that foundation into Paramount Sports Entertainment, transforming it into a unified platform spanning sports storytelling, gaming and fan engagement. Under his leadership, Skydance Sports renewed its partnership with the NFL, earned ten Sports Emmy nominations and delivered #1 releases on four platforms. He leaves the company with a clear strategy, an exceptional team and a roster that continues to raise the bar.
This is the kind of work we expect from him, because if you know Jesse, you know he’s a builder and entrepreneur at heart. He loves seeing around corners, finding the next opportunity and figuring out how to turn an idea into something real. After more than a decade of doing just that here, he wants the freedom to do it in a much broader landscape. I understand that and I’m excited for him.
And there’s something fitting about the direction Jesse takes next.
In 2019, Jesse, Gerry Cardinale and I sat down together. None of us knew exactly where it would lead, but what came out of that meeting would help transform Skydance – and Gerry would become a wonderful partner and friend along the way. Jesse will now serve as a senior advisor to Gerry and the RedBird team across their entire sports and entertainment portfolio, based in Beverly Hills. And most importantly for us, he will remain close to Skydance and continue to work with us on sports and entertainment opportunities.
So even though Jesse is stepping away from his official role, I don’t really think about that when Jesse leaves Skydance. He helped build this place. It is part of its DNA. And he will always be part of this family.
Jesse, I don’t know if I can thank you enough for everything you’ve done for Skydance – and for me – over the last decade. The company we are today simply wouldn’t exist without you. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built, and even more grateful for the friendship that comes with it.
I can’t wait to see what you do next – and I can’t wait to see everything we continue to do together in the future.
David
Gn entert
