1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:05,920 Speaker 1: Aria Emmanuel is today one of the most important figures 2 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:09,119 Speaker 1: in the entertainment industry. In the mid nineties, he started 3 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:12,959 Speaker 1: Endeavor and built it into being a leading talent agency firm, representing, 4 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:16,480 Speaker 1: among others, Martin Scorsese. Today he's built Endeavor into being 5 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:19,360 Speaker 1: one of the leading entertainment and sports conglomerates in the world. 6 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:21,800 Speaker 1: I sat down with ar in his offices in New 7 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 1: York to discuss the entertainment industry and as firms future 8 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:28,360 Speaker 1: in it. So, you were a talent agent for much 9 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:31,680 Speaker 1: of your professional career, but now you're running a multi national, 10 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:35,720 Speaker 1: multi billion dollars sports entertainment conglomerates. So what's it like 11 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:40,360 Speaker 1: running a multinational sports company that's public as opposed to 12 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 1: being a talent agent. For me, it really feels natural 13 00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:48,080 Speaker 1: right now. Is definitely different because it's bigger. It's everything 14 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 1: I've ever dreamed of. I still do a lot of 15 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:57,440 Speaker 1: work with clients on the talent side, whether it be writer, director, actors, etcetera. UM, 16 00:00:57,480 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 1: But then there's the portion of my life where you're 17 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:04,000 Speaker 1: dealing with investors. You're dealing with how to grow the 18 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:07,640 Speaker 1: business where you want to go. A great training ground 19 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:11,800 Speaker 1: has been the town agency business, because you have to 20 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:14,520 Speaker 1: build a business for your clients. You have to make 21 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:17,600 Speaker 1: sure that they're happy. And now I'm doing all that 22 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:21,959 Speaker 1: plus doing stuff for the company, but also making sure 23 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:25,800 Speaker 1: that the shareholders are happy. To deal with quarterly earnings now, 24 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:28,399 Speaker 1: and that's a bit of a pain. Sometimes people would say, 25 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:31,280 Speaker 1: I don't really find it a pain. I don't know why, 26 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 1: and I guess. Uh. John Donahoe from Nike said to 27 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 1: me one time, Well, when the earnings are good, it's 28 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 1: an easy process. And they've been good for five quarters now. 29 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:45,320 Speaker 1: Um so right now, I feel good about the process. 30 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:48,160 Speaker 1: So we'll see. Maybe I don't. I'm feeling good where 31 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:51,279 Speaker 1: we sit and where the future looks, but I haven't 32 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: experienced the downside of that conversation. Talk about the future 33 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 1: of the entertainment business, Um, where do you think it's going. 34 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 1: You think there's going to be movie theaters forever where 35 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: everything will be streamed at some point. And as somebody 36 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:07,320 Speaker 1: represents talent, what are you telling talent about where they 37 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:10,840 Speaker 1: should be putting their efforts. When we started the agency march, 38 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 1: you know what everybody said, there's gonna be no more 39 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 1: dramas and no more television, So Here's what I would 40 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 1: say to you is distribution is going to change and 41 00:02:22,919 --> 00:02:25,799 Speaker 1: going to expand there's gonna be new technology to come 42 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 1: into our business. When the movie doesn't happen in DVDs, 43 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 1: I mean, it just keeps on expanding. And now you 44 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:35,600 Speaker 1: have digital, you have influencers, et cetera. The theatrical business 45 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 1: is as important as it ever been. Is there going 46 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:41,520 Speaker 1: to be a nine point three billion dollar business. Maybe 47 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:44,320 Speaker 1: it'd be an a billion dollar business. I'm not sure, 48 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:48,920 Speaker 1: but it's not going away. And anybody that says to you, 49 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 1: and I won't name names, that says the movie business 50 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:56,560 Speaker 1: over our fools, the movie business not over, the television 51 00:02:56,560 --> 00:02:59,760 Speaker 1: business on over We have new verticals which are content 52 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 1: on gambling, social content. It's it is just an expanding world. 