- David Ellison envisions Paramount as a tech-media powerhouse.
- His plans include AI, streaming, and cloud services.
- However, the feasibility of this transformation remains uncertain.
David Ellison, the Hollywood producer set to acquire Paramount, sees the acquisition not just as buying a struggling movie studio and television conglomerate but also as obtaining the building blocks for what will eventually be a “World-Class Media and Technology Enterprise.”
Oracle’s Influence? Not Quite
Despite earlier suggestions that Ellison’s plan for reviving Paramount involved infusing the company with tech and tech know-how from his father’s company, Oracle, the Paramount-powered-by-Oracle pitch doesn’t quite make sense.
However, Ellison is definitely leaning on the idea that he’s building a media company that is also a tech company.
Ellison, mentored by Steve Jobs, believes in the symbiotic relationship between art and technology, quoting Jobs and Pixar leader John Lasseter: “the art challenges the technology and the technology inspires the art.”
Ellison’s plans include making Paramount’s streaming service better, using cloud servers, and utilizing AI tools to enhance creativity while driving production efficiencies.
A familiar refrain
Ellison’s tech + media pitch sounds great in theory, but it’s also a head-scratcher.
As a producer who makes and sells movies and TV shows, Ellison’s vision reminds us of the 2015 era when digital publishers claimed to be tech companies that made media, only to turn out to be media companies after all.
While tech and media are intertwined, the bigger question remains: can Ellison truly transform Paramount into a tech-media powerhouse?
