For those unfamiliar with the Thomas Guide, it was a spiral-bound map series that meticulously charted Los Angeles by car. Today, it is largely a forgotten artifact, unknown to junior executives and often confused with other concepts by interns. However, for Ari Emanuel, the super agent and CEO of Endeavor, the guide served as a literal and figurative blueprint for building his entertainment empire, navigating everything from the business hubs of Century City to the residential heights of the Bird Streets.
The guide now anchors Emanuel’s new memoir, “Roll the Calls,” which chronicles his intense rise to power in show business and releases this week. Coupled with upcoming live events in Los Angeles, Variety secured an 18-minute interview with Emanuel to discuss the book, the declining art of the phone call, and a betrayed commission from the mid-1990s that continues to trouble him.
Emanuel explained that he wrote the memoir for two specific audiences: parents raising children with ADHD and dyslexia, hoping to share how his own parents supported his free-thinking nature despite their struggles; and aspiring industry professionals, offering a roadmap for surviving Hollywood’s relentless demands.
“To succeed, you have to realize how hard it is. You have to be relentless, consistent, have emotional endurance. And it doesn’t come quickly,” Emanuel said. “I didn’t have a Plan B. It was only Plan A. I wanted to show that sacrifice through stories and hopefully give other people a road map to get there.”
When asked about the shift away from traditional agency communications, Emanuel admitted he still insists on phone calls despite the prevalence of text messages and DMs. He noted that he often has to remind assistants to follow up if a call isn’t returned within 20 minutes, rather than accepting that a voicemail was left. When pressed on whether he texts, he confirmed he is a man of few words, typically sending one or two-word replies, though he acknowledged the utility of voice notes.
Looking toward the next decade of talent agencies, Emanuel expressed confidence in the expansion of the content business, spanning live sports, movies, podcasts, and social media. He predicted that production costs would decrease due to AI and that creators would continue to produce low-budget, high-return films similar to “Obsession.” He cited a study about human evolution, noting that while technology changes, the fundamental drive to create remains, requiring “legs to pedal those bikes.”
Addressing industry consolidation, Emanuel observed that while more mergers are likely, the core business is resilient. He pointed to historical examples, such as Charlie Bludhorn writing off Paramount only for it to produce “The Godfather,” and Barry Diller declaring the movie business dead before attempting to buy the studio. He dismissed rumors of the demise of packaging, half-hour comedies, and dramas, asserting that as long as talented people exist, they will need representation.
Perhaps the most personal revelation in the book concerns a deal Emanuel helped architect in the mid-1990s for CJ Entertainment to acquire a minority stake in DreamWorks. At the time, Jeff Berg, the head of ICM Partners, took the entire commission for himself. Emanuel recalled telling Berg, “Yeah, great. See you later. I’ll make my own.” While Berg used the money to buy a house, Emanuel was living in a duplex and had no home of his own at the time, a financial setback that still bothers him.
For years, Emanuel was inextricably linked to his caricature, Ari Gold, from the HBO series “Entourage.” When asked if he has finally outrun the persona, he credited his new marriage and personal growth for helping him move past the angry TV version of himself. However, he firmly ruled out any involvement in rebooting the series.
The discussion concluded with Emanuel’s thoughts on the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. merger. Citing six difficult years marked by the pandemic and labor strikes, he suggested the merger appears driven more by political interests surrounding CNN than by genuine business synergy. “Let’s move on from that and make a deal,” he urged.
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