Ross Raphael ’05: From Mailroom to Partner at William Morris Endeavor

“Curiosity drove my career,” said Ross Raphael ’05. “I kept learning and growing by being hungry and curious.”

One of the top agents in the field of media, Ross remembers beginning his journey as a lifelong learner. “At George School, I learned to be understanding of everyone and how to engage with a wide range of people from all different backgrounds,” he said.

This commitment to lifelong learning and appreciation for the perspective of others led Ross to harness the power of networking in pursuit of a career path. Graduating from Trinity College in 2009, he and a few friends set out for New York City on the heels of the 2008 economic crisis. Job hunting wasn’t easy, but Ross started relentlessly networking, and landed his first job as a production assistant on a movie set, eventually working on movies like The Adjustment Bureau and The Other Guys.

“As a kid who grew up in Bucks County, PA,” remembered Ross, “It was really great for me to get to experience living in NYC and working on a different production set in the city every day.”

He soon recognized, though, that while he had creative strengths, he also had business acumen—and a desire to utilize both talents. After reading The Mailroom and watching the television series Entourage, he fell in love with the idea of being a media agent.

“I didn’t know anyone in the representation business, so I just kept applying. It seemed like an aspirational goal, but I applied to all the agencies multiple times,” Ross said. “I think WME [William Morris Endeavor] finally got tired of me applying, so they brought me in to work in the mailroom.”

While there is nothing particularly glamorous about delivering mail and Ross started off barely scraping by on an entry-level salary, the William Morris mailroom is an extremely competitive environment where individuals such as David Geffen and Barry Diller started their careers. “I was surrounded by polished individuals with graduate degrees and work experience who were going for the same openings that I was,” Ross said, “but I simply wanted it more and believed that I could outwork anybody.”

His persistence and his continual drive to learn paid off, and he was soon promoted to floating assistant then to full-time assistant in the non-scripted television department. After learning what the non-scripted group worked on and meeting with them, he knew it was a place where he could grow and succeed.

“I knew that I would fit in,” Ross said. “I ended up thriving in that group and went from assistant to coordinator to agent and a year and half ago, was promoted to partner.”

He credits one of his earliest successes to his George School network.

“Jay McDermott ’05 was my roommate at George School, fellow lacrosse captain, Orton prefect, and best man at my wedding. His older brother, Geno ’04, worked in the same industry in New York at Redline Films. Geno was my first client and I helped him start and build a company, and eventually sell it to a larger studio called eOne. Doing that at a very young age helped me build my reputation in television packaging.”

As a television packager, Ross works with professional athletes and other celebrities to help them branch into media and grow their brands.

“Just last week, I spoke at the Variety Sports and Entertainment Panel in Los Angeles with Joel Embiid, the current NBA MVP from the Philadelphia 76ers, whom I represent.”

Through Ross’ work with another NBA MVP, Russell Westbrook, whom he represents, he notes how he still holds the Quaker values learned at George School close in his daily work. “When we sold Tulsa Burning with Russ, it was important that we used it as a vehicle in the fight for equality—which is why we crafted a unique deal that financed a social impact campaign supporting Black entrepreneurs to run alongside the documentary.”

According to the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, “non-scripted” is the industry term for television programming devoted primarily to entertain, or entertain and inform, with unscripted dialogue.

Documentary and docuseries have been key to Ross’ success. Though he has represented many celebrities in other areas like news and lifestyle, such as Ben and Erin Napier, who are HGTV’s highest rated stars, he is currently focused on the intersection of sports and media as a growth area.

“Sports and media have become so intertwined,” Ross said. “As agents, we like to think of ourselves as a de facto board for athletes like Joel and help them make strategic media decisions to build their companies and brands.”

Ross considers himself a generalist first, but also believes that following his authentic passions has fed his success.

“In this profession, you need to adapt to fit what the market dictates,” he said. “I set up my career from an early stage with a general business foundation, learning how to network and how to create and scale companies. I can apply that to anything.”

From there, it’s about following your own genuine interests–and recognizing quality storytelling. “I signed several of the directors from [the ESPN documentary series] 30 for 30 not because I knew there was going to be a huge business there, but because I just liked what they were doing. Following my passion has served me well.”

Of course, it’s also critical to stay abreast of the industry. And with the rise of interest in live television during the pandemic, it became clear that sports could be a lynchpin.

“Interest in sports media has skyrocketed over the past few years,” Ross said. “When the streaming boom started, I was nervous about what it meant for the industry, but it actually helped grow our sector.”

Ross credits his four years at George School with helping him grow creatively and preparing him with skills needed to thrive in the world. As a prefect in Orton, Ross played soccer and lacrosse, and was very involved in campus life.

“I have fond memories of being coached by Paul Machemer ’65,” Ross remembered. “I’ll never forget coming in early for preseason and staying in Drayton, and the video sessions in Paul’s classroom. Most importantly, at George School, I grew an amazing network of friends that I am still close with to this day.”

To current students and young alumni, Ross has three pieces of advice: “Stay hungry, stay present, and stay curious!”