America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 338 Endorsement Worth Tens of Millions

Harvey is an absolute big shot in Hollywood's independent art film circle, but his influence in the fashion and modeling world is much smaller.

Upon hearing Georgina's words, Martin's mind raced, and he replied, "I do know a few supermodels."

Georgina looked delighted, but seeing that some guests were leaving, she could only say, "Martin, could you stay a little longer? We can talk later?"

Martin replied, "Yes."

Georgina went to see the guests off.

Kate stayed behind to chat with Martin, and asked, "What are you planning?"

Martin glanced at the foyer and said, "She's your best friend, and you introduced me to her. For your sake, I'll lend a hand if I can."

Kate nodded. Martin was always impeccable in his conduct.

She pointed to another room: "Let's wait inside."

After a while, Georgina entered the room, her face etched with exhaustion.

Kate asked, "Everyone's gone."

"They're all gone." Georgina slumped unceremoniously into the sofa chair and said, "It's so hard for women to build a career; it requires so much sacrifice."

She smiled at Martin and Kate: "Luckily, I have friends like you to support me."

Martin naturally chimed in, "I'm fairly familiar with some of the supermodels who frequently appear in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show; I can introduce you to them."

As for the rest, Georgina will have to negotiate that herself, such as whether the price and brand are suitable.

Georgina cautioned, "The five Victoria's Secret Angels cannot endorse other clothing brands."

Martin nodded: "I understand."

The three discussed this for a while, which is why they left quite late.

When Martin left the villa, it was nearly 11 p.m.

After saying goodbye to Georgina, he accompanied Kate to the parking lot and offered, "Let's find a place to chat for a while."

Kate's gaze lingered on Martin as she said, "My daughter Mia is in Los Angeles, and I promised to go back and spend time with her tonight."

Martin understood: "The child is important. Please give my regards."

He walked to the car, where Bruce was waiting. He said, "Old Bruce, here's my gift."

Bruce immediately took out a two-piece gift set.

Martin took it and handed it to Kate: "Since I didn't bring anything suitable, I'll send you a set of figurines and pendants first, and I'll make up for it another day."

Kate knew what was inside without even opening the box, and said, "We don't need to be so polite between us."

Despite saying that, she accepted it anyway, and then said, "I've always wanted to find Mia a godfather, and you're a good choice."

"No problem, introduce me to her when you're free." Martin sighed at this point, "I originally wanted to be the godfather of Leo's child."

Kate couldn't help but laugh: "Then you'll have to wait a while."

Martin smiled and waved, "Goodnight."

Kate got into the car first and left.

Bruce started the Cadillac and asked, "Where are you going tonight?"

Martin fastened his seatbelt: "Go home, get some sleep. From today onwards, I'm going to conserve my energy."

Leonardo has already contacted the supermodels, so Martin will definitely not miss this trip.

…………

A team comprised of Cadillac's planning and legal departments has been in Los Angeles for almost a week.

At the routine morning meeting, everyone reported on the progress of their respective tasks.

Larry from the Department of Justice said, "I've met with Brad Pitt's agent and lawyers several times in the past few days. Pitt is currently under travel restrictions and cannot leave his home in Beverly Hills. Terminating the contract requires us to visit him in person."

"The contract should be terminated as soon as possible," said Jason, the group leader. "Even Hollywood is distancing itself from Pitt. Public opinion across the United States is condemning Pitt. He has seriously damaged Cadillac's market image."

Larry said, "It's not difficult to terminate the contract, but it won't be easy to pursue the breach of contract penalty."

"Let's terminate the contract first." Jason knew very well that every day Cadillac remained entangled with Brad Pitt, the more losses they would incur. He said, "Take your time with the legal proceedings; there's no rush."

Larry replied, "I'll take care of it as soon as possible."

Jason looked at Michelle from the planning department and asked, "What are your thoughts on the new spokesperson?"

Michelle said, "Someone recommended Matt Damon to me. The first two Bourne films made him a star, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, the third one, which will be released next year, will also be a success."

Someone immediately countered: "Damon's image is so-so, especially his outward appearance... How should I put it, he has a naturally melancholic look, which doesn't fit the image of a successful Cadillac owner."

Michelle agreed: "I've always had these concerns too."

"What about Ben Affleck?" someone suggested.

Another person countered, "Their star power is too low. Since the failure of Daredevil, they haven't had any decent works for several years."

After the murmurs of Michelle and the others subsided, she said, "I have one more candidate here, but he is not a CAA client. We have been working with CAA in the past."

Jason didn't care about any of that; for Cadillac, it made no difference whether it was CAA, WMA, or any other brokerage firm.

He nodded: "Tell me."

