Last September, then-Endeavor executive chairman and longtime Ari Emanuel wingman Patrick Whitesell and his wife, Pia, were in Denver, drinking Bud Lights at a Steelers-Broncos game with Omaha Productions co-founders Peyton Manning and Jamie Horowitz. At the time, Whitesell was still six months away from cashing out from his position in the company, and he knew he’d soon be overseeing a new investment platform—one that focused on sports, media, and entertainment investments, all underwritten by Silver Lake. Omaha, which has produced dozens of TV series and events, seemed like the kind of company that would interest him: In just five years, it had become one of the most successful independent production companies in sports media on the back of assets like Quarterback and the ManningCast.