Ynon Kreiz Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images Could David Ellison be turning to a veteran chief executive to join the combined Paramount–Warner Bros?
Shortly after Mattel announced that Ynon Kreiz would be leaving the toy giant for another role at a public company this morning, the rumor mill was buzzing that he could be returning to the entertainment business, specifically at Ellison’s combined Paramount-Warner Bros.
Kreiz could not be appointed to any position at the combined company until judge Martínez-Olguín signs off on its settlement with state attorneys general and the deal officially closes.
Paramount was not available for comment.
Kreiz, of course, is no stranger to the entertainment business or to Warner Bros. He was the chief executive responsible for pushing Mattel into entertainment, with box office hits like Barbie. Warners already has a Hot Wheels movie in the works, to be directed by Jon M. Chu.
He previously served as the president of Maker Studios (where he negotiated its sale to Disney), and before that was the CEO of the European production company Endemol.
An industry insider said that Kreiz would be a “formidable” hire for Ellison, given his experience in both entertainment and global operations.
His addition to the Paramount-Warners leadership team would give the combined company a veteran operational hand to work alongside Ellison, whose background is in the creative side of the business. Kreiz joined Mattel in 2018, and led the company through both the COVID-19 pandemic and President Trump’s tariffs, each of which were incredibly challenging problems to deal with for a company with as large a global footprint as Mattel.
When Ellison’s Skydance first acquired Paramount, the company brought on former NBCUniversal chief Jeff Shell to serve as president, though Shell left the company earlier this year after facing a lawsuit from a whistleblower that claimed he shared confidential information (that suit was settled).
On Tuesday, Paramount streaming chief Cindy Holland announced her exit from the company, suggesting that HBO’s Casey Bloys would take over the streaming business once the deal closed.
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