WME
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersBeverly Hills, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
WME firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WME
- Legal name
- William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, LLC
- Website
- https://wmeagency.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where WME is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Beverly Hills
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices11 records
Markets served
WME business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Commission on Artist Bookings and Deals: WME earns commissions as a percentage of artist bookings, touring fees, and entertainment deals. The agency books more than 40,000 tour dates annually for music artists alone.
- Talent Representation Services: Revenue from representing actors, athletes, musicians, authors, and other entertainment professionals in contract negotiations, brand partnerships, and career development.
- Film and TV Sales Representation: WME Independent handles worldwide sales for independent films and projects, earning commissions on distribution deals.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Full-service talent representation |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels3 records
WME product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WME is a full-service talent agency representing actors, musicians, athletes, authors, directors, and other entertainment professionals. The agency negotiates contracts, books tours, secures brand partnerships, and manages film sales across multiple entertainment verticals including film, television, music, sports, theater, fashion, and books. Founded in 2009 through the merger of William Morris Agency and Endeavor, WME operates with a focus on talent representation across the global entertainment industry.
Product overview
WME (William Morris Endeavor) is a comprehensive talent agency operating as a unified platform serving the entertainment industry across multiple verticals. The company represents acting talent, music artists, athletes, authors, comedians, directors, producers, and creators across film, television, music, sports, theater, fashion, books, digital media, brands, and production. The agency functions as a single integrated platform rather than a modular product architecture, with distinct divisions that collectively handle talent representation, booking, literary rights, brand partnerships, and production services. Key divisions include Motion Picture Literary, Music (booking over 40,000 tour dates annually), Sports Representation, WME Insights (analytics), Books & Literary Media, Theater, Television Talent, Fashion, Impact/Advocacy, Production, and WME Independent for film sales.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- WME Independent: Film financing and sales division handling independent film distribution
- WME Sports
- WME Music
- WME Fashion
- WME Insights
Products and services
- Film Talent Representation Representation services for film actors and directors, negotiating deals with studios and managing their careers across motion pictures. Clients include actors such as Angelina Jolie.
- Music Artist Representation Representation for musicians, including booking tours, negotiating recording contracts, and managing artist careers. Clients include musicians such as Zach Bryan.
- Sports Athlete Representation Representation services for professional athletes, negotiating endorsement deals, contracts, and managing athletic careers.
- Television Talent Representation Representation for television actors, writers, directors, and producers, negotiating deals with networks and streaming platforms.
- Theater & Stage Representation Representation for theater performers, directors, and writers in stage productions including Broadway and West End shows.
- Books & Literary Media Representation
Quantifiable outcome
- 40,000+ tour dates booked annually
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use WME
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
WME technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability3 records
Feature1 record
WME partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.
- NFL Las Vegas RaidersminorWME CEO Ari Emanuel and President Mark Shapiro are acquiring individual ownership stakes of less than 10% each in the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders, pending league owner approval. The transactions represent their first direct NFL team investment.
- Tom's Watch BarminorWME brokered a partnership between Tom's Watch Bar and Sports Illustrated Tickets to launch stadium-style ticketing offers for major sporting events. The deal supports Tom's Watch Bar's expansion across its nearly 20 locations.
- Sophia LillisminorActress Sophia Lillis signed with WME for representation in all areas, aiming to expand her work in film and television. She continues to be represented by Untitled Entertainment and attorney Ryan LeVine for other representation.
- YouTubecoreYouTube partnered with major talent agencies including WME, CAA, UTA, and Untitled Management to expand its AI likeness detection tool to celebrities and entertainers. The tool enables talent to detect and request removal of unauthorized AI-generated deepfake content featuring their likenesses on the platform.
- Publicis GroupemajorWME sold its sports marketing agency 160over90 to Publicis Groupe for over $500 million. The deal includes a strategic partnership allowing WME to leverage its talent roster for future media opportunities. WME acquired 160over90 in 2018 for approximately $200 million.
- Adobe Firefly FoundrycoreAdobe partnered with WME (along with UTA and CAA) as part of its Firefly Foundry initiative, connecting with Hollywood talent agencies to build bespoke generative AI tools for video creation. The partnership aims to enable safe commercial use of AI while preventing unauthorized use of copyrighted material.
