Ariel Emanuel is the co-CEO of WME | IMG. The global leaders in entertainment, sports and media, WME | IMG has an unparalleled client roster; world-class partnerships with sponsors, brands and broadcasters; and marquee clients in film, television, events and fashion.

After co-founding Endeavor in 1995, Emanuel and co-CEO Patrick Whitesell orchestrated the largest talent agency merger in history in 2009 when they partnered with William Morris to form WME, the world’s leading talent agency. One of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, WME represents artists across film, television, music, literature, theatre and digital media.

In 2012, Emanuel and Whitesell forged a strategic partnership with Silver Lake, a global leader in private investments in technology, to accelerate the agency’s digital and mobile growth. In 2014, WME and Silver Lake acquired IMG, the premier sports, fashion and media company.

Emanuel’s client list includes some of the most recognizable names in entertainment, including Sacha Baron Cohen, Michael Bay, Peter Berg, Larry David, Dwayne Johnson, Seth MacFarlane, Charlie Rose, Sheryl Sandberg, Joe Scarborough, Aaron Sorkin, Charlize Theron, Mark Wahlberg and Oprah Winfrey, among others.

Together, Emanuel and Whitesell oversee WME’s network of world-class partner companies. Through Jingle Punks and RED Interactive, WME provides services in the fields of mobile gaming, music licensing and digital development; merchant bank Raine connects clients and media companies with top Wall Street advisors; and award-winning global creative agency Droga5 offers WME ready access to the most influential brands of the twenty-first century.

Emanuel began his career at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and went on to become a senior agent at InterTalent and International Creative Management (ICM).

Emanuel is an associate member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences and sits on the boards of Live Nation and MOCA. Additionally, Emanuel has been named one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business and one of Fortune’s Businesspersons of the Year.

A graduate of Macalester College, Emanuel resides in Los Angeles with his wife and three children.