Shari Redstone’s Next Act: Mogul Named Chair of ‘We Will Dance Again’ and ‘Bad Boy’ Studio Sipur

Shari Redstone isn’t exiting the media business just yet.

A few months after handing over the keys to Paramount, the mogul has been named chair of the board for the global entertainment studio Sipur (it means “story” in Hebrew), best known for its Emmy-winning Oct. 7 documentaryWe Will Dance Again and the Netflix drama series Bad Boy.

Currently president of the Redstone Family Foundation, the former Paramount Global chair will work actively with Sipur’s co-founders, CEO Emilio Schenker and business leader Gideon Tadmor, along with their leadership team, to continue bringing the studio’s work to a global audience.

Redstone is an investor in the Israel-based studio, which endeavors to develop, produce, license and distribute content at a fraction of the cost of traditional Hollywood projects.

Redstone, of course, shepherded Paramount through its sale to David Ellison and Skydance, officially signing off from the company that her father, Sumner Redstone, created earlier this summer.

”I believe I can take it on faith that many on this call understand the enormous importance of this business to my family and to me,” Redstone told shareholders on her final earnings call as chair. “While it is never easy to step away, please know that it has been an honor for my family and for me, to serve as stewards of these assets for decades.”

Now free of her Paramount obligations, Redstone is turning to an entertainment upstart for her next act in media.

“I am enormously excited to work with Emilio, Gideon and the Sipur team to help build on their success in creating a truly international film and TV studio, based in Israel, and developing and distributing content around the world,” Redstone said in a statement. “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.”

Sipur launched in 2019 with a first look at MGM Television, Redstone and Schenker first connected at the U.S. premiere for We Will Dance Again, a film which chronicled the October 7, 2023, terror attack at the Nova Music Festival. Paramount was involved in that project through Susan Zirinsky’s See It Now Studios, which helped bring it to Paramount+.

“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,” Schenker added. “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.”

“I’m extremely delighted and honored to welcome Shari as our new Chair of the Board,” added Tadmor. “Shari’s leading position in the entertainment and media industry and her vast experience and passion will enable Sipur to shape its exciting new chapter and become a unique significant global studio.”