From Endeavor to MARI: How Ari Emanuel Is Redefining the Business of Talent and Live Experiences

In 1995, Ari Emanuel, Rick Rosen, Tom Strickler, and David Greenblatt departed from ICM Partners to form the Endeavor Talent Agency. Endeavor would eventually be recognized for its aggressive and innovative style of representation. In April 2009, Endeavor merged with William Morris Agency, which was one of Hollywood's oldest and most venerable companies, to form William Morris Endeavor (WME). In the aftermath of the merger, Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell, an Endeavor executive, became co-CEOs of the company.

Four years later, in 2013, WME acquired IMG for $2.4 billion, a major extension beyond the conventional talent representation. The acquisition allowed WME to leverage its prowess in sports, events, licensing, media rights, and fashion and transform the company into a global entertainment and sports behemoth.

In September 2023, Endeavor Group Holdings created TKO Group Holdings, bringing together the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) under one organization. This deal gave Endeavor and WME a 51% controlling stake in TKO, bringing together two of the largest global combat-sports and live-entertainment brands. In March of 2025, Silver Lake assisted Endeavor in going private, allowing Emanuel and his management team to make long-term decisions without the short-term pressure of public markets.

Continuing to grow their influence in the sports and live-events space, Ari Emanuel launched MARI on October 8, 2025, a new holding company dedicated to managing premium live events and cultural experiences. Emanuel explained that he created MARI because “live events and experiences have never been more powerful” (The Hollywood Reporter).

MARI’s diverse portfolio includes:

• Major tennis tournaments such as the Miami Open and Madrid Open.
• Frieze, the global art group that produces globally renowned art fairs and cultural festivals.
• Control of Barrett-Jackson, the iconic car collector car auction business.

MARI management also has Mark Shapiro (Board Member), Matt Cohen (Managing Partner), and Ben Enowitz (Chief Financial Officer). The business has backing from private equity and venture capital companies as well as some high-profile WME clients such as Luka Dončić, Anthony Edwards, and Sabrina Ionescu, highlighting the intersection of talent and live experience.

MARI adds more power to WME in the industry by giving it an advantage over agencies that are solely talent-based since it gives WME the ability to directly own and edit live events in which its clients can engage with their fans, brands, and media. By owning and running the events, WME can create integrated branding, marketing, and partnership efforts for its clients and increase the exposure and cultural relevance of the events themselves even more.

Fundamentally, MARI bridges the gap between experience and talent, turning representation into activation. MARI is also a reflection of Emanuel's vision to create an ecosystem that connects entertainment, sport, culture, and commerce in a single networked system where WME and Endeavor are at the center of the modern experience and talent economy.