Although the company's previous performance had improved, and Adriaan had also used Laffern to knock some people down, there was still a small number of people who went to work with the mentality of idling. This was actually very normal. Of course, it was also normal to ask them to pack up and leave. Any company that wanted to develop would not allow such an overstaffed situation.
The next step was to expand the various departments. Adriaan handed all this over to Laffern. He only made two requests. The first was to sign a few better screenwriters as soon as possible. Frankly speaking, the few screenwriters in the editing and review department were only at the level of helping to make changes and adjustments. What Adriaan needed were the kind of people who could write the screenplay with ideas and regulations.
He had written all the screenplays for the two movies he was currently producing and the next few movies he was going to produce. This was originally not a big deal, but as time went by, there would only be more and more movies to be produced. Was he going to write all the screenplays by himself? The Screenwriter's Guild had already stored more than a dozen screenplay outlines.
Laffern had no objection to this. He knew that Adriaan had sold the screenplays to several movie companies. If the editing and review department could have screenwriters to help the big boss write a few low-budget, high-box office screenplays, it would undoubtedly be very beneficial to the development of the company. However, he did not understand Adriaan's other request.
"Set up a TV series production department?" In Adriaan's office, Laffern asked in confusion, "Why?"
"Of course it's to prepare for the production of the TV series, Laffer." Adriaan shrugged. "What do you think I will do?"
"But … our situation has just improved. There's no need to be so eager to expand horizontally, Eide?" Laffern reminded him tactfully. He obviously had an objection.
"I know your concerns, Laffer, but don't worry." Adriaan did not feel unhappy. He knew what Laffern was worried about. "I didn't say that I wanted to set up a complete department immediately, nor did I say that I wanted to see the work immediately. I need you to first set up the framework, recruit people to break in, and build a more professional team. When the time is right, we can start the production. I'll give you enough time and money. Of course, this doesn't mean you can squander it as you please. "
"Can I know what it means when the time is up?" Laffern replied after thinking for a while.
"Do you remember what I told you a few days ago? My goal is not just to make movies. " Adriaan smiled. Previously, he had more or less revealed to Laffern about the entertainment media company he had established with Claude. Laffern was a smart and capable man. After the film company grew, he would be the best candidate to be the CEO.
Laffern had a look of understanding. "I understand, Eide. I will do as you say."
"That's settled then." Adriaan nodded. Then, he thought of something. "Right, we can ask them to send a demo to a television network to practice making a TV series. If they really like it, it won't be a bad thing."
American television networks rarely invested in making their own TV series. Usually, the film and television production company would first produce 20 to 40 minutes of footage and hand it over to the person in charge of the television network. If the other party felt that it was valuable, they would buy it and let the film and television company produce a season. Then, they would arrange the broadcast schedule according to the content. Of course, if the ratings did not reach the ratio they wanted, they would not hesitate to cut it.
Therefore, using the method of producing a demo to let the team break in was not a bad idea. At the same time, they could use this opportunity to train the scriptwriter. American TV series usually had five to six people in charge of the script. Because there was always one episode per week, every outstanding American TV series would have something interesting to watch. It could be suspenseful or funny. In addition, they had to adjust the plot according to the opinions of the audience, so it was a big test for the scriptwriter. Moreover, if a television network wanted to buy it, it could also increase the company's income. If it became popular, it would also greatly increase the company's popularity. Why not?
"I understand." Laffern nodded.
While Adriaan was dealing with the matters of the film company, Claude was not idle either. AC Entertainment Media Company was quickly established. Although the name was terrible enough, as it only had two initials, Adriaan did not care about it. The company's name was just a symbol. It had no influence. No matter how impressive the name was, it was useless.
Although Adriaan had given Claude full authority over the company, it did not mean that he did not care about the company's development. It was just that Claude did not need his help at all. Not only did he quickly set up the company, but he also poached a few talents from his father's company. Because of this, his godfather often scolded Adriaan over the phone, complaining that the two of them did not know the immensity of heaven and earth. Adriaan only smiled when he heard that. He knew that his godfather was just a little indignant. Generally, every father would hope that his son could inherit his mantle, and every wise father knew that what his son needed was to create his own business.
