Ari Emanuel is full of rage. In fact, “rage” is literally the first word on the first page of the first chapter of his book Roll the Calls. Published one month ago (September 22) and clocking in at 417 pages, the memoir is written in short, Hemingway-esque sentences – that is if Hemingway used “fuck” constantly – in which and Emanuel tells his whole story. Starting from his dyslexia that has always made reading incredibly difficult, Emanuel holds nothing – and I mean nothing – back. Brutal candidness is what I expected from the person who Entourage’s Ari Gold was based on, but the narrative goes way beyond a character on a television show.
Clearly when Emanuel decided to write this beast, he was going all in. He was also smart enough to enlist the help of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, memoirist, and biographical ghostwriter J. R. Moehringer who authored The Tender Bar and co-wrote Open and Shoe Dog. With Moehringer’s help, Emanuel is able to express his anger while telling a compelling story. “Someone’s always telling you to tell your story. But the other thing I always say to these storytelling assholes is this – Honestly? I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
Well, start he does – from the beginning with his crippling dyslexia, tough parents, and overachieving older brothers, and how all of that paved the trajectory for who he is now. Emanuel also realized early on in his career that he wanted nothing more than to be a talent agent. In terms of style, his short, dramatic, and abrasive sentences makes the reader feel like he (and Moehringer) writes the way he talks. We learn that he definitely paid his dues working for old school agents and in mailrooms with no set hours which means he was always on-call. He is also the epitome of “the early bird gets the worm” and “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” because he got where he is today by being the most persistent person in every company, room, or situation – and that goes for both his professional and personal lives as, more often than not, the two intertwine.
While anyone who has seen Entourage expects no filter from Ari Gold the character, Ari Emanuel the real person is not afraid to talk candidly about both his successes and failures. “I put the rage in Entourage.” Yes he does! Also, his self-awareness is on-point. He knows he is outside of his mind, admits it, and makes zero excuses for it. “My brand of unfiltered honestly doesn’t always play well, but particularly in group settings. And yet I keep doing it.” He talks about how being the inspiration for Ari Gold was a double-edged sword (it opened a lot of doors for him but separating where Gold ended and Emanuel began was draining) as he wrestled with “going to bed a civilian and waking up a fictional character.” I can’t even imagine.
Even with his no holds barred personality, Emanuel definitely knows what he’s doing because he has represented EVERYONE in Hollywood – musicians, directors, actors, politicians, athletes, and the list goes on. He’s ambitious, he’s angry, he’s brilliant, and he does whatever it takes to succeed. “I’m still not sure what I want to be in this world. But of all the things I don’t want to be, obsolete tops the list.”
Major themes of this memoir include: 1) Emanuel’s rage (which he talks about regularly with his therapist) who calls him “both the simplest and the most complicated patient” they have ever had. 2) His childhood dyslexia trauma. 3) The importance of loyalty. 4) His inability to fail. Emanuel is beyond relentless but learned that family is everything – even when he wasn’t always present. “Just be there for your children and let the rest sort itself out.” He also takes full responsibility and ownership for his personality, insane work ethic, and professional choices. Clearly Emanuel is conflicted about the dad he became and the dad he wanted to be. Although he understands the concept of “one act of rage altering the trajectories of so many lives,” he wants to show up for his family while setting an example for them. It’s a hard line to walk. Also, I don’t blame him for needing reminders to “focus on the good.” Sometimes when you’re in it, seeing the silver lining is tough.
I continuously say that “the answer is always no unless you ask.” Emanuel says, “You never get what you want if you don’t ask.” Being well-versed in dealing with people who don’t do their jobs and having it directly affect him and his company is exhausting. As an adult, he realizes that his dad taught him a lot but didn’t talk to him and his brothers enough about what do when you lose a fight – an important lesson. But he has learned that loyalty is imperative: “Protecting yourself from disloyalists, having the courage to cut them loose – it’s a question of having your own back. It may seem abrupt, may seem cold, but it’s in fact the cornerstone of mental health.” Amen.
Fun Facts
He knew The Simpsons was going to be a huge hit but no one believed him.
I learned that red (aka Fleet’s favorite color) is the oldest human-made color as the first cave painters used berries, tree bark, and their own blood to produce it.
One of my favorite quotes of this book: “If possible, always start your day with a fucking metaphor.” HAHAHA!
He was on the Live Nation board for almost 14 years.
Quotes
“Who the fuck would want to read an agent’s memoir?” 😉
“You can plan for a lot of things, but you cannot plan for crazy. Life. Fucking. Lesson.” So true.
“Once you’ve pushed a mail cart alongside someone, you’re blood.”
“Hard times never last, son.” ❤️
“He’s always got time to be curious.”
“The unhappiest people I know are the narcissists.”
“Information is like loyalty. It begets itself.”
“Alas, you don’t always get to choose your fights.”
“Success is a state of mind, a moment your savor, not a mansion you own.”
“Happiness and success are inside us. We have to reach deep and hold tight.”
“I’m in the process of becoming myself, whoever that may be, and I need to trust the process. Let it play out.” Yes.
“Living well is the best revenge? In this world, living at all seems plenty vengeful.”
“Nothing helps you reappraise a bad friendship like a flourishing new friendship.”
“Fear’s the easiest emotion to understand.”
“You have to look in a mirror and remind yourself who you are, how far you’ve come. You need to take a good long look.”
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