"Okay, everyone, now that everyone is in charge of each department, there are some things that I can say." Adriaan glanced at the people in the conference room and said with a smile.
A few minutes ago, he held a temporary staff meeting outside to appease the panic of Universal's employees due to the company's change of ownership. It wasn't very successful, but it wasn't too bad either. With the title of Miracle Director, the company should be able to develop better than it was now. But in the eyes of the executives, it was different. A few weeks ago, they discussed the changes that would happen after AC Media took control of Universal. Now that it was really happening, it wasn't something that could be appeased with a few words.
"I know you're all worried." After a moment of silence, Adriaan spoke again. "But if you know a little bit about my style of doing things, you'll know that this kind of worry is unnecessary."
He raised a finger. "First of all, Ron will continue to be the CEO of Universal for a long time. Over the past few years, not only has he firmly stabilized the direction of Universal despite the frequent changes, but he has also achieved great results. He has proven himself to be an excellent CEO, and I can't think of anyone more suitable for this position than him."
As he spoke, he gestured to Ron Mayer, who was sitting on his right, and Mayer, who was sitting upright, nodded slightly and said a short "thank you" in a humble and polite manner.
"The same goes for everyone else." Adriaan continued, "Without your hard work, Universal wouldn't have lasted until now, so I hope that you can continue to work hard and produce better results."
Some words didn't need to be said so clearly. These executives were people who had been in the business world for many years, how could they not understand what Adriaan meant? After hearing this sentence, they all sighed in relief. This action was very subtle, and they immediately became alert. They knew that their new boss wasn't finished yet.
Sure enough, after Adriaan glanced at his best friend, the CEO of AC Media, Claude Lohenriques, who was sitting on his left, he gestured behind him. Then, a beautiful female secretary placed several folders in front of them.
"These are some of my ideas for the future. You can take a look, and if you have any questions, please ask," he said.
All of the executives, including Mayer, began to flip through the documents in their hands. They looked at it quietly, occasionally looking up and exchanging glances. Adriaan wasn't in a hurry, and he sat there calmly, waiting.
It didn't take long for them to finish reading his plan. Then, they whispered to each other. Mayer didn't join them. He just quietly sat in his seat and looked at them. After the discussion was over, he turned to look at Adriaan. "This is a shocking concept, Mr. Adriaan. Please forgive us, we can't make an accurate assessment in such a short time."
"I understand." Adriaan nodded. "Forgive me for being blunt, but Universal has been quiet for too long. Although it's been developing well in the past few years, and it's under the constant change of ownership, it's very commendable. But everything had its pros and cons. While maintaining the basic pace of development, everyone had somewhat lost the drive to forge ahead. Especially after Spielberg left Worldwide to found DreamWorks, this kind of mentality was especially prominent. But now, we're not Panasonic. There's no cultural difference, and we don't understand what the American audience is thinking. We're not Seagram, who knows nothing about the media and gives random orders. We have experience and talent, so why can't we do better? I need you to work harder, and I need you to see further. It's like making a movie. The scriptwriter, actors, and director are important, but the script clerk, props master, and lighting master are equally important. As long as we work together, we can do better! "
He straightened his body, clenched his fist into a fist, and waved it hard. His bright eyes looked at the people who were doing it. Even though they knew that he was laying the groundwork for the plan in the document, the executives couldn't help but take a deep breath.
"I understand where you're coming from, so this doesn't need to be done in one go. We can make adjustments according to the actual situation to ensure that the integration goes smoothly," he said immediately, his tone firm and unquestionable.
Adriaan's plan was actually very simple. He would split Bosworth and then merge most of the resources into Universal. Before this, under AC Media, Bosworth was ranked first among the three largest film production and distribution companies. After all, it was personally trained by Adriaan, and Laffern, who was in charge of operations, had done a very good job. Even though he was later promoted to the head office, his foundation was very solid.
However, there was still a long way to go before Bosworth's ideas could reach the level of the seven major film companies. After all, the seven major film companies had developed in Hollywood for more than half a century. They were deeply rooted and could not be easily replaced. Moreover, it was impossible to get the overseas distribution rights without deep qualifications. The reason why DreamWorks could not enter the MPAA was that it did not have the overseas distribution rights. Therefore, from the beginning, Adriaan had set the goal of acquiring one of the seven major film companies.
In his plan, the companies in charge of film production and distribution in AC Media should be divided like this. First, there should be a large company with rich qualifications and a strong ability to resist risks, which would produce and distribute the big productions with large investments. Second, there should be two medium-sized companies, which would produce and distribute the works with medium investments most of the time, occasionally involving some large investments. One could be biased towards independent films with the main goal of obtaining glory, and the other towards commercial films with the main goal of obtaining more profits. Finally, there should be a small company with a good foundation and qualifications in charge of producing and distributing the films with small investments and small budgets.
