America: Child stars start with The Shining

"Charles, you'd better keep a low profile lately, stay in Los Angeles and don't go running around."

Charles is now back in his Los Angeles apartment. Ovitz is still away on a business trip. The two of them are talking on a landline, and the other person's voice sounds very serious.

"You mean... I'm being watched?"

Charles leaned back on the sofa and frowned.

He thought back for a moment and realized that he hadn't done anything particularly special recently, except for the videotape project.

But he had thought things through before doing this. He had Tupac speak to the gang leaders on his behalf, and the money had already been delivered to them. Logically speaking, it shouldn't cause any trouble.

On the other end of the phone, Ovitz gave a cold laugh and said:

"Hey, have you forgotten? John! That lunatic who's still locked up in there! His dad, Wade, is the president of an oil company, and he's got close ties with people from the CCP. Nobody knows how deep his gang connections run!"

"And I've also heard that they're trying to get that kid a mental illness certificate so they can bail him out. Charles, these old-money families have a lot of influence in Hollywood. You're just a child star with no connections right now, so you have to be careful!"

Charles was silent for a moment, then slowly asked:

"So, all those things that happened to me in New York were actually orchestrated by John's dad, Wade?"

"Who knows? But for them, manipulating things like this is incredibly easy. Even if you died in that situation, no one would dare to suspect them."

"After all, this kind of thing is all too common in America. Just send a henchman to fire a shot, and then push it into a street gang shootout. Who can find out?"

After listening, Charles sighed. It seemed that this was most likely the case; otherwise, it would be too much of a coincidence.

He remembered what Jack had told him before: that the club had powerful backers, and ordinary gangs wouldn't dare to cause trouble there, but that's exactly what happened that night.

So, it's highly likely they're targeting him. As for whether they want to use him as a tool to kill someone or simply give him a warning, that's hard to say.

But no matter which one it is, Charles cannot be careless; he will not joke with his own life.

Ovitz paused for a moment, then continued:

"Also, I learned before that WMA is also backed by that oil group, and they will definitely try every means to target you next."

Charles raised an eyebrow, chatted with the other person for a few more minutes, and then changed the subject.

For example, Leonardo DiCaprio.

After receiving his business card last time, the other party contacted Ovitz almost without hesitation and quickly became an artist under CAA.

Of course, it's unlikely that any significant results will be seen in the short term.

Because Leonardo DiCaprio's acting skills were not yet fully developed at this time, and he also loved to act in art films that didn't generate much revenue, it was obviously unlikely that he would immediately bring any benefits to CAA.

However, there's no harm in investing in advance. Anyway, Ovitz's roster of artists is gradually increasing, so having one more or one less won't really make a difference.

For CAA, it's perfectly normal for one agent to be responsible for multiple artists at the same time.

As for Madonna...

Before returning to Los Angeles, Charles had successfully obtained the other party's contact information, but it was not yet time to make a move; the timing was not right.

He plans to start his own record company.

When that time comes, sign Madonna and personally elevate her to the position of pop diva.

This matter needs to be considered carefully. Setting up a record company is not as simple as just talking about it. It requires not only sufficient funds, but also a complete set of personnel and staff to make it work.

He wasn't very familiar with the process, and besides, he didn't have enough funds.

When the revenue from the videotape project expands further, then there will be an opportunity.

However, there is one more thing he can start preparing immediately.

If I remember correctly, it's almost May, and "The Shining" and "Friday the 13th" will be released around the same time.

By that time...

Charles glanced at a contact number he had casually jotted down earlier and muttered to himself:

"It's time for WMA to pay the price."

......

In an office at WMA, Morgan looked at the artist in front of him and said:

"Mark, Friday the 13th is about to be released. Trust me, your hard work will pay off."

He flipped through the reports in his hand. This film was WMA's main project during this period, and it featured many of their artists.

Even director Cunningham was successfully signed by WMA after his last consultation with Morgan.

In other words, the entire team is made up of WMA's own people.

In addition, they also signed a performance-based agreement with Paramount Pictures and were one of the investors in the film.

Paramount spent $1.5 million to acquire the US domestic distribution rights for "Friday the 13th," and WMA played a significant role in helping them snatch this lucrative prize from Warner Bros.

If the film becomes a big hit and exceeds a certain box office percentage, they can get a 5% cut, which will be a considerable amount.

Morgan naturally put a lot of effort into this matter. If he handled it well, he would definitely have a chance to be promoted, and perhaps he could climb up to the management level while he was still young.

He tapped on the desk, gesturing for Mark to sit down, and then continued:

"Mark, you're one of my top artists right now. Once the film is released, the media outlets we work with will naturally give you a lot of publicity."

"With the experience gained from this film, once you've established yourself in Hollywood, you'll be able to access better opportunities through our efforts. Don't worry, WMA will definitely not treat you unfairly."

After listening, Mark turned and asked:

"But I heard that Kubrick's 'The Shining' will be released at the same time as ours..."

Morgan frowned, then thought of the kid who had rejected him; the kid had apparently gotten a role in Spielberg's movie.

A child star who had just entered the Hollywood circle was immediately noticed by two major directors, and both were offered important roles in the lead cast...

Unfortunately, this kid has offended the forces behind John, and he will probably disappear silently from their grasp soon.

He shook his head and said:

"You don't need to worry about that. We've reached a cooperation agreement with Paramount, and they'll definitely allocate resources to our publicity efforts... Alright, I have a meeting this afternoon, so let's stop here for today."

He picked up a document from the table and left the office.

The document stated:

"Friday the 13th" Videotape Copyright Sale Agreement.