- Sportradar Group AGminorSportradar Group AG entered into a definitive agreement to acquire IMG Arena US, LLC from WME IMG LLC. The acquisition is pending regulatory approval and expected to close in late 2025.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
WME competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Creative Artists Agency (CAA): CAA is WME's closest direct competitor—a full-service talent agency representing actors, directors, writers, musicians, and athletes. After acquiring ICM Partners in 2022, CAA operates at comparable global scale with overlapping roster and verticals, making it the most directly comparable peer.
- United Talent Agency (UTA): UTA is a major global talent agency representing actors, writers, directors, musicians, and digital talent. UTA has been an aggressive acquirer (Curtis Brown Group, Klutch Sports Group) pursuing a similar strategy to WME, and is a key direct competitor across entertainment verticals.
- Paradigm Talent Agency: Paradigm is a major independent talent agency representing artists across music, literary, film/TV, and comedy. As a similarly full-service entertainment agency with comparable verticals, it competes directly with WME in mid-to-upper tier talent representation.
- Agency for the Performing Arts (APA): APA is a full-service talent and literary agency representing actors, writers, directors, producers, and athletes across film, TV, theater, and publishing. It competes directly with WME in talent representation and recently merged with Brillstein Entertainment Partners.
- Gersh Agency: Gersh is a talent and literary agency with strong representation in TV talent, motion picture, theater, and comedy. It is a directly competitive boutique-scale agency serving overlapping client segments with WME.
- CAA-GBG (formerly ICM Partners): ICM Partners was historically a top-three talent agency before being acquired by CAA in 2022. Its former independent scope (literary, talent, and broadcast) was a direct competitor to WME; post-merger the combined entity intensifies competitive pressure on WME.
- Brillstein Entertainment Partners: Brillstein is a talent management and production company representing actors, writers, directors, and producers. As a competing management/production firm with Hollywood focus, it directly competes with WME's talent and production verticals.
- IMG (originally International Management Group): IMG was historically WME's sister division within Endeavor, specializing in sports, events, fashion (IMG Models), and licensing. Following divestitures (IMG Arena sale to Sportradar), parts of IMG continue to overlap with WME Sports and WME Fashion, making it a structurally related competitor.
Others
- Endeavor Group Holdings: Endeavor is WME's parent company and a broader entertainment conglomerate spanning talent representation, sports (UFC, WWE under TKO), events, and media. While not a direct peer, Endeavor's strategic direction and capital allocation decisions directly govern WME's growth trajectory.
Emerging players
- Range Media Partners: Range is a relatively new full-service talent management and production company representing actors, musicians, writers, and athletes. Founded by ex-CAA and WME agents, it is an emerging competitor targeting the same high-end roster with a more boutique service model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
WME social profiles
Digital presenceWME financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WME leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
WME subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
WME funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WME M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A7 records
Investments40 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about WME
What does WME do?
WME is a full-service talent agency representing actors, musicians, athletes, authors, directors, and other entertainment professionals. The agency negotiates contracts, books tours, secures brand partnerships, and manages film sales across multiple entertainment verticals including film, television, music, sports, theater, fashion, and books. Founded in 2009 through the merger of William Morris Agency and Endeavor, WME operates with a focus on talent representation across the global entertainment industry.
Is WME a public or private company?
WME is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was WME founded?
WME was founded in 2009. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is WME based?
WME is headquartered in Beverly Hills, United States, in the North America region.
How does WME make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Commission on Artist Bookings and Deals are the primary driver. The others are talent Representation Services and film and TV Sales Representation.
Who are WME's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Creative Artists Agency (CAA), United Talent Agency (UTA), Paradigm Talent Agency, Agency for the Performing Arts (APA), Gersh Agency, CAA-GBG (formerly ICM Partners), Brillstein Entertainment Partners and IMG (originally International Management Group). Endeavor Group Holdings is listed as an others. Range Media Partners is listed as an emerging player.
Does WME have an API?
No public API is recorded for WME.