In fact, this plan had already been adjusted according to the actual situation. For example, Miramax and New Line were suitable for the medium-sized companies. Now that Universal had been in his hands, it was natural that he would be responsible for the big investments and big productions, which made Bosworth a little redundant. Therefore, Adri had split them up and merged them into Universal. Most of Bosworth's employees had been trained by him. Even if they did not have credit, they had still worked hard. It was impossible to fire all of them, right? Besides, they were familiar with his style of doing things, so it would be easier for them to use him and … it would be easier for them to control Universal.
However, he also had to consider the thoughts of Universal's executives. Most of their abilities were very good, so he could not let them down. That was why he had said those words. Not only had he expressed his attitude and determination, but he had also given them time to get used to each other.
As for Bosworth, although he had been demoted to the third position after the split, his actual position was still not that high. Furthermore, Adriaan would not leave him alone. If a small investment and small production were operated well, it might not be impossible for them to grow. Lions Gate Films had been established last year. At the moment, it was still very inconspicuous, mainly producing and distributing horror movies. However, Adriaan knew that it was precisely because of their unique vision in horror movies that they would develop into the pinnacle of Hollywood's second-tier film companies in the future.
Unfortunately, it was destined that they would not be able to reach that stage. From the moment they were established, Adriaan had sent people to keep a close eye on them. As long as Lions Gate was interested in something, if it was valuable, they would immediately buy it at a higher price. Moreover, he had an impression of the few horror movies that had helped Lions Gate develop. This kind of suppression was nothing in Hollywood. DreamWorks had been secretly hindered by other companies in the past few years. If not for Bosworth's good luck and the fact that no one saw their potential, they might still be struggling among the second-tier film companies. It was the same for AC Media.
There was a buzz in the conference room, and the executives began to discuss. In the plan, most of Bosworth's production and distribution staff and most of the production and distribution staff would be merged into Universal. They could not help but think carefully. The seven major film companies were basically involved in television production, and there were many outstanding works. For example, Warner. Even without "Friends," which had influenced the American television series of the 1990s, there were still some good works on NBC, competing with ABC for the ratings. Fox and Disneyland were not to be mentioned. Most of FOX's television series were produced by the former, and the latter's Disneyland Channel had always been loved by American families.
Universal had also released many television series, and in the past few years, it had been acquired many times. To ensure the company's development, they had to spend more resources on movies and television series that could recover their costs faster. Therefore, Adriaan did not interrupt their discussion. He just listened quietly, chatting with Claude from time to time, and then answering the questions raised by Meyer and the other executives.
After about ten minutes, the discussion gradually died down. Seeing this, Adriaan cleared his throat and said, "Then, let's call it a day. If you have any suggestions, please summarize them and submit them in writing to Meyer. He will then summarize them and send them to me."
He did not plan to listen to their suggestions immediately. It had only been a little more than an hour. What good suggestions could they come up with? But he did not mind leaving a deep impression on them before he left.
"Also, regarding the production of the movie and television series, I have also prepared some plans," Adriaan said as he gestured behind him. Charlize quickly handed him a book.
"I plan to adapt this novel into a television series." He handed the book to Meyer and then watched as they passed it around. "It will be broadcasted on cable television. There will be a total of eleven episodes. The investment for each episode will be between 80 million to 100 million US dollars. It can be jointly invested by Universal and TNT, a subsidiary of TBS. Spielberg will be invited to be the producer — this is what he promised me."
There was a low murmur, especially among those who read the book. An investment of 80 million to 100 million US dollars per episode? That was too much. Although the production cost of television series was increasing, such a large investment had never been seen before.
Without waiting for them to express their opinions, Adriaan took the three books from Charlize and placed them on the long table. "This is my movie plan. I plan to adapt these three books into a movie."
After seeing the covers of the three books, the low murmur rose again. These three books were so famous that everyone present had read them.
"You want to … adapt these three novels into a movie?" Meyer hesitated for a moment and then asked with uncertainty.
"Yes, one novel and one movie. Universal will be responsible for the investment and production. Don't worry, three movies will require an investment of about 300 million to 350 million US dollars. It won't be much higher than 'Titanic.'" Adriaan made a small joke. "As early as the end of 1994, I had someone get the rights to adapt. I have been preparing for it for so many years. I have drawn up a lot of scenes and character settings. I have also considered the filming location and the actors. I like to make long-term arrangements."
