King of Hollywood-Chapter 611 - 19 Are You Interested?

In early April 2000, the series of changes between AC Media and Sony Records baffled many financial analysts. First, Sony Records flamboyantly announced their upcoming takeover of MCM Records on Friday, but just two days later, on Monday, AC Media suddenly announced the successful acquisition of Universal Music for 6.5 billion, planning to merge it with MCM Records to form the new Universal Music. As for Sony Records, their spokesperson only mentioned at the end that they would engage in deep cooperation with them.

It really was unbelievable—even if a major turnaround was possible, could it be this dramatic? However, the facts wouldn’t change with their surprise; AC Media regained control of MCM and solidified it, holding more shares than Sony, and even obtained a seat on the board of Sony Records, while Sony could only hold shares... These and other insignificant details were subsequently revealed one by one, prompting financial analysts to change their tune and start fully praising AC Media’s strategic deception. Prior mocking comments about their potential major setbacks seemed as if they had never been spoken, and some commentator from the Wall Street Journal even praised Adrian and Claude as "born partners."

Well, at least that statement was correct; Adrian and Claude indeed cooperated well, one handling business negotiations and company operations, and the other in charge of creativity and development, supporting and complementing each other, effectively achieving a synergy where 1+1>2. Take this major turnaround, for instance; aside from Claude’s business alliances, the various benefits that Adrian provided for the transaction were indispensable.

For instance, when forcing Mottola to sign, he mentioned two TV series, "Scrubs" and "The Office," which easily settled matters with Viacom and NBC.

A significant portion of American TV dramas depict police, doctors, and lawyers, so Adrian promised "Scrubs" to CBS, which, in memory, had a viewership of at least 10 million people in at least its first two seasons—after the millennium, as cable television continued to develop, the viewership of broadcast TV stations began to decline, so reaching 10 million viewers was quite an achievement for a TV series.

For NBC, it was a bit less, as "The Office" was originally a British miniseries, shot in a documentary style which was quite interesting and had good ratings in the United Kingdom. Later, NBC bought the rights, and although the American version’s ratings weren’t high, the quality was still good. However, even the British version hadn’t come out yet, but if the filming techniques were used properly and could be well Americanized, the ratings would absolutely climb two levels.

Of course, more importantly, Adrian made a promise, assuring these would be two good TV series—until today, is there anyone who still doesn’t believe the words of the Miracle Director?

Arrangements for Warner, Fox, and Sony-Columbia Pictures were similar; Fox and Sony-Columbia need not be mentioned, as the "X-Men" series, after nearly two months of discussions, Adrian’s proposal was both a success and a failure. It was successful because the overall story of the trilogy was much better than the original, with Marvel’s authors and Universal’s screenwriters finally managing to create a coherent story based on his outline, although there were still many bugs, but that was an issue inherent to Marvel Comics.

Moreover, the reason for Dr. X’s paralysis and the relationship between Wolverine and Sabretooth was established on Adrian’s request. As long as the production maintained the quality of the original, it was certain to be more popular. However, extending this setup to other characters’ stories was not achievable due to the overwhelming amount of information. Societies always evolve, and what people like today may become the subject of their disgust tomorrow. This is especially evident in commercial films.

"Unless we start shooting immediately after we finish the script," they advised after a discussion between Marvel and Universal, "we might need to rewrite the story in a few years. ’X-Men’ has too many characters, and besides the main few superheroes, we aren’t sure which ones will be popular and which ones won’t once turned into a live-action movie." Adrian found their assessment reasonable, so he abandoned the plan. His initial demand had solely been out of a desire to ensure that the derived series weren’t unattractive. Despite this, it was enough to draw Fox and Sony-Columbia into participating. Adrian had also hinted that some extremely valuable superheroes were indeed considered for sale, and their choice of action was predictable. After all, who didn’t know that Marvel was a gold mine?

Various factors combined, including the fact that News Corporation was largely a bystander and Sony-Columbia—a supporter of Sony Records only to a limited extent—were naturally resolved. The only one left was Warner, which had DC and could not touch Marvel, but a lack of suitable TV programs had always been their sore spot. Furthermore, they were stuck in the quagmire with AOL. Adrian used the live-action reality show "The Amazing Race," suitable for cable TV, to sort them out.

In addition, Adrian proposed supporting the Blu-ray DVD format standard in exchange for the support of the Sony Group. Although it was still the year 2000, the battle over standards had already begun, albeit not as intensely as it would become in a couple of years. Choosing to collaborate with Sony Records rather than using the opportunity to assimilate it was also his decision. It was definitely a good opportunity, and all circumstances favored AC Media. There were also insiders in the opposing party. Although Adrian had plenty of capital if funding was not preferred, the Sony Group might not give up on Sony Records. Even though the record industry’s performance was less significant compared to the first three sectors, it could complicate matters for subsequent plans.

