Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1074 Ronald is a true friend

Norio Ohga was very anxious, he had actually started negotiating to acquire the shares held by those minority shareholders.Ronald's point of view is not unreasonable. In any country, when foreigners acquire a great company in the common memory of the people, they have to go through the hurdle of the people.

From a legal point of view, there is nothing wrong with Sony's original plan.However, if the people's dislike for Dongying people is so serious, even if it is acquired, it will cause serious opposition.When Toyota entered Detroit that year, it aroused opposition from workers, and also caused the tragic case of Chinese American Chen Guoren being beaten to death as a Japanese.

The audience in Columbia is hundreds to thousands of times that of Chevrolet workers. If something goes wrong, the acquisition is likely to be seized by a government department, and then dragged on for a long time.

Dahe quickly found Douglas Jr., and Douglas Jr. immediately contacted George Jr., and arranged a box for the two of them at a symphony performance in Washington DC.The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra's trip to America ends here.

Little George was not very interested in symphony, so he chatted with Norio Ohga about the barbecue and beer in Texas, as well as the tap dancing and cancan dancing there.It made his wife Laura keep reminding him not to be rude.

Strange to say, Norio Ohga praised George Jr. as a man of temperament, and he liked dealing with such people.

"You know Ronald and have such a good relationship. In fact, you should come to me earlier. In the White House, Congress, and the Senate, many people are just around the corner. After all, it is very good to please voters by playing a tough stance against Japan. s method."

Little George seemed very happy to be praised by Da He, and he mentioned a few key points of this deal.

Sony's acquisition of Columbia involves Columbia's TV network and movie theaters, so the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which is in charge, is bound to have a say.The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which is in charge of foreign capital acquisitions of domestic companies, is legally obliged to review every major acquisition transaction.

In particular, CFIUS, a review committee established in 1975, was originally intended to monitor and investigate the impact of foreign direct investment in U.S. companies on national security, and has no review power over ordinary acquisitions.

But in 1988, the House and Senate passed the Exon-Florio Amendment, which greatly expanded CFIUS's powers.Allowing them to investigate and block foreign investment that they suspect may pose a threat to U.S. national security.

That is to say, if this committee wants to, then they can stick their noses into every acquisition transaction of foreign companies, no matter how big or small, no matter the industry.

Any newly established or newly expanded authority will naturally look for victims. The previous move by Australia's Qintex Group to acquire MGM just escaped the hands of CFIUS after the expanded power, and now Sony is the last The right object.

Secretly waiting for Sony to complete negotiations with minority shareholders, and then jump out to conduct national security inspections.Donkey Senator Exxon of Nebraska and Rep. Florio of New Jersey are the real hunters lurking around the corner to introduce this amendment.

Of course, little George didn't know these key points. He just remembered his mother Barbara's order to fight for the interests of his family.

"I heard from Ronald Sang that Mr. George is a very good director of a fund that invests in Hollywood. We Sony very much hope to get the help of such a talent." Norio Ohga understands what it takes to get the key give pointers.

"Little George does have an extraordinary vision for investing in movies, and Big Hesang really has a pair of discerning eyes for identifying talents," Little Douglas chimed in.

George Jr. got the screen fund before, and got a good return from Disney.Now a bigwig like Sony has personally agreed that in the future, when a new fund is established on Wall Street to invest in Hollywood movies, it will get Sony's priority investment rights and priority dividend qualifications in good projects.

This kind of exchange does not violate any laws, and the excess returns obtained can also be said to be obtained because of George Jr.'s leadership and connections.Such a thing, in America, will only be praised and envied by everyone, and it is completely legal.

"Hahaha..." Little George was very happy. The principles explained by his mother, Barbara, are very easy to use by himself.Thanks to a true friend like Ronald, Ronald was the only one who cared so much about himself after his father entered the White House.

"Do you know who is the hub in the White House, the hinge that is responsible for the interaction between the White House and Congress?"

"Which one is it?"

"It's the chief of staff of the White House, Mr. John H. Sununu." George Jr. got what he wanted, and revealed the person Barbara told him.

The strangely named director had an Arab father, a Latin mother, and himself was born in Cuba.He is also the first White House chief of staff of Arab descent in American history.

This position is not too high, but power is very important. CFIUS wants to make irresponsible remarks on Sony's acquisition of Columbia Pictures, and it must be coordinated by the general.After all, what is a threat to national security? This standard is too subjective. Without the endorsement of the White House, it is likely to fall into endless delays in Congress.

Accompanied by Dahe Nooro, George Jr. visited a secretary of this Mr. Sununu.The candidate introduced by the prince of the Grand Commander must be reliable.So everyone saves the process of testing each other.

