American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 134 Taking Stock of Assets and Enjoying Vacations

Now that the real work has begun, uh...

If they could actually get their hands on "How to Train Your Dragon," then Isabella's next job could be considered a life-changing opportunity. Therefore, the preparations and plans related to it would naturally be meticulous.

However, with a long holiday period ahead and Christmas and New Year's just around the corner, Isabella cannot immediately begin to lay out specific tasks, so...

Well, actually Isabella didn't care.

Before assigning specific tasks, she needs to first review the businesses under her name.

She's been a hands-off manager for too long.

At that moment, she didn't even know how much money she had.

Since the work of sorting out the accounts wouldn't involve outsiders and could be done anywhere, Isabella took a small notebook and started communicating with her mother, who was in charge of the accounts, on the plane to South Africa.

She now owns three companies and one foundation.

First, let's talk about the companies. They are—

The beaver has taken root in the film and television industry;

A groundhog studying artist management;

Kapibala, which controls music copyrights.

However, all three companies are currently just shells.

The most severely hollowed-out creature is the beaver rat.

Even though it owns the full rights to "The Voice" and has IPs like "Resident Evil," "Iron Man," "Fantastic Four," and "The Devil Wears Prada," because Isabella and her team don't have to do any of the projects themselves, therefore...

Since its inception, Beaver Mouse has generated annual profits exceeding $500 million, yet only seven people work in its London office.

This is simply unbelievable.

However, starting next year, these makeshift operations will no longer exist!
After careful consideration, Isabella decided to establish four clearly defined departments within the Beaver Mouse organization: the Film Department, the Television Department, the Animation Department, and the Copyright Trading Department, in order to handle the increasingly detailed tasks that had emerged.

Because they have to handle many of the business themselves.

For example, after the film division was established, it was put in charge of managing "Resident Evil".

How was the Resident Evil IP managed in Isabella's previous life? She couldn't remember anymore, but in this life, thanks to Rupert Murdoch's machinations, Resident Evil: Apocalypse was scheduled for release next March.

2005 October.

Although Isabella didn't care about this stuff, she also didn't have the habit of throwing tens of millions into the water.

For example, once the television department is established, a team must be assembled immediately.

The development of "Music Country" and "Hannah Montana" cannot be delayed for too long.

This matter must be completed in the first half of 2005.

Later...

That could lead to a situation where ideas collide.

For example, the animation department needed to work with the "master" that Robert Iger sent.

This department even has two main tasks.

First, that is, to develop Project Unnamed Beaver from scratch.

Second, he would snag a copy of "How to Train Your Dragon".

Finally, as long as the above three departments can operate normally, the copyright operation department will be the busiest department in Beaver's future, because all the copyrights in Isabella's hands can be developed into IPs.

In the development of IP derivatives, it is not realistic to work alone.

Putting aside other things, even Disney, none of them can achieve a complete monopoly of the upstream and downstream of a single industry chain like Coca-Cola.

It's inevitable that IP will be licensed to toy companies to make toys and to game companies to make games.

As the company's business gradually expanded and its scope broadened, Vivian could no longer manage it all by herself.

and so……

Looking at the organizational chart in her hand, Isabella, who was leaning against her mother on the sofa, said, "Mom, do you think we should poach someone to manage the company? Like Michael Barnason? I think he's pretty good."

"..."

This suggestion left Vivian speechless for a moment.

Beside her, Catherine, who was holding a drawing board and pondering how to develop the island, chuckled and said, "Oh, Isa, if you did something like that, Chris Columbus might turn into the Hulk and slap you out of the universe."

"Hahaha~~~" Isabella laughed at her older sister's description.

When a company develops to a certain stage, it's natural to poach talented people to strengthen its workforce.

Because a person's energy is limited.

Even if a person had 48 hours in a day and didn't need to sleep, it would be impossible to do everything personally when managing a group.

The kind of people who can hold 15 meetings over a single cup...

They are immortals.

But, the only capable people Isabella can touch are her own people, so...

Poaching from their own people?
This is indeed a bit embarrassing.

but……

“I actually have someone in mind,” Vivian said. “How about we poach Susie?”

"Let her manage the film and television department?"

"Although her role is casting director, she is so familiar with Hollywood that she should be perfectly capable of managing things."

"And then, I should say, you've probably heard that she has an older brother, Mike Figgis, right?"

The Susie that Mother Vivian mentioned was none other than Isabella's benefactor, Susie Figgis.

If she hadn't slipped Isabella's file into J.K. Rowling's hands in the summer of 00, then...

Whether Isabella can become Miss Beaver is another matter, right?

