Latimes.com featured an article on the recent acquisition of a high profile organization by one of the top producing companies in the fashion industry. Donald Trump just sold his rights to the Miss Universe Organization to the William Morris Endeavor/IMG agency, three days after gaining ownership of the said beauty pageant organization.
Mark Shapiro, WME/IMG's Chief Content Officer said, on having the Miss Universe Organization on board, "Having worked closely with The Miss Universe Organization in the past, we understand the incredible potential of the events and the star-quality of the participants. The global reach of The Miss Universe Organization and the content opportunities presented by the pageants make this a strong, strategic addition to our portfolio."
According to the same article, WME/IMG is also widely known for its association with Fashion Week events held in New York, Miami and other key cities as well as owning the IMG Models Agency. Popular models under this modeling agency include the Hadid sisters (yes, Bella and Gigi), and of course, Amber Valetta. Check out their other famous faces here.
In another article on blogs.wsj.com, The Donald paid tribute to the Miss Universe organization saying "I have truly enjoyed owning the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants."
He adds "When I purchased the pageants many years ago, they were in serious trouble. It has been a great honor making them so successful. The pageants are now in the hands of a great company that will shepherd them to even greater levels of success."
Donald Trump acquired NBCUniversal's share in the Miss Universe Organization and had cleared his ties to the company by settling all legal battles with the known media broadcasting company, as stated in the same article. The organization is said to be valued between $5 and $25 million.
