America: My Time

Chapter 1077 Shock and Reminder

Chapter 1067 Shock and Reminder

When an opportunity arises, those guys in the US will naturally not let it slip by, and so will others, not to mention their counterparts. Even though everyone knows that this is not a problem with the Black Hawk helicopters, some people insist on dragging the matter into this direction, and the White House is even less willing to take responsibility, so they simply tacitly approve of these insidious actions!

“Boss, the situation in the US is very bad. The White House is clearly trying to shirk responsibility. They haven’t made any statement, which is to make us take some responsibility for them. Those oil-capital media outlets, although they haven’t directly targeted us, are all trying to exonerate the White House! If we let them continue to make trouble, it might affect our orders with the Middle Eastern tycoons, or even our cooperation with them. Do you think you can step in and talk to them?” Faced with the situation in the US, Carol Tomé was somewhat worried and had no choice but to ask her boss to step in.

John had this worry from the very beginning, and now it's all come true. Those guys are resorting to such insidious tactics to target him and damage his relationship with the Middle Eastern tycoon. If the Middle Eastern tycoon's order falls through at this time, Black Hawk's global sales will be affected!

"Don't worry, there won't be any major problems. We've already explained it to the Middle Eastern side. If they still don't believe us, no matter how eloquently we explain, it won't work. This isn't just targeting us, but also the Middle Eastern tycoons. If they don't even have this kind of insight or this kind of wisdom, then perhaps we need to be more cautious about cooperating with them!"

John was anxious and under a lot of pressure, but he also saw it as a good opportunity—a chance to understand the Middle Eastern tycoon. While past collaborations had been successful, he wanted to see if the tycoon would stand by him in this crucial moment and trust him as a friend.

“But if the orders run into problems at this time, it will be very detrimental to Gulfstream Aerospace, and many of our products will be affected!” Carol Tomey was shocked by her boss’s reaction; this was not the answer she wanted!

"Don't worry, even if things get worse, they won't get out of control. Don't you think this is also an opportunity to see who your friends are and who your enemies are?" John was also anxious about the situation, but he saw it as a chance to confirm who his friends and enemies were. He had been laying out plans in the Middle East for so long and had done so much. If such a sudden event could damage their trust, would it be worthwhile to continue the friendship?
John's insistence left Carol Tomey with no choice but to accept it and hope that things wouldn't get worse and that the Middle Eastern tycoons wouldn't cause any trouble, otherwise things could really get into serious problems.

After a burst of anger, John calmed down. What's done is done, and the enemy has already made their move. Even if he wanted to save everything, it wouldn't be something that could be done in a short time. So now he should calm down, take a normal view of everything, and not be affected by external pressure!

Even if I went to the Middle East now, what good would it do? If those guys really wavered in their beliefs, no matter how much I said, it wouldn't make a difference. It's better to do nothing and quietly wait for their reaction. I've done what I needed to do. Now, I need to see the 'sincerity' of the Middle Eastern tycoons. Gulfstream Aerospace has already shown enough sincerity and explained everything to them. Moreover, John doesn't believe that the Middle Eastern tycoons are unaware of what's happening there.

After figuring everything out, John calmed down and focused his attention on his investments in China, as well as the first Shanghai International Film Festival. John didn't want this sudden event to affect his plans in China, after all, he knew exactly how big the market was!
Although Shanghai made considerable preparations, few true industry giants were present. The city's reputation isn't yet strong enough; without the presence of executives from Phoenix Media and Legendary Entertainment, the event's impact would have been minimal. These executives came partly to attend the film festival, and partly to assess the local film and television base, as it will be a crucial filming location for them in the future.

"Wow, our big boss is here! It seems he really values ​​our market!"

"It's truly unexpected. No matter how much the Europeans invited him, the big boss didn't attend their film festival. Even the Oscars haven't been able to invite him for many years. If this news gets back to the US, the entire film industry will probably be shocked. The tyrant of Hollywood actually attended this film festival."

When the staff from Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures saw John, they were all incredibly shocked; this was something they had never expected. Not only were they shocked, but the members of both media conglomerates were also astonished. As for the journalists, probably not many knew, since not everyone was aware of John's identity. However, some did know John's identity; after all, John was a legendary figure in the United States.

"Look, it's the tyrant of Hollywood! He's actually attending a film festival with a female companion. If this news gets back to the US, it will shock many people. He hasn't attended such an event in a long time!"

"Yes, this big shot hasn't participated in such events for a long time. He's been very low-key all these years!" In the eyes of many people in the United States, John has become very low-key and is no longer the person who used to appear in front of everyone so often.

John is a formidable figure in the European and American film and television industry. After all, his reputation as a Hollywood tyrant is too resounding. In Hollywood, only the two major media groups have the ability to suppress those big stars, or even blacklist them. Other Hollywood giants do not have such domineering power. That is why many big stars are furious with Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures, but they have no way to do anything about it, and they do not even dare to openly express their dissatisfaction with these two film companies.

In Hollywood, even the biggest stars have to bow down and submit to Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media, or they will face suppression and blacklisting. Most importantly, as the two media groups steadfastly pursue their plans, the number of big-budget productions that big stars can get has decreased significantly, after all, these are the two giants of Hollywood.

