At the head of Endeavor, Ari Emanuel reigns over the world of entertainment and art. From sports betting to mixed martial arts to modeling, the businessman now has a fortune of one billion dollars.
Born in 1961 in Chicago, Ari Emanuel grew up alongside his sister and two brothers, Rham (former chief of staff to Obama and now mayor of Chicago) and Ezekiel (breast oncologist and head of the department of bioethics at the Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health). “Raised in a family where education was a top priority, he had to read the newspaper every day to keep up with the news and defend his political opinions every night at the family table” tells The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity about Ari Emanuel, diagnosed as dyslexic and hyperactive in CE2.
The Hollywood tycoon
Gifted in mathematics but having more difficulty in language and English, little Ari takes classes in a public school and with private teachers to fill his gaps. In high school, he is placed in special education, a curriculum that he describes as “brutal” even if the young man knew how to fight back. Even today, he is the spokesperson for dyslexic disorders and ADHD (attention deficit with or without hyperactivity).
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After graduating from Macalester in 1983 with a specialization in economics and computer science and a short career in racquetball, he began working in Los Angeles in the late 1980s as an art agent for the television industry.
With an increasingly solid reputation, he founded the agency Endeavor in 1995 with three colleagues. Feeling the wind turn in the film industry, Ari Emanuel diversifies its activities in production or marketing related to films while managing the careers of hundreds of artists and great names of the 7th art and music. Including Matt Damon, Robert Redford, Halle Berry, Beyoncé, Samuel L. Jackson, Emma Stone and Charlize Theron. He is described by the New York Times as “the most influential personality in Hollywood”.
Successful businesses
In 2009, Endeavor merged with William Morris Agency, another art agency founded in 1918 and also known as WMA, to form William Morris Endeavor (WME). This connection brings new talent and strengthens the legitimacy of Ari Emanuel in Hollywood.
Five years later, in 2014, WME buys the IMG group for $2.3 billion (estimated). The businessman and his team get their hands on sports events, fashion weeks and a new model agency, IMG Models. Ari Emanuel acquires the UFC, the leading mixed martial arts organization known for its MMA fights. The general manager of the company, Dana White, also produces the surprising slap fights Power Slap, very fashionable in the United States.
In 2017, WME is officially renamed Endeavor. Three years later, the firm buys OpenBet, a sports betting company for $1.2 billion. In 2023, Endeavor merged the UFC and WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment, which specializes in organizing sporting events and entertainment, including wrestling. This new set is 51% owned by the shareholders of Endeavor and 49% by WWE.
The Hollywood titan, a major Democratic donor before the decline of Joe Biden, is now close to the team of Elon Musk in the billionaire’s battle to control OpenAI.
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He built his reputation on his work, but also on his image as a desirable businessman, which inspired the character of Ari Gold in the series Entourage.
This year, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires’ Index, Ari Emanuel is in that category. He received $84 million in remuneration in 2024, between his salary, bonuses and share allocations.
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Featured photo: © LinkedIn Ari Emanuel