He crossed his hands on the long table with a smile on his face and his chin slightly raised. He was very confident and at the same time gave people a sense of condescension. For a moment, the people present forgot to question him.
※ ※ ※
"You're really something, Eide. You have the whole audience in awe. They have nothing to say." Sitting in the limousine, Claude laughed and then imitated Adriaan's tone at that time and said, "It's very simple. This is my movie!"
He had completely imitated that unquestionable tone of voice.
"Isn't this my movie?" Adriaan shrugged and took out a bottle of champagne and three glasses from the small wine cabinet. He poured them and handed them to Claude and Charlize.
"But to complete it within a year next year … To be frank, even I think it's a bit exaggerated." Claude held the glass and said, "I remember that you have a new movie to shoot in Italy, right? And it's … "
He did not finish the second half of his sentence, but he winked at Charlize.
"It can be completed in two months at most, and post-production will take three to four months at most. It won't delay next year's shooting." Adriaan said leisurely, "You know, I always make movies quickly."
"Yes, yes. Even I, who don't know much about making movies, know that no one has been able to release a movie with a high cost in less than half a year like you. Moreover, you always managed to get a good box office." Claude sighed, but immediately became happy again. "If it were me, I wouldn't be able to convince them in a short time. No one can compare to you in this regard, Eide."
"That's because I can hand over more important things to you." Adriaan straightened his body and said seriously, "Because of you, I can focus wholeheartedly on this. I know how much effort you've put in along the way, the acquisition of TBS, ABC, and Universal, and what kind of people and things you've faced."
"Because …" Claude was in a trance, as if he had fallen into a memory. "You said that as long as we are close, we won't be defeated!"
He looked into his eyes with a serious expression, and then patted him on the shoulder. "I still remember what you said that night when you came to encourage me. To be honest, at first, I really felt a little bored. I thought you were fantasizing again, but then … unconsciously, I was attracted to you. And then, now, what could be more exciting than seeing my original ambition come true little by little?"
"Of course." Adriaan laughed and patted Claude hard on the shoulder. "The world will be ours!"
He clenched his fists tightly. With a smile on his face, everything was self-evident. Then —
"Can you not look at me with such a tender gaze? It's easy to misunderstand, Krau. "
"Is that so? If you didn't deal with me the way you deal with women, I wouldn't even bother to look at you, Eide. "
"Deal with you the way I deal with women? Don't joke around, I'm not into that. "
"Of course, of course, we all know what you like. Hey, Charley, don't you think it's very boring to stay by this playboy's side? Why don't you try to start your own business? "
"I'm warning you, Krau, don't instigate my secretary, or else I'll fall out with you!"
Looking at these two men who were tearing each other apart and staring at each other as if they were going to fight at any time, Charlize rolled her eyes and looked out the window. But a smile unknowingly climbed up the corner of her mouth. But a few minutes later, a trace of confusion flashed in her eyes, and then she sighed slightly.
The issue of Universal had come to an end for the time being. Claude would be in charge of the specific division and integration, and Adriaan just needed to keep an eye on it. With Laffern looking after them, Bosworth's people wouldn't be at too much of a disadvantage. But it was indeed time to start some things, such as the TV series that he planned to give to Universal to invest in.
That's right, it was "Band of Brothers," which caused a sensation in the 21st century in his previous life. Adriaan always made his move on those novels that were adapted into TV series very early.
Although with his support, TNT had successfully transformed into a cable TV station that produced its own TV shows and won a considerable number of subscribers, in terms of foundation, it still couldn't compare to a TV station like HBO. Even though "Sex and the City" and "The Sopranos" became TNT's productions because of Adriaan, HBO still released some decent TV series. It wouldn't be easy to completely destroy them.
Therefore, using the opportunity of integrating Universal, it was perfect for TNT to produce this TV series. After all, there was no shortage of funds and producers. When he first introduced the script of "Saving Private Ryan" to Spielberg, Adriaan used the excuse of getting inspiration from "Band of Brothers." He also told him about his plans and half-jokingly invited him to be the producer, and he agreed.
Even if HBO could hold on for a long time, it wouldn't be able to pose a threat to TNT, which had already firmly established its position, for a long time after this TV series, which could be considered a huge investment, aired on TNT.
But this was only one of the many things that he had to deal with. There was something else that he had to deal with personally — Nintendo came knocking on his door through TBS.
During the period when Japanese companies invaded the United States, they more or less established relations with American companies. For example, Capcom had a good relationship with Marvel Comics, and in 1995, they released a fighting game about X-Men. TBS owned a lot of animation copyrights, so it had a popular animation channel. Nintendo came knocking on his door to promote an animation they produced, an animation derived from a game.