Then, Susie Figgis actually has relatives in the industry.

Her cousin's name is Mike Figgis.

This person is a director in the industry.

His most famous work is called "Escape from Las Vegas".

Yeah~
The movie that won Nicolas Cage the Oscar for Best Actor was directed by Susie Figgis's cousin.

Why would someone dare to publicly criticize Warner Bros. on behalf of J.K. Rowling?

It’s very simple!

Because they can find work anywhere!
Isabella felt very comfortable having someone like this in charge of the film and television department.

but……

"Mom, I think your suggestion is great, but I don't know if Susie would be willing to come."

"Let's invite her first. If she can come, all the problems will be solved. If she can't come, then we'll think of another way."

Isabella agreed with her mother's reasoning, so she dropped the matter of the Beaver Company.

Yes, the animation and copyright departments don't need to hire additional staff.

The development of the former will definitely be left to Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois.

These two guys have had enough of being sidelined by the old guard at Disney. If they are still being managed by others after arriving in a new environment, wouldn't that be like putting them in jail in a different place?
If Isabella hadn't known their talents, she would certainly have been very careful.

But when their resumes are so extensive they could fill the Mariana Trench, and their future is predictable, hiring someone to manage them wouldn't just be disgusting them, it would be disgusting ourselves. Isabella wouldn't do that.

As for the latter...

The most profitable copyright department is definitely overseen by Vivian herself.

To reiterate, blood ties may be unreliable, but no other relationship is more reliable than blood ties.

While setting aside her business with the beaver company, Isabella chatted with her mother about groundhogs and Kapibala.

As for these two companies...

No optimization or upgrade is needed for now.

Groundhog Company currently has only seven artists under its name: Margot Robbie, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Lana Dre, Coby Carey, Carly Gibson, and Rihanna.

The last six are all singers, whose careers are managed by Warner Music, which is looking to make money.

Isabella doesn't need to be involved at all.

Although the former is an actress, her career path was already clear long ago.

and so……

There is absolutely no need for the management of Groundhog to be upgraded.

Even if Isabella hires professionals to take care of the groundhogs, when problems arise, all their efforts are no match for Isabella making a phone call; and when it comes to discovering new talent, even if they work tirelessly and search the world for new stars, it's still no match for the casual screenings of various countries' "The Voice" variety shows.

Hiring a professional team to manage groundhogs is a complete waste of money.

The same goes for Kapibala.

When a music copyright company's only partner is Warner...

Lying there, waiting for Warner to feed him, that's all the company does.

Now that we've finished discussing the company's plans, we can start talking about the accounts.

In this regard, beavers, marmots, and Kapibals have all profited.

Beavers have "The Voice of China," right? They're making a fortune in copyright fees.

The majority of Groundhog's income comes from Bruno Mars, Lana Del Rey, and Katy Perry. After the first season of The Voice tour ended, they went on a spending spree of endorsements. Even though Isabella doesn't take much, their popularity still allows Isabella to earn a lot.

As for Kapibala...

Bruno Mars, Lana Del Rey, and Katy Perry have all taken off, so isn't this company just blindly making money?

If one had to describe it, Kapibala at that moment would be like bathing in a hot spring made of gold.

With a golden leaf dangling from its mouth, it basked in the afternoon sun, humming and puffing, waiting for it to wake up...

"Holy crap, how did my pool turn into silver?"

Soak it again overnight, and when it gets light the next morning...

"Holy crap! My pool turned to stone! Where's my money?!"

"I haven't touched the profits from these three companies this year; the previous profits... actually all went into the charitable foundation..."

"Oh, by the way, the land I bought in the company's name last year and this year has also been donated one after another. Now, your charitable foundation has a company called Green Planet. Its purpose is to protect the ecological environment on Earth and to conduct research on green diets for all mankind. Of course, its essence is to hold nearly 70,000 acres of agricultural land."

"If you want to buy more land later, we will also operate under the name of this company."

"Then... well, Valentine told me that we could buy agricultural land in Britain, but not too much."

"One reason is that the food industry is too sensitive."

"Before we want to become a large grain trader, diversifying our investments and buying land in various countries at the same time is the best option."

"Secondly, because we do global business."

“When we also had business in the United States, we would buy agricultural land there and then lease it to local farmers. If our business encountered problems in the United States, we could then have those farmers we controlled influence local legislators.”

"So..."

Vivian winked at her youngest daughter.

"Okay, I'm fine."

Isabella chuckled and nodded.

Yes ~
The reason that big idiot Kapibala keeps soaking in the stone pool is simply because Vivian donated all the company's profits. Because if she didn't... well, you know...