Therefore, cooperation was preferable, making it easier to oust Mottola. Of course, there had to be benefits, such as owning more shares and having seats on the board, while Sony Records could only hold shares. However, Adrian didn’t completely let them go; the parties agreed to divide the market—a strategy feasible as Universal Music was acquired, and with MCM Records, the new Universal Music would claim the largest market share. But a few years later, when the record industry began to falter overall, according to the agreement, Sony would have no choice but to attract the fire first. AC Media just needed to wait and pick the fruits, a clear advantage for those who foresee.

Thanks to Adrian’s targeted arrangements, Claude was able to almost perfectly divide and conquer them. In fact, this synergistic dual-core model was sought after by many companies. A famous example was Disney, where Walter Disney and his brother Roy Disney (not Walter’s nephew, Roy Disney) founded the Disney Company. Walter handled design and production, while his brother Roy managed financial operations and business administration, a cooperation that rapidly advanced Disney Animation.

The golden decade from the early ’80s to the early ’90s was similar. Michael Eisner handled creative direction and planning, while Frank Wilson, who understood and could tolerate his quirky temperament, managed business negotiations. Disney, originally worth several billion, thus became a conglomerate worth hundreds of billions. Unfortunately, Wilson perished in a helicopter crash in 1994, and Eisner lost a valuable partner. The imbalance in Disney’s management triggered another round of power struggles.

There are many such examples, among which Akio Morita and Ibuka Masaru of Sony are typical. They founded Sony together and developed it to its zenith, but after they passed away in ’97 and ’99 respectively, Sony also began its decline. No matter what happens to AC Media in the future, as long as Adrian and Claude continue to work closely together now, coupled with the cheat code, reaching higher peaks will not be difficult.

"Now we can finally take a breather for a moment," Claude raised his glass, as usual, after completing the acquisition deal, he and Adrian privately celebrated with a drink in the office. What was different this time was that they were in Adrian’s office.

"Really, you aren’t planning to start integrating our New Universal Music now?" Adrian lifted his glass to clink with Claude’s.

"Oh, spare me, please. How much energy have I spent during this period? I need a few days to rest," Claude complained, "I’m not like you, always so leisurely."

"Leisurely? I have two movies to complete this year, plus the post-production of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, the preparation of the remaining two parts of The Matrix, as well as a slew of movies and TV shows to oversee," Adrian said with a laugh, spreading his hands.

"But you find it easy to decompress, don’t you?" Claude shrugged.

"No, no, no, Crow," Adrian chuckled, "At least I don’t rent some venues, bring models over to play strip shows..."

"Alright, alright, let’s not talk about this topic, please," Claude quickly interrupted.

"Relax, Crow, even if The Godfather found out, he would only scold you a bit. You said it yourself, he can’t stop praising our recent strategy of deception," Adrian said nonchalantly, then thought of something and asked, "By the way, Eller didn’t attend those bizarre events of yours, right?"

"Of course not. Everyone knows she’s your prize, and Alexander is also very cautious about these things," Claude sighed as he spoke, "Frankly, I regret it now, Ed. I knew I shouldn’t have let her go to you. That being said, why do you always manage to make women so... and under full knowledge at that?"

"Because I know what they are thinking," Adrian laughed heartily, "It’s a gift, Crow, don’t be jealous of me."

"Is that so, Mr. Adrian? Then please, tell me, what was Miss Penelope Cruz thinking at first?" Claude showed a genuinely curious expression.

Adrian, not offended, simply shrugged, "What else? Blinded by momentary desire and temptation, she meddled in affairs she had no capacity for. The world is full of such foolish women."

Having said that, he sighed inwardly. Based on Penelope’s usual behavior, she should have been a smart woman who knew when to advance or retreat. Why did she seem to transform into another person when it came to that matter and recklessly get involved?

He wasn’t exactly lamenting anything. After that incident, he could view things more objectively, or rather, control himself better. Making a mistake had its costs, just so, his collection of Spanish-related items would inevitably have a vacancy.

"But you just sent her away?" Claude originally wanted to say something else, but after thinking it over, he only asked this.

"What do you think I should have done? Keep her and then..." Adrian made some gestures, causing Claude to burst into laughter.

Of course, the precondition for letting her go was that Penelope was smart enough; otherwise, it would be a different story. So, when news came from Spain that she had fallen out with Almodovar and then announced her exit from the entertainment industry, Adrian sighed again. It proved that Penelope was intelligent, as she clearly understood the true meaning of Adrian’s words, "Don’t let me see you in Hollywood again."