53 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:11,680 Speaker 1: And so I think UM, as everybody is now on 54 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: the demand side of the business, fighting over distribution and content, 55 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 1: I've made a decision, and we've made a decision as 56 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:22,240 Speaker 1: a company to be on the supply side. And there's 57 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:27,880 Speaker 1: very few suppliers and in the end, the brands we 58 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:31,240 Speaker 1: own UM, whether it be the UFC bull Riding now, 59 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 1: Barrett Jackson and all the other Freeze or the clients 60 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:37,440 Speaker 1: we represent that are we're helping them become brands and 61 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 1: companies are going to be more valuable in the future 62 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:45,200 Speaker 1: than less valuable because as distribution expands and you have 63 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:48,880 Speaker 1: the supply side of that equation, and there's very few suppliers. 64 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:55,720 Speaker 1: UM economics improved. So during covid UM the production of 65 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 1: TV shows and movies kind of went down to and 66 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:01,480 Speaker 1: almost nothing. So what did a firm like yours do 67 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 1: Because you didn't have a lot of representation, you could 68 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:07,440 Speaker 1: do well in the first three or four months like 69 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:13,280 Speaker 1: most firms, cut costs, cut people, uh, put people you know, 70 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:17,040 Speaker 1: on hiatus. It was a horrible time because I'd never 71 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:18,720 Speaker 1: gone through this, and I don't think anybody has gone 72 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 1: through this. But the funny thing is, you know, by 73 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:25,240 Speaker 1: the end UM we had started working through it. On 74 00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:28,599 Speaker 1: the representation side and the events side. We did about 75 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:34,919 Speaker 1: seven d our economics. Even during covid we figured it 76 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 1: out by the end. On the on PBR at the 77 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:44,279 Speaker 1: time in ufc uh PBR was actually the first sport 78 00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:47,840 Speaker 1: back UM and the head of it, Sean kind of 79 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: figured that out how to do it with testing, et cetera. 80 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 1: And then Dana was very quickly right behind that, and 81 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:56,400 Speaker 1: Dana calls me up. He said, get me an island. 82 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:00,160 Speaker 1: I said, what he said, get me an island. I'm 83 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:03,000 Speaker 1: gonna put on fights. And he was like, we're going. 84 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:07,200 Speaker 1: Nobody's getting no, he's getting laid off. He's he's he's 85 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:12,000 Speaker 1: an incredible executive. And I said, okay, you know, I 86 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:14,840 Speaker 1: didn't know what to do. And then as you know, 87 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 1: you know, because i've seen you in in Abu Dhabi, Um, 88 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:22,760 Speaker 1: how doone called me? And he said, because it was 89 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:27,480 Speaker 1: rumors about this, And he says, why don't you come here. 90 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:32,919 Speaker 1: We'll give you an island and we'll figure out economics. 91 00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:36,320 Speaker 1: And I called up Dana and I said, here's the situation, 92 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:40,000 Speaker 1: here's the economics. He goes, we're going and we set 93 00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:43,920 Speaker 1: up in Abu Dhabi. I mean it's famous now, I 94 00:05:43,960 --> 00:05:47,640 Speaker 1: mean it kind of I think, really catapult the the 95 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:50,480 Speaker 1: sport in this horrible time, we set up Fight Island 96 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 1: and the that whole engine that Dana runs and and 97 00:05:55,240 --> 00:05:59,680 Speaker 1: Dana's force of nature. You know, we put we put 98 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:02,160 Speaker 1: the sport up on its feet and we we flew 99 00:06:02,200 --> 00:06:05,000 Speaker 1: everybody out, tested him, and we put the fights on. 100 00:06:05,080 --> 00:06:07,840 Speaker 1: It was crazy. Now you are one of three very 101 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:13,960 Speaker 1: famous brothers. You're holding for infamous or infamous. Your oldest brother, 102 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:17,919 Speaker 1: Zeke Emmanuel, is a very well known bioethicist and medical 103 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:21,159 Speaker 1: doctor and on TV a lot for his views on healthcare. 