Ari Emanuel is the tenacious super agent disrupting Hollywood as we know it. With strong ambitions to shake up the rigid entertainment industry, he worked his way up from the mailroom at the CAA talent agency to become one of the most important people in Hollywood. On Monday, his company Endeavor Inc. sealed a $21bn deal to acquire the WWE wrestling franchise along with Mixed Martial Arts franchise the UFC. This makes the Endeavor Entertainment Group one of the biggest combat sport and entertainment companies in the world.
Emanuel was born with dyslexia and attention deficit disorder and showed a tenacious attitude as a child. He ran a lawn-mowing business, charged customers and pocketed the difference. This talent for dealmaking got him noticed and in 1997, Vince McMahon – the professional wrestling impresario – hired him as his agent.
Emanuel founded the management agency Endeavor in 1995. He had big aspirations to take on the entertainment industry. An aggressive dealmaker, he absorbed about 20 companies, growing Endeavor into an entertainment giant with 11,000 employees across the world, and a client roster that included Oprah Winfrey and Martin Scorsese.
As an executive, Emanuel is known for a relentless ambition and a foul-mouthed temper that inspired the popular HBO show Entourage. People who have worked with him have said he’s indefatigable, knocking on doors and calling people.
Emanuel’s WWE deal is a colossal bet on live events and sports. To make this happen, Endeavor had to buy out UFC’s minority owners and floated the company. This awarded Emanuel a $308mn pay package for 2021.
After the deal, the company’s share price faced a 6% drop, but Emanuel has a history of beating his naysayers. For instance, he attempted to take Endeavor public in 2019 but events led to the plug being pulled.
Emanuel is also known for a health obsession which includes a vegan diet and early mornings. There’s also a picture of him with Elon Musk in a yacht, a testament to Emanuel’s physical endurance.
Emanuel’s older brother is Ezekiel, who is an oncologist and previously an adviser to the Obama and Biden administrations. His third brother Rahm serves as ex-president Barack Obama’s White House chief of staff and mayor of Chicago and is now the US Ambassador to Japan.
Ari Emanuel has shocked the entertainment industry with his bold moves, becoming a powerful agent and mogul in the process. He continues to make more deals and investments in entertainment, proving that this tenacious super agent is one of the most disruptive forces in Hollywood.
