King of Hollywood-Chapter 521 - 242 Integration

"Alright, everyone, those who are left are the heads of each department, and now I can say some things that I’ve been meaning to say," Adrian said with a smile after glancing at the people sitting in the conference room.

A few minutes earlier, he had addressed an impromptu staff meeting outside, attempting to calm the staff at Universal due to the company’s change in ownership; it wasn’t very successful, nor was it disastrous, as being known as the Miracle Director meant that the company should develop better than it currently was. However, the executives saw things differently. They had discussed the changes that would happen with AC Media taking control of Universal weeks in advance, and now that it had arrived, it couldn’t be soothed with just a few words.

"I know you’re concerned," Adrian spoke again after a moment of silence, "but if you take a moment to understand my style of doing things, you will realize that such concerns are unnecessary."

He raised a finger and continued, "First of all, Ron will continue to serve as the CEO of Universal and do so for a long time. Over the many years, he has not only steered Universal’s course steadily through frequent changes but also achieved significant results. He has proven himself to be an outstanding CEO, and I cannot think of anyone more suitable for the position than him."

With that, he made an upward gesture towards Ron Meyer, who sat upright on his right. Meyer nodded briefly and said a simple "Thank you," humble and polite.

"The same goes for the rest of you," Adrian went on, "Without your efforts, Universal wouldn’t have made it to this point, so I hope you will all continue to work hard to achieve even better results."

Some things didn’t need to be spelled out so clearly. These executives, who had been in the business world for many years, understood Adrian’s meaning. After these words, they collectively breathed a sigh of relief. It was a discreet action, and they quickly refocused, knowing that their new boss wasn’t finished yet.

Indeed, after glancing at his best friend Claude Ronris, the CEO of the entire AC Media, seated to his left, Adrian gestured backward. A beautiful secretary then placed several folders in front of them.

"These are some of my ideas for the future. Please take a look and feel free to raise any questions," he said.

All the executives, including Meyer, began to leaf through the material in their hands. They read quietly, occasionally lifting their heads to exchange looks. Adrian sat steadily, waiting patiently.

It didn’t take long for them to finish reviewing his plans, followed by a hushed discussion among themselves. Meyer did not join in, quietly observing from his seat until the discussion concluded. He then turned his head to look at Adrian, "This is a surprising and grand conception, Mr. Adrian. Forgive us, but we cannot make a definitive assessment in such a short time."

"I understand," Adrian nodded, "Forgive the sincerity, but Universal has been in a quiescent state for too long. Although the development in recent years has been reasonably good, especially considering the constant changes in ownership, it is quite remarkable. However, every silver lining has a cloud; maintaining the basic pace of development has led many to lose the desire for aggressive progress, particularly evident after Spielberg left Universal to establish DreamWorks. But now, we are not Panasonic, there are no cultural barriers, not misunderstanding American audiences; nor are we Seagram, who knew nothing of the media and directed aimlessly. We have both the experience and the talent, so why can’t we do better? I need you all to work harder, to look further ahead, like making a movie where the screenwriter, actors, and director are important, but so are the script supervisor, prop master, and lighting technician. If we work together, we can achieve more!"

He sat upright, clenched his fist, and swung it briefly but forcefully, his eyes bright and staring at the seated individuals. Even though the executives knew he was setting the stage for the plans in the documents, they couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

"I understand your thoughts, so we don’t need to settle this in one stroke. We can adjust according to the actual situation to ensure a smooth integration," he continued, his tone resolute and commanding.

Adrian’s plan was actually quite simple, which was to dismantle Bossworth and then merge most of its resources into Universal. Prior to this, under the AC Media umbrella, Bossworth was the largest of the three major film production and distribution companies, after all, it was Adrian who personally groomed it, and Laverne, who was responsible for operations, did an exceptional job. Even after he was promoted to the headquarters, he had built a solid foundation.

However, Bossworth still had a long way to go to reach the level of the Seven Major Film Companies, since those giants had been entrenched in Hollywood for more than half a century and were not to be easily replaced. Moreover, it’s impossible to acquire international distribution rights without a profound track record, which is why DreamWorks couldn’t join the MPAA—they lacked such rights. Therefore, from the beginning, Adrian set his sights on acquiring one of the Seven Major Film Companies.

In his plan, the distribution of companies within AC Media responsible for film and television production should be delineated as follows: there should be one highly qualified and risk-resistant large company responsible for producing and distributing big-budget blockbusters; next, there should be two medium-sized companies, mostly producing and distributing medium-budget projects, occasionally venturing into big-budget works, one leaning towards independent films aiming for critical acclaim, and the other favoring commercial films for higher profit; and finally, one small company with a decent foundation and track record, responsible for producing and distributing low-budget films and the like.

In fact, this plan was the result of adjustments to the actual situation, for example, Miramax and New Line fit well as medium-sized companies. Now that Universal was acquired, it naturally should take on the big-budget productions, which made Bossworth somewhat redundant, hence Adrian’s decision to dismantle and integrate them into Universal. Most of the Bossworth staff were groomed by him; they had not only contributed but also endured hardships—it wasn’t feasible to lay them all off. Besides, they were familiar with his management style, making them easier to work with and to control at Universal.

However, the thoughts of Universal’s executives also needed to be considered. Most of them were quite capable and should not be disheartened. Hence the previous speech—it both demonstrated his attitude and determination and gave them time to adjust.

As for Bossworth, although it was demoted to third place after the split, its status was not to be taken lightly, and Adrian certainly wouldn’t neglect it. If small investments and productions were handled well, they could still develop. Lionsgate was established just last year and, though currently inconspicuous mainly producing and distributing horror films, Adrian knew that their unique vision in horror films would eventually contribute to their rise to the peak among Hollywood’s second-tier film companies.

Unfortunately, now they were doomed not to reach that stage; from the moment they were founded, Adrian had them closely monitored. Whatever Lionsgate was interested in, if it was valuable, he would immediately offer a higher price to buy it, especially recalling a few horror films that spurred Lionsgate’s growth. Such suppression was nothing unusual in Hollywood—DreamWorks had suffered from similar underhanded obstacles from other companies over the years, and Bossworth could still be struggling among second-tier film companies if it wasn’t for good luck recognizing their potential, and its growth had been both rapid and stable. The same held true for AC Media.

A buzzing sound arose in the meeting room as executives began discussing fervently. In the plan, most of Bossworth’s staff responsible for producing and distributing films and television series were to merge into Universal, which inevitably warranted their careful consideration. All Seven Major Film Companies were involved in television production and had many outstanding works; take Warner, for example, even without "Friends," a show that influenced American television in the 90s, it still had notable programs airing on NBC, competing with ABC for ratings. There was no need to mention Fox and Disney—most of the series on FOX were produced by the former, while the latter’s Disney Channel was loved by families across the United States.

Universal had also released numerous television series, and in the years of being bought and sold, they had to focus resources on movies and television series that could recoup costs quickly to ensure the company’s development. So Adrian did not interrupt their discussion, merely listening quietly, chatting occasionally with Claude, and then answering questions from Meyer and other executives.

After about fifteen minutes, the discussion gradually quieted down. Seeing this, Adrian cleared his throat, "Then, for today, let’s wrap it up here. If anyone has suggestions, please summarize them and submit them in writing to Meyer, who will then compile them and forward them to me."

He didn’t plan to listen to their suggestions right away. What good ideas could they possibly have in just over an hour’s time? However, he didn’t mind leaving a strong impression before departing.

"Additionally, regarding the production of movies and television shows, I’ve also prepared some plans," Adrian said and gestured to the back. Charlize quickly handed him a book.

"I plan to adapt this novel into a television series," he passed the book to Meyer and watched as it was circulated, "to be aired on cable TV, eleven episodes in total, with a budget of 80 to 100 million US Dollars per episode. It can be co-invested by Universal and TBS’s TNT network, and I’d like to invite Spielberg to oversee production—as he’s already promised me."

Murmurs arose, especially from those who saw the book. An investment of 80 to 100 million US Dollars per episode? Wasn’t that a bit exaggerated? Even though the production costs of television series were continually increasing, there had never been such a substantial investment before.

Before they could voice their opinions, Adrian took three more books from Charlize and laid them out on the table: "These are my plans for movies. I plan to adapt these three books into films."

Upon seeing the covers of those three books, low whispers resonated once again. These three books were so famous that everyone present had read them.

"You’re thinking of... adapting these three novels into movies?" Mayer hesitated for a moment, then asked uncertainly.

"Yes, one movie per novel, with Universal responsible for the investment and production. Don’t worry, the three will require an investment of about 300 to 350 million US dollars, not much more than ’Titanic’." Adrian made a bit of a joke. "As early as the end of ’94, I had someone secure the adaptation rights. I’ve been preparing all these years, with lots of scene and character designs drawn up, and I’ve also given some thought to filming locations and actors—I like to make long-term plans."

He crossed his arms in front of him on the table, smiled confidently, and slightly raised his chin, exuding confidence and a sense of looking down from above, which made everyone present forget to voice any doubts for a moment.

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"You really have a way, Ed. You had the whole room speechless," Claude said through bouts of hearty laughter in the RV, then imitated Adrian’s tone from earlier, "It’s simple, this is my movie!"

He mimicked the unquestionable tone perfectly.

"It is my movie, isn’t it?" Adrian shrugged, took out a bottle of champagne and three glasses from a small cabinet, poured the champagne, and then handed the glasses to Claude and Charlize beside him.

"But to finish within next year... honestly, even I find that a bit of an exaggeration," Claude said, holding his glass. "I remember you have a new movie to shoot in Italy soon, right? And it’s..."

He didn’t finish his sentence but gave Charlize a wink.

"It can be wrapped up in at most two months, and post-production in three to four months at the most, it won’t delay next year’s shoots," Adrian said leisurely, "You know, I always make movies quickly."

"Yes, yes, even someone like me who isn’t very knowledgeable about movie production knows that. Nobody can release a high-cost movie in less than half a year and always manage to earn decent box office returns," Claude sighed, but his mood quickly lifted again. "If it were me, I wouldn’t be confident in convincing them in such short order. In this regard, you really are unmatched, Ed."

"That’s because I can delegate the more important matters to you," Adrian said seriously, standing upright, "Because of you, I can concentrate fully on this. I know the journey here wasn’t easy—acquiring TBS, ABC, Universal—you’ve faced tough people and problems."

"Because..." Claude seemed to drift into his memories, "you said, as long as we stood close, we wouldn’t be beaten!"

He looked into his eyes with a serious expression, then patted his shoulder. "I always remember what you said that night when you came to persuade me. Honestly, at first, I felt a bit bored, thinking you were daydreaming again, but then... I was gradually drawn in without realizing it. What could be more exciting than seeing our grand ambitions slowly become reality?"

"Of course," Adrian chuckled and firmly patted Claude’s shoulder. "The world will be ours!"

They gripped each other’s hands with strength, and amidst the smiling glances, everything was understood, and then— freёnovelkiss-com

"Can you not look at me with such tender affection? It’s very easy for people to get the wrong idea, Claude."

"Is it? If you weren’t using your techniques for seducing women on me, I wouldn’t bother looking at you, Ed."

"Using techniques for seducing women on you? Don’t joke, that’s not my cup of tea."

"Sure, sure, we all know what you like—hey, Charli, don’t you find it boring to stick around this playboy? Why not try starting your own business?"

"I warn you, Claude, don’t go inciting my secretary over there, or I’ll turn my back on you!"

Watching the two men, who seemed ready to come to blows at any moment, Charlize rolled her eyes and looked out the window. A smile crept onto her lips unnoticed, but a few minutes later, a hint of bewilderment flashed in her eyes, and she let out an almost imperceptible sigh.

The Universal issue was temporarily settled, the specifics of the split and integration were Claude’s responsibility, and Adrian just needed to keep an eye on things. With Laverne overseeing it, Bossworth’s people wouldn’t fare too badly. However, some things really should get started, such as the TV series planned for Universal to invest in.

Indeed, it was ’Band of Brothers’ that made waves right after the turn of the 21st century. Adrian always made early moves on novels adapted into movies or TV series.

Despite his support for TNT’s successful transformation into a cable TV station producing its own shows and winning quite a few subscribers, in terms of heritage, it couldn’t compare to a station like HBO with a considerable accumulation. Although ’Sex and the City’ and ’The Sopranos’ became TNT’s works thanks to Adrian, HBO still launched some decent TV series, so defeating them outright wouldn’t be easy.

So, taking the chance to integrate Universal, having TNT produce this series was perfect; there was no shortage of funding or producers. When originally introducing the ’Saving Private Ryan’ script to Spielberg, Adrian did so using ’Band of Brothers’ as an inspiration and jokingly invited him to be a consultant, to which he had agreed.

Once this super-investment TV series aired on TNT, even if HBO could hold on, they wouldn’t pose a threat to TNT, which had firmly established its position, for a long time.

But this was just one of the many tasks he needed to oversee, and there were other things that required his personal touch—Nintendo had reached out through TBS.

During the period of Japanese corporate invasion into the United States, relations with American businesses were established to some extent. For instance, Capcom had a good relationship with Marvel Comics and even released an X-Men fighting game in ’95. TBS owned many animation rights, which is why they had a popular animation channel. Nintendo’s approach was to promote an animation they had developed, an animation derivative of a game. (To be continued. If you like this work, I welcome you to vote at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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