Forgive us for being rather brusque on this story; we have already written about this property on at least three prior occasions. If any of y’all care to read them, just click here, here, and here.
Anyway, everyone’s favorite talent agent extraordinaire-turned-powerhouse CEO Ari Emanuel has sold off his eye-catching compound near the mouth of Brentwood’s bucolic (and celeb-soaked) Mandeville Canyon.
Mr. Emanuel is co-CEO of Endeavor, the multibillion-dollar juggernaut that is both Hollywood’s preeminent talent agency and owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He’s also the fella whose persona served as the basis for Ari Gold in the hit show Entourage.
We digress. Our Mr. Emanuel’s house carried a heavy-duty asking price of $18,995,000, which is a whole ton of money — even for perilously pricey Brentwood. Yet the ask failed to deter buyers. On, the contrary, there was actually a fierce bidding war over the premises — or so it would appear. And the winning bidder paid a whopping $19,375,000. Yes, kids, that’s $380k more than Mr. Emanuel wanted.
But the new owner is not some overpaid celebrity, as Yolanda initially suspected. Turns out he’s a low-profile hedge fund manager (“hedge”) named David Brown, founder of Hawk Ridge Management. The LA-based fund has nearly $700 million in AUM. We know little else about Mr. Brown, other than he’s 41 years young and an LA local. More on that a bit later.
This property was Mr. Emanuel’s primary residence since late 2015, when he picked it up for $16,550,000. In the 3+ years since, he has redecorated but otherwise left the actual structure itself mostly untouched.
Anyway, the 8,000-square-foot compound (that number includes a detached two-story guest house) was built in 1998 and extensively renovated in 2014. It sits on a .75-acre flat lot, directly adjacent to a smaller property also owned by Mr. Emanuel (more on that momentarily). Before being acquired by our boy, this house was leased out to comedian Chelsea Handler.
We quite like Mr. Emanuel’s home — just in case anyone cares about Yolanda’s worthless opinion. It was built by LA-based Marc Whipple as a stylistic homage to Mexico’s late Ricardo Legorreta, one of our all-time favorite architects.
Naturally, the property is completely walled, gated, and camera-secured for privacy. A crunchy pea gravel motorcourt amps up the ambience. Inside, the living room boasts high ceilings and a smattering of small windows that flood the space with light. The family room overlooks the backyard and includes a fireplace uniquely set into a giant wall of frameless glass.
A chicly ultra-modern devoid of decorative frippery opens to a fireplace-equipped dining room.
The master suite includes a disappearing wall of glass that allows access to a cozy loggia. The boutique-like designer closet is crowded with designer men’s apparel — as y’all might expect from the always dapperly-dressed Mr. Emanuel. Yolanda counts no fewer than 20 blazers on that rack.
Tucked into a corner of the backyard is the somewhat ominous-looking guesthouse, with its two full stories and a lot. But the centerpiece of the property is, of course, the giant semi-circular pool.
Though the listing mentioned that “the adjacent … property could also be available“, that house (also owned by Mr. Emanuel) never officially hit the market. And a peek through records indicates that Mr. Brown did not purchase that smaller ranch-style property, so we assume Mr. Emanuel will be looking to unload it soon. Records show he paid $11,500,000 for the lot last summer (2018).
To be honest, kids, Yolanda has no idea where Mr. Emanuel has schlepped his collection of designer habiliments. Although we would bet it’s not back to his former family home in nearby Brentwood Park, now owned by his estranged wife Sarah Addington. The couple filed for divorce this past December (2018), though they had been living apart for several years prior.
As for the $19 million buyer — our Mr. Brown — he currently resides in a contemporary mansion located on one of Santa Monica’s most prestigious residential streets, and only a few miles from the new place.
Some of his neighbors on the same road include Steve Jobs’ sister Mona Simpson, marketing guru Noah Bremen, vitamin sheller Andrew Lessman, and Chrome Hearts heiress/musician/Instagram influencer Jesse Jo Stark.
Listing agent: Judy Feder, Hilton & Hyland
Selling agent: Elisabeth Halsted, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
