Reborn in America: Starting as a California Resident

My dears.

Tonight is our time for family reunion, and we should thank God for giving us health and the opportunity to be together.

Let's raise a glass to this wonderful moment.

Aunt Ann smiled and raised her glass to begin the sumptuous dinner with a prayer: "Our Father in Heaven, thank you for watching over each of us and for protecting us so that we can be together in peace."

Please bless the food on this table, and may our family always be filled with love and laughter.

Amen.

Amen.

......

Gordon Getty, the fourth son of Paul Sr., had three other sons besides his eldest son, Gordon Jr. (excluding illegitimate children, who had no right to inherit the family business).

The second son, Andrew, was twelve years old; the third son, John, was eleven; and the fourth son, William, was nine.

Because the Getty family are pro-Baptist Christians, no one discussed any business matters during the meal.

Henry took this opportunity to reconnect with his four cousins.

However, due to the age difference, Henry wasn't very familiar with them.

Religious belief has always played an important role in American family life and has influenced every aspect of family life.

Baptists emphasize the direct relationship between the individual and God, and the Bible as the supreme authority for faith and life.

Therefore, in such a family environment, members will frequently participate in church activities, such as Sunday worship, Bible study groups, and prayer meetings.

"Henry, you did a very good job this time. Many people in the clan have praised you highly."

With the dinner still warm, Gordon led Henry to the study deep inside the main house.

As the heavy oak door slowly closed behind them, the hustle and bustle of the outside world seemed to be shut out as well.

This is a tranquil space filled with the atmosphere of books, with a large oak desk in the center, neatly arranged with various documents and books.

"Thank you for your kind words, Uncle."

It was just luck.

Henry sat in the chair at his desk and replied humbly.

Gordon nodded, picked up a cigar from the desk, lit it gently, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled rings of smoke.

"Humility is a good thing, but don't underestimate your own abilities."

Your recent performance has indeed been outstanding. You have not only demonstrated keen insight in business, but also successfully handled the thorny Rockefeller issue, which many people have noticed.

After a slight pause, Gordon stared at Henry and said, "I believe you understand why I called you back."

First, there's Columbia Pictures stock. I've been carefully accumulating shares, and I've already obtained the consent of some shareholders.

Once your funds are in place, these shares can be transferred to your name.

"How many exactly?"

"Approximately 30.24%."

Gordon replied, watching Henry's expression change, and continued, "I know this number may not meet your expectations."

However, with the 12.59% you already hold, you already have veto power;

This practically means you will have a dominant position on the board and direct control over the company's operations and decision-making.

"Uncle, I understand what you mean."

However, my goal has never been simply to acquire a controlling stake, but rather to acquire the entire company.

Only in this way can I truly realize Columbia's potential and transform it into a giant in the entertainment industry.

Since Henry wanted to acquire Columbia's shares, his primary goal was naturally to acquire it outright!

After all, unlike others, he wasn't afraid of the risks involved.

The classic movies and TV shows of later generations are all in his mind!

After taking over the company, he was fully confident that he could make it bigger and stronger.

"Wholly owned?"

That's almost impossible.

Gordon leaned back in his chair and sighed softly, as if his voice held the weight of countless years.

"Rockefeller and the Thais will not agree."

Although publicly traded companies in the United States appear to have highly dispersed shareholding structures on the surface;

However, if you have the ability to penetrate the equity structure, you will find that these companies often have major shareholders or a series of related parties controlling key decision-making power.

Gordon Getty, as one of the highest-ranking figures in the United States, naturally knew very well the true nature of so-called Hollywood publicly traded companies.

Rockefeller?

How did Columbia get involved with Rockefeller again?

Henry's voice betrayed his confusion; he was clearly puzzled by the whole series of events.

He was actually mentally prepared for the possibility of Thais taking control of Colombia.

After all, in the mid-to-late 1980s of his previous life, the management of the Colombian company, Yuta, had explicitly blocked the acquisition attempt by the Ansar tycoon.

In 1985, Ted Turner, an outsider, proposed to acquire CBS, a move that shocked the American news industry.

Ted Turner started his career in the Google gaming industry and later founded a new cable television network called CNN.

