June 1, 2019 marks the official 10-year anniversary of the William Morris Agency-Endeavor merger. It wasn’t a marriage of equals, with 14-year-old Endeavor, then valued at $100 million-plus, joining forces with a Hollywood royalty, the 111-year-old Wma valued at more than twice as much. But, in one of the most shocking Hollywood takeovers, it was Endeavor, with its 80 agents, that came up on top, taking advantage of the existing fractures within Wma leadership to take control of the bigger rival, which boasted more than 300 agents at the time.
“The Wma leadership was totally blindsided; they truly believed that they would be running the combined company,” one insider said. Indeed, Wma was supposed to control five of Wme’s nine board seats versus four for Endeavor, with Wma CEO Jim Wiatt leading Wme as chairman and Wma president Dave Wirtschafter as co-ceo alongside Endeavor toppers Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell.
But the...
“The Wma leadership was totally blindsided; they truly believed that they would be running the combined company,” one insider said. Indeed, Wma was supposed to control five of Wme’s nine board seats versus four for Endeavor, with Wma CEO Jim Wiatt leading Wme as chairman and Wma president Dave Wirtschafter as co-ceo alongside Endeavor toppers Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell.
But the...
- 6/1/2019
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Peter Grosslight, a Wme board member who most recently served as global head of music, died Thursday at age 68. “Peter was a true gentleman, whose generosity and unique sense of humor will be deeply missed. He was a pioneer in our industry and represented some of the greatest performers of our time. In addition to being a tremendous agent, he served as a valuable mentor to many of us. It was a privilege to work with him,” Wme's Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell said in a joint statement. Grosslight was a legendary music agent who worked at the agency for.
- 8/21/2014
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
Wme board member Peter Grosslight died today after a yearlong battle with pancreatic cancer, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. He was 68. A 20-year veteran of the agency, Grosslight was most recently its global head of music. He joined the William Morris Agency in 1992 when it acquired Triad Artists, the company he founded in 1974 under the name Regency Artists. Grosslight’s clients included Joan Baez, Charlotte Church, The Eagles, Whitney Houston, Journey, Luis Miguel, Tom Petty, Brian Setzer and Carly Simon. At Triad, he put together TV music specials that starred such artists as Tina Turner, Roy Orbison,
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- 8/21/2014
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Endeavor and the William Morris Agency agreed Monday afternoon to a merger that dramatically redraws the map for Hollywood's talent agencies.
WMA's 20-person board and Endeavor's 28 partners, in separate meetings, approved the deal, the largest combination of two existing agencies in Hollywood history. While things will not be finalized for several weeks as regulatory approvals are sought, the stage already is set for fresh upheaval as rival agencies attempt to lure agents and clients away from the new combine.
The new agency will operate under the moniker William Morris Endeavor (WME) Entertainment, preserving the venerable William Morris name that has become synonymous with repping talent while giving Endeavor room in the spotlight. It will position itself as a challenger to dominant industry agency CAA.
WMA's Jim Wiatt will serve as chairman of the new agency, with Endeavor's...
WMA's 20-person board and Endeavor's 28 partners, in separate meetings, approved the deal, the largest combination of two existing agencies in Hollywood history. While things will not be finalized for several weeks as regulatory approvals are sought, the stage already is set for fresh upheaval as rival agencies attempt to lure agents and clients away from the new combine.
The new agency will operate under the moniker William Morris Endeavor (WME) Entertainment, preserving the venerable William Morris name that has become synonymous with repping talent while giving Endeavor room in the spotlight. It will position itself as a challenger to dominant industry agency CAA.
WMA's Jim Wiatt will serve as chairman of the new agency, with Endeavor's...
- 4/27/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The WMA-Endeavor mating dance is expected to reach its climax this week, with the agencies voting to approve a merger as early as Monday.
The new entity also is expected to sport a new moniker -- WME Entertainment currently tops the list -- that draws from both current names but gives the larger William Morris first billing, albeit in abbreviated form.
Although neither company has formally approved the merger, Endeavor's 28 partners and WMA's 20-person board discussed the proposed merger separately last week and are poised to take votes on it this week.
The new outfit is expected to have a nine-person board, with WMA putting forward five members and Endeavor four.
Ari Emanuel, Patrick Whitesell, Rick Rosen and Adam Venit are on tap to join the new board from the Endeavor side. For Wma, the betting is that the new board will include Jim Wiatt, David Wirtschafter, John Fogelman,...
The new entity also is expected to sport a new moniker -- WME Entertainment currently tops the list -- that draws from both current names but gives the larger William Morris first billing, albeit in abbreviated form.
Although neither company has formally approved the merger, Endeavor's 28 partners and WMA's 20-person board discussed the proposed merger separately last week and are poised to take votes on it this week.
The new outfit is expected to have a nine-person board, with WMA putting forward five members and Endeavor four.
Ari Emanuel, Patrick Whitesell, Rick Rosen and Adam Venit are on tap to join the new board from the Endeavor side. For Wma, the betting is that the new board will include Jim Wiatt, David Wirtschafter, John Fogelman,...
- 4/26/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Wma board meeting Tuesday afternoon likely was one of the more tense in the storied history of the 120-year-old agency. That's because the 20-member body has to grapple with the fact that a merger with Endeavor means Wma agents on the combined board likely will total just five or six, to mirror the number that comes from the other side.
Many Wma stalwarts soon will have their noses out of joint and their resumes ready if they aren't on the new team.
Among the strongest contenders to be on a combined board, other than Wma CEO Jim Wiatt and president David Wirtschafter, are COO Irv Weintraub, motion picture head John Fogelman and New York-based literary co-head Jennifer Rudolph Walsh. That could leave a lot of heavyweights standing when the music stops, including reality chieftains Mark Itkin and John Ferriter as well as music maven Peter Grosslight. (Reality and music...
Many Wma stalwarts soon will have their noses out of joint and their resumes ready if they aren't on the new team.
Among the strongest contenders to be on a combined board, other than Wma CEO Jim Wiatt and president David Wirtschafter, are COO Irv Weintraub, motion picture head John Fogelman and New York-based literary co-head Jennifer Rudolph Walsh. That could leave a lot of heavyweights standing when the music stops, including reality chieftains Mark Itkin and John Ferriter as well as music maven Peter Grosslight. (Reality and music...
- 4/21/2009
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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