America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM

Chapter 101 Little Elizabeth: I am your fan

In Los Angeles, a Lincoln commercial vehicle parked slowly in front of the Double Star Entertainment building.

Eric walked out and strode into it.

Starting today, Double Star Entertainment will not only belong to the Olsen sisters, but Cooper's name will also be imprinted on it.

As for Robert Solny, it is said that he used the money he received from the shares to go to private equity funds, hoping to buy a stake in MGM.

But I can only wish him good luck. After all, there can be many reasons for rejecting someone.

For example, a simple sentence: "Sir, you are late. Our quota was just filled yesterday. We are sorry that we will continue to serve you next time."

Or maybe MGM has temporarily shelved its financing plans, you ask me? How do I know why? I'm just an intermediary.

In short, they have many solutions. As for Solni, will he explode in anger? Do you suspect that you have been tricked? Will they take up legal weapons?

Possibly, but it’s useless because private equity funds are too difficult to supervise and are inherently hidden.

Not to mention China, even the United States has many loopholes in its supervision. At least before the financial crisis in 2008, the supervision of private equity was relatively broad, and became more and more strict after the financial crisis.

There is no need to register with the Securities Regulatory Commission, no need to be subject to the requirements of CRS, etc. You can take the lead in litigating with me.

Besides, didn’t I give you any money?

Not only was it given, it was even a premium. You are the beneficiary. Why are you suing me?

A team of lawyers can fight this kind of lawsuit with you for several years, but in the end you will most likely not win.

So smart people will use US$300 million to develop new businesses instead of just messing around.

If you really choose to take the legal route, then this money, as one of the important evidences, can also be frozen. What's the point of trying to get nothing?

After convening the Double Star Entertainment shareholders' meeting, announcing Eric's identity, and meeting with the company's middle and senior management, he came to the Olsen sisters' office.

The meeting was actually quite simple, because there were only five shareholders, the two sisters Eric and Olson, as well as their father David and mother Ganetti.

The current shareholding ratio of Double Star Entertainment is Eric 45%, Ashley Olson 5%, Mary Olson 5%, David 5%, and Ganetti 5%.

Eric is equivalent to replacing Robert Solny's original role, but it is obviously too early to intervene in the operation of Double Star Entertainment.

On the one hand, he has just joined the company and is not familiar with the business.

On the other hand, the other party is obviously a member of the family and will definitely be on guard against him. If necessary, they will definitely unite to resist him. This is why Solny cannot really control the Olsen sisters.

“Beautiful office, very girly!”

Looking at the colorful dolls on the table and the various decorations in the cupboard, Eric said half-jokingly and half-praisingly.

Ashley raised her lips: "It's beautiful, right? These are Mary and I's favorite collections."

"Yes, very tasteful! Are these dolls your sisters themselves?"

Eric picked up a doll and looked at it carefully, and found that it looked a bit like the two girls in front of him.

"Most of them are us, but there are also special ones that test your eyesight," Mary Olson said.

Hearing this, Eric carefully searched among the dolls and soon found a smaller doll.

“In whose image is this smaller one made?”

"It's pretty fast. Her origin is our sister, little Elizabeth!"

"Elizabeth Olson? Does anyone buy her peripherals?" Eric was a little surprised.

Because the current Omei is still more than ten years away from the Scarlet Witch in the future. Before starring in the Marvel movie, according to Eric's memory, Elizabeth Olsen was not very famous.

Even though she has participated in commercial blockbusters such as "Godzilla", her status has never reached the front-line position of the new generation of actors.

It won't work in a few years, let alone now. I haven't heard of Elizabeth Olsen starring in well-known works when she was a teenager.

Eric's blatantly questioning attitude immediately made the two sisters who loved his sister very unhappy. They both frowned and stared at him.

"Eric Cooper, if little Elizabeth knew that you commented on her like this, she would be very sad. She is your fan!"

"What?"

Eric looked at them in confusion: "Since when did I have fans? I'm not an actor. I can only be regarded as a screenwriter and director at most."

Ashley spread her hands helplessly and said in a sad tone: "She is still young and can't distinguish between reality and imagination. Your beautiful face is really deceiving."

"Oh~~~~I will understand if you put it like that."

