# Ariel Emanuel

> Ariel “Ari” Emanuel is an American entertainment executive who co-founded Endeavor in 1995 and became executive chair and CEO of TKO Group Holdings, the parent of UFC and WWE. He is also executive chairman of WME Group and founder and board chair of MARI, whose live-events portfolio spans tennis, art, collectibles and ticketing. His memoir, Roll the Calls, was published in September 2026.

- **Role:** Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer at TKO Group Holdings
- **Organizations:** TKO Group Holdings, WME Group, MARI, Endeavor (co-founder; former CEO), Creative Artists Agency (former trainee), InterTalent (former partner), International Creative Management (former agent)
- **From:** Chicago, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts, Macalester College
- **Known for:** Co-founded Endeavor and helped lead the 2009 merger that created WME., Helped lead the acquisitions of IMG and UFC., Led TKO at its formation through the UFC-WWE combination in 2023.

## Career timeline

- **1983** — Graduated from Macalester College; subsequently worked for New York theatrical agent Robert Lantz.
- **1987** — Moved to Los Angeles and joined Creative Artists Agency as a trainee.
- **1995** — Co-founded Endeavor with Tom Strickler, Rick Rosen and David Greenblatt.
- **2009** — Endeavor merged with William Morris Agency; Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell became co-CEOs of WME.
- **2012** — Silver Lake made a strategic minority investment in WME.
- **2014** — WME acquired IMG.
- **2016** — A WME-IMG-led investor group acquired UFC.
- **2017** — Became CEO of Endeavor in October.
- **2021** — Endeavor listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
- **2023** — Became TKO CEO and director on September 12 as UFC and WWE combined.
- **2024** — Appointed executive chair of TKO in February.
- **2025** — Became WME Group executive chairman after Silver Lake completed the Endeavor take-private in March; launched MARI in October.
- **2026** — MARI agreed to acquire ATG Entertainment in August; Roll the Calls was published in September.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Endeavor and helped lead the 2009 merger that created WME.
- Helped lead the acquisitions of IMG and UFC.
- Led TKO at its formation through the UFC-WWE combination in 2023.
- Founded MARI, assembling live properties across sports, art, collectibles and ticketing.
- Named to the Los Angeles Business Journal LA500 in 2026.
- Published the memoir Roll the Calls with Knopf in September 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Discussed entertainment, AI, live events and MARI in a Stratechery interview published October 15.
- **2026-10** — Rushmore announced a second season beginning October 20, with distribution on YouTube and podcast platforms.
- **2026-09** — Knopf published Roll the Calls on September 22, with an audiobook narrated by Bob Odenkirk.
- **2026-08** — MARI announced a definitive agreement to acquire ATG Entertainment; the announcement specified regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.
- **2026-04** — MARI announced its acquisition of Collect-A-Con.

## Links

- Website: https://tkogrp.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariemanuel
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/AriEmanuel
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arielemanuel/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ariel-emanuel
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-24