Since this is something Isabella is willing to embrace, any related conversations should be kept brief.

As for what my mom said about buying agricultural land in other countries and then influencing local councilors... well, it's the same old story: once you have a certain amount of money, you're bound to climb higher.

It's not a matter of whether you want to or not; it's that no one can simply accept whatever comes their way and know when to quit while they're ahead.

If you don't step up, others will find ways to kill you and then climb over your dead body.

The ugliness of human nature is like Michael Eisner's behavior: even if I surrender, I will still drag you down with me.

Now that the matter was settled, Isabella closed her little notebook, which she hadn't written much in—some things are better left unwritten on paper, after all—just then, Catherine, who was holding her sketchbook, suddenly said, "Hey, Isabella, you said... Rupert Murdoch and Michael Eisner would be resentful, so the others... they probably won't leave on their own, right?"

These words made Isabella roll her eyes at her older sister. "Are you designing an island or listening to me?"

"Tch, is it wrong for me to be smart? Is it wrong for me to multitask?"

"No."

“…” Catherine raised her head.

He pursed his lips and looked at his younger sister, "Honey, do you want to have a nice holiday?"

"Well, I don't know what they're thinking, but judging from their behavior... I can only say we should deal with each situation individually." Isabella clapped her hands. It wasn't that she was cowardly, but rather that she didn't want to be targeted by guys who didn't have to work.

Catherine raised an eyebrow at her younger sister's sliding knee, then lowered her head to continue pondering how the island should be built.

Well, she just wanted to warn Isabella to be careful.

To avoid getting beaten up every day.

Then he started babbling on and on.

It only takes 12 hours to travel from London to South Africa.

Isabella and her group took off on the evening of the 23rd and arrived in South Africa on the morning of the 24th.

As soon as they landed, the warm environment made them take off their coats...

That's right, they came to the Southern Hemisphere for vacation because it's too cold in Britain.

How should we describe South Africa?

In the mouths of Western media, it is Mandela's holy land of democracy, a paradise for wild animals, and a cradle of wealth rich in diamonds and gold. But putting politics aside, it is indeed a beautiful kingdom wrapped in rainbows.

The scenery here is fantastic; the undeveloped natural environment is truly a paradise for many creatures.

Isabella and her friends' first stop on their vacation was a national park in South Africa.

Cheetahs running freely, rare black rhinos, elephants roaming freely for you to observe, and meerkats that treat tourists like monkeys... These animals allow you to experience a kind of beauty that you can't find in the world of steel buildings.

Especially the magnificent sunset, with its red sun and lazy zebras, is what makes money.

If you work hard to earn a lot of money but don't spend it, what's the difference between that and self-torture?

Celebrating Christmas on the vast grasslands, sharing joy with the guy who called to "greet" us, and after a short while, the family headed to the beach to catch sight of open-backed whales and great white sharks.

Yes, we offer shark diving services here.

Catherine and Vivian both went to experience it, but Isabella did not.

Because people from Warner and Disney were watching from the sidelines.

This activity has a very high risk factor, and no one wants anything to happen to her.

Yes! She is very brave!

"Oh—Isa—the great white shark in the sea is so cool—even cooler than the great white shark in the movie—"

"They were incredibly ferocious; they charged straight at us as soon as they saw us—"

"Just—whoosh—in an instant—"

As soon as they got ashore, Catherine couldn't wait to share her experiences with her timid sister.

The frantic arm gesturing made the little beaver wag her tail in boredom—it was pointless, she wasn't envious at all.

Although the little beaver was too scared to see the great white shark, she did hug the adorable little penguin.

That's right, penguins are not exclusive to Antarctica; they also exist in Africa.

Moreover, they look different from penguins in Antarctica.

They have a ring on their front, so they are also called ringed penguins.

Furthermore, they are very bold and not afraid of people at all...

Catherine burst into laughter at the sight of the African penguins peeking out.

"Oh, Isa, I think if the cartoon beaver animation is successful, and if we can make a second season, then we can try adding some penguins to the animation, because I think their boldness would be very cute."

"By then——"

"How about a second animated film where the cartoon beaver goes on a global tour? Showcasing its culinary skills? And then gets challenged by African penguins?"

"They look like this now, their faces are full of 'arrogance'."

Isabella thought her older sister's idea was fantastic.

Because in her previous life, there were adorable penguins in the Madagascar series.

Art--

It comes from life.

South Africa has many unique landscapes.

But Isabella and the others didn't experience much of it.

Firstly, time is limited.

"The Goblet of Fire Part 1" isn't finished filming yet, so they only have Christmas and New Year's holidays to squander.

