Shari Redstone has made her first move of the Paramount Skydance era by investing in and becoming chair of Israeli studio Sipur.
The former Paramount Global Chair and President of the Redstone Family Foundation has made a significant investment in Sipur, we understand. She will work actively with Sipur’s co-founders, CEO Emilio Schenker and Gideon Tadmor, along with Schenker’s leadership team, to build up Sipur and expand its reach internationally. Sipur’s other investors include ex-CBS Entertainment chief Nancy Tellem, along with Tadmor, Bank HaPoalim and Clal Insurance. It also has a deal in place with MGM.
Sipur is the Israeli studio behind the likes of Bad Boy and Emmy-winning October 7 doc We Will Dance Again that recently backed international projects including Gus Van Sant’s Dead Man’s Wire, James Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg and Hagai Levi’s Etty.
Redstone and Schenker met initially at the U.S. premiere of We Will Dance Again, which airs on Paramount+ in the States. Investing in and becoming Chair of Sipur is her first big move since Paramount’s protracted and high-profile $8B Skydance merger. Redstone has exited as the new David Ellison era begins. “I will be cheering for you every step of the way,” she said in her final message to staff last month at the media company her father took over nearly 30 years ago.
Of Sipur, Redstone said: “Not only does Sipur produce high-quality commercial content, the team also brings to life stories that drive conversation, impact and change. In doing this, Emilio and the team have developed a great business model that is unique and highly needed in the industry.”
Schenker added: “I am deeply appreciative and profoundly inspired by Shari Redstone’s decision to join Sipur as Chair after leading one of the world’s great studios with such strength, clarity and purpose. The story of having one of the most influential and visionary figures in our industry and Sipur coming together feels like one of those rare and powerful moments when the plot takes an unexpected twist – one that changes everything for the better.”
Over the summer, Schenker told us about Sipur’s “very interesting niche,” which he described as “building an IP machine that can create longlasting IP for a long time for a fraction of the fraction it would cost you to create that IP in the U.S. market.”
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