America: My Time

Chapter 6 Media Strategy
Chapter Six Media Strategy
Seeing John's puzzled look, Smith laughed and said, "John, it turns out there are things you don't understand. I thought that since you wanted to get into entertainment, you would have done a thorough investigation long ago. A small record company isn't as powerful as you think. It doesn't cost much money. One million is enough to buy a small record company with distribution capabilities, and the same goes for a film company. After deducting the two million from the game console research, you still have three million left to use. Have you thought about what you'll do with it?"

"There are still three million left?" John was quite surprised by his father's words. Although he had information about the future, he didn't know much about this era, especially since he was in the United States and his knowledge of this place was limited to what he learned online. At this time, the US dollar was still very valuable and had strong purchasing power.

"Yes, you still have three million in funds you can use!" The father gave an affirmative answer!

"If that's the case, I'd also like to start a comic book company, but the registration location can't be the United States. The comic book market in the United States is too bad. Japan is a good choice, but it's a bit far away, and it's a bit troublesome to contact them. If possible, after completing the acquisition, I need to go there to see for myself and understand the situation there!"

There was no internet back then; the only way to communicate between two places was by phone or fax! The comic book market was a goldmine, which wasn't originally in his plans, at least not at the moment. He had limited funds, but things took an unexpected turn. He had been overthinking things. Looking at the situation from a future perspective, the purchasing power of the US dollar at that time far exceeded his imagination; it was truly powerful!
Smith stared at his son and said, "Comics? Are you sure you want to do comics? The American comics market is, as you said, in serious trouble. I don't know about the Japanese market, and I'm afraid you don't know either, at most you only know a little bit. Besides, Japanese people are very xenophobic. Making such an investment rashly has a 90% chance of failure. You're wasting your time and energy!"

In Smith's view, this decision was complete nonsense. If there is no room for comics in the United States, how could there be room for comics in Japan? Moreover, the two countries have different cultures and people have different levels of acceptance. Making such an investment is unwise. More importantly, comic artists are not so easy to recruit!
Without access to future information, he wouldn't have made this decision, but with this wealth of information as a foundation, everything is different. John believes this investment will be successful; his plan is simply to plagiarize, copying the comics he's read before the Japanese cartoonists do!

"I still want to give it a try and see how my screenwriting skills are, and whether I can make a name for myself in the Japanese manga industry. Although Japan is very xenophobic, labor costs in Japan are lower than in Japan, which is an advantage! If the manga succeeds, everything will be fine; if it fails, it won't affect me much. I can learn from the experience and find my shortcomings!"

Despite his father's persuasion, John remained steadfast in his decision and did not back down despite the difficulties. He believed that one should never hesitate to seize an opportunity; if he retreated now, how could he face even more challenging situations later? This was merely a small test for him.

Looking at John's determined expression, Smith, as his father, couldn't help but sigh. This was the stubbornness of a genius; once they set their mind on a path, they would definitely follow it, no matter how much you tried to persuade them.

"Okay, I'll help you with that. But this investment needs to be approached with caution. For printing, you only need to acquire a small printing plant; you can't build one yourself, otherwise the cost will be too high, and if the investment fails, the losses will be too great! But have you thought about the toys? No matter how good your design is, you'll need a toy factory to produce them if you want to put them on the market. Whether you acquire one or outsource production, you need to make a decision as soon as possible!"

In Smith's eyes, toy factories were more promising than comic book companies. After all, children's money was the easiest to earn. As long as the toy design was good and the promotion was done well, money could definitely be made.

At this point, John couldn't help but sigh deeply: "This damn factory! It's completely unsuitable to run a factory in the US. Those workers are a bunch of lords. When we're losing money, it's fine; they don't care. But once we start making money, these bastards will definitely drag us down. That's how AMC went bankrupt. I don't want to open a factory here. The best option is Taiwan or Hong Kong. Chinese people are the most hardworking, so acquiring a toy factory shouldn't be difficult. However, the factory is far from the US, and communication will be a big problem. Fortunately, this matter isn't urgent. As long as we register the patent, there will be enough time to handle it. For a toy to become a hit, it needs funds for promotion. The best promotion is producing an animated film. Don't even think about local animation production; the price will be incredibly attractive. Hiring people and opening a factory myself is too time-consuming. The best option is to outsource to the Japanese!"

“No, if you want to produce animation for promotion, you absolutely cannot outsource it to Japan. Comics ultimately have to come back to animation. Whether you go down the path of making movies like Superman or make TV animation, you can’t do it in such a scattered way. You need to integrate them together. There will be some costs in the early stages, but you will get a bright future!” Smith instantly saw the flaw in his son’s planning. A scattered plan is not conducive to future management.

