Xiao Yunhai didn't deliberately eavesdrop on their discussion, but his ears caught their conversation. They were basically talking about David Hartnett and his personal studio.
When he entered the conference room, everyone stopped and stood up to greet him.
Xiao Yunhai waved his hand and said, "Sit down, everyone. There's no need to be so polite. Hehe, after more than a year of development, our Marvel Management Company's strength is getting stronger and stronger. My initial goal was to be able to compete with those world-class agencies. Looking at all of you, I realize that our goal seems to be a little low. "
"Hahaha."
Everyone laughed.
Xiao Yunhai waved his hand and took the list of people who came to attend the meeting from Mo Yina. He said, "I've seen most of you here, but there are a few that I haven't seen before. Let's start with the actor next to me, Mr. Todd Wagner. Let's introduce ourselves. Since we already know each other, don't stand up and waste everyone's time. "
Todd Wagner, who was in his sixties, smiled and said, "Mr. Xiao, I'm Todd Wagner, a newcomer to our company. I've been in the Hollywood entertainment industry since I was ten years old. It's been more than 50 years. I'm very happy to be able to join the Marvel family. Mr. Xiao, please take care of me in the future. "
Xiao Yunhai laughed and said, "Mr. Wagner, you're joking. There's a saying in Hua Xia: having an old man at home is like having a treasure. The company still needs to rely on you for many things. "
Todd Wagner said, "If there's anything that you need from me, Mr. Xiao, just say the word."
Xiao Yunhai nodded and said, "Then I'll thank you in advance. This must be the famous Hollywood actress, Ms. Lucia, right? "
Sheila Lucia was one of the top actresses in Hollywood. Although she was almost 40 years old, her acting skills were definitely one of the best in Hollywood.
"Mr. Xiao, I've been in your company for a few months, but this is the first time I've seen you. I hope to have the opportunity to work with you, "Sheila Lucia said generously.
Xiao Yunhai smiled and said, "There will be a chance."
Just like that, Xiao Yunhai greeted the other twenty or so artists that he had never seen before. They could be considered acquaintances.
Xiao Yunhai said, "That's all for the introduction. Let's get straight to the point. I believe everyone should know the reason why I invited you here, right? "
Todd Wagner nodded and said, "We've already heard from CEO Mo. It's about the artist's studio."
Xiao Yunhai smiled and said, "That's right. Mr. Wagner, you are a veteran Hollywood star. You have seen the ups and downs of the entertainment industry. What do you think of this studio? Do you want to set up a studio like David's? "
Todd Wagner considered his words and said, "To set up a studio, the requirements are very high and the risks are high. I'm already in my sixties. How can I work myself into it?"
Xiao Yunhai's eyes lit up. He looked at the old man with a face full of wrinkles in surprise and said, "You're the one who sees it clearly. Why don't you talk about the pros and cons of a studio? Otherwise, everyone will think that I don't agree with them setting up a studio. "
Xiao Yunhai knew very well that if he kept talking about the cons of a studio, the artists present would be disgusted. After all, he was the CEO of an entertainment company. If he opposed them on this matter, there would be problems no matter what he said.
On the other hand, Todd Wagner had always been mature and had a good reputation in Hollywood. Coupled with the fact that he was an actor himself, the effect would definitely be several times better if he was the one doing the talking.
