It was while lying in a Beverly Hills street dazed, confused and in pain after being hit by a car 17 years ago that Ari Emanuel, made a life-changing decision, one that would challenge and ultimately upend the established hierarchy in Hollywood.
As he endured some tough physiotherapy over the following months, he fine-tuned his plan to start his own business: a talent agency capable of competing with established players such as Creative Artists Agency or International Creative Management, where he was a talent agent.
The result of his decision was an acrimonious departure from ICM to start Endeavor, an agency that grew rapidly, moving from a cramped office above a hamburger restaurant to a building a stone’s throw from the Beverly Wilshire hotel. In 2009, it merged with 111-year-old William Morris, the most venerable agency in Hollywood, to create a group representing some of the biggest stars of music, film, TV and books, such as Lady Gaga, Martin Scorsese and Christian Bale.