America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 682 Tesla

The NASA-hosted investor conference is underway at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

NASA showcased many future plans, such as establishing a lunar base, a manned Mars landing, outer space travel, and exploration of Uranus.

Martin mingled with the crowd, stopping every now and then in front of a project's exhibition hall to pick up some materials and look through them.

But these space-related projects were like gibberish to him, a student who had failed academically twice in his life.

Martin would definitely not invest in things he is unfamiliar with or doesn't understand.

Someone came over and greeted him, "Good morning, Martin, I didn't expect to run into you here."

"Hello, Greg." Martin shook hands with the visitor politely.

The two sides had done business before; Greg Peters, on behalf of Netflix, bought the rights to "Romantic Troubles," starring Jennifer Sybil.

Martin's daily relationship with Jennifer Seabell is now managed by Elizabeth Olsen.

When Elizabeth returned from her business trip, she told Martin that Jennifer Sybil was planning a new film project.

Behind Greg was a balding, middle-aged man, considerably older than him. He introduced him, "This is Mark Randolph, the founder and CEO of Netflix. Mark, I don't need to introduce him, right?"

Netflix now needs a favor from Hollywood. Mark Randolph stepped forward and shook hands with Martin: "I'm a die-hard fan of yours, I've seen all your works, you have to give me an autographed photo, I can show it off when I get back to the company!"

Martin is also quite adept at mutual flattery in business: "I've heard many people talk about the story of Netflix's founding. I started investing in Netflix stock a few years ago, and now I'm also a Netflix shareholder. Today, I must take a photo with you, this business legend."

Greg was good at getting things done: "How about we take a picture now? I'll be the photographer."

Martin and Mark Randolph immediately stood together and had Greg take a few photos, which the latter then sent to the two of them separately.

Meeting Martin was somewhat unexpected. Mark Randolph, wanting to further expand Netflix's business, said directly, "Netflix is ​​planning to invite David Fincher to direct a project. You and David are friends; I wonder if you've heard him mention it?"

Martin nodded: "I heard from director Fincher about a political series. The last time he mentioned it to me, you were negotiating the adaptation rights with the British side."

Mark Randolph said, "The rights have been acquired, and we're looking for someone to adapt the script. Besides David Fincher, a talented director and producer, I also need a leading actor with strong acting skills and market appeal. Martin, would you be interested?"

Greg interjected at the opportune moment: "Martin, you're also a Netflix shareholder."

"Personally, I'm not opposed to collaborating with Netflix," Martin said truthfully, but it's not the right time yet. He seemed helpless: "I probably won't have a suitable schedule for the next three years."

Mark Randolph didn't doubt this, because Hollywood stars are never short of offers, but he didn't give up either, saying, "Once the first draft of the script is completed, could you send it to us so we can take a look at it?"

Martin's large-scale purchases of Netflix shares on the secondary market in recent years were also for his own business gains: "No problem, you can come to me anytime."

Martin won't consider directly participating in Netflix projects until he wins the Oscar for Best Actor.

He has no shortage of projects now.

The realities of the industry must be considered: at this point in time, the difficulty of winning an Oscar for acting in a streaming production will increase dramatically.

This is not seven or eight years from now.

After finishing his casual conversation with the two Netflix executives, Martin toured the various exhibition areas. These space exploration projects, such as those involving the moon, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus, were simply too far removed from his own experience.

The little money he has, if thrown into these incredibly expensive projects, wouldn't even make a ripple.

As for returns, it's unlikely we'll see any.

As someone who enjoys life, Martin thinks it's better to invest in something more practical.

As he was thinking, he arrived at an exhibition hall marked "SpaceX".

A tall, muscular white man stood at the front of the exhibition hall, and Martin felt he looked somewhat familiar.

Upon seeing Martin, the man approached him as if they were old friends, pointing and saying, "Are you Martin Davis?"

Martin remembered who he was: "You're Elon Musk!"

"Interested in investing in space projects?" Musk asked, sounding very friendly. "SpaceX is pushing a space tourism project, aiming to achieve manned space travel as soon as possible, so we can be among the first tourists."

Martin ignored him and said, "How about you invest in my movie? I'm making a space movie project."

Musk knew he was referring to *The Martian*: "I can sponsor your film project." He was a typical businessman: "But on one condition."

Martin gestured for him to continue.

Musk said, "How about endorsing Tesla electric cars after your Cadillac endorsement contract expires?"

Martin, who wasn't very familiar with Tesla, asked, "Your electric cars are already on the market."