Todd Wagner smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll talk about my understanding of an artist's studio. I went to take a look at David's studio and have a better understanding of their work process and the way the parent company cooperates. It feels very novel and has many benefits. First of all, artists can arrange work for themselves. If they find a good film, they can even invest in it. They have a lot of freedom. Second, relying on the company can solve many problems. For example, David's three films were released through Marvel's channels. In Hua Xia's words, it's like leaning against a big tree to enjoy the shade. More importantly, this kind of studio gives us artists a feeling of being the master of the house. Everything is decided by us. You can imagine how attractive it is to us artists. "
"I usually hear people talking about how good a personal studio is and how much money it can make after it's set up. I can tell you that this is a sign of immaturity. Everything had two sides. If there was a good side, then there was bound to be a bad side as well. What you see are its advantages, but what I see are its great risks. First of all, the expenses of the entire studio, including the staff's salary, packaging, promotion of new works, and so on, are all taken care of by us artists. This is a huge expense. Artists below the B-list can't afford it. Even A-list artists find it difficult. "
"Second, since you set up a personal studio, you'll definitely shoot films. I don't think our vision can compare to the vision of the experts in the company's screenwriting team. I've worked hard in Hollywood all my life. I think my vision is accurate, but I've still shot countless bad films. There's a big gap between what we think is good and what the fans actually like. David should be very clear about this. He invested in three low-budget films this year, and the first two were all failures. He's the Best Actor. Even he can't see it, let alone other artists. The third studio is equivalent to a small company. You're the boss, so you have to put a lot of effort into its development. We're all actors. If an actor doesn't work on his acting skills, and instead gets distracted doing those things, do you think your acting skills will improve or deteriorate? Acting is the foundation of our existence. Without it, we can't be called actors. "
"Everyone, this is my opinion. If there's anything wrong, please correct me."
After listening to Todd Wagner's words, Xiao Yunhai took the lead and applauded. The other artists also applauded.
After the applause, Xiao Yunhai praised, "I was right, wasn't I? Having an old man in the family is like having a treasure. An old man looks at things more comprehensively than a young person. Mr. Wagner's words are similar to what I wanted to say. When I asked David to set up this studio, it was because he met the requirements in all aspects. He's the Best Actor and has his own circle of contacts. He can talk to the CEOs of the major Hollywood entertainment companies. And after many years of development, he has accumulated a lot of savings. It's enough to cover the various expenses of the studio. Let's put it this way. The prerequisites for setting up an artist's studio are connections and funds. I can say without hesitation that most of you don't have this ability. "
David Hartnett sighed and said, "I hope you'd think about it carefully. Don't blindly set up my studio just because it made some money this year. To be honest, I'm regretting it now. You only saw my success this time, but few saw the failure of my first two films. "
Xiao Yunhai laughed and said, "Oh right, David, I forgot to ask you. How much did you invest in those three films? How did the scripts come about? What actors did you invite to act in them? Anyway, everyone has nothing to do. Tell us. "
David Hartnett said, "Okay. Now that I'm the only one in Hollywood who has set up a studio, I'll share my thoughts with everyone. Most of you should know about the scripts for these three films. I bought them online for six million US dollars, each for two million US dollars. I had no choice. Almost all the entertainment companies are buying the scripts. If I didn't pay a high price, which screenwriter would take the initiative to approach me? "
"A total of 330 million US dollars was invested in the first two films. The actors invited were all actors from our own company. The first film didn't pass our company's review. I invested in it all. The final box office was 18 million US dollars and I lost 210 million US dollars. The second film was invested in at the same time as the first one. It also didn't pass the company's review. Everyone knows that this film basically maintained a balance of income and expenses. But in fact, I lost about 12 million US dollars, mainly from the publicity. After the first two films failed, I didn't look like I was fine on the surface. In fact, I wanted to jump off a building. My wife quarreled with me for three days and almost divorced me. "
"During those few days, I often went to the bar to drink. Coincidentally, I met a young man. He recognized me and chatted with me. He was a screenwriter. He wrote a script himself and submitted it to many companies, but it didn't pass. So I took a look and thought it was very good. I spent two million US dollars to buy it. Then, I brought this script to our company's review department. The review department also thought highly of it. Just like that, I invested 70% and the company invested 30%. We used 240 million US dollars to co-produce this film. "
"Everyone knows that we succeeded in the end. I also earned more than 300 million US dollars. But who would have thought that the funds for my third film were raised by selling two villas and borrowing 30 million US dollars from the bank. Once the film lost money, hehe, I could only dissolve the studio and rely on film to pay off the debt. This is how my studio worked for half a year. It's really very difficult to make money. Sometimes, luck plays a large part. "
After hearing David Hartnett's words, everyone fell into deep thought.
If they were him, could they bear the loss of more than 200 million US dollars? The answer was obvious. They couldn't bear it at all, even if they sold everything they had.
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