"A conglomerate? Isn't it a bit too early to start preparing now? It seems a bit exaggerated to want to form a conglomerate with such a small investment!" John voiced his suspicions, also somewhat unable to understand his father's thinking!

"Yes, it's about conglomeration. You might think it's a bit early, but that's not the case. To grow and thrive in entertainment, you must plan ahead and share all resources. Most importantly, this makes management easier and facilitates IPOs and fundraising. Right now, your most important task is building a talent pool for company management. Whether it's records, games, comics, animation, or toys, as long as one investment is successful, you can go public and recoup your investment! Initially, you can outsource animation to Japan, but you can't be unprepared. You can use this opportunity to assess their capabilities and cultivate your own talent. Only by mastering animation production can you expand the influence of your comics and strengthen your company's resilience against risks, instead of ending up like those American comic book companies that have no ability to withstand crises!" It has to be said that experience is invaluable. Smith immediately pointed out the benefits of entertainment conglomeration and the importance of talent. To run a business, to succeed in real industry, talent is paramount; without talent, nothing can be accomplished!
Initially, as a father, Smith could help John. However, with the company's rapid growth, it needed truly professional management talent to scientifically manage it. Understanding this, Smith directly pointed out the problem, worried that his son hadn't grasped this crucial issue. He also highlighted a major problem with domestic comics: their intellectual property (IP) wasn't being utilized to its fullest potential!
In that instant, John understood his father's intention and nodded, saying, "I do need such talent to oversee the big picture, but unfortunately, it's currently out of reach. With the limited funds I've invested, I won't attract any real professional managers. They're looking at large corporations, not shell companies like mine. However, once I establish a foothold, talent will naturally join. As long as I have enough influence, everything is possible. Using others to generate revenue is indeed a good approach. One or two animation projects can be enough to cultivate our own talent!"

"It's good that you understand. Starting a business isn't as simple as you imagine. Although your family will provide some assistance, it's only support. The real pillar of everything is yourself, not your family's help. Tell me, what other ideas do you have? You've thought of so much, you can't be completely unprepared. Whether it's a record company or comics, you need works. Are you ready?"

Hearing his father's words, John nodded and said, "I've thought it through and made all the preparations. As long as the company is established and we have the manpower, everything can start quickly. These are some novels I've written during this period. Mother, please take a look and see if there are any parts that need to be revised. If there are no problems, I hope to publish them as soon as possible!"

As soon as he finished speaking, John went back into the house, took out the novels he had printed out over the past few days, and handed them to his mother, Anna.

Anna picked up "Pirates of the Caribbean" from the top shelf and read it carefully. After a moment, she said, "John, you wrote all of this! Why did you decide to write a novel of this kind?"

"Mom, I wrote all of this. Is there anything wrong with it? I even wrote a song called 'He Is a Pirate' specifically for the book Pirates of the Caribbean, as a promotional piece for the novel!"

Anna shook her head and said, "No, there's nothing wrong with it, it's just a bit unbelievable. Why are you writing novels with such a bizarre style? This is completely different from your previous fairy tales. However, this subject matter is indeed captivating, and the pirate captain is very imaginative. Your thoughts are amazing!"

"Mom, I also have fairy tales, but I don't want to limit myself to fairy tales. That would be very detrimental to my future development. Besides, people change, and so do their thoughts. I have many more stories in my mind, and it will take time to write them down. These few novels are just the beginning! As long as the plan goes smoothly, nothing can stop me from moving forward!"

This might sound a bit pretentious, but it's the truth. For a time traveler, plagiarism is a piece of cake, a breeze. Whether it's fairy tales, other novels, or even anime, they're all trivial. As long as there's time, they can easily master them.

Now I need the strength of my family to help me get started. If I rely on my own strength, even the best ideas will not come true. After all, I am just a child who has just turned eighteen.

There's still so much to do. Just copying from numerous Hollywood blockbusters is enough for me to keep up with. These money-making movies are one of my key priorities going forward: Flashdance, Ghostbusters, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Beverly Hills Cop, Police Academy, and Die Hard. These are all major projects I need to finish quickly, or they'll pass me by in no time. These movies are my gold mines, and I can't afford to waste time on them!

Of course, the most important thing is fame. Only when you have a big enough name can you have a chance to get into Hollywood. Movies are also the best way to raise funds. Entertainment is very profitable, and you can make a lot of money. Good movies have high returns!
(End of this chapter)