"Martin Davis, a movie star under William Morris's management." Michelle was very satisfied with the candidate recommended by WMA and deliberately mentioned him last: "Martin Davis, as you all probably know, a Hollywood star, an American hero, an honorary citizen of Los Angeles, who assisted the FBI in capturing a Russian spy..."

The first person to object said, "Martin Davis is a much better fit than Matt Damon."

The others nodded in agreement: "He also has a good personal image and demeanor."

"Currently on the rise, acting alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Infernal Affairs."

"Young in age, yet relatively mature, which aligns with Cadillac's market expansion strategy."

Jensen is also carefully considering this candidate.

Michelle took out a USB drive and handed it to her assistant, asking her to play a slideshow full of newspaper clippings.

He pointed with a laser pointer and said, "Since he became famous, Martin Davis has always traveled in a black Escalade for most of his daily outings and public appearances. He is a loyal Cadillac user."

Jason looked closely at the newspaper clippings on the slides, some of which were even taken in 2004.

The two sides are a perfect match.

Seeing that he was looking at it intently, Michelle gave her assistant a look, signaling her to continue changing the pictures.

Jason looked at it for a few minutes and said, "Misha, you're in charge of contacting Martin Davis and his agent about the endorsement contract terms... well, refer to Brad Pitt's."

Michelle replied, "I'll take care of it right away."

The meeting concluded with results for both agenda items: Cadillac terminated its contract with Brad Pitt and began discussions with Martin Davis regarding an endorsement deal.

…………

With Christmas approaching, Martin and Bruce packed their bags.

The two returned to Atlanta for Thanksgiving.

Of course, we'll be going on vacation this Christmas holiday.

Martin plans to go to Miami and then fly to a private island in the Caribbean.

Spend a special Christmas on the island.

The doorbell rang, and Bruce went to open the door.

Thomas entered the living room excitedly, carrying several newspapers, and said, "Great news! Cadillac just contacted the company, expressing their interest in inviting you to be their global brand ambassador."

He did a lot of work, eventually recommending Martin to Cadillac.

"Sit down." Martin gestured to the sofa opposite him, then specifically praised Thomas, saying, "You're very efficient, you did a fantastic job."

Thomas was happy, not only because of Martin's praise, but also because of the commission he would receive.

This is an endorsement contract that can reach up to tens of millions of dollars per year.

He said cheerfully, "Christmas is coming soon, so you can go on vacation. I plan to work overtime during the holiday to organize the necessary information, and then negotiate with Cadillac as soon as the holiday is over."

Martin thought to himself, "My efforts weren't wasted; even Thomas is voluntarily working overtime."

Thomas added, "We've basically finalized things with Briony, just a few details remain. The endorsement fee is set at $600 million per year, tentatively for two years. Also, we need to renegotiate the Coca-Cola endorsement contract. Given your current situation, as long as there are no unexpected issues with 'Limitless' next month, negotiating another multi-million dollar endorsement contract shouldn't be a problem."

"I'll leave all of this to you." Martin felt a wave of relief and satisfaction. "Can my one-off endorsement deals rival my film salaries?"

Thomas roughly stated, "A superstar with such an outstanding image as Brad Pitt can typically command $1000 million to $1500 million for a single endorsement deal, excluding top-tier brands, since those endorsements are a boost to the star himself."

Martin understood: "Like an art film that elevates the genre?"

"Pretty much," Thomas said. "Right now, the ceiling for endorsements in the industry is Leonardo DiCaprio. He takes on very few GG deals, and anything below $1500 million is out of the question."

Martin sighed. "What man doesn't envy Leonardo DiCaprio?"

Speaking of Leonardo DiCaprio, Thomas cautioned, "His new film didn't do very well at the box office."

Martin picked up a newspaper and quickly glanced at it. Blood Diamond opened in nearly 2000 theaters in North America, but only grossed $860 million in its opening weekend.

The film has received good reviews, but the story is too far removed from the American audience and the genre is not well-suited to the market. It is estimated that the film will gross at most $6000 million in North America and it will be difficult to exceed $2 million worldwide.

Martin Scorsese wouldn't be foolish enough to ask Leonardo DiCaprio whether the claimed $1 million production cost was inflated, but the film needs to rely on the offline market to recoup its costs.

It's not uncommon for good films to not do well at the box office; in fact, it's almost become the norm worldwide.

Film genre, marketing, and other factors are increasingly taking precedence over film quality.

Martin called Leonardo, but the guy didn't take it seriously at all. Instead, he urged Martin to come to the airport to meet him, saying he wouldn't take him if he was late.

Thomas quickly took his leave.

Martin and Bruce got into a car and headed straight for Burbank Airport.

On the private helipad there, Martin and Leonardo jointly chartered a business jet, preparing to fly directly to Miami.

(End of this chapter)