As a meeting gift, Da He offered a private jet in the Sony America branch for the director to use on vacation.After learning that Mr. Sununu liked to collect stamps, he kindly reminded him that at the Christie’s auction in New York, a mysterious collector would sell a few precious stamps that were ignored by ordinary collectors, and there was a possibility of missing them.

……

"Please, Ronald-san..." After Norio Oga returned to New York, he made an appointment with Ronald alone.Little George leaked the secret. He didn't know that the so-called Douglas Jr. was Ronald's agent.Is he the best friend who lent his precious network to Sony to use in critical moments?
Just like George Jr. introduced, Sununu's secretary can quickly reveal the arrangement of the anti-Sony takeover camp.Ronald's introduction also allowed George Jr. to let go of his guard and cooperate with them with confidence.

How much precious time, and trial and error, does this save?When Dahe thought of this, his voice trembled slightly.

"Ronald-san's kindness to us is something we will never forget. I feel very honored to have such a good friend as Ronald-san..." Dahe bowed deeply to Ronald.

"You're welcome, you're welcome. If there's anything I can help, please tell me." Ronald also bowed.It seems that this trip to Washington has been quite fruitful.

"This taught us a profound lesson. The cultures of Japan and the United States are very different. Although we have tried our best to integrate, there are still many places that need the guidance of real experts. I was also confused for a while, and was confused by some Hollywood experts Deceived by his advocacy, he thought that the boss of the brokerage company was the person closest to the order of Hollywood.

But I didn't see the real crux of the matter, and I actually learned a lesson this time.There are still troubles for Ronald Sang, please continue to help us and show us the way.We will not forget this kindness. "

"It's easy to say, easy to say...", Ronald didn't quite understand what important help he had done to Da He, so he just typed.

Afterwards, Norio Ohga flew to Los Angeles to command the acquisition team, quietly changed course, and proactively contacted two important members of the Congressional CFIUS Committee, Exxon and Florio, saying that he had no ambitions and would acquire at a premium from the open market stock.

The two core members of the committee who wanted to make achievements originally wanted to take advantage of Sony's critical time in completing the acquisition.This time, under the arrangement of the chief of staff of the White House, I met Sony, which had come to cooperate with me, and I was a little disappointed that I lost the opportunity.

On the one hand, they submitted a review report to the commander-in-chief to see what the commander-in-chief's attitude was.On the other hand, through his wife and mother, he increased his shareholding in Columbia Pictures and Samsung Pictures.

Similarly, such behavior is entirely due to the unique vision of their family members as amateur investment experts.Senators and representatives enjoy many investigations, including immunity from investigations by the Securities Regulatory Commission. As long as this kind of thing is not done too ugly, everyone has a tacit understanding.

……

The two houses above Fifth Avenue are now undergoing security renovations under the direction of bodyguard Daniel.The public housing apartment on the border of the Bronx and the Upper East Side has been raided by NYPD several times under public pressure.

In this area with the highest housing prices in New York, such a cancer has appeared. The heartbroken owners who pay property taxes have turned to city councilors and city hall officials to express their dissatisfaction.It happened that Rudy took a fancy to this opportunity and launched a joint operation to clean up the mob's settlements, cracked down on several major criminal gangs of blacks and Latinos, and arrested hundreds of thugs.

Now that the threat is lifted, Ronald is also planning to move back with Helen after the renovation is completed.The two of them happened to come to Helen's apartment today to see how the designer made the interior decoration.

"This is the script I'm talking about..." Helen Slater brought the script and showed it to Ronald.For these decorations and decorations, she doesn't pursue expensive, but cares about her own style.

Ronald spent all the money on furnishing and remodeling furniture and electrical appliances. The living room is full of restrained appearance, but in fact it is furniture made of famous designers and expensive wood, which suits Helen's personality very well.Only the Yamaha piano given by Ronald was a cheap starter.

However, this is a token that witnesses the relationship between the two, and it just complements each other here.Helen was playing the piano and singing, while Ronald was reading the script.

This script was called "Happy Together", but it made Ronald frown.The script is about a conservative white boy from the suburbs of Chicago and a party girl raised in Manhattan, New York, who are mistakenly assigned to a dormitory roommate by the computer system in college.

There are two people, one is liberal arts, the other is science;In the end, when they were graduating, the two fell out because of their fear of the future. Finally, on the roof, the two got back together and continued the story of working hard together in the magical city of New York.

This story is pretty good at first glance. It moved the high school romantic comedy filmed by John Hughes and Ronald in the first two years to the university, and then constructed some more mature love between men and women.

But the problem is also here, the number of college students is far less than that of high school students.The potential box office markets for the two are vastly different.After all college kids can watch high school comedy because they've been through it, and a lot of college kids don't have emotional experience (like the nerdy types).

While high school students look at college life, it is difficult to substitute into things they have not experienced.What's more, this script made the university exam terrible, and he would fail every now and then.Not many high school students are willing to watch it.

