Ari Emanuel talks importance of passion at Master Class
On Nov. 28, Hollywood power broker and William Morris Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel joined Chapman University students for a Master Class. The conversation was moderated by Stephen Galloway, the dean of the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts and Henrik Cronqvist, the dean of the Argyros College of Business and Economics. Photos courtesy of Max Savage
Ari Emanuel may be widely known for being an uber-confident, well-connected, workaholic power broker and talent agent in Hollywood, but his journey to the top wouldn’t have come to fruition without being struck by a car first.
While walking across the street outside of International Creative Management — his place of employment — Emanuel was sent flying 20 feet into the air by one of the company’s own clients. After spending a year and half recovering from broken ribs, a torn ACL and a cracked head, the then 33-year-old Emanuel learned a valuable lesson.
“Life is not a dress rehearsal,” Emanuel said. “At that point I said, ‘I’m leaving (the company).’ I didn’t want to work for those guys. Everything since has been with that kernel in place.”
On Nov. 28, Emanuel joined Chapman students for a Master Class moderated by Stephen Galloway, the dean of the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, and Henrik Cronqvist, the dean of the Argyros College of Business and Economics, in Chapman’s Digital Media Arts Center.
Emanuel spoke on his early life and how his experiences led up to becoming the CEO of William Morris Endeavor.
He discussed how he became a mogul in the industry and how his early life helped his CEO qualities at Endeavor, one of the biggest entertainment agencies in the business.
With a room full of students eager to enter the entertainment industry in various capacities, Emanuel shared his own unlikely path that led him to the top.
Emanuel grew up with an “incredible but workaholic” father and a mother who supported him with his dyslexia and ADHD by encouraging him to read as many books as possible, although not without the occasional bout of tough love as she would compare his report cards to his brothers’, who did better in school. Now, one brother, Rahm, is the former mayor of Chicago and former Presidential Chief of Staff and the other, Ezekiel, is a nationally recognized doctor.
After graduating from college, he took off to the south of France for a trip funded by his father, under the condition that when he called, he would come back to the States. After a year abroad, Emanuel received a call from a friend working in the William Morris Agency (WMA) mailroom, who explained to him the role of a talent agent.
“For whatever reason, at that moment, the lightbulb went off. I thought, ‘I’d be good at that,’” Emanuel said.
After the call, Emanuel packed up and flew to Los Angeles. His dad got him a car, and he went to deliver mailroom packages. Over time, Emanuel established his network of talent which, over the years, has included Oprah Winfrey, Martin Scorsese, Charlize Theron, Mark Wahlberg, Greg Daniels and Dwayne Johnson.
“The reason people call you back is because of who you represent, so I made sure I represented really great people. For whatever reason, I had good taste. I’m pretty relentless when I want something, and I’m not shy about calling you 30 times.”
In 2009, the WMA and the Endeavor Talent Agency (ETA) announced that they were merging to form William Morris Endeavor (WME). Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell, both executives at ETA at the time, quickly became the co-CEOs of WME. In 2017, WME-IMG (WME had merged with International Management Group in 2013) became known as Endeavor, and Emanuel became the official CEO.
Despite his name becoming more relevant by the minute, Emanuel has never lost sight of the many ways in which he can help other people with the money he has. Galloway shared that Emanuel was on the board for a mentorship program in south LA with The Hollywood Reporter and constantly showcased his generosity, whether it was by providing $35k to pay for a student’s tuition or contributing $250k for a fund.
But not every situation is an easy one. Sometimes, Emanuel is faced with the hard decision of making business moves that might negatively affect the people and clients that he has developed close relationships with.
“Even if they’re your friend, but they're not delivering, it's not good for them, and it’s not good for you, you gotta move on,” Emanuel told a student during the Q&A. “If you have honest conversations about those things and are not afraid to have the honest conversation, you can get through it. But if they’re really your friend, they deserve (it) as hard as it's gonna be.”
Emanuel’s knack for authentic answers and candid remarks throughout the Master Class stood out to freshman creative producing major Kailey Shultz.
“I think (Emanuel) is great. It was really refreshing to hear him say whatever popped into his head,” Shultz said.
Emanuel stayed to answer over a dozen questions from students. After the final question, Emanuel couldn’t help but leave a simple but powerful, final piece of advice for anyone, whether they are interested in the entertainment industry or not.
“I think success is being curious and showing up. You have to just go for it. It’s a crazy thing, just showing up.”
Dodge College of Film and Media Arts Master Classes are available to all Chapman students and alumni. Seats are available either on a first-come, first-served basis or by lottery system, depending on the Master Class. Dates, times, upcoming guests and additional information can be found in the lobby of Marion Knott Studios or on theDodge College instagram account.
