Best Director in Literature Department of Huayu

Chapter 117 The Soon-to-Expire Brokerage Contract

The next morning, Yang Mi went to the company to report for duty and then prepared to join the film crew.

Just thinking about what Zeng Jia said on the phone yesterday made her sense of belonging to the company gradually weaken: "No wonder even artists like Zhou Xun have to leave."

"The company doesn't care about my artistic pursuits, they only care about exposure... So if I'm destined to be a product in this life, I will never be a fast-moving consumer good that can be replaced at any time."

After encouraging herself in front of the mirror, Yang Mi composed herself and prepared to head to the film set.

July 7th, North American summer movie season.

In the first week of July, Disney's massively multi-production, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, premiered in 4133 theaters across the United States.

This ghost ship, adorned with the skull and crossbones flag, displayed a terrifying and domineering power that overturned everything as soon as it entered the sea.

It raked in a whopping $5580 million on its opening day, breaking the record for the highest single-day box office in North American film history!

Then, with a magical opening weekend of $135.6 million, it completely crushed the record for the highest-grossing opening weekend in North American film history.

All major entertainment media outlets in the United States have completely lost their minds, with all front-page headlines dominated by the madcap Captain Jack Sparrow.

Faced with such a behemoth, almost without exception, other films released at the same time were met with a bloody massacre.

Warner Bros.' "Superman Returns," which cost over $200 million, suffered a 47% drop in its second weekend under Captain Jack Sparrow's cannon fire, effectively halving its box office earnings. Warner Bros. executives looked even more sullen than Superman's costume in the new week.

Adam Sandler's comedy "Click" was completely crushed, with its theatrical releases mercilessly eroded to zero.

Hollywood marketing experts and data analysts are pessimistically predicting that all mid-budget films in early July will be drained dry and become cannon fodder in the face of a black hole-like money-making monster like "Pirates of the Caribbean 2".

However, at the distribution headquarters of 2000 FC Fox, people erupted in the most incredible cheers during this tsunami.

Because of Lin Ruiyang's "The Devil Wears Prada," when it collided head-on with Captain Jack Sparrow's stormy waves, it not only did not sink, but instead showed a strong and resilient trend in the market that made all industry insiders drop their jaws!

"The latest data is out!" A data analyst from Fox Publishing rushed into the conference room, his voice shrill and distorted with extreme excitement.

"The second-week drop... was only 30%! Good heavens, we took in $24.1 million in our second weekend after Pirates of the Caribbean 2 grossed $130 million!"

*Thump!* Elizabeth excitedly slammed the data on the table. Known for her aloofness, she couldn't hide the ecstasy in her eyes at this moment.

A 30% drop by the second weekend! This is nothing short of a miracle during the summer movie season, when drops often exceed 50%!

"These damn Wall Street analysts know absolutely nothing about movies!" Elizabeth couldn't help but swear. "Do they think all of America wants to see that filthy, smelly pirate?"

As of July 9th, "The Devil Wears Prada," after only ten days in theaters, had already grossed $78.6 million in North America.

US$10,000.

Meanwhile, the overseas promotional team led by Anne Hathaway also experienced a surge in popularity, with major overseas ticket markets providing a steady stream of funding.

With a production cost of only $3500 million, "The Queen" had already easily surpassed the $1.1 million mark at the global box office and was beginning to dive wildly into the abyss of pure profit.

The entire Hollywood investment community is chanting the name of that young man from China: Ryan Lam.

With this victory, he became the most sought-after "creator of the myth of low-to-medium cost, high ROI (return on investment)" in the eyes of Hollywood executives.

Los Angeles, CAA headquarters.

If Hollywood sees the return on investment, then talent agencies see a different kind of value, and that value is expanding at a visible speed.

At 10 a.m., as soon as Roger entered the office area, he found many colleagues chatting around the coffee machine.

Upon seeing him appear, someone immediately whistled: "Hey, Roger."

"I heard that your Chinese kid is driving Fox executives crazy, as well as other Hollywood executives."

Another person chimed in, "If his next project is successful, you should prepare for a promotion. Maybe you'll be in charge of CAA's Asian business in the future."

Laughter immediately filled the office.

Back in his senior partner's office, Roger leaned back comfortably in his ergonomic chair, the Rentrak system displaying real-time box office figures on his computer screen.

As Lin Ruiyang's exclusive agent in Hollywood, Roger felt like he was on a rollercoaster ride after the film's opening weekend box office results came out.

"Ring ring—"

The intercom on the table and the two Blackberry phones next to it rang incessantly at the same time. Roger didn't even need to answer to know who was calling.

After "The Queen" demonstrated such terrifying box office staying power, studio executives and independent producers throughout Hollywood, as well as public relations directors of luxury brands, were frantically trying to contact Lin Ruiyang, like sharks smelling blood.

"Rogg, the vice president of production at Universal Pictures, wants to invite Lin to dinner. They have a 50 million dollar urban comedy project in hand."

"Roger, the North American Director of Chanel, hopes to discuss product placement with Lin for their next urban or fashion film, with no budget limit!"

Roger had just hung up a phone call and hadn't even had a chance to rest when his office door was suddenly pushed open without warning.

The person who pushed open the door was none other than Douglas, one of CAA's top partners.

Roger instinctively stood up to greet him; someone of the other's caliber would never normally come to see him in person.

"Doug."

"sit"

Douglas waved his hand, then closed the office door behind him, a rare smile on his face: "I heard you've been doing well lately?"