104 00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 1: Ram Emmanuel is now Ambassador Japan, previously was chief of 105 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:28,840 Speaker 1: staff to President Obama and also mayor of Chicago. Uh. 106 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:30,680 Speaker 1: And you are the youngest of the three brothers. Is 107 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:33,480 Speaker 1: that right? Or is? My father used to say, God 108 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:39,440 Speaker 1: rest this whole the picture. That's Yiddish for small. So Uh, 109 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:42,479 Speaker 1: what is it that your parents did that produced these 110 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:46,960 Speaker 1: three very talented children who are in different areas of life, 111 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:50,680 Speaker 1: but all have done quite well well. First of all, 112 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:56,480 Speaker 1: I would say, Uh, when we were growing up, one 113 00:06:56,520 --> 00:06:58,159 Speaker 1: of the things I try to do with my kids 114 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:01,599 Speaker 1: and I have four children, is they let us figure 115 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:04,640 Speaker 1: stuff out. They didn't program us every hour or what 116 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:06,839 Speaker 1: we were doing. You had to fend for yourself. You 117 00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 1: had to figure things out. And the other thing that 118 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:14,280 Speaker 1: my parents did is education was crucial um. And if 119 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:19,480 Speaker 1: you didn't perform ah, then there was punishment um, meaning 120 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:22,560 Speaker 1: you'd be grounded you you know, And there was competition 121 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:24,720 Speaker 1: of who got the better grades between the kids and 122 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:28,720 Speaker 1: so with those two things, and you know, my father 123 00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:32,480 Speaker 1: was a workaholic. He was a pediatrician, uh, and you 124 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:35,679 Speaker 1: kind of went around with him when he went on rounds. 125 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:37,880 Speaker 1: And on my mother's side, you know, she was a 126 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:41,400 Speaker 1: woman that went against the grain in the suburbs of Chicago, 127 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:45,400 Speaker 1: was very prominent in civil rights, which for that period 128 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:48,600 Speaker 1: of time was you know, nobody could believe that in 129 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:52,760 Speaker 1: Chicago and the suburbs. So you saw two people that 130 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:57,520 Speaker 1: were willing to go out and be themselves. Let us 131 00:07:57,640 --> 00:08:00,520 Speaker 1: be ourselves, um, and then get gave us some pretty 132 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:04,160 Speaker 1: good guardrails. Have You've achieved what you've achieved despite two 133 00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:06,960 Speaker 1: problems that some people would say might make it difficult. 134 00:08:07,240 --> 00:08:09,560 Speaker 1: One is, when you were growing up, your dyslexic and 135 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:12,360 Speaker 1: I guess you still have some dyslexia, and you had 136 00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:16,240 Speaker 1: attention deficit disorder, which um, some people have as well. 137 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:18,600 Speaker 1: Maybe some people say definitely have not gotten over that. 138 00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 1: So okay, those are things that may sometimes go together, 139 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:25,559 Speaker 1: dyslexia and attention deficits order. How did you overcome those? 140 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:28,840 Speaker 1: And they still challenges for you. When I was growing up, 141 00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:34,120 Speaker 1: I had, you know, my mother, and she made sure 142 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:37,040 Speaker 1: that I was going to graduate high school. I was 143 00:08:37,080 --> 00:08:38,439 Speaker 1: going to go to college and I was going to 144 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:42,000 Speaker 1: learn how to read. And the good thing about it 145 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:46,800 Speaker 1: is UM. I think it's a superpower. Now. Back then 146 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:49,559 Speaker 1: I hated it. I mean I remember crying every day 147 00:08:49,559 --> 00:08:51,120 Speaker 1: when I had to go to the reading teacher for 148 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:54,200 Speaker 1: three hours and sit in there like front window. And 149 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:58,839 Speaker 1: it was horrible with my A d h D and UM. 150 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:02,160 Speaker 1: But now, because of the diversity of my business, the 151 00:09:02,200 --> 00:09:04,000 Speaker 1: A d H D and enables me to kind of 152 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:07,840 Speaker 1: move around and focus a lot on specific businesses and 153 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:11,000 Speaker 1: and the dyslexia for whatever reason, and I think money 154 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:14,200 Speaker 1: people have different points of view on dyslexia. It does 155 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:16,839 Speaker 1: enable me to kind of think in a different way. 156 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:20,319 Speaker 1: One of the things that happens when you're dyslexic also 157 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:23,080 Speaker 1: you utilize a lot of