What I saw as David Ellison's Skydance rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange

Skydance shares rose more than 5% on Thursday but are down 30% this year and have lost nearly half their value in the last 12 months. Those losses didn’t stop Ellison from projecting confidence.

“We are positioned to win in every single vertical that we operate in,” Ellison told CNBC at the NYSE before ringing the opening bell. “By combining Paramount and Warner Bros., we have the greatest content engine with marquee intellectual property.”

Here are 18 photos I took at Skydance’s opening bell ceremony.

A giant Skydance banner was draped over the front of the New York Stock Exchange for the ceremony, along with some of the new company’s biggest brands

Inside, Skydance’s new logo was everywhere, next to those of Warner Bros. and Paramount

Skydance displayed props from some of its biggest hits, including this helmet from the best-picture nominee ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

Also on display were props from Harry Potter, including this Gryffindor uniform and a Golden Snitch

Shoes from Paramount’s best picture-winning ‘Forrest Gump’ were also in the lobby

The NYSE trading floor was bustling with people connected to Paramount, Skydance, and RedBird Capital (a major Skydance investor)

New Skydance co-CEO Ynon Kreiz (left center) and CEO David Ellison (right center) took the trading floor

I had a front-row view as Skydance’s leadership team gathered ahead of the opening bell

Ellison was front and center, flanked by the team he assembled to lead the new media giant

Ellison and his fellow executives posed for the crowd

Skydance’s executives were jubilant as Ellison rang the opening bell

Ellison and his team clapped and shook each other’s hands, congratulating themselves after months of waiting to buy WBD

Ellison and his team then left the perch from which they rang the opening bell

A backdrop emblazoned with Skydance’s logos next to those of Paramount and Warner Bros. marked the new company’s appearance

Ellison and Kreiz then met with officials on the NYSE trading floor

Ellison and his colleagues posed for photos to commemorate the launch of their new company

Kreiz (left) took in the scene, less than a week after leaving his role as Mattel’s CEO to join Skydance

Kreiz, Ellison, and a trader posed as Skydance shares rose in early trading