Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel has been tapped to receive the Variety Vanguard Award at the Mipcom international TV sales conference, set for Oct. 15-18 in Cannes.
The award recognizes industry leaders who have made a significant contribution to the business of entertainment. Emanuel has steered Endeavor’s rise from a startup talent agency in 1995 through its recent expansion into a parent holding company active in entertainment, sports, and fashion. Endeavor is now home to such disparate assets as UFC, Professional Bull Riders League, and the Miss Universe pageant franchise as well as the powerhouse talent agency WME and IMG, focused on sports, fashion, media rights, and events.
Emanuel was named CEO of Endeavor alongside his longtime WME partner Patrick Whitesell as executive chairman last October when the company was reorganized to reflect its diversification. The Endeavor Content financing and development arm was also created last October to channel WME and IMG’s existing operations and rev up TV and film opportunities for clients and non-clients alike. The company’s TV shows at present include the BBC America drama “Killing Eve,” AMC’s “The Night Manager,” syndicated talk show “Steve,” E!’s “Model Squad,” and the 2016 Epix documentary “Serena” on tennis star Serena Williams. Endeavor Content was also behind the movie comedy “Book Club,” released in May via Paramount.
Endeavor’s expansion has been facilitated since 2012 by its private equity partner Silver Lake, which owns the majority of the company.
The Vanguard kudo will be presented to Emanuel on Oct. 15 at the Palais des Festivals as part of the annual programming bazaar and gathering of TV and digital players from around the world.
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