Ari Emanuel’s new events business expands into theater ticketing

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Hollywood super agent Ari Emanuel is making a play for Broadway.

Emanuel’s new Beverly Hills-based event and experiences company, Mari, said Monday that it had acquired theater ticketing company TodayTix Group from private equity firm Great Hill Partners.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

TodayTix Group, founded in 2013, has partnered with more than 10,000 theaters, producers and cultural institutions and has more than 20 million members in the U.S., United Kingdom and Australia, according to Mari. The company, which has dual headquarters in London and New York, supplies tickets for Broadway and London’s West End.

“This is the next step in building MARI as a global leader in live experiences,” Emanuel said in a statement. “With TodayTix, we’re adding a technology engine and a direct line to audiences that makes our portfolio even more powerful.”

Mari was launched this month and marks the latest deal for Emanuel, who co-founded Beverly Hills-based sports and entertainment firm Endeavor, the owner of talent agency WME. Endeavor went public in 2021 and was taken private by investment firm Silver Lake in March.

Media executive Mark Shapiro, who has worked closely with Emanuel on building businesses together, is a principal investor in the business and a board member in Mari.

Emanuel is also chief executive and executive chairman of the board of sports and entertainment company TKO Group Holdings, which was created in a merger between Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment and Ultimate Fighting Championship. He serves as executive chairman of WME Group, which oversees businesses including talent agency WME.

Shapiro is TKO’s president and chief operating officer and is a director at the company. He is also president and managing partner of WME Group.

Mari’s backers include private equity firms Apollo and RedBird Capital Partners, Qatar Investment Authority, which is Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, and other investors including Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, chairman and CEO of the Los Angeles Times Media Group.

Mari has been acquiring businesses that were previously owned by Endeavor, including contemporary art organization Frieze and the Miami Open tennis tournament. The company said TodayTix Group will bring its technology to Mari’s events and partners.

Mari’s purchase of TodayTix Group closed Friday. TodayTix Group’s co-founder and CEO Brian Fenty will continue in his position.

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