America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 95. Oriental MGM, please take me with you.

April 1, 2003, is April Fool's Day, and it's also the fourth day since Eric came to China.

Over the past four days, he has visited many tourist attractions in Yanjing. There were no crowds, and he could shout and yell as he pleased, which felt great.

But early this morning, some rather disheartening news came.

News of the suicide of Hong Kong superstar Leslie Cheung dominated headlines online and in newspapers.

Eric then realized that today was the anniversary of Leslie Cheung's death. When he was a child, he didn't feel anything when he heard the news.

Although I've seen classic movies like "A Better Tomorrow," "The Eagle Shooting Heroes," and "Once a Thief," back then I only cared about whether they were fun or not. Apart from a few stars like Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Stephen Chow, and Madonna, I couldn't remember any of the others.

Eric remembered Madonna because his father liked her and he heard her name so often.

It wasn't until I grew up and learned about Leslie Cheung that I realized how tragic it was that such a star committed suicide.

Public opinion, regardless of the era, is an invisible weapon capable of killing.

Chen Xing didn't react much. He didn't even know who Leslie Cheung was. After glancing at him, he continued to eat heartily. It would probably take Peter Otto's death to make him lose his composure for a few minutes.

Eric ate ​​only a little bit and sighed with some regret.

After breakfast, Susan arrived, and the three of them took a car to Yanjing City.

The government agency's inspections were very strict; the three underwent rigorous testing before they were able to enter the office building.

Han Sanping and Zhou Xiaopeng were already waiting in the lobby on the first floor.

After the last dinner, and especially after MGM started sending money, the two of them went into full swing, suspending all non-essential work and running back and forth for four days in a row to finally finish the communication work.

Eric came here today to meet with relevant departments in Yanjing City to formally discuss cooperation matters.

Upon seeing the three enter, Han Sanping and Zhou Xiaopeng hurried over. The latter said, "The Party Secretary is waiting in the conference room upstairs. Please come with me."

As they approached the elevator, Han Sanping said, "Eric, today's meeting is a two-in-one event. Not only is Secretary Li here, but Director Wang from our bureau is also here. We should try to finalize both projects in one go."

"Your boss is here too?"

Eric asked with a smile, implying that the more the other party values ​​it, the greater the chance of success.

"It's not a high-ranking leader, but our deputy director in charge of our main business. The high-ranking leader isn't in Yanjing, but he knows about this and has expressed his support."

Eric nodded: "As long as I can represent them, it doesn't matter who I talk to. But when it comes to the final decision, is it okay without your big boss's signature?"

"Don't worry about that. He'll be back in a few days. I've already informed him that you'll only be in Yanjing for a week at most, so you'll definitely make it."

As soon as Han Sanping finished speaking, the elevator doors opened. As soon as the group entered the corridor, they saw several middle-aged men in cadre uniforms waiting there. Behind them stood several other people, some carrying bags and others taking photos.

Eric was also doing this for the first time, and was just thinking of saying something to greet them when his hand was grabbed by the leading secretary.

"Hello Mr. Cooper, welcome."

The other leaders also shook hands with each of them; they were all important figures who could decide the basic needs of millions of people.

Afterwards, everyone entered the conference room and took their seats, with an ID card placed in front of each person.

Han Sanping, who wields immense power in the entertainment industry, and Zhou Xiaopeng, who holds life-or-death authority in the Yanjing media system, can only sit at the very edge of this table.

Because they were the direct recruiters of the project, they were granted special permission to sit at the table. The name tags in front of them did not have their personal names on them, but rather the names of their organizations.

But the most unique one was Susan. Everyone else had signs in Chinese, but hers was in English. There was nothing she could do because she didn't understand Chinese, so they brought a translator with them to the meeting.

"Mr. Cooper, this is our first meeting. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, it would be hard to believe that a vice president of a multi-billion dollar company is so young. In our Chinese parlance, this is truly a case of 'the younger generation is formidable!'"

Eric smiled and said, "Many things just happened to be at that corner and happened to be done. Fortunately, MGM is doing quite well now. Although it has not yet regained its former glory, I believe it will in the future."