Even if she could pretend to be deaf and dumb and take on some European films, what use would it be if they couldn’t reach a global audience? Would she spend her life making so-called art films? Moreover, Adrian wouldn’t give her the chance to pretend, as he even took her to the signing ceremony and said something that offended another media group, so it was better for her to exit cleanly.

Moreover, Penelope had played a trick to curry favor. First, she acted in a small Spanish production and then, during her collaboration with Almodovar, she found an excuse to create trouble and then exit. Almodovar was the one who had further uncovered Penelope’s charm; to fall out with him, coupled with rumors of an unsuccessful stint in Hollywood, logically led to her departure from the industry without being linked to anything else.

Such a pity, but let the vacancy be, nothing is perfect. Adrian commented on the news like this.

He had been keeping an eye on Penelope, fully aware of how nervous and desperate she had been since returning to Spain. But the whole affair wasn’t completely over; although he let her off because she was somewhat smart, he still intended to collect some interest.

For instance, he had the cast of "The Fast and the Furious," which had finished shooting, replaced and re-shot without explanation, letting the outside world speculate. Eventually, clues would be gathered, scenarios imagined, and by then, her reputation in the industry would be thoroughly ruined. Besides this, there was another piece of interest, but he planned to collect it several years later.

"Alright, let’s talk about the real business, like personnel changes. Sony Records has sniffed out several restless guys for us, and they need to be replaced by better people," Claude changed the topic. "Also, Eric has really helped us out this time; we owe him a big one."

"Of course, of course, if Eric hadn’t penetrated Sony Records’ inside, we wouldn’t know how long it would have taken to deal with them," Adrian nodded. "The artistic director for New Universal Music has to be his; he’s naturally capable and exceptionally loyal to us, apart from him no one else is fit for the job. If anyone at Universal Music has objections, no worries, I’ve already prepared the legend music producer title for Eric."

"So, you plan to..." Claude raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly, all those classic songs were completed with Eric’s help," Adrian replied with a smile.

"Okay, then, next, I plan to move Clifton, the deputy director of the public relations department at ABC, to head the music department, make Charles, the planning department head, the board secretary, and Kurt, the current board secretary, to come to the head office," Claude continued.

"You decide on these, I..." Adrian suddenly paused, "Wait!"

"What’s wrong?" Claude asked, puzzled.

Adrian didn’t answer, just frowned in thought, then a knock sounded. After permission was given, Charlize walked in with a folder, dressed neatly in an OL outfit, paired with black sheer stockings and high heels, curvaceous and seductive with an indifferent expression that was quite attractive.

"Alright, thanks," Claude took it, looked over it carefully, then signed his name before passing it to Adrian. "Stop looking at her like that every day; can’t you wait until I’ve left before you do that?"

"How I look is my business," Adrian withdrew his gaze from the composed Charlize and signed the document.

"By the way, Charli, I have a question," after handing back the document to Charlize, Adrian suddenly spoke.

"Go ahead, but I reserve the right not to answer some overstepping questions and to retaliate," Charlize said leisurely, while Claude chuckled.

Adrian shrugged nonchalantly, "How long have you been my secretarial assistant, Charli?"

"7 years, 1 month, and 9 days," Charlize answered promptly.

"Wow," Adrian couldn’t help exclaiming, "do you really remember that precisely?"

"I am confident in my memory. If you give me a few more minutes, I can calculate it down to the hour," Charlize said in a very bland tone as if it was a trivial matter.

"That won’t be necessary," Adrian gestured with his hand then cleared his throat, "Well, Charli, I wanted to ask if you’re interested in being the head of the planning department at ABC?"

Charlize lifted her eyebrow slightly, while Claude also showed a look of surprise.

"I suppose you’re not being controlled by anyone, and I’m not hallucinating, right?" After several seconds, Charlize looked at him and exhaled.

"Oh, of course," Adrian raised his hands, then asked again, "So, are you interested in being the head of ABC’s planning department, Charli?"

A few minutes passed before Charlize responded, "As you arrange."

With that, she turned and walked out without waiting for him to say more. This time Claude didn’t joke about it. As soon as the door had barely closed, he asked urgently, "Are you serious, Ed?"

"Do I look like I’m joking?" Adrian spread his hands, "Don’t tell me, you think Charli isn’t capable, or is it that, in these seven years, you haven’t noticed anything she’s done?"

"No, I just..." Claude gestured, "Are you sure you’re okay with sending her out to take up a position?"

Adrian didn’t speak.

"Alright," Claude sighed, "if you’ve decided, and Charli has too, then I have no objections!" (To be continued. If you like this work, please go to qidian.com to vote for it, and your support is my greatest motivation.)

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