The office is spacious with a spectacular view. Add a treadmill desk, and it’s an ideal setting for Hollywood superagent Ari Emanuel. The TV character Ari Gold from HBO’s ‘Entourage’ was based on him.
Emanuel’s journey to the top began at the bottom in the mailroom. “You’d be picking food up in the morning, copying scripts from all the different agents,” he said. He made daily trips around Los Angeles, delivering scripts to producers, directors, and actors. “You come back, you’d have a morning run and a night run,” he added. Despite describing the job as unpleasant, he recognized that all those deliveries paid off. Now, he leads WME Group, a major talent agency representing Denzel Washington, Adele, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Bruno Mars, and Adam Sandler. Emanuel also serves as chairman of TKO, which owns UFC and WWE.
“I’m a really hard worker,” he stated. “I’ve created a culture, and people that follow me. So, I still might be a moron. But certain people think I’m actually good at my job. And so, that’s good!”
At 65, Emanuel shares his story in a memoir, Roll the Calls, published by Knopf. Though someone asked him if he’s happy after reading the book, he described himself as “satisfied-ish, and happy-ish.” He views himself as competitive, emphasizing that he loves to compete and win.
Growing up a few miles north of Chicago in an atmosphere where the focus was on meaning and self-improvement, Emanuel describes a family unafraid of confrontation. His mother was a civil rights activist and his father a doctor. His brothers, Rahm, former Chief of Staff for President Obama and Mayor of Chicago, and Zeke, a renowned bio-ethicist and oncologist, helped set high expectations. “In our family, we’d come in, and your grades would be up,” he noted.
A childhood marked by dyslexia and bullying led to a defining moment: defending himself and others by standing up to a bully. “So, you know, I’m with special ed, and the football team’s downstairs. One of these football players is making fun of this kid in special ed with me, and I just asked him, you know, cut it out.” His response was to defend himself and take action.
His love for television and movies fueled his ambition to become an agent. An agent, Emanuel explained, helps turn dreams into reality by negotiating fees, getting scripts made, and raising funds, among other tasks. He is comfortable with conflict, viewing bad guys as just part of the job.
A key moment in his career was leaving CAA and enduring a tense conversation with legendary agent Mike Ovitz, who said leaving wouldn’t be good for him. Emanuel perceived it as a threat and defended himself. “There were moments in life early on where it was ‘Shoot, aim.’ That’s not the case anymore,” he confessed, though noting his combative instincts remain.
Emanuel remains optimistic about show business. “Telling stories is human nature,” he said. “It’s always been around. It’s not going anywhere. Is AI and other things going to make it better? I think so.” As the industry changes, he expects there to be more movies and television, even if it affects the size of writers’ rooms.
When asked about his legacy, Emanuel dismissed the notion. “That’s such a bulls**t phrase. That’s all flagellation. This whole concept, ‘What will my legacy be?’ Complete crap.” He instead focuses on having a meaningful life.
For more information on Roll the Calls, it is available as a hardcover, large print trade paperback, eBook, and audio format.