"This is just like China. Ancient China was the world's economic and cultural center, and it had a significant impact on the whole world. I believe that China will definitely restore its former glory in the future and become one of the world's most important economic and entertainment and cultural centers."

"It seems Mr. Cooper knows a lot about China."

"Yes, at least that's how I see it. Otherwise, I wouldn't have convinced my father to set up a branch in China, because I can see the huge potential in this market."

The sedan chair was carried by many people, and the cameras next to them kept clicking. After exchanging a few pleasantries, the meeting began to get down to business.

Director Wang said, "Let me talk about the establishment of the joint venture first. Sanping reported on this more than half a month ago. The idea is very good, and we agree in principle."

"I met with Ms. Susan a few days ago and we had a detailed discussion. We also discussed the initial draft of the plan internally, and we agreed to it in principle."

"There are some places where we hope to get more favorable terms."

It's normal to have conditions; negotiation is a process of offering and negotiating, as long as it's not excessive.

"Speaking!"

"First of all, there is the issue of technology, which is what Chinese films currently lack the most. I think the cooperation approach in the plan is too conservative, and the scale can be appropriately broadened."

"I suggest increasing the number of directors who go to MGM for exchange and learning each year from 2 to 5, and at the same time adding management positions, 3D technology, screenwriting and other professional talents. Only by learning as much as possible can we promote the rise of Chinese films as soon as possible."

"Another issue is film distribution. I'll say this without fear of being laughed at: we've been exploring global distribution, hoping to find a suitable path, but unfortunately we haven't succeeded yet."

"Today, Chinese films can only rely on foreign companies if they want to expand their cultural influence on the world stage, but it's not easy to live at the mercy of others."

"So Mr. Eric, my second idea is that MGM can help China gradually establish a distribution network, starting with North America."

Director Wang's two suggestions were indeed for the future of Chinese cinema, and everyone present understood that.

And if everything went according to plan, the talent development program was indeed launched about ten years later.

For example, Guo Fan, Chen Sicheng, Xiao Yang, Yu Baimei, and others were all Hollywood students back then. After returning, they each delivered their own performances. As for whether the audience is satisfied, that depends on personal taste.

The idea is good, but it's too simplistic.

After taking a sip of water, Eric organized his thoughts: "Director Wang, your first suggestion is fine. MGM can even help you connect with more major Hollywood studios."

"If you want to learn animation production, I can help you contact DreamWorks; for special effects, I can help you contact Weta Digital. They are top-notch in their respective fields."

"Number of people isn't a problem, after all, you're paying tuition, not eating and taking for free."

A burst of soft laughter immediately filled the room.

"However, regarding the issue of establishing a distribution network, I'll be frank and say it's very difficult; there are too many factors involved."

"Differences in culture, different laws in different countries, different box office revenue sharing methods, diverse distribution methods, and varying film quality."

"I hope to approach this matter with a more responsible attitude, rather than simply agreeing and then giving you a perfunctory response."

"In my experience, the most likely outcome of this matter is that China has spent a lot of manpower, material resources and financial resources, but the film's distribution can only circulate within the Chinese community in the end."

"So things can be done, and MGM is willing to help you make the connections, but it's best not to have too high expectations, you know what I mean?"

Eric's point was to be clear from the start and not argue later, so that if things didn't work out in the end, you wouldn't blame me for not contributing.

To his surprise, Director Wang did not show any dissatisfaction; on the contrary, he accepted it very sincerely.

"Mr. Eric, we Chinese have an old saying: 'Where there's a will, there's a way.' Even a bad result is better than doing nothing at all. Paths are forged one by one, don't you think?"

Since Director Wang had made his stance clear, Eric didn't care; after all, he wasn't working for nothing.

In return for helping China expand its market in North America, China will naturally give MGM the green light, creating a mutually beneficial situation.

"Alright, let's add these two clauses to the contract."

Han Sanping, who had been holding his breath, immediately felt relieved. Although he hadn't said a word, his attention was highly focused.