Eric nodded with satisfaction: "This face is my second favorite part. Not to mention a little girl, many big stars can't resist its temptation."

Hearing this, Mary made a retching expression: "Narcissistic men are really disgusting."

"Then where is the most satisfying part?" Ashley asked curiously.

"Girls, don't talk about this part casually, it is already NC17."

Hearing his racy accent, Ashley rolled her eyes instantly. How could she be so stupid to ask questions even though she knew it was definitely there?

"Eh? Do I subconsciously want to flirt with him? Damn it, this handsome face is really deceiving!"

"He is a dangerous guy who can use his tricks to drive away Robert Solney, but he is also really handsome. I am a little conflicted. Please wake up, Ashley!"

dong dong dong

There was a knock on the office door.

After giving herself a big fight in her mind, Ashley Olsen quickly returned to normal.

"Boss, this is what you want, a summary of the company's operating performance in recent years."

"Thank you Hall, it's none of your business, go out."

Eric picked up the report and flipped through it. Mary glanced at the thickness of dozens of pages and chose to walk out of the office.

Ashley shook her head slightly: "Eric, if you want to know about Double Star Entertainment, I can share it with you."

"It doesn't matter, I still like to see it for myself. From now on, this will be our common property, and I must understand it well."

The two sisters left, and Eric carefully studied the reported numbers. Unknowingly, more than an hour had passed.

Chen Xing brought in a cup of coffee, saw Eric frowning and asked, "Boss, do you need to call the Olsen sisters?"

Eric waved his hand and motioned for the other party to go out.

The reason why he frowned was because he had a subconscious reaction when he saw Double Star Entertainment's performance declining year after year.

The peak of the company's revenue was in 1997, when the Olsen sisters were only 12 years old, and it was when their TV series was most influential.

The two sisters have not yet grown up, and their young appearance is more attractive to their main consumer children.

However, the performance after that was not good. Today, the turnover has shrunk by more than 40%, and even the production lines of its factories were forced to sell part of it.

The relationship between Solny and the Olson family should have been pretty good at that time, and they had taken many self-rescue measures, but the results were never good.

There's nothing we can do about it. The core competitiveness is the two sisters. They are both celebrities and products. Naturally, products whose reputation has declined cannot be sold.

However, Doublestar Entertainment's business scope is still relatively broad, in addition to conventional digital products such as DVDs, video tapes, and audio products.

There are also doll figures, children's clothing, educational stationery, accessories and gifts, food snacks, etc. The development level of the IP of the two sisters is very high, at least much higher than that of MGM.

For example, MGM's peripheral products are mainly digital products such as DVDs and video tapes. Others are mainly IP licensing to obtain some copyright fees, but most of them are taken away by others.

The reasons are very complicated. With Kerkorian's nonsense, and under the operation of this casino tycoon, it's good that MGM can survive, and there is no energy to engage in other developments.

In addition, the sales network is also a big problem. Doublestar Entertainment has done very well in this regard after many years of operation, and its products can achieve full coverage in North America.

It can also cover most countries in Europe, and there are also outlets in Australia and New Zealand, but sales are not high.

The report also mentioned that Double Star Entertainment actually had plans to enter South America and Asia, but when it entered South America, the Olsen sisters were past their peak period.

Not only did it fail to enter the market, it also caused a large backlog of products, and the company suffered a huge loss.

After the defeat in South America, the plan to enter Asia was also shelved. Now the majority of sales are in North America, followed by Europe.

After reading it, Eric had a basic understanding of Double Star Entertainment. The greatest wealth it could bring to MGM was undoubtedly its mature sales network.

This step alone would have saved MGM so much time that it could count in years.

After dialing Ashley's number, Eric took the elevator and continued upward, finally arriving at the sisters' exclusive lounge.

Knocking on the door, the door soon opened, and a little girl stood there with a smile.

She has long blond hair, big eyes, and although her face has not grown yet, she already looks somewhat similar to her two sisters.

Needless to say, it’s Elizabeth Olsen, the future Scarlet Witch.

"you"

Eric just opened his mouth, and the girl opposite him was already covering her face and screaming.

"Eric Cooper, Eric Cooper, it's really you. It turns out Mary didn't lie to me."