Even if young people were full of vigor, even if Claude was outstanding, some things could not be solved so quickly, such as the acquisition of a publishing company and a management company. The former was fine. After the new media company was run in, they could directly negotiate with a publishing company that was not doing very well. But the latter, after the acquisition, they had to reorganize according to CAA's system and train the managers. Such work could not be completed in a few days.
In this regard, Adriaan could not help much. The only thing he could do was to write Denis a two million dollar check and let him rest for half a year. Although the box office of Memory Fragment in the second weekend was not satisfactory, with the total box office in North America only about 21 million after increasing to more than 1,000 theaters, this did not mean that the box office would fall to the bottom.
This was because there were too many clues and details in Memory Fragment. It was not easy to understand all of them at once. Even Roger Ebert had to admit this. This indirectly gave people the impression that the movie was difficult to understand, which affected the box office. However, it was precisely because of these clues and details that were closely related to the story that the people who liked the movie couldn't help but watch it again and again. Hence, it was believed that the box office of "Fragment of Memory" wouldn't be too far behind "Two Smoking Pipes". It was just that the cinema chain might get a bigger share of the box office.
Therefore, Adriaan still gave Denis a red packet that was four times the previous one. It did not matter if the box office was not good. Claude had made a lot of money for him in the oil futures market. And not all of the money was invested in the newly established media company. First, he did not need it for the time being. Second, he had to invest it in other areas, such as acquiring a few million dollars of shares from Microsoft and Cisco.
Originally, he wanted to hold more shares. Although the shares of these two companies were not as cheap as cabbages when they were first listed, the craze of the IT industry had not arrived yet. Compared to those big companies, they were still very cheap. But the problem was that their current market value was only tens of millions. It was already very good to be able to take in 5 million each. But it did not matter. Although it was only 5 million now, as long as there were no accidents, it would increase by a hundred times in eight years.
Alright, back to the topic of Denis. Because the agency could not run smoothly for the time being, Adriaan simply let him take half a year off. Since May last year, Denis had been cooperating with him. He was busy with the two movies, so it was indeed time for him to relax. Moreover, Adriaan's next few movies did not require his participation.
Frankly speaking, Adriaan wanted to arrange a role for him. He even wanted him to continue to be the male lead in the next movie. If he could perform his acting skills beyond his standard, and with a little more manipulation, he would definitely be able to increase his initial reputation to the next level. From there, he could become an A-list actor. It was just that this movie was related to the development of Adriaan's plan, so there was no room for any possible mistakes. Although Denis had received unanimous praise for his performance in Memory Fragments, he was criticized by some film critics because he was too young. Therefore, after much consideration, Adriaan could only use the "original" cast.
It did not matter. Anyway, there were plenty of movies for him to participate in. When the time came, he could just choose a few good ones. Besides, this could be considered a small test for him. That was what Adriaan thought as he leaned against the high-back chair in his office and looked at the ceiling. Unconsciously, the corners of his mouth curled up. Because of the film critics, he thought of Kate, who was far away in London. Compared to the European critics at the Berlin Film Festival, some of the film critics in the United States were slightly harsher to her. Words like "like a piece of wood" were already quite nice. It was inevitable that Kate, who was only 17 years old, would be unhappy.
"Hi, dear, did you just wake up?" Adriaan, who was on the phone, looked at the time on the wall.
"Hey, Eide, how are you? You actually called me at this time. " A soft yawn came from the other side of the phone. In his mind, Adriaan could completely picture the image of Kate hugging the quilt and lying lazily on the bed in only her underwear.
"Because I miss you now," Adriaan said with a smile. "Did I disturb your sleep?"
"Of course not." Kate giggled, then sighed. "If only you could appear in front of me now."
Perhaps sensing the sadness in her tone, she immediately changed the topic. "Oh yeah, I encountered a very interesting thing at school a few days ago …"
The two of them chatted like this, as if they had endless topics to talk about. After a long time, they hung up the phone reluctantly. Then, Adriaan sat on the chair and put his hands together to think for a few seconds. The corners of his mouth curved into a smile.
Anyway … I have been resting recently, so … He pressed a button on the phone on his desk. "Ms. Jennison, please book a ticket to London for me. The sooner the better, thank you!"
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