If the joint venture goes through, I'll have some notable achievements. If I can get my boss to help me out, I might get promoted this year.

Director Wang's face instantly broke into a smile: "Mr. Eric, then I wish us a pleasant cooperation in advance. Secretary Li, that's all for now. Go ahead and talk to your business."

Secretary Li's face was also beaming with smiles; a good start is half the battle.

Although it was their first meeting, the young man in front of him gave him a sense of competence and pragmatism, unlike some of the swindlers he had encountered before who only knew how to boast and talk big.

When they're negotiating, they're all incredibly boastful, but when it comes to actually paying, they come up with one excuse after another, dragging their feet and making excuses.

"Mr. Cooper, on behalf of the Yanjing Municipal Party Committee and Government, I welcome your investment in building a factory. I won't say anything more. Let's look at the map directly. These are three suitable industrial sites around Yanjing. You can choose one first."

The conference room lights were turned off, and the projector slowly descended in front of everyone, displaying a planning map of the Yanjing area to Eric.

The director of the land bureau walked to the side, holding a laser pointer. He pointed a red dot at the plot of land and began to explain the situation.

After listening to the pros and cons analysis for more than ten minutes, Eric had roughly made up his mind.

"Secretary Li, the main purpose of MGM's investment in building this factory is to serve various future peripheral production needs."

"The costs of human resources and materials in China are much more favorable than in the United States, so I plan to move my production line here in the future."

"Although the first phase of land use is not large, only 500 acres, and the investment is only 5000 million US dollars, it will definitely be expanded as it develops."

"I expect the factory to expand by at least 100% or even 200% within two years, so reserving land is my main concern. Plot No. 3 is good, but you'll need to put in a lot of effort in this regard."

Secretary Li nodded: "That's not a problem. Our current policy is to encourage investment. Mr. Cooper just needs to get the funds in place as soon as possible, and the government will take care of everything else."

"Thank you very much. The money will definitely arrive soon. Susan will register the company in the next few days, and as soon as the account is opened, MGM's initial funds will come in."

"However, I certainly can't stay in Yanjing for long. After I leave, Susan will take full charge of the business here. I hope the municipal party committee and government will take good care of me then."

"No problem. Whichever department needs to cooperate, we will do our best to cooperate. Whichever leader needs to coordinate, we will definitely step in. You will enjoy all the preferential policies you are entitled to. If the problem still cannot be solved, have Ms. Susan call me directly."

"Hahaha. I'm relieved to hear you say that."

We discussed many details for more than two hours, and the issues that needed attention were basically settled.

Secretary Li said, "Now that things are basically settled, let's finalize the contract in the next few days, sign it before Mr. Cooper leaves, and then hold a joint press conference. What do you think?"

"I have no objection; I will follow Secretary Li's arrangements."

Secretary Li laughed heartily: "Mr. Cooper, when we first met, I said you were a promising young man, but that's a Chinese tradition, a polite compliment to a guest."

"However, through this exchange, I must sincerely repeat this: you don't look like a naive young man in his twenties at all. When I was your age, I was still the village party secretary."

"Let alone a $5000 million investment, even if I were asked to approve a note for 5000 RMB, I would take ten days or half a month to think about it, for fear of making a mistake and feeling anxious."

"Young people are bold and decisive, daring to think and act."

Director Wang glanced at the time: "Alright, Secretary Li, let's talk about the nice things at the dinner table later. We really put in a lot of effort to get MGM here this time."

"If Sanping hadn't maintained communication with them and given you the good opportunity right away, this project might have ended up in Tianjin."

"Although Yanjing is the center, you don't have a sea outlet. MGM's products are definitely sold all over the world, so you'll have to drink three glasses first."

The room erupted in laughter.

Eric naturally understood what Director Wang was saying. MGM would inevitably build more factories in China in the future. The first one was located in Beijing for political and policy reasons, and the next ones would be Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and other places.

The world's factory, with its huge demographic dividend and exaggerated cost reduction, will soon become a place that companies all over the world flock to.

(End of this chapter)