After saying that, she ran to the table, took out a beautiful photo album from her schoolbag and handed it to Eric.

"Sign your name for me, Eric."

Ashley was lying on the massage chair and said in a God-like manner: "I told you, she is a big fan. I asked her not to go to the office to disturb you. Thank me."

Looking at the young Omei in front of him, especially those eyes that seemed to be shining with stars, Eric felt quite strange.

She actually has fans, and she is such a cute little girl. It seems that her good looks are really lethal.

Smiling and touching Omei's little head, Eric took the photo and said, "Where's the signature? This is my first signature. I've never done this before."

"The first one, really?" Elizabeth shouted in surprise.

"Yes, so can you mentor me? Pretty girl."

Elizabeth turned to the first page, which showed a picture of a woman wearing white stockings huddled on the sofa.

"Damn it! This is too Lolita, what bastard photographer chose this!" Eric couldn't help complaining in his heart.

"Just sign it here and write it to Elizabeth Olsen, my first fan. I wish her to become a big star!" O'Mei pointed at the white stockings excitedly.

After Eric signed it, she put it away carefully for fear of damaging it.

Then he moved a small sofa and sat next to Eric.

"Eric, Mary said that you drove away the Solni guy, and you will be our partner from now on, right?"

Eric nodded: "You can understand it this way."

"Awesome, I hate that guy so much, he always stares at me and my sister with evil intentions."

"I also hate greasy middle-aged men."

"So are you going to help Ashley and Marie make a movie?"

"Yes, it will start soon. Unfortunately, there is no suitable role for you."

"It doesn't matter, they have already told me, what type of movie is this?"

Eric was silent. How should he answer this question?

"Elizabeth, you go and have some fun by yourself first. We still have to talk about work. After we finish talking about the business, you can come over and chase stars, okay?"

At the critical moment, Ashley stepped forward to save the situation. The two sisters were also very embarrassed about this topic, so they never mentioned it to their families.

Omei smiled sweetly at Eric and left the lounge obediently.

"What a lovely little girl."

"Yes, so if there is a suitable role, don't forget Elizabeth, she is also working hard to become an actress." The second sister Mary said.

"No problem, as long as there is a suitable opportunity, but let's talk about cooperation first. After reading the report, Double Star Entertainment is not in a good situation."

"The root of the problem is not difficult to find. We have been walking on one leg for too long. Therefore, if we want Double Star Entertainment to rise again, we must break the business model with you sisters as the core."

Speaking of business, both sisters sat up straight: "Do you have any good suggestions?"

"Not yet. After all, I am not a business expert, but there is one thing that I can make an immediate decision on, and that is the co-branding and bundling of brands and IPs."

"The brand value of the Olsen sisters has now reached its upper limit. Only if "Adele's Life" can achieve a major breakthrough will it be possible to boost the commercial value of your sisters."

"But it will take at least half a year to see the effect, so we need new growth points that will be immediate."

"So I plan to link MGM's IP with your sisters. For example, Pink Panther is very suitable. MGM can produce an interesting short film of a few minutes to let your cartoon image and Pink Panther have interesting stories. "

“Then come out with new lines of merchandise, and consumers like fun new stuff.”

"In addition, regarding the issue that your market subjects are children, you can adopt the method of linking with classic works such as "007 Series", "Legally Blonde", "Rain Man", "Tarzan", "RoboCop" and "Silence of the Lambs" .”

“It’s hard to say whether it will work, but it’s always a good idea to try it.”

"Wait, what does The Silence of the Lambs mean?" Mary Olson interrupted.

"Well, I just blurted out, maybe it can be made into a Halloween costume, Hannibal likes to eat people, anyway, MGM has a lot of film and television resources, we can definitely use it, right?"

"Shuttered production lines can also be restarted. This is our capital."

"What about the licensing fee?"

Ashley looked at Eric with some hope. Doublestar Entertainment had long wanted to try the big IP linkage method, but the problem was that it could not afford the copyright fees, so the idea was not implemented.

"Of course it's a discounted price. After all, we are partners now."

The Olsen sisters suddenly smiled and suddenly felt that it was good to cooperate with a big company. The benefits came instantly.