Warner Bros Discovery chief David Zaslav spoke fiercely about the power of storytelling and warned that “when the government controls the news, that is the end of democracy” on Thursday during his speech at the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Humanitarian Dinner, where he was being honored for his humanitarian and philanthropic works.
The annual gala at the Beverly Wilshire’s gilded ballroom drew a who’s who of the media and entertainment industry, which is facing major changes as this week Zaslav’s own WBD officially put itself up for sale.
Attendees at the dinner included Stephen Spielberg, who introduced Zaslav tonight, along with CNN anchor and Jewish Heritage Award recipient Dana Bash, Pulp Fiction and Red Alert producer Lawrence Bender — and a certain David Ellison. Holding court and a lot of attention at the high-profile event, the newly minted Paramount boss has made multiple bids for WBD in an effort to make the House that Jack Warner built part of his own Hollywood empire.
On the same night that it emerged Netflix was doing due diligence on making a bid on some of WBD (even as co-CEO Ted Sarandos was among the attendees), and Comcast signaling interest as well, Ellison and his father, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, are finding their “High Noon” standoff with Zaslav getting a little more crowded than they probably wanted. Many may have even been one or two tables over.
(L-R) David Zaslav, Steven Spielberg, Dana Bash and David Ellison
Courtesy/Getty
There seemed to be a palpable buzz in the Four Season-owned hotel’s ballroom, though everyone was on their best behavior, with other attendees including Jeffrey Katzenberg, The Pitt‘s Noah Wyle, Diane Warren, Irving Azoff, David Geffen, Jason Alexander, and A House of Dynamite producer Sarah Bremner,.
Also there were CNN icon Wolf Blitzer (who narrated and appeared in the video tribute to Bash), New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft (who appeared prominently in the tribute video to old buddy Zas), and Ellison’s Paramount Praetorian Guard of Makan Delrahim, Melissa Zukerman, Dana Goldberg, Josh Greenstein and Josh Goldstine. Along with Zas, and the CNNers, fellow WBD toppers Casey Bloys, Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, and Channing Dungey were in the room too.
As moguls and other big name guests moved from table to table tonight between speeches and meal services, it was noticeable in a Red Wedding way that Ellison and Zaslav did not break bread nor gab. In fact, separated by just a few tables, the two Davids seemed more set on ignoring each other rather than avoiding each other.
On-stage, it was all congeniality and sincerity.
After Dana Bash was honored (“It tells you a lot about the time we’re in that being a Jew in the media gets you an award,” the anchor quipped during her remarks), Katzenberg introduced Zaslav, joking that the WBD boss was loved by “almost everybody in this room.” It got a big laugh. A tribute video featured praise from the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Ari Emanuel, Gloria Steinem, Graydon Carter and NFL team owner Kraft.
In his own remarks, Spielberg called Zaslav “a warrior” against antisemitism and hate, praising him for his “persistence.”
Zaslav in his speech got surprisingly personal about his family’s trials, triumphs and their escape from persecution in Poland to create a new life in America. The CEO exalted the U.S. for the freedom and opportunities it offered. Speaking of the connections he has to Poland now, both personally and professionally, Zasalv later noted how a previous right-wing government in the Russia-bordering nation tried to take control of the a 24-hour news network WBD owned there, and the successful fight to keep it on the air.
“Storytelling can be more powerful than armies,” he said. “What stories we tell will be our legacy.”
(L-R) Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Zaslav on Thursday
Dominic Patten/Deadline
Along with the acknowledgment of Zaslav’s charitable and philanthropic work, especially battling against antisemitism, the night also saw Aya Meydan and Omer Shem Tov receive the SWC’s Medal of Valor.
The latter was taken hostage at the Nova Music Festival by Hamas during their horrific October 7, 2023 attack on Israeli communities bordering Gaza. Held for 505 days filled with abuse and isolation up to almost the end, Shem Tov was freed in February of this year. Kibbutz Be’eri resident and triathlete Meydan was saved out biking on October 7 by Bedouin worker Hisham Alkarnawi as Hamas fighters closed in, guns blazing. The duo hid for hours until family member of Hisham came to rescue them and get Meydan to the incoming IDF.
Another element of the evening was the praise of SWC’s Moriah Media’s Oded Davidoff- and Daniel Finkelstein-created and -directed One Day in October. Detailing the events and stories of October 7, the seven-episode drama (called Red Dawn in Israel) premiered on WBD’s HBO Max on October 7 of this year.
This year’s gala raised $4.3 million.
For all the deal drama in the room, this year’s dinner was a far cry from the 2024 SWC gathering.
Held in May of last year, the dinner saw walkouts and howls of dissent as Ari Emanuel tore into Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over what the super-agent saw as an overkill response to the October 7 attacks. “The time for Bibi Netanyahu to go has come,” the TKO Group boss said from the stage in a sometimes less assertive than usual voice as the likes of Larry David, then Amazon Prime Video boss Jennifer Salke and spouse Bert Salke, Jeffery and Marilyn Katzenberg, powerhouse attorney Patty Glaser and husband Sam, and other looked on.
