Endeavor Goes Private as $25 Billion Silver Lake Transaction Closes, Mark Shapiro Leads Renamed WME Group

As TheWrap exclusively reported, Ari Emanuel is changing his role and Patrick Whitesell is exiting the company The post Endeavor Goes Private as $25 Billion Silver Lake Transaction Closes, Mark Shapiro Leads Renamed WME Group appeared first on TheWrap.

Mar 24, 2025 - 14:25

Endeavor Goes Private as $25 Billion Silver Lake Transaction Closes, Mark Shapiro Leads Renamed WME Group

Endeavor is now a private company as the $25 billion acquisition by Silver Lake was completed on Monday, marked by a significant change in leadership at the company. As TheWrap exclusively reported last week, Ari Emanuel is moving from CEO to Executive Chairman of the newly named WME Group while Patrick Whitesell is exiting the company altogether to become the CEO and Founder of a new platform in partnership with Silver Lake.

Mark Shapiro now serves as President and Managing Partner of WME Group.

Egon Durban, Co-CEO and Managing Partner of Silver Lake, praised Emanuel and Whitesell as the transaction closed.

“This remarkable moment—and the even more exciting future it launches—is thanks first and foremost to Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell, and to the relentless and ambitious strategic vision they have shared for more than twenty years to build Endeavor into a global powerhouse across talent, brands, and IP spanning entertainment, media, and sports,” Durban said. “Silver Lake is proud and honored to be their partners since 2012 as they have continued to build the company. Over this period, revenue has grown by twentyfold. Silver Lake has previously invested on six separate occasions to support Endeavor and now, with this latest investment, it is the single largest position in our global portfolio.”

Emanuel added: “I am grateful to Egon and the team at Silver Lake for the trust they have placed in me as a founder and entrepreneur. Together, we have created and enhanced a foundation unlike any other to accelerate value creation for clients and partners across WME Group and TKO, which I am excited to continue to build and grow.”

“Our ability to deliver landmark partnerships, career-defining business opportunities, and enduring cultural moments is amplified by this transaction and the formation of WME Group,” Shapiro said in a statement. “The Silver Lake team has proven time and again that they are all-in on representation and content, and our clients, partners, and employees will thrive under our new structure.”

Endeavor announced about one year ago that Whitesell would launch a media company backed by a $250 million investment from Silver Lake that will focus on investing in sports and media-related ventures. An individual close to Whitesell confirmed that the platform has been funded, but the fund has not announced any investments to date, nor does it have a name.

Whitesell is expected to take with him the team at WME football. Whitesell will remain a significant Endeavor shareholder and continue to advise his high-profile actor clients, which include Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Denzel Washington, along with their WME teams.

Durban looked forward to the future of WME Group in his statement.

“Mark Shapiro is an impressive, hard charging, creative, and determined leader who is driving and orchestrating massive value creation. We look forward to continuing our work and partnership with him and the rest of the management team—including Richard Weitz and Christian Muirhead at WME Group and Dana White, Andrew Schleimer, and the collective TKO leadership—all of whom are industry best,” he said. “We are grateful for all of the clients and partners these businesses are laser focused on serving, as well as for the anchor investors who have joined us in this transaction.”

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