"The second-generation Model S will be widely available next year." Musk is well aware that if he can get Martin to be the spokesperson, Tesla's brand influence will rise sharply: "This is a groundbreaking car product, and it will make the spokesperson's taste stand out."

He gestured dramatically and said, "Think about it, when a bunch of gas cars are driving on the road, and you're riding in a Tesla, won't everyone's eyes be on you?"

Martin replied in his standard tone, "Hollywood has rules. I can't discuss work behind my agent's back. You should contact my agent first."

He didn't rule out any possibility: "If you're interested in the space movie project I'm currently working on, you can come to the Martian studio at Disney Studios to discuss a GG sponsorship collaboration."

Adding SpaceX or Tesla to a movie wouldn't be difficult.

Musk was very interested: "I'll talk to them."

Besides these, Musk also has a strong interest in Hollywood, and his current wife, Talulah Riley, is a moderately well-known actress.

Martin remembered the actress because she had appeared in Inception, though only in a small role.

After leaving the SpaceX exhibition hall, Martin had basically seen all the exhibition halls. He went to the lobby and waited for a while before meeting up with Lily and Elizabeth, who were going to see the space exhibition, and then they left the conference center.

The three waited until Bruce arrived in his car, then got in and went home together.

Martin took out his phone and called his investment manager, Flynn, saying, "I'll soon have a large sum of money coming in from my film salary. It will be transferred directly to your investment account. You can use it all to buy Tesla stock."

He thought for a moment and added, "If Tesla has any plans to raise funds or increase its equity, please let me know immediately."

Such opportunities may be hard to come by, but you should always give it a try.

As Martin's wife, Elizabeth knew a little about his financial situation and that all the stocks he had invested in over the years had appreciated. She said, "I also have some funds, so I'll invest with you."

Martin nodded: "Okay."

Lily added, "Count me in."

Bruce has been investing some of his funds alongside Martin, which goes without saying.

He turned the car around, and the Cadillac drove away from the Los Angeles Convention Center.

…………

Just after the car drove away, a man left the open-air café not far away, crossed the small square in front of the conference center alone, and got into the Mercedes-Benz that had just been parked by the roadside.

The man was dressed in a suit, looking every bit the successful businessman.

His name is Lynch, and he once used the alias Braun at the Los Angeles Country Club to invite the Hollywood trio of scoundrels to a special golf tournament.

But he was rejected by those three bastards.

Taking off his sunglasses, Lynch looked at the blonde woman beside him and said, "Martin Davis and his girlfriend have left."

Michelle Bryan, a blonde woman touching up her makeup in front of the mirror, asked, "Are Martin Davis and Elizabeth Olsen getting along well?"

"Martin has a lot of scandals, but Elizabeth has never said anything about them." Lynch specifically looked into this when he was using the pseudonym Braun.

Michelle Braun nodded slightly, then, remembering something, asked, "Have we warned those idiots like Fernandez?"

Lynch said, "Fernandez knows what's important. After Depp's henchmen contacted him, they called you immediately. After that, he didn't take any action, acting as if that shipment and those people never existed."

Michelle packed up her makeup bag. "Those Mexicans actually have some brains." She glanced in the direction Cadillac had left. "They ruined my goods and don't even want to pay me."

Lynch cautioned, "Boss, Martin and his gang are troublesome; you need to be careful."

"We take the high-end route, we don't use those low-level and boring methods." Michelle has reached the top position in a special industry in Hollywood over the years. Even when she was arrested a couple of years ago, she was only sentenced to a fine and a few years of house arrest.

Later, a powerful figure secretly intervened, and she only had to pay a fine to settle the matter; even her house arrest was ended ahead of schedule.

There were no outsiders in the car. Michelle said, "These male stars in Hollywood are both womanizers and heavy drinkers."

Lynch chimed in, "Martin Davis is a prime example."

"I don't know if he's into that kind of thing," Michelle smiled, "but how many people in Hollywood can resist these things? Even if he doesn't, we can still find a way to develop him into our client."

She stood up: "The profits he has provided us over the long term have already offset the cost of that shipment."

Over the years, they have used these methods to develop Hollywood clients. Hollywood stars are often very generous, and it's not just women's business that can make money. Like Johnny Depp, there are other high-profit businesses to be done.

Hollywood offers too many temptations after you become famous. Stars who climb out of poverty, like football stars from Brazilian slums, squander their money and bodies after they become rich.

Lynch then asked, "Boss, how should we develop Martin into our client?"

(End of this chapter)