WME-IMG has formed a holding company called Endeavor and folded its full portfolio of brands into the new company. Ari Emanuel will become Endeavor CEO, while Patrick Whitesell will be Endeavor Exec Chair. Emanuel and Whitesell retain their seats on the company BOD. WME and IMG will operate as standalone businesses within Endeavor, with Mark Shapiro and Ioris Francini continuing in their roles as co-Presidents overseeing both WME and IMG. Other wholly owned Endeavor brands include UFC, PBR, the Miss Universe Organization and arts firm Frieze. Emanuel today in a statement said, "WME-IMG represented a pivotal moment in our company’s history, but it does not accurately reflect the extent of our diversity or indicate where we’re headed. In creating Endeavor, we now have a holding company that represents the very definition of the word itself, constantly striving to push boundaries on behalf of our clients and owned properties." Other assets within Endeavor include ad agency Droga5, Dixon Talent, management/consulting agency The Wall Group, Euroleague basketball and ELeague. The significance of the Endeavor name dates back to '95, when Emanuel and a group of partners started a Hollywood talent agency by that name. Endeavor later merged with William Morris Agency to create WME, which then acquired IMG in '14.
