Ari Emanuel

Ariel "Ari" Zev Emanuel (born March 29, 1961) is an American talent agent and co-CEO of William Morris Endeavor (WME), a leading entertainment and media agency. He was a founding partner of the Endeavor Agency and was instrumental in shaping its June 2009 merger with the William Morris Agency.^[1]

Background

Born in Chicago, Emanuel was raised in suburban Wilmette, Illinois. Emanuel is the brother of former White House Chief of Staff and current Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, National Institutes of Health bioethicist Ezekiel J. Emanuel, and adopted sister Shoshana Emanuel. His father, the Jerusalem-born Dr. Benjamin M. Emanuel is a pediatrician who was active in the Irgun, a hardline group that fought for Israeli independence until 1948 and was branded as a terrorist organization by the British colonial authorities.^[2] His mother, Marsha Emanuel (née Smulevitz), was a civil rights activist, and the one-time owner of a Chicago-area rock and roll club.^[3] As a child, Ari was diagnosed as both hyperactive and dyslexic, and his mother spent many hours helping him to learn to read.^[3] She also took him to anti-war protests. He is a graduate of New Trier West High School and of Macalester College in St Paul, Minnesota where he was roommates with director Peter Berg. He is married to Sarah Addington and they have three sons.^[3]

Career

Prior to founding Endeavor, Emanuel was a partner at InterTalent and senior agent at International Creative Management (ICM).^[3] He began his entertainment industry career as an agent trainee at Creative Artists Agency (CAA).

Emanuel has been written about as a “21st century Hollywood mogul” and “the pre-eminent power player” in Hollywood.^[4][5] Emanuel and WME co-CEO Patrick Whitesell have been characterized as “rewriting the Hollywood script,” and they have been named to Fortune’s Businessperson of the Year list.^[6][7]

Emanuel’s special relationship with his clients coupled with his stature in the industry has led to various homages and parodies over the years, including Bob Odenkirk’s character Stevie Grant on The Larry Sanders Show, and Ari Gold, played by Jeremy Piven on the HBO television show Entourage.^[8]

Public advocacy

Emanuel gained widespread media attention in July 2006 when he called on Hollywood to blacklist Mel Gibson because of Gibson’s "anti-Semitic remarks" during his DUI arrest. Emanuel wrote, "People in the entertainment community, whether Jew or Gentile, need to demonstrate that they understand how much is at stake in this by professionally shunning Mel Gibson and refusing to work with him, even if it means a sacrifice to their bottom line."^[9]

Emanuel's name was in an August 17, 2006, advertisement in the Los Angeles Times that condemned Hamas and Hezbollah and supported Israel in the 2006 Israel–Lebanon conflict.^[10]

In 2007, Emanuel publicly backed Chris Albrecht after Albrecht was fired from HBO for a domestic violence arrest, preceded by rumors of three earlier incidents of violence against women.^[11] Emanuel wrote, "If Hollywood is going to give Mel Gibson a second chance, and sports fans are going to cheer on stars like Jason Kidd, Latrell Sprewell, and Stephen Jackson who have made similar mistakes, why not Chris Albrecht?"^[12] Emanuel later helped Albrecht land his next job at IMG.^[13]

Emanuel has hosted fundraisers for the Democratic Party.^[14]

Controversy

An April 2002 lawsuit by agent Sandra Epstein against Endeavor Agency brought accusations by Epstein and other Endeavor employees against Emanuel.^[15] In the court filings, Emanuel is alleged to have allowed a friend to operate a pornographic website out of Endeavor's offices.^[15]

According to Epstein, Emanuel made racist and anti-gay remarks and prevented her from sending a script about Navy SEALs to actor Wesley Snipes, saying, "That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Everyone knows that blacks don’t swim."^[15] Emanuel disputed these accusations at the time. Epstein's claims were settled for $2.25 million.^[15]

References

External links

• Political blog at The Huffington Post
• William Morris Agency Homepage

References

1. ^ Finke, Nikki. "TOLDJA! ICM Management Buyout Complete". http://www.deadline.com/2012/05/toldja-icm-management-buyout-complete/. Retrieved 27 May 2012.