The two media conglomerates were unwilling to be constrained by big-name stars in this regard, nor did they want to benefit others for nothing. They were forced to either compromise and sign contracts with film companies for several films or be kicked out of the company.

"Who is that?" When people saw John talking to the officials and the reactions of the Europeans and Americans, they couldn't help but wonder. They didn't remember anyone like that in the circle!

"That guy's identity is no simple matter. He's a real tycoon. He's the boss of two Hollywood giants, Paramount and Universal Pictures, and also the boss of our Phoenix Pictures!" "What? The boss of two Hollywood giants? But he's too young!" Many people were shocked by this statement and by John's age. To them, John was too young and didn't seem like the boss of any Hollywood giants, let alone two of them.

"Hehe, he's not just a Hollywood mogul, but also the head of a top American conglomerate. Our cooperation with American television stations was all driven by him. Although he's young, he's very capable!"

John's appearance shocked many people, but John didn't care about such trivial matters, and he knew this would happen when he chose to attend such an event.

"Xi Zhao, what are your thoughts on this place? You've already visited the Universal Studios film base. Is there anything that needs to be changed?" John still wanted to consult professionals on professional matters, since he didn't know much about it himself. He wanted to rely on Huang Xi Zhao in this regard to avoid wasting time and money.

"Everything is fine, and we don't think there's anything that needs to be changed. It's just that many people feel it's a bit far from Hong Kong!"

"Far, perhaps, but we also need to consider the business layout. After all, Hong Kong already has Universal Studios. Building another film base nearby would be a waste of money. And if they can't even overcome this, what right do those guys have to survive in this industry? It's not that we need to cater to their feelings, but that they need to cooperate with the company's development! Ignore them. If these guys are unwilling to accept it, then they should leave the company. Phoenix Group is no longer in a situation where it lacks manpower. They have no right to make demands!"

John found the ideas of those guys in Hong Kong laughable. What right did they have to make such demands of the company? Even the Taiwanese side hadn't said anything, yet these guys dared to say such things. It was truly ridiculous.

"This is also due to the overall environment. The circles in Hong Kong have become incredibly crazy. Too many hands have reached into this circle. It's only because Phoenix Group is strong enough that those guys don't dare to act rashly, otherwise there would be a lot of trouble!"

"Don't pay any attention to those guys. As long as they don't provoke us, we don't need to bother with them. We just need to take care of ourselves. I believe it won't be long before these guys regret their stupidity. They're all only thinking about making quick money and don't care about the quality of the film. When the reputation of Hong Kong films is ruined, they'll know how terrible this industry winter is!"

Phoenix's productions are always of the highest quality, which is what John has always demanded of them, whether it's TV series or movies. This has also been recognized by the Asian market. So even if the Hong Kong market collapses, John is not worried about the development of Phoenix Group. After all, Phoenix Group controls its own cinema chains, and they are global cinema chains!

"I'm a bit disappointed. I've told those guys about this problem before, but no one listens, or rather, no one cares. All they care about is their immediate interests and they don't consider anything in the long run."

"That's human nature. When it comes to profit, long-term goals are meaningless. And do you think those quick-money investors who flood into the market care about long-term benefits? For them, it's all about making quick money. They don't care about anything else. And they don't care about the market crashing. By then, they'll have already made a fortune and made a clean getaway! We only need to focus on our own development. The life or death of others has nothing to do with us."

John was well aware of just how crazy the Hong Kong film market was right now. And it wasn't just Hong Kong; the Taiwanese market was just as crazy. This was related to the overall economic climate. In comparison, the situation in Japan and South Korea was somewhat better, but that wouldn't last long. However, this didn't affect Phoenix Group's development and interests. Phoenix Group had already made comprehensive plans and didn't care about any changes or whether anyone wanted to stop it.

"Xi Zhao, our people are here filming, and there can't be any problems. Tell them to put away their ridiculous arrogance. If anyone breaks the rules, blacklist them immediately and kick them out of the company. I don't want our hard-earned reputation to be ruined because of them. We don't care about other companies, but Phoenix Group absolutely cannot have any problems. You need to keep a close eye on them!"

John had warned Huang Xizhao in advance about this matter, emphasizing that Phoenix Group should not make a mistake in such a way, as it would damage their reputation and ruin their plans. John knew how bad these guys' reputations would become in the future.

"I understand. This is a written rule in the company, and no one is allowed to break it!"

"That's for the best. Don't worry about what those people think. We need to think long-term. Hong Kong can't support the entire industry. I don't want them to ruin my reputation or my plans here. Once it's a rule, it's an ironclad rule. There can be no mistakes. Whoever makes a mistake will be dealt with without hesitation!"

John didn't want his hard-earned reputation to be ruined by the stupidity and arrogance of some guys. If such a thing happened, John would definitely not let those guys off the hook and would make them know what pain was.

Phoenix Group is constantly strengthening its presence in China, so it doesn't want to ruin its reputation or its interests. Don't be fooled by the current strength of Hong Kong's film industry; it's on a downward spiral, and if this continues, the entire market will collapse soon. The current prosperity of the Hong Kong film market is a facade, because behind it lies the calculations and indulgence of the British. Otherwise, it wouldn't be in this state at all. But John is powerless to stop it from happening!

(End of this chapter)