"What, don't you like it?" Helen asked Ronald.

"Ah, no, I'm just worried..."

"What are you worried about?" When it comes to acting, Helen has a strong opinion.

"Worry..." Ronald wanted to talk to her about this issue.

"Are you worried that I will be in a love scene with the male lead?" Helen came over and hugged Ronald, and a familiar smell of perfume rushed into Ronald's nose.

"It's not... I'm worried..."

"Don't worry, the screenwriter Craig J. Neves is a rising star in the Chicago theater scene, a blockbuster there, and many critics think he is a genius..."

Ronald shook his head inwardly. This script might be suitable for a stage play, because it is limited to a scene in the dormitory, which is convenient for performance.But for the movie, he's not strong enough.

However, Helen likes this movie so much, if someone is willing to distribute it, then even if it is compensated, it won't be much compensation.

"Why don't you invite Catherine Bigelow to direct it like last time, I think this script is more brilliant in the hands of a female director..." Helen Slater's thoughts are very interesting.

"That's good." Ronald thought it was good. It's always a good thing for a female director to shoot his girlfriend's scene. "But Bigelow has Cameron to help him find a new project. I'll ask if it's helpful." Potential female director, Nora Ephron, who wrote my last film."

"Well, dear, you are so kind to me..." Helen didn't realize that Ronald wanted to reduce the time she spent with the male director, Nora Ephron's "When Harry Met Sally", the pilot She also watched it at the time, and was very touched. With such a person directing her, wouldn't her acting skills explode?
"Ring, ring, ring..." The phone rang, interrupting the two who were hugging each other tightly and asking for a kiss.

"Hello?" Ronald was so fired that he picked up the receiver and wanted to scold him, then hung up and told him not to call.

"Ronald, Mr. President of the United States of America, I want to talk to you." Richard's voice on the phone showed a little strange feeling.He seemed to be suppressing his excitement.

"Oh..." Ronald hurriedly lowered Helen from the mid-air he was holding, and made her half-sit on the desk.

"Sir Datong", Ronald's body was straight.

"Ah..." Helen was still hugging Ronald and refused to let him go. Hearing Ronald's name, she was also very nervous. Both legs didn't know whether to continue to circle Ronald or find a place quickly. good.

"Ronald, I have something to ask you." Old George's speaking style is also different from before, straightforward.

"Please tell me, Mr. Grand Commander."

"What do the Dongying people mean? Will they come to snatch our right to speak and the cultural traditions we are proud of? Our freedom... XX... XX..." Old George knew about his son's involvement.In other respects, Ronald helped him handle it perfectly. Only the identity of the Dongying company, he is not very sure, whether this kind of behavior will arouse the reaction of the public, and then affect his own support.

"If you ask me, I think Sony is doing business to sell their VCRs. I don't see any plans for them to promote Dongying's culture and compete with us for the right to speak culturally. .” When Ronald heard about it, he felt a lot more relaxed.

"Can you guarantee it, Ronald? I need real assurance, not analysis. There are enough crappy analysts in the White House." Old George has an idea, if Ronald can be the president of Sony Columbia after the merger Well, the company will be placed under the American traditional management in the future.It just so happens that there are too many Jews in Hollywood and the media industry.

"I can't promise, Mr. President."

"You can't guarantee it, so let little George participate?" The commander's power is growing day by day.

"Mr. Datong, if I can talk about my thoughts, why is it absolutely impossible for Sony to promote their Japanese culture of values."

"you can say."

"That's right, I met with several entrepreneurs in Japan this time. There are actually two types of them. One is conservative and stubborn, holding on to the outdated idea of ​​closing the market and monopolizing Japan's economy... ...the other group is the Tibetan faction that actively embraces the international market and the values ​​of the allies headed by America..."

"Well, go on."

"Sony's domestic business only accounts for a small part of their overall revenue. Their biggest markets are America and free Europe... So, they will not be against money.

Such businesses have no hope of growing if they do not cater to American values.And we can take this opportunity to use their money to spread American values ​​around the world..."

"Very good insight, Ronald, you impress me." Old George thought of the Japanese prime ministers he had dealt with, and those from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry all had crooked melons and cracked dates, which made him uncomfortable.On the contrary, those from the Ministry of Tibet are very modest, and even have a lighter English accent.

"Barbara still told me about you, I haven't seen her for a long time..."

"Oh, I'll visit her in Washington..."

"That's it..." The commander hung up the phone with a snap.

"Is he really the Grand Commander of America?" Helen's eyes lit up, looking at her lover full of tenderness, this is really a good man.

"It's nothing, he asked me for some advice..."

"Oh..." Helen's whole body became limp from this way of speaking, her face suddenly turned red, and she hugged Ronald tightly, "I like you so much, Ronnie."

(End of this chapter)