people around you to help 158 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:28,440 Speaker 1: you learn. And in business that has translated to making 159 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:31,720 Speaker 1: sure that you trust a lot of people. I'm not 160 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:34,360 Speaker 1: afraid to risk because I was made, you know, kind 161 00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:37,080 Speaker 1: of I went through a lot of tough times reading 162 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:41,320 Speaker 1: UM and embarrassment, so nothing now kind of shakes me up. 163 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:45,720 Speaker 1: And and then when you're running a company, if you 164 00:09:45,840 --> 00:09:47,840 Speaker 1: empower a lot of people to help you get to 165 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:49,840 Speaker 1: the end goal, which is what you have to do. 166 00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:54,280 Speaker 1: When you're dyslexic, you're more successful. And so I mean 167 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:58,040 Speaker 1: those are now attributes and powerful things in my life. 168 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:00,120 Speaker 1: Before they were very difficult. How did you have when 169 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:02,040 Speaker 1: I go to my Callister College, a very good school, 170 00:10:02,040 --> 00:10:05,160 Speaker 1: but not as well known as some other schools, you know. 171 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:07,400 Speaker 1: I applied to Amhurst, which my brother Zeke went to. 172 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:12,880 Speaker 1: I didn't get in. I got deferred from Bowden. Callister 173 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:17,160 Speaker 1: accepted me. But later, if you graduated, you became a 174 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:20,520 Speaker 1: professional racquetball player. For a while. I played racquetball for 175 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:22,440 Speaker 1: about a year and a half. Yeah, is that an 176 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:24,679 Speaker 1: easy way to make money? No? I was going to 177 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:27,199 Speaker 1: go to business school, try to get to the Northwestern 178 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:30,080 Speaker 1: and I realized, you know, I don't really want to 179 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:32,600 Speaker 1: do that. And I turned to my father, who would 180 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:35,520 Speaker 1: go on to school in in Europe, and he said, 181 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:38,599 Speaker 1: he gave this is what's so great about my my 182 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:41,920 Speaker 1: my father when when he was alive, he said, here's 183 00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:45,640 Speaker 1: a credit card, here's some cash, no plan. Two days later, 184 00:10:45,720 --> 00:10:48,520 Speaker 1: I was in Paris. He called me up about eight 185 00:10:48,520 --> 00:10:50,880 Speaker 1: months later to a year later, I don't actually remember, 186 00:10:50,960 --> 00:10:54,480 Speaker 1: and he said it's time to come home, and I 187 00:10:54,559 --> 00:10:57,520 Speaker 1: came home, packed up my car in Minnesota, moved to 188 00:10:57,559 --> 00:11:02,400 Speaker 1: New York, and a friend of mine at the time, 189 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:05,640 Speaker 1: I was working in the mail room of William Morris, 190 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:08,240 Speaker 1: and he explained to me what William Morris was, because 191 00:11:08,280 --> 00:11:11,120 Speaker 1: I didn't know there was agents or what that Pantillias 192 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:12,840 Speaker 1: being a major talent agent, so that the one we 193 00:11:12,880 --> 00:11:16,240 Speaker 1: also bought. Kind of funny. And then I went to 194 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:19,560 Speaker 1: work in New York and got a job working for 195 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:23,640 Speaker 1: this gentleman and older, kind of well established agent by 196 00:11:23,679 --> 00:11:26,040 Speaker 1: the name of Robbie Lance. And finally he turned to me, 197 00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:28,440 Speaker 1: and he was such a wonderful man, Robbie Lance, and 198 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:32,360 Speaker 1: he said to me, Um, you know I'm a four 199 00:11:32,720 --> 00:11:36,400 Speaker 1: I'm not going to promote anybody. You should go to 200 00:11:36,520 --> 00:11:39,000 Speaker 1: Los Angeles. You'll make a lot of money and you'll 201 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:41,200 Speaker 1: be an agent there because I'm not going to promote anybody. 202 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:44,040 Speaker 1: And so he got me an interview at C A A. 203 00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:47,160 Speaker 1: And Ray Kurtzman said to me, which he can't say now, 204 00:11:47,200 --> 00:11:50,200 Speaker 1: he goes, you're too old to go into the mail room. 205 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:53,920 Speaker 1: So I did what I normally do. I peppered him 206 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:55,400 Speaker 1: with calls. I mean I think I called him like 207 00:11:55,440 --> 00:11:57,520 Speaker 1: three times a day every day for two weeks. And 208 00:11:57,520 --> 00:11:59,400 Speaker 1: he turned to me at the time, and he was 209 00:11:59,440 --> 00:12:04,120 Speaker 1: another great man, and he said on a Thursday, and 210 00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:05,720 Speaker 1: he said, if you can be out here on Monday, 211 00:12:05,840 --> 00:12:09,480 Speaker 1: you have a job in the mail room. I got 212 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:12,840 Speaker 1: out there. I bought a La Car, used car for 213 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:17,520 Speaker 1: thousands five or something, and I was in the mail 214 00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:20,719 Speaker 1: room and everybody was younger, and I was off to 215 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:22,959 Speaker 1: the races. Well, explain this to me very often. I've 216 00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:25,240 Speaker 1: read that people work in the mail room. I think 217 00:12:25,320 --> 00:12:27,959 Speaker 1: David Geffen started the mail room, Barry Diller started the 218 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:30,440 Speaker 1: mail room. What actually happens in a mail room at 219 00:12:30,440 --> 00:12:32,319 Speaker 1: one of these talent agency firms that enables you to 220 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:38,760 Speaker 1: rise up. You would make copies of scripts, and um, 221 00:12:39,120 --> 00:12:42,959 Speaker 1: you drive the scripts around two clients or two studio heads, 222 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:48,200 Speaker 1: and you know, you deliver paperwork everywhere. You'd get lunches, 223 00:12:49,320 --> 00:12:52,280 Speaker 1: and then you'd become an assistant, and then you'd become 224 00:12:52,280 --> 00:12:55,840 Speaker 1: an agent if you were good enough, and that process 225 00:12:55,880 --> 00:12:59,600 Speaker 1: of you know, learning the town and et cetera to 226 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:01,120 Speaker 1: be an each and you have to have clients, I 227 00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:03,840 Speaker 1: assume yes. So to get clients, do you have to 228 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:05,920 Speaker 1: go to lunches and dinners or how do you get clients? 229 00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:09,160 Speaker 1: We don't have any clients. Well, um, I was at eight. 230 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:11,520 Speaker 1: I was promoted in a television department because I had 231 00:13:11,559 --> 00:13:15,360 Speaker 1: worked for the head of business affairs and then one 232 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:18,000 Speaker 1: of the lead agents there, and also this gentleman named 233 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:20,640 Speaker 1: Bill Haber, and I was in the office as their 234 00:13:20,640 --> 00:13:25,719 Speaker 1: assistant every day for seven days, you know, Monday through Sunday, um, 235 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:29,040 Speaker 1: doing whatever it took. And they were great teachers, you know, 236 00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:33,040 Speaker 1: both Bruce Ynicker and Bill Haber. They promoted me. And 237 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:36,000 Speaker 1: then you would go out to the studios and go 238 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:38,560 Speaker 1: to sets where people were shooting and writers were writing, 239 00:13:38,559 --> 00:13:42,040 Speaker 1: and I was a writer's television agent, and you would 240 00:13:42,559 --> 00:13:46,079 Speaker 1: read stuff that came over the transform and you would 241 00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:51,079 Speaker 1: try to sign him and um, I've even though I'm dyslexic, 242 00:13:52,040 --> 00:13:56,079 Speaker 1: I read a lot, went to watch a lot of 243 00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:59,240 Speaker 1: TV shows, saw what I liked, and signed a lot 244 00:13:59,280 --> 00:14:02,200 Speaker 1: of clients that were quote unquote talented, and I think 245 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:05,920 Speaker 1: they are talented and they're still talented. And built my business. 246 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:07,959 Speaker 1: How long before you say, you know what, I should 247 00:14:07,960 --> 00:14:13,160 Speaker 1: have my own company. Um, So I had been what 248 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:16,120 Speaker 1: by the time I had started endeavor. I think I 249 00:14:16,160 --> 00:14:19,280 Speaker 1: had been an agent for about four and alfter five 250 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:24,120 Speaker 1: years um and I was looking at the world. I 251 00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:28,160 Speaker 1: read this book by George Gilder called Life After Television, 252 00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:34,000 Speaker 1: and it talked about infinite distribution and that distribution in 253 00:14:34,120 --> 00:14:38,280 Speaker 1: our business was going to expand with cloud computing, etcetera. 254 00:14:39,280 --> 00:14:41,080 Speaker 1: And I brought him in to speak that I see 255 00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:44,440 Speaker 1: him and nobody really understood. And I talked to him 256 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:48,800 Speaker 1: after reading the book, and uh, I said, you know 257 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:52,880 Speaker 1: it's going to go from four networks to six. I'm 258 00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:55,080 Speaker 1: in the television business. The way you make money at 259 00:14:55,080 --> 00:14:57,680 Speaker 1: the time and television you put TV packages on the air. 260 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:00,800 Speaker 1: I've got a great client list. Why would I put 261 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:02,560 Speaker 1: a package on the air where you can make a 262 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:05,320 Speaker 1: lot of money for your clients and for yourself and 263 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:08,200 Speaker 1: give it to them for what I thought was a 264 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:11,840 Speaker 1: okay salary. Again, my father almost had a heart attack 265 00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:13,480 Speaker 1: because they were offering me a lot of money to stay. 266 00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:18,200 Speaker 1: My contract was up, and I can you know with 267 00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:22,600 Speaker 1: three other gentlemen, we said, you know, I said I 268 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:27,200 Speaker 1: could with my with my clients. If we do this, 269 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:29,880 Speaker 1: we can make a lot of money because I know 270 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:31,640 Speaker 1: what I can put on the air because I've been 271 00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:34,080 Speaker 1: doing it now for long. Where'd you get the name Endeavor? 