The Thomas Guide is a map that painstakingly details how to navigate Los Angeles by car. It’s a spiral-bound relic that almost none of your junior executives remember. Your assistant thinks it’s a ranking of pale British heartthrobs. Your intern will stare at you, unblinkingly and for minutes, if you even ask.
But Ari Emanuel has used it as a kind of blueprint to build an empire. The familiar byways of Century City, the lofty heights of the Bird Streets, the humble beginnings south of Olympic Boulevard — he’s traveled all of them. The guide is also one of the ways the super agent anchors “Roll the Calls,” a memoir of the TKO chief executive and WME Group executive chairman’s rage-fueled rise to the top of show business that hits shelves this week.
As the book rolls out, coupled with upcoming live events including in Los Angeles, Variety scored 18 (anger-free!) minutes with Emanuel to discuss his tome and outlook on the business today. Here he dissects the art of the phone call, the stolen commission that still keeps him up at night and the unholy rise of the text message.
Why was this the right time to jump in and tell your life story?
Well, it’s been a hell of a ride. I know [this memoir] was shocking to people, because most of my life I’ve just been a voice for clients. This book is really for two [groups] of people. First, the parents that come to me with anxiety having to raise kids with ADHD and dyslexia — and how to find a way to deal with that. Looking back at it, my mom and dad let me go through it and struggle while still making sure I had all the tools. It was incredible because it taught me to be a free thinker. That’s helped me in business and helped me with the people in my life. The other [group] — I wrote this book as my own version of the Thomas Guide, to surviving [the industry]. To succeed, you have to realize how hard it is. You have to be relentless, consistent, have emotional endurance. And it doesn’t come quickly. I didn’t have a “Plan B.” It was only “Plan A.” I wanted to show that sacrifice through stories and hopefully give other people a road map to get there.
Have you realized that in recent years many agents don’t “roll calls” anymore?
I’ll tell my assistants — not my current two, because they’ve gotten it — but I ask them to call [someone] and I’ll follow up and ask if they talked to them. The assistants will say, “Well, I texted.” But that’s not what I asked for. I asked you to call. I understand that texts and DMs are how we have the conversation now, but I like the personal [nature] of a phone call. I’ll also have my assistant call back after 15-20 minutes. They’ll say, “We just left word.” Call again!
Do you text?
I’m a one-word texter. Maybe two words.
I bet.
You can also just leave a voice note now.
You know people can keep those files, right? What do you think the talent agencies look like in 10 years?
The overall content business — from live sports to live events, movies, TV, podcasts, social, concerts, books, lectures — it’s all going to expand. I also think we’ll see more production … and costs will come down because of AI. The creators will keep making small movies that make a lot of money [like “Obsession”]. You’re going to start seeing a lot of new development around that. Steve Jobs [once spoke about] a study about humans. That they were the slowest-moving mammals until the invention of the bicycle, then became the fastest. So, whatever [Hollywood looks like in the future], we’ll still need legs to pedal those bikes.
It seems like the agencies are under increased pressure to consolidate, like the rest of Hollywood. Is that a good thing?
I have no idea. There will probably need to be more consolidation. But remember — Charlie Bludhorn took over Paramount all those years ago and wrote off the movie business. Then, out of nowhere, they made “The Godfather” and “Chinatown.” Barry Diller announces five years ago that the movie business is dead, then he tries to buy Paramount. When I started in the business, they said packaging was over. They said half hours were dead. They said dramas were over. This is a business that has gone on for over 100 years and it’s not going anywhere. I haven’t thought through what that means for talent agencies, but they’re going to be around. People are talented. They’re going to have to be represented.
There are many revelations in “Roll the Calls,” but something I can’t get over: You write that, in the mid-‘90s, you put the “architecture” together for CJ Entertainment to buy a minority investment in the startup DreamWorks. You said Jeff Berg, the head of ICM Partners at the time, took that entire commission for himself.
I give him credit. He owned the company. Jeff Berg took the money. [So I said], “Yeah, great. See you later. I’ll make my own.”
How much would you have cleared for that transaction?
I don’t know how much he made. But he paid for a house, probably. I didn’t own a house at that point, I had a duplex.
About 10-15 years ago, I think a lot of people in your life would’ve said you’ll never outrun Ari Gold — Jeremy Piven’s caricature of you from “Entourage.” But I’m not sure. I think you may have.
You know, my wife has helped. My new marriage, and the work I’ve done on myself has helped. Looking back, it was a great ride but I don’t want to be that guy anymore.
So you’re not going to help reboot “Entourage’ any time soon?
No, definitely not.
Talk to me about the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger and where we stand today.
I’m sitting here watching CNBC on mute. I’ve stated this publicly in op-eds, but we’ve had six bad years between COVID and the strikes. Based on all the indications from people in distribution, in film, in the cable [sector] – it seems that this isn’t about anything other than CNN and politics. Let’s move on from that and make a deal.