America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 20. The Shark Tornado Arrives Ahead of Schedule

Early Tuesday morning, my mom brought out breakfast: milk, bread, bacon, and fried eggs. It wasn't as extravagant as what you see on wealthy people in movies. The Cooper family's meals were quite ordinary, but the key was that they were healthy.

Eric sipped his milk while flipping through the latest newspaper. Now that his status was different, it was still necessary for him to read newspapers, especially entertainment ones.

Moreover, online information is not yet well-developed, not to mention mobile phones; print media remains the mainstream.

He opened the Los Angeles Times, and the front page featured a photo of Eric and his team walking into the MGM Grand. He couldn't help but smile.

As you continue reading, a large portion of the text describes Eric's angry outburst at MGM's former leadership from his office, and it even includes a picture of those executives slinking away from the building, making it a truly vivid and engaging piece of writing.

Eric glanced at the person opposite him: "Dad, did you do this?"

Harry Cooper nodded: "Eric, Hollywood is a place of fame and fortune. Apart from politics, you won't find a more realistic place. I need to build your reputation and prestige, and using these old guys as stepping stones is the best way."

The two laughed at the same time. It's true that having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. Eric wasn't good at court intrigue, but his father had already paved the way for him in secret.

"By the way, Dad, there's something I need to discuss with you."

"What is it?"

"I recently registered a film and television company, but it's still just an empty shell. I want to get it running."

"Why register a company? After going through so much trouble to acquire MGM, can't we film in MGM's studios?"

"It's possible, but I'm worried it might negatively impact MGM's reputation."

Harry Cooper frowned. "You're not thinking of making a movie like the San Fernando Valley, are you?"

Eric gave an awkward laugh: "Dad, do you think I'm that kind of person? I'm going to make bad movies, and I'm planning to start a bad movie company."

After explaining his plan in detail, Charlie Cooper nodded.

"The idea is good, and I've never heard of anyone doing this before. It might have potential, but do people really enjoy watching bad movies?"

"I know that some viewers enjoy the bizarre, but they are only a small minority, and a company cannot survive on them alone."

Eric understood his father's concerns: "That's why I said it's a small-scale operation. It's not usually shown in theaters, the filming period is very short, and it won't take away MGM's resources."

"Alright then, I'll send some skilled staff over, but it has to be on a voluntary basis. MGM is still unstable right now, and I don't want the union to cause trouble."

It's all on a voluntary basis. With a 20% salary increase, there are plenty of people willing to come. The key is to have experience and be skilled. Bad movies prioritize speed.

With my father's coordination, things went very smoothly, and in just two days, hundreds of people enthusiastically signed up.

They're all entry-level staff, and they'll never get promoted in their lifetime. It's the same no matter which company they work for. AK Films even pays more.

However, AK Films' model meant it didn't need that many people. They selected a team of a few dozen people, and Harry Cooper even recommended an executive from MGM's finance department to him.

In my dad's words, the finance department is far more important than other departments in a bad film company, so you have to choose a capable and trustworthy person from your own side.

Both companies are based in Los Angeles, and new employees only need to pack their things, leave MGM, and join AK in three steps—it's incredibly fast.

In just three days, Eric, Warren, and Bemahadi were already standing in the office building marked AK Films, watching the employees below hold a large meeting.

Bermahadi was chosen by her father to be a senior finance executive. She is 34 years old and entered the film industry later in life. She became a senior executive and core member of MGM's finance department in just 6 years.

She is very career-oriented, still unmarried, and a capable and mature woman. She will serve as the general manager of AK Films.

Of course, Bermahadi's decision to join AK Films was not without ambition. After all, at MGM, she had department heads above her, and climbing up the ranks was not easy. Now, however, she only needed to be responsible to Eric, preferring to be a big fish in a small pond rather than a small fish in a big pond.

Eric cleared his throat: "You're all long-time MGM employees, and you know who I am, so I won't say anything more. I hope we can work together happily and make AK Films another benchmark in Hollywood!"

Then Berma also said a few words. She was very familiar with these employees and was a capable person herself. Her speech was brief and powerful.

Finally, there was Warren. Eric had arranged for him to be the vice president. The guy was clearly well-prepared, and he spoke at length. Plus, he was dressed in a suit and tie, so you'd think he was the boss.

After the meeting, Warren and Bamma were called to the office, and a script outline was thrown at them, which clearly read "Sharknado".

"You all know the company's positioning. This is the first film I've tailored for the company. We need to make a huge splash and establish a reputation in the market!"

The two quickly picked up the script and carefully flipped through it; it was just an outline, less than ten pages long.

After quickly reading it, Berma nodded: "Although I'm not an expert in the market, shark themes are quite popular and have good market prospects. Moreover, shark tornadoes are a really novel theme that I've never seen before. It has a kind of parody B-movie disaster movie feel to it."

Warren loosened his tie, inwardly sighing that he needed to lose weight: "And just looking at the outline, you can sense a very unique aura, how should I put it..."

"It's so bad it's refreshingly unique; it can even hold its own among a sea of ​​terrible movies, right?"

Warren slapped his thigh: "Yes, based on my experience watching countless DVDs, that's exactly the feeling—a unique kind of bad."

Eric laughed heartily: "This is the path we're going to take. Warren, go and contact the screenwriters. We don't need big names, just some junior screenwriters will do. What we're after is parody and speed."

"Tell the screenwriter to let his imagination run wild and write whatever he wants, don't worry about whether the logic is sound or not, and don't let it have any connection with the laws of reality. Just write whatever comes to mind in his dream. I just need a story that is passable."

Warren gave a knowing look: "This kind of script is too simple. It can be finished in half a month at most."

Eric then looked at Berma: "Ms. Berma, you'll need to put in a lot more effort lately. The pressure of the entire company will fall on your shoulders. Although we are a small company, our structure needs to be perfect, since we will grow bigger and bigger in the future."

"You'll be in charge of recruiting the heads of the other departments. Get the teams together as quickly as possible, and then just give me a list."

Bermahadi was overjoyed and quickly said, "Don't worry, I won't let you down."

"Of course, I believe in your abilities, and I also believe in my father's judgment."

After seeing Bema off from the office, Eric spoke up, "Warren, my main focus will definitely be on MGM. You and Bema will be in charge of AK. Learn from her experience and quickly learn how to manage a company. Of course, you also need to keep an eye on her for me."

Warren, a shrewd fat man, naturally understood Eric's meaning: "Don't worry, as long as I'm here, she won't do anything reckless."

La la la la la la. I'm a little illustrator selling newspapers, and I hope today is another day of slacking off!

(End of this chapter)