272 00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:37,600 Speaker 1: So the four of us were sitting around trying to 273 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:42,800 Speaker 1: think of a name, Rocks, rivers, whatever, and one of 274 00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:46,720 Speaker 1: the partners, UH said, well, we should think about NASA. 275 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:49,400 Speaker 1: They have great names. So the first name we thought 276 00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:52,800 Speaker 1: of was the Discovery and then we realized it crashed, 277 00:15:53,440 --> 00:15:57,600 Speaker 1: so that was out. And then he just says, what 278 00:15:57,720 --> 00:16:01,720 Speaker 1: about Endeavor, which was and we all realized that was 279 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:04,360 Speaker 1: a great kind of image of what we wanted to 280 00:16:04,360 --> 00:16:09,840 Speaker 1: create for clients. And so did you start Endeavor? Actually 281 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:15,720 Speaker 1: on my birthday? March went very well from the beginning 282 00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:18,400 Speaker 1: because you had clients, but you bought William Morris correct 283 00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:21,120 Speaker 1: or you emerged with them quote unquote merge, but they 284 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:23,720 Speaker 1: were twice as big as you and you became the CEO. 285 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:27,760 Speaker 1: How did that happen? About four years before that, we 286 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:31,000 Speaker 1: went to see another kind of mentor a person who 287 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:35,280 Speaker 1: has completely been unbelievable in helping my life, Professor Ditton, 288 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:40,240 Speaker 1: who became the chairman of Harvard Business School, and we 289 00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:42,800 Speaker 1: asked him to kind of let's go over and I've 290 00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:45,800 Speaker 1: never been to Busines School like game theory of what 291 00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:48,560 Speaker 1: we should do to grow and kind of consolidated business 292 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:51,440 Speaker 1: with the thesis that distribution is going to change the environment. 293 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:54,560 Speaker 1: And we laid out over two days on a white 294 00:16:54,560 --> 00:16:57,440 Speaker 1: board that we should go after William Morris and try 295 00:16:57,480 --> 00:17:00,320 Speaker 1: and merge by whatever. So you emerge accompt any. You 296 00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:03,440 Speaker 1: become the socio and then you started. I was Patrick White, 297 00:17:03,680 --> 00:17:06,359 Speaker 1: my partner who start partner, and I became the CEOs. 298 00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:09,960 Speaker 1: Now you are starting to buy companies. So you bought 299 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:15,439 Speaker 1: i MG, which is a entertainment there's a sports representation business, right, 300 00:17:15,760 --> 00:17:19,720 Speaker 1: it's a sports production events company, all right. You bought that, 301 00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:21,320 Speaker 1: and then later you bought you That's where you and 302 00:17:21,359 --> 00:17:24,840 Speaker 1: I met, right, that's right, and you and then bought UFC. 303 00:17:25,080 --> 00:17:30,359 Speaker 1: Later well, we then bought um PBR. We brought Drove 304 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:33,879 Speaker 1: A five prior to that. We then bought the UFC 305 00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:36,760 Speaker 1: and bought some other stuff. You bought UFC, and you 306 00:17:36,840 --> 00:17:38,800 Speaker 1: did it with the help of silver Lake, a well 307 00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:42,720 Speaker 1: known private equity firm, and um the CEO there help 308 00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:45,880 Speaker 1: you get this done. Yeah, I mean, what what happened 309 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:49,840 Speaker 1: was I was lining up people to go by i MG. 310 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:53,760 Speaker 1: You and I had that conversation and he came in. 311 00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:56,600 Speaker 1: He said, listen, let me invest in William Morris's endeavor 312 00:17:57,359 --> 00:18:02,040 Speaker 1: and then let's go after img UM and kind of 313 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:05,000 Speaker 1: create this global platform and go from there. I said 314 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:06,920 Speaker 1: to him, private equity is not going to be able 315 00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:09,399 Speaker 1: to do that. He said, well, give me three weeks 316 00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:11,080 Speaker 1: to show me your numbers and I'll come back and 317 00:18:11,119 --> 00:18:12,480 Speaker 1: if I can make a deal, I can make a deal. 318 00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:15,679 Speaker 1: And he and I known each other actually through Mark Andreas, 319 00:18:15,760 --> 00:18:19,480 Speaker 1: and he came up. We made a great deal, great 320 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:23,800 Speaker 1: for him, great for us. Uh. We then got I 321 00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:27,040 Speaker 1: MG and then we realized that that was everything we 322 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:31,960 Speaker 1: had done was incredible, global, unbelievable kind of building blocks. 