Ari Emanuel talks phone calls, commissions and texts in 'Roll the Calls' interviews

Ari Emanuel has written his career down in a memoir titled "Roll the Calls."

Emanuel, the chief executive of Endeavor, discussed the book in an 18-minute interview with Variety published on 22 September 2026. The conversation centres on his memoir and his view of the business.

The interview takes in three threads: the art of the phone call, a stolen commission early in his career, and the rise of text messaging. It is a short sit-down. It stays close to how deals actually get done.

Emanuel told Variety he started WME with Mark Shapiro. WME is the agency business at the heart of his story. That founding partnership is part of the memoir's backdrop.

He also described his own messaging habit in plain terms. He is a one-word texter, maybe two words. Short replies only.

The rollout for the book extends beyond print and press. Emanuel said it includes upcoming live events, including one in Los Angeles. No further dates or venues were detailed in the published account.

A second interview about "Roll the Calls" was published the same day by NPR. That listing identifies Emanuel as a Hollywood agent and frames the book as a new memoir. The two interviews landing together put the memoir's publication at the centre of his public schedule.

What makes this stand out is the format. Phone calls built the agency trade. Texts replaced many of them. Emanuel built a reputation on the first and now jokes about keeping the second brutally brief.

For readers new to the names, the context is simple. Agents represent actors, writers, directors and other talent, and negotiate work on their behalf. Agency chiefs organise large teams to do that across film, television and live events. A memoir from that seat is a look at how that machine runs.