Ari Emanuel: What Hollywood’s Ultimate Power Broker Knows About Succeeding Against the Odds
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How can you advocate for yourself and turn adversity into fuel?
On Aspire, I want to understand what successful people had to learn the hard way and turn those lessons into something you can use in your own life and work. I absolutely ate up Ari Emanuel's new memoir, Roll the Cause. And the more I read, the more of myself I recognized in his story. We're both dyslexic and we both learned to turn the things that could have held us back into fuel. Ari started in the CAA mailroom and went on to co-found Endeavor and build one of the most powerful businesses in entertainment. I wanted to talk to him because his career is a blueprint for turning challenges into an advantage and for recognizing when the qualities that made you successful need to evolve. As you listen, I want you to notice what Ari does with discomfort.
He says what he wants, acts on his curiosity and keeps working until he finds a way forward. That is the real playbook inside this conversation.
Ari Emanuel, welcome to Aspire.
Thank you very much for having
me. I look at you and see your career as such a blueprint for turning what makes you different and things that would normally be considered adversity into what it takes to succeed. A lot of people who will be listening to this podcast will have something that feels like it stands between them and what they intend to be. So can I ask
you a serious question? So
when you decided to start your business...
And you said, okay, this is what I'm going to
go for.
And this is what I, hopefully I've taught my kids. Hopefully you're teaching your kids. And I think you teach your kids through osmosis by them witnessing you. You have to ask for the job. You have to ask. You have to have agency for yourself. I advocate for my clients. I'm a fierce advocate. You know, I'm a do or die guy. You know, I'm a ride or die guy with people. But then you have to be a ride or die guy for what you want and you have to say what you want or you're definitely not going to get what you want. 100%. And if you're not willing to do that, how the fuck are you going to ever get them? And for some reason, I think it's hard for people to announce verbally, say it like, I want this money. I want that.
I want to, this is what I want to be.
You're preaching to the converted. I'm the start with yourself, girl. The name of my... book was start with yourself because it's the only way that I ever knew how, because nobody is ever going to come and pluck you from obscurity and say, what are all the things that you need and want? And let me see how I can do that for you. For an agent, dyslexia is debilitating. So much of what I saw coming up in my career was agents reading and reading nonstop. And I just
wonder- A half hour was like 39 pages and an hour was like 60. A lot easier than a movie script, which I just was used to sweat because you have to do coverage when you're in the mailroom
and when
you're on a desk. I used to sweat when they gave me You know, those feature scripts. And when they gave you television, okay, I can get through that. I can get through five, six, seven, you know, whatever.
How did dyslexia and bullying build Ari Emanuel’s resilience?
That's why I chose fashion because there was just nothing to read at all. These will make your butt look good. Done. Looking back now, how much of your success do you attribute to having something that you had to fight against?
It drove me, you know, I hate when people say, I was very competitive. I'm as competitive as everybody else. You
might be a little bit more competitive.
But I just... wanted to win. And for me, that was like being successful. That definition was being the best and having my own business. I looked around and I said to myself, when I was at ICM and read the book by George Gilder, Life After Television, everybody said the television business is dead and this, and I'm like, that doesn't make any sense to me. So let's go for it. And, and when I was a kid and You know, you can't read. And my mother made sure that I could read. And I'm okay with because of maybe that and because of the way my parents brought me up. I'm okay with awkward situations. I don't need people to agree with me.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
How can you advocate for yourself and turn adversity into fuel?
0:09–3:11
2
How did dyslexia and bullying build Ari Emanuel’s resilience?
3:11–5:41
3
When should leaders move beyond rage and aggression?
5:41–13:55
4
What did Ari Emanuel learn in the CAA mailroom before founding Endeavor?
13:55–19:29
5
How do relentless calls and persistence help you find the yes?
19:29–27:57
6
How can curiosity turn into business relationships and opportunities?
27:57–39:30
7
How do leaders shape company culture and guide a business through growth?
39:30–46:24
8
What does Ari Emanuel consider a meaningful life beyond legacy?
46:24–51:50
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Aspire with Emma Grede
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