323 00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:35,600 Speaker 1: And we realized that was in the representation business, the 324 00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:38,199 Speaker 1: service business, and that we if we put something that 325 00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:41,680 Speaker 1: we owned on top of it, that we could get 326 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:45,720 Speaker 1: the full leverage of the platform and own something. And 327 00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:47,960 Speaker 1: I had represented the UFC for a number of years 328 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:51,680 Speaker 1: New Dana, New Frank and Lorenzo, and then they were 329 00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:54,920 Speaker 1: going to sell it. And then we we had proven 330 00:18:54,960 --> 00:18:57,639 Speaker 1: also to Egan that we could buy a business and 331 00:18:57,720 --> 00:19:01,600 Speaker 1: own it and operated with Professor Simble writing and then 332 00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:05,800 Speaker 1: we we we we were it was us against some 333 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:10,639 Speaker 1: Chinese investors at the time we secured the rights, and 334 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:14,000 Speaker 1: here we are. For many people. You're a role model 335 00:19:14,119 --> 00:19:16,199 Speaker 1: and many people would like to have your lifestyle and 336 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:18,680 Speaker 1: your life. What would you like to have as your 337 00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:21,280 Speaker 1: legacy fifty years from now? What do you want people 338 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:25,080 Speaker 1: to say about Ari Emmanuel? I think legacy is um 339 00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:31,080 Speaker 1: is such a fallacy. You study presidents. Presidents have a legacy. 340 00:19:32,359 --> 00:19:35,400 Speaker 1: I think maybe sports stars have a legacy. Some actors 341 00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:43,640 Speaker 1: have a legacy. Very rarely do business people. Maybe inventors 342 00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:46,200 Speaker 1: that are business people. Steve Jobs will probably have one, 343 00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:51,159 Speaker 1: Elon Musk will have one, Einstein will have one. But 344 00:19:51,480 --> 00:19:56,360 Speaker 1: business people, I'm not this This notion of a legacy 345 00:19:56,600 --> 00:19:58,439 Speaker 1: and I did I have gotten in trouble about this 346 00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:02,960 Speaker 1: is a complete eat an utter, wanting to live forever 347 00:20:03,320 --> 00:20:07,119 Speaker 1: fallacy that exists in business minds. I suppose somebody is 348 00:20:07,119 --> 00:20:09,359 Speaker 1: watching and says, I want to be ariaman you when 349 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:12,480 Speaker 1: I grow up. What should somebody do to get into 350 00:20:12,480 --> 00:20:15,160 Speaker 1: the talent agency business or the business you're in, which 351 00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:18,399 Speaker 1: is representing people building companies in the sports and entertainment world. Well, 352 00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:21,640 Speaker 1: it's hopefully what I've taught my kids. You gotta be 353 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:27,400 Speaker 1: intellectually curious. You've gotta be um. You gotta show up. 354 00:20:27,920 --> 00:20:30,440 Speaker 1: And you know this like I know this. I got 355 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:34,640 Speaker 1: on a lot of planes. You just, even though that 356 00:20:34,760 --> 00:20:36,800 Speaker 1: voice in your head is saying, oh God, I'm so tired, 357 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:38,640 Speaker 1: I don't want to do this. You gotta show up. 358 00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:44,240 Speaker 1: You've gotta be um, charmingly, relentless. You have to build 359 00:20:45,119 --> 00:20:49,680 Speaker 1: emotional endurance because there's no straight line of success. It's 360 00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:51,280 Speaker 1: kind of all over place, and you have to just 361 00:20:51,320 --> 00:20:54,800 Speaker 1: be able to work through those things. Um. And then 362 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:57,480 Speaker 1: I think one of the things that I do every 363 00:20:57,480 --> 00:21:03,240 Speaker 1: week is I try to create serendipity. So ariy Emmanuel 364 00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:05,240 Speaker 1: is a well known person in the entertainment world, but 365 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:08,439 Speaker 1: there was another figure named ari Gold, Yeah, who was 366 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:12,360 Speaker 1: a fictional character that many people thought was named after you. 367 00:21:13,119 --> 00:21:15,159 Speaker 1: Did you like that? Did you not like that? And 368 00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:18,240 Speaker 1: what is it like when you're more famous than your clients. Well, 369 00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:20,399 Speaker 1: here's what I would say. At the time of the 370 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:24,040 Speaker 1: show and market Wahlberg is a client of mine, and 371 00:21:24,080 --> 00:21:26,919 Speaker 1: I helped put that show together. I didn't like it 372 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:29,800 Speaker 1: at the beginning because it depicted me. There was some 373 00:21:29,880 --> 00:21:31,920 Speaker 1: things that were for sure not true, and then there 374 00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:34,440 Speaker 1: were some things that I hated seeing that were true, 375 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:40,440 Speaker 1: I'm not that same person anymore. But later on, especially 376 00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:42,280 Speaker 1: after COVID, a lot of people kept on seeing it. 377 00:21:43,119 --> 00:21:46,040 Speaker 1: It's it's for sure opened a lot of doors and 378 00:21:46,119 --> 00:21:49,560 Speaker 1: it And at the time at the end, my brother 379 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:51,960 Speaker 1: was in the White House, the show was on the air. 380 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:55,840 Speaker 1: I mean, I got a lot of you know, people 381 00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:58,800 Speaker 1: would pick up my phone. Call anybody today that won't 382 00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:01,040 Speaker 1: return your phone calls. I there's nobody in the world. 