Hollywood Director 1992

"Hasn't Aaron arrived yet?"

"He's probably been delayed on the road by something. Link, I saw in the newspaper that Guess What Pictures' second round of financing has you offering $1.6 billion, not a penny less. Is that true?"

Jerome Preston chuckled in the cafe at The Grove shopping center.

"It's true."

Link replied calmly.

"1.6 billion! You really dare to ask for that much."

Jerome raised an eyebrow.

"Why wouldn't I dare?" Link smiled slightly, his tone firm. "I not only dare, but I'll ask for it with confidence. Guess What Pictures' box office and merchandise revenue last year approached $2 billion, with profits exceeding $1 billion, which is higher than many Fortune 500 companies. If it were in other industries, a company with an annual turnover of over $2 billion would be worth at least $10 billion. My offer of $1.6 billion is already modest."

Jerome laughed heartily. "You're right, that's other industries. The film industry is high-risk, high-cost, and has a long return cycle. Plus, Guess What Pictures has too few tangible assets. Wall Street investment firms probably won't meet your demands. You have to be prepared for the failure of the financing in advance."

"It doesn't matter."

Link shrugged. "My agreement to conduct the second round of financing early is an attitude in itself, indicating my willingness to share the dividends of Guess What Pictures' development with capital. If they are optimistic about me and the future of Guess What Pictures, they'll accept this offer. If they're not optimistic, then they can't blame me for keeping all the profits myself.

Next, it's time to test the vision and courage of those investors."

"You're too confident."

Jerome shook his head and smiled. "Just like when you came to my office to promote 'Buried' you told me that 'Buried' would definitely be a hit after its release, and it would increase the theater's attendance rate. I didn't believe it at the time, but you were right. 'Buried' created a box office miracle.

Now you still have that expression, which means you are full of confidence in the development of Guess What Pictures. If I had a few hundred million in capital, I would definitely take this share and make a lot of money with you."

Link smiled and also remembered the experience of bringing "Buried" to The Grove shopping center to promote the movie.

In the blink of an eye, it's been almost three years. Many things have changed, but the part about him has been developing in a good direction.

The fact that Guess What Pictures was suppressed by Wall Street capital this time was actually expected.

This is America. Politics are managed by the White House, and the economy is controlled by Wall Street capital.

Guess What Pictures has made a lot of money in the North American film market this year. An independent film company has earned more money than the Big Seven film studios.

The Wall Street investors will naturally not be indifferent to this sweet treat.

Pressuring Guess What Pictures through the Big Seven film studios is also inevitable.

However, Link is not worried about being targeted by the Big Seven film studios and the capital behind them.

In the film industry, no matter how strong a company's production capabilities are or how sufficient its distribution resources are, whether it can ultimately make a profit always depends on the quality of the film itself.

Even films produced by Hollywood's Big Seven film studios may encounter box office disasters if the film quality is poor, and may even face bankruptcy risks due to huge losses.

If the film quality is excellent, even if it faces competitive pressure or limited screenings in the North American market, it still has the opportunity to make a profit through the overseas market, thereby reversing the situation.

Therefore, whether a film company can survive in Hollywood ultimately depends on whether the products produced by the company can win the recognition of the audience, rather than simply relying on the scale of production or the intensity of distribution.

Link has a box office subsidy system and doesn't worry about losses caused by poor film quality. This is also the main reason why he dares to stand up to the Big Seven film studios.

On the other hand, the current situation in the film industry also gives him enough confidence.

First of all, Hollywood's Big Seven film studios belong to different interest groups, and there is far more competition than cooperation between them.

It would undoubtedly face a huge challenge to get them to put aside their long-standing competitive relationship and unite to jointly resist Guess What Pictures.

Secondly, although the media groups behind the Big Seven film studios are powerful, they only control about 45% of North American media resources, while the remaining 55% of the resources are controlled by other independent media groups.

For example, CNN and TNT channels under Turner Broadcasting Company, ABC television network under Metropolitan Communications Company, The New York Times held by the Sulzberger family, and Hearst Newspaper Group and Tribune Media Group are all important participants in the North American media market.

These media groups have direct competitive relationships with News Corporation behind Fox Pictures, Comcast Group behind Universal Pictures, etc., so it is difficult to form a unified public opinion front to target Guess What Pictures.

This fragmented media landscape and complex competitive relationship further weaken the feasibility of joint action by the Big Seven film studios, and also provide Guess What Pictures with more market space and strategic opportunities.

As long as Guess What Pictures is willing to spend money, it can obtain sufficient publicity resources.

There is no need to worry about being monopolized by several major media groups.

Finally, thanks to the 'Paramount Decree' of 1948, American film companies and theater companies have implemented a business separation system.

In order to make profits, movie theater chains have to actively compete for film screening rights.

The films under Guess What Pictures often produce box office dark horses, with both box office and word-of-mouth success.

The theater chains also attach more importance to cooperation with Guess What because of this.

Link doesn't have to worry about the films he makes not being released.

This is also one of the reasons why he is not worried about being jointly dealt with by the Big Seven film studios.

Considering the above points, when facing the suppression of the Big Seven film studios and entertainment capital, you only need to withstand the pressure, be prepared, continue to make competitive films, and earn more box office revenue, and the suppression of the Big Seven film studios will collapse without being attacked.

No mistake! One song, one shot, one content, one look!

"Link, Jerome, sorry, I'm late."

After Link and Jerome chatted for a while, Aaron Kouch, the deputy editor-in-chief of The Hollywood Reporter, came in from outside and apologized to the two for being late.

The reason for his lateness was that he received a call on the way saying that rapper Tupac Shakur 2Pac had been shot and injured in a recording studio in New York.

Tupac is currently the most famous black rapper in the music scene, and also an actor. Last year, he starred with Janet Jackson in "Poetic Justice," which achieved good box office results.

At the same time, Tupac is also a news hotspot recently. In '92, a handgun went off, causing the death of a 6-year-old boy. He was eventually acquitted due to insufficient evidence.

Last November, he sexually assaulted a woman in a hotel and was investigated by the police. The case is still under investigation. Now he has been shot again, which makes Tupac even more popular, and news about him is of great value.

Aaron Kouch just arranged for his reporters to go to New York to interview Tupac by phone.

"I heard that the rap singers are fighting among themselves, divided into the East Coast and West Coast, and they often scold each other. Tupac is a West Coast rapper. Could this shooting be someone from the East Coast trying to kill him?"

Jerome asked curiously.

"Not sure. There are rumors that this matter is related to Notorious B.I.G. and singer Puff Daddy, but there is currently no evidence to confirm this news."

"Puff Daddy? Link, I remember you had a conflict with him too. You have to be careful."

Jerome looked at Link.

"A small conflict, all things of the past."

Link shook his head. When he was filming in New York last year, he was harassed by Puff Daddy's men. Link used his relationship with the New York police to give Puff Daddy a beating and let him spend two weeks in prison.

Puff Daddy came from a drug gang and has a record with the police and the FBI, so he dared not disobey.

In addition, after Link became a billionaire, he is also an object that politicians hope to befriend. With his current status and wealth, it is easier to control Puff Daddy than to deal with Robert Downey Jr. and others.

"Link, I won't waste your time. Can we start the interview now?"

Aaron Kouch took out his laptop.

Link nodded. He came here for coffee today at Aaron Kouch's invitation. The other party had a few questions he wanted to ask him in person about the rumors of the Big Seven film studios suppressing Guess What Pictures, and the second round of financing for Guess What Pictures.

Link also wanted to use the media to express his attitude and create momentum for the second round of financing for Guess What Pictures, so he accepted Aaron Kouch's invitation.