Roger chuckled: "If you mean my phone is ringing off the hook, then that's certainly true."

Douglas walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and glanced at the office area outside: "I just came down from the board meeting."

With that one sentence, Roger's expression immediately turned serious.

In a place like CAA, the board of directors won't care about a new actor or director, much less the daily briefings of an ordinary director.

Unless, of course, the benefits or potential crises brought about by this director have become so great that they have made those financial tycoons sitting on the top floor counting their money restless.

Roger's heart skipped a beat, and the smile on his face gradually faded. He tentatively asked, "The board of directors? Does Fox have some ideas about the overseas revenue sharing of 'The Queen'? Or..."

'

"No, Fox is treating Lin like a cash cow right now. It's still a long way off before the overseas box office is settled. They would never dare to offend us before the big movies are released in the second half of the year."

"The problem lies within our own ranks. Headquarters sent me to inform you of something."

"What is it?"

"That means the Ministry of Justice just issued a red alert; Lin's contract with us is about to expire. It was signed last August, and there's only about a month left before it expires."

The office suddenly fell silent, and Roger knew exactly what that meant.

When he signed the contract last year, Lin Ruiyang was just a new Chinese director who had just appeared at a European film festival with his debut feature film.

Roger took the document and began to examine it.

[Urgent Client Status Alert: Explanation of the Agency Contract for Director Ryan Lam]

According to the industry protection rules of the National Agents Association, the Screen Actors Guild, and the Directors Guild, when a foreign newcomer signs an agency contract in Hollywood for the first time, the agency can only provide the most basic debut protection contract.

So at the time, Rogge only signed him to a basic one-year rookie contract with no long-term binding clauses, and even the commission rate was kept to the minimum of 10%, with only a renewal option.

"The headquarters' message is very clear: the contract must be renewed, and the renewal is a must."

Rogge nodded silently.

"And I should remind you, that mad dog Ari Emmanuel from WMA (William Morris) has made a move. According to our insider in New York, Ari and his team have offered a ten million dollar independent film development fund, plus a package deal with WMA's top A-list directors. Of course, UTA (United Elite Talent Agency) and ICM (International Innovation Management) are also preparing to make contact."

Roger's lips twitched violently; the power struggle between Hollywood agencies and star directors has always been bloody.

The one-year contract was expiring, which meant that by the end of August, Lin Ruiyang could simply pack up and switch to another agency without paying even a penny in breach of contract fees.

As for Roger, Lin Ruiyang's mentor and exclusive agent, he will be kicked straight into the Pacific Ocean from his soon-to-be-acquired top partner throne.

Seeing his expression, Douglas didn't press further: "Of course, there's also good news."

"What good news?"

"According to our investigation, there is currently no indication that Lin is dissatisfied with CAA."

Roger finally breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and he agreed with this point, as the cooperation between the two parties had been going very smoothly over the past year.

The CAA he represented provided high-level resource support in both the operation of projects such as "The Queen" and "Dallas Buyers Club" and in the cooperation negotiations with Fox.

From a profit perspective, Lin Ruiyang had no reason to leave.

But the next second, Douglas's words made his heart jump again: "Just because there is no dissatisfaction doesn't mean it won't be poached, especially if the benefits are big enough."

Roger's eyes narrowed; he knew Douglas had hit the nail on the head. Hollywood has no eternal loyalty, only eternal bargaining chips.

"WMA's ten million dollar independent film development fund is indeed tempting, but they don't understand Lin at all," Roger sneered, his tone certain.

"His focus will now be on the upcoming awards season! The Toronto International Film Festival opens in early September, followed by the year-end awards battle."

Roger's emotions grew increasingly high as he spoke, as if bolstering his confidence: "The WMA and UTA can provide funding, but when it comes to public relations resources, the connections of the National Association of Film Critics, and the lobbying power of the Oscar voters, what do they have to compete with us, CAA?"

fight?"

"So?" Douglas leaned back on the sofa, watching him with a leisurely air.

"We need to use CAA's core weapon to pave the way for his next Oscar-contending film through public relations, but this requires exceptional authorization from headquarters." Roger took a deep breath and revealed his trump card.

"Furthermore, I need headquarters to grant me a top-tier A-level strategic director contract, as well as permission to utilize CAA's top-notch Oscar campaign PR team and production rights! As long as I pour all of Hollywood's best awards season PR resources into him and help him make a run at the next awards season, he absolutely cannot refuse."

Once he signs, CAA will stand behind him and share in his highest glory as he wins awards left and right!

Douglas looked at the impassioned Roger and suddenly chuckled softly, "Roger, it seems you really do qualify to be a top-tier agent."

Douglas pulled a document from his briefcase, the cover of which bore the gold seal of the CAA Board of Directors Management Committee.

"This is the trump card headquarters gave you." Douglas stood up, straightened the wrinkles in his suit, and stared down at Roger.

"Before the contract expires in August, Roger, take this unique, top-tier A-level special approval—the only one of its kind in Hollywood—and tell that Chinese kid that if he stays with CAA, he can take his new film and dominate the Golden Globes and Oscars in the second half of the year."

But if you manage to mess things up even with such top-tier conditions, you'll be packing your bags and heading to an independent theater chain in Ohio next month to work as a distributor.

1

"Don't worry, Doug." Roger gripped the heavy authorization letter tightly, his facial muscles trembling slightly with extreme excitement. "No one understands Lin's desires better than I do."

""