383 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:02,439 Speaker 1: I get a lot of people on the phone when 384 00:22:02,480 --> 00:22:05,240 Speaker 1: I need to. So the entertainment world today, you're pretty 385 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:08,119 Speaker 1: much at the top of the totem pole. You know everybody. 386 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:10,399 Speaker 1: You have one of the best companies under you. You're 387 00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:13,240 Speaker 1: the CEO of it. How many more years would you 388 00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:17,920 Speaker 1: like to do this? Well, here's what I'd say to you, is, um, 389 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:23,520 Speaker 1: if I'm not happy, if I'm not still intellectually stimulated, 390 00:22:24,359 --> 00:22:26,520 Speaker 1: if I'm not feeling like I get up every morning 391 00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:29,520 Speaker 1: and I get up right and early every morning, I 392 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:32,000 Speaker 1: want to do what I do every day and and 393 00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:35,080 Speaker 1: kind of do it and I'm bored of it, I 394 00:22:35,119 --> 00:22:37,879 Speaker 1: will not be doing it. But today you're pretty happy, 395 00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:41,119 Speaker 1: and you're not bored. Today, I'm really happy I built 396 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:42,880 Speaker 1: everything that I want to build it. There's more things 397 00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:45,639 Speaker 1: I want to do, and there's more dreams I have. 398 00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:50,439 Speaker 1: And you're famous for being a fitness expert or this 399 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:54,960 Speaker 1: is the Men's Health version of this interview. Yes, I 400 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:57,399 Speaker 1: can learn. I can learn something. So when did you 401 00:22:57,520 --> 00:22:59,879 Speaker 1: decide to become so fit? And were you always just 402 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:02,520 Speaker 1: I was I've always been this way. You get up 403 00:23:02,520 --> 00:23:04,080 Speaker 1: and then you go right there the gym. I have 404 00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:07,760 Speaker 1: a certain beginning routine of as you know, vitamins and 405 00:23:07,800 --> 00:23:10,480 Speaker 1: certain things I do. In the morning, I go to 406 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:13,480 Speaker 1: the gym. It's about an hour and forty five minutes 407 00:23:13,600 --> 00:23:16,040 Speaker 1: two hours in my house, I have a sauna and 408 00:23:16,040 --> 00:23:18,959 Speaker 1: I have a nice bath. I then do a sauna 409 00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:21,480 Speaker 1: and I meditate. But what about eating, I mean you eat, 410 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:26,640 Speaker 1: You're very careful what you you're not eating vegan? Um 411 00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:29,480 Speaker 1: actually tweaked that a little bit because I do have 412 00:23:29,600 --> 00:23:31,400 Speaker 1: to being sixty one. I do eat a little bit 413 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:35,399 Speaker 1: of meat now. Once a quarter I do an extended fast, 414 00:23:36,800 --> 00:23:39,760 Speaker 1: which is probably anywhere from seventy to sixty to seventy 415 00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:44,919 Speaker 1: two hours. And then every week I do want a 416 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:48,119 Speaker 1: daily fast and then I eat in a in a 417 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:51,320 Speaker 1: six to four our window every other day, and has 418 00:23:51,359 --> 00:23:54,440 Speaker 1: anybody told you this is a little unusual to do this, Well, 419 00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:58,000 Speaker 1: you could. You can imagine there's other craziness inside this 420 00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:02,320 Speaker 1: which I will not go into. You can imagine the conversations. 421 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:06,719 Speaker 1: So about five years ago, my brother Zeke, who's famous 422 00:24:06,800 --> 00:24:09,800 Speaker 1: for saying that he wants to die at said, you'll 423 00:24:09,840 --> 00:24:11,679 Speaker 1: live an hour longer. I said, if I live an 424 00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:15,200 Speaker 1: hour longer, then you never know what's going to happen 425 00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:18,760 Speaker 1: in that hour. It's not about living. It's only about 426 00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:24,600 Speaker 1: being healthy, both emotionally and physically, for the for as 427 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:28,200 Speaker 1: long as you live. Thanks for listening to hear more 428 00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:31,240 Speaker 1: of my interviews. You can subscribe and download my podcast 429 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:34,040 Speaker 1: on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen.