hollywood billionaire

Chapter 497 Foundation Management Team (Part 2)
"A very ambitious goal, but unfortunately I'm too old and no longer fit to think about the future."

Stephenie curled her lip, gave a self-deprecating laugh, and said.

"Time will not take you away from the future; on the contrary, it will make you more capable of shaping it."

Han Yi pondered for a moment before replying.

"Your decades of accumulated experience are your compass, and compasses have no expiration date. Have you ever considered that new horizons might precisely require the unique perspective you've forged over time?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present unconsciously changed their expressions, especially Lionel Richie and Stevie Nix, two predecessors who were active in the last century.

Stevie was momentarily speechless with astonishment, instinctively glancing at Madison Bill, who simply shrugged as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

"That's just how he is... he's always been so eloquent."

"Amazing."

Stephenie shook her head, sighed softly, her tone ambiguous. She lowered her eyes, remained silent for a long while, and then raised her head again to look at Han Yi.

This time, the smile on her lips held less of its cynicism.

"If I remember correctly, the article about Mr. Yang mentioned that he would be serving as a board member of this music foundation. Is that true?"

"it is true."

Han Yi had quickly adapted to Stevie Nix's irrelevant and rambling conversational style.

As long as this rock goddess continues to jump between topics, it means she still maintains a considerable degree of interest in Han Yi's invitation.

How many people are on the board of directors in total?

"Ten people."

There are quite a lot of people.

"Quite a bit."

What do you mainly do?

"Our board of directors—which I prefer to call the 'Advisory Committee'—is primarily responsible for overseeing the overall management and development direction of Wave Music Fund, particularly providing professional guidance in business areas such as music distribution and song investment. These recommendations, based on extensive industry experience, are crucial for our investment advisors to make informed decisions regarding the acquisition and management of music catalogs."

"And it's led by Mr. Richie?"

"Completely correct."

Han Yi turned his head and exchanged a smile with Lionel, who cleared his throat and joined the conversation: "Yi has a lot of trust in me and this advisory board. It is independent of the management team, but directly supervises them. While the CEO, COO... and CMO are out there conquering new territories, our job is to ensure that the royalties they collect are enough to cover operating costs and that the copyrights they purchase are valuable enough and continue to appreciate in value."

“We will conduct strategic assessments of the company’s assets, perform due diligence on hired or outsourced teams, and amend the company’s articles of incorporation to make potential acquisitions faster, more efficient, and safer. Of course, in addition to these, we have one more crucial and irreplaceable task.” “What task?” Steven asked.

"Using the industry connections and influence of each board member as the pillars and reach of the fund, we aim to let as many people as possible know about the fund, recognize its enormous value in reshaping the industry, and make them willing to become our partners." Lionel's magnetic, mellow voice made even these high-sounding platitudes quite pleasant to listen to, rather than boring.

"Simply put, it's about helping the foundation solve the problem of 'Who the hell are you, and why should I sell my music to you?'" For Stevie Nix, her voice, appearance, and personality all suit this straightforward style of expression. "If people see Mormon missionaries and their friends showing up at the door together, they might not be so resistant, right? I'm not saying the foundation operates like the Mormon Church... I just thought the analogy was interesting, an idea that just popped into my head."

“That’s right.” Han Yi interjected again, “One of the core tasks of the advisory committee is to eliminate doubts such as ‘Who are you? What gives you the right to do this?’ However, our solution is not based on missionary enthusiasm, but on genuine professionalism, transparency, and credibility.”

“Everyone on the advisory board is a writer of music history and a creator of rules. They are invited to come together not to sell some ‘one and only truth,’ but to combine their experience, network and insights to provide music creators with a better and more trustworthy option.”

“Who are you?” After another short silence, Stevie breathed a sigh of relief, her admiration growing. “You sound like Barbara Jordan giving a speech at the DNC.”

“Barbara Jordan was an African American female congresswoman in the 1970s.” Seeing Han Yi’s gaze drift over, Lionel Rich knew this was a signal for help—not to mention international students, even among the new generation of native-born Americans, very few people were familiar with this name. “Her speech at the DNC in 1976 can be called one of the five greatest speeches in American history… If you have time, watch it on YouTube, it’s excellent.”

"I understand, thank you, Leo."

“I’m sorry.” Stevie pursed her lips. “I should have used a more modern analogy… It’s not fair to cite a case from forty years ago for a newcomer like you. My problem.”

"It's ok."

Although it initially sounded like an apology, the astute Han Yi still caught the subtle, growing hostility in Stevie's expression as time passed. He composed himself, trying to make his next words as concise as possible:

“I enjoy hearing information I’ve never encountered before, stories I’ve never known before. It allows me to see how subtle and rich the history is hidden in this land beneath my feet.”

"As you said, I am a 'new friend' who has just entered this country and this field, and what 'new friends' like me need most are 'old friends'. So, when people see 'old friends' like you, Leo, and Dre standing at the door, rather than unfamiliar 'missionaries,' they will naturally understand that the Wave Foundation has the deepest understanding and the most sincere respect for this industry. This is our greatest persuasive power."

“Eloquent.” Steven laughed again in a hoarse voice, gently shaking her index finger, pointing at Madison, then at Han Yi, “Eloquent.”

"My so-called eloquence is nothing more than an effort to clearly convey our value and sincerity to you."

“I can clearly feel your sincerity.”

Stevie responded, but Han Yi could still see a hint of noncommittal in her expression.

"Now, tell me, who else is on your board of directors? Who are the people you would call old acquaintances of mine?"

“You know all of them, you’ve worked with most of them, but there’s one person I think you’d be happy to call your friend.”

"Who?"

"Dave Stewart".

(End of this chapter)