Secondly, vacation and tourism are different.

They're not here to check off tourist attractions; having fun is the most important thing.

If you enjoy this place, you can come back again next time. A vacation doesn't cost much.

That kind of spending is something Isabella could earn with a single breath.

After spending two weeks in South Africa, tasting enormous peacock abalone, plump coastal oysters, and fresh lobsters, and secretly sampling a bit of Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon... Miss Beaver and her older sister returned to London amidst a beating.

Vivian wouldn't let them drink alcohol.

but……

The Stellenbosch 20-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon had such a beautiful color that the two of us tried some.

Then Vivian got angry.

However, whether it's sneaking a drink or actually getting beaten up, those are minor matters.

The real big news is that J.K. Rowling's due date has arrived.

Her third child will be born around the 20th.

So, the moment Isabella returned to London, she boarded a train to Scotland.

After delivering New Year's gifts they had bought in South Africa to Rowling and her family, the group returned to Leavesden.

They hugged and greeted the returning members, exchanged gifts, and when it was Chris Columbus's turn...

Isabella was puzzled by the fact that the other person's hands were empty.

"Hey Chris, where's my New Year's present? You didn't forget to prepare one for me, did you? I brought you gold coins!"

Isabella opened the box in her hand, inside which was a glittering gold coin.

Those were Kruger gold coins weighing one ounce.

It is called this because its front is engraved with a profile of Paul Krug, the first president of South Africa.

Although this is just a commemorative coin, it was created because South Africa in the last century wanted to promote its gold to countries around the world, so it specially issued commemorative gold coins marked in troy ounces, hoping to make its gold mines famous internationally.

However, this thing cannot be used as a commemorative coin because its purity is 91.67%.

Even without the 99.99% terror, a troy ounce is 31.1035 grams.

It's not cheap.

Then, the New Year's gifts that Isabella prepared for the HP creators were all the first models from 1967.

The significance here is even more different.

Kruger Coin is the oldest among the world's five major investment gold coins.

Therefore, Columbus could understand the little girl's 'dissatisfaction'.

Faced with Miss Beaver's 'questioning', Columbus, who had always brought gifts for everyone, laughed and said, "Oh, Isa, I prepared a gift, but... everyone else has one, except you..."

'? ? ? '

'Fine, fine, so you're treating me differently now, huh?'

Upon hearing this, the little girl's face immediately fell even more.

Columbus couldn't stop laughing at her 'angry' look, and at the same time asked, "Where's Margot? She hasn't come home for the New Year yet?"

Having achieved success in her ventures, Margot Robbie chose to return home for the Lunar New Year this year.

However, before leaving, she also said that she would come back after the New Year.

Because she needed to serve the princess well in order to obtain better resources.

hee hee~
The abrupt change of topic made Isabella unwilling to pay attention to Columbus.

The little girl thought Columbus wanted to give Robbie a gift.

But the truth is...

That's true too.

Robbie returned to the cast on January 9, 2005. That day, when she was giving gifts to the cast members, she received a gift in return from Columbus. This made her even more envious, and she started grumbling.

This situation made everyone laugh non-stop, and many people comforted her, saying that Columbus must have prepared a special surprise for her.

Tell her to wait patiently.

Although Isabella thought so too.

Because Columbus wasn't the kind of person who liked to cause trouble.

But Columbus kept it a secret, leaving everyone to guess, which was really too much...

This is ridiculous.

While Isabella was pondering what kind of gift could have kept Columbus waiting for so long...

On January 12, 2005, the mystery was solved.

On this day, two elderly KFC workers wearing round-framed glasses appeared on the set of Leavesdon.

The appearance of the two caused a great stir, and everyone in the HP crew greeted them. After greeting everyone with a smile and a friendly tone, they came to Columbus's side.

One of them, whose face was slightly thinner, smiled and said, "Oh, Chris, the atmosphere on your set is pretty good, isn't it?"

Before Columbus could speak, his gaze fell on the little beaver beside him.

"Isabella? May I call you Isabella?"

“I have heard your name countless times over the past few years, and it is a great pleasure to meet you today.”

He extended his hand. "Let's get acquainted? I'm... I think you should know me, right? Just like I know you? But even so, I feel it's necessary for me to introduce myself. I'm Steven Spielberg, and this..."

Beside him, the bearded old man who hadn't spoken also smiled and reached out his hand, "George Lucas, you can just call me George."

Yes, the two old men are Spielberg and Lucas.

Look at it like this...

Were they here specifically to see Miss Beaver?

'Oh my gosh, I'm so popular~'

(End of this chapter)