Although Ted Turner's CNN employed many Ted executives, Ted Turner himself is an outstanding leader with a strong character and a high level of self-discipline, and has never done anything to harm the interests of the Ted group.

But CBS Chairman Willi am Paley (whose original surname was Palinsky and was Thai) and some Thai executives on the board collectively believed that Ted Turner was an uncontrollable person and they feared that he might turn against them in the future.

Daniel Schorr, a former employee of Ted Turner, publicly accused his former boss of harboring resentment towards Ted Turner.

In an effort to stop Ted Turner, CBS executives invited wealthy businessman Laurence Tisch to act as a white knight and preemptively launch a "friendly" takeover.

Lawrence Tish already owned multiple businesses including theaters, hotels, insurance companies, and cigarette manufacturing; now he also owns CBS.

He served as Chairman and CEO of CBS for nearly ten years, from 1986 to 1995.

"But what about Rockefeller?"

"Henry, your mother may not have told you this;"

In fact, as early as the 1920s, Wall Street capital used bond financing, equity financing, bank loans and other methods to complete a wave of acquisitions of Hollywood.

Every film company today has its own owners:

Paramount was controlled by Lehman Brothers.

20th Century Fox and United Artists were acquired by Chase Bank;

Warner Bros. is a subsidiary of General Electric.

MGM is also subject to Mellon Bank and Chase Bank;

As for Colombia, it was jointly controlled by the Giannini Bank, the predecessor of today's Bank of America, and Standard Investment Company;

Standard Investment Company was one of the subsidiaries of Standard Oil Company, founded by John D. Rockefeller.

Before the antitrust breakup, it was one of the world's largest oil companies.

As for RKO, it is backed by RCA.

Over the years, although the equity of these companies has changed hands several times, the overall structure has not fundamentally changed.

"This is difficult!"

After hearing Gordon's explanation, Henry felt a chill run down his spine.

Both of these sides are people I don't get along with at all!

With them behind the scenes, it's almost impossible for us to take over Colombia in a short period of time.

He had originally planned to oust Colombia's existing shareholders and management by issuing acquisition bonds!

In retrospect, that idea was indeed a bit too naive.

"Does this mean we should start a new film company?"

But this is way too time-consuming and energy-draining!

Although Hollywood has a few big names, it also has countless independent producers;

However, their companies are mostly directly affiliated with giants, and very few adopt a cooperative distribution model.

Although Henry has some resources, if he wants to enter Hollywood, he must start small and gradually build up his popularity and resources.

Hollywood is an industry that heavily relies on networks and personal credibility.

New film companies need time to build their own networks, gain the trust of directors, actors and other creators, and establish partnerships with distribution channels.

"Henry, do you still need the shares in Columbia?"

Gordon's voice carried a subtle, unspoken meaning, as if he were testing Henry's resolve.

The atmosphere in the study suddenly became heavy. The desk lamp on the oak desk cast a warm and soft light, illuminating the space between the two people.

Henry shifted his gaze from Gordon to the garden shrouded in night outside the window. After a moment's thought, he turned back, his eyes resolute.

"Uncle, I still need those shares."

"kindness."

Gordon nodded, clearly satisfied with Henry's answer.

"So what are your plans?"

"I'm going to create a league."

"alliance?"

Gordon asked curiously.

"That's right."

If I am unable to acquire Columbia Pictures in the short term, I am prepared to form another alliance of independent producers, emerging directors, and visionary investors.

While trying not to infringe on the core interests of large companies, we should utilize their resources to gradually establish our market position through a cooperative distribution model.

At the same time, this alliance can also be used as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the existing Colombian administration.

If they mismanage their company in the future, or see our ability to create value, they should be willing to consider selling more shares.

Henry had already prepared for the worst, which was to prepare for a protracted war with the other two sides.

Anyway, Columbia was already rotten to the core. Even without Henry's intervention, it would have been abandoned by capital and put on the shelf for sale in a few years.

Now that we've encountered him, all we need to do is secretly sabotage things...

"An alliance? Interesting. What you're doing is quite risky... but it's not without the possibility of success."

Gordon paused for a moment, then a smile of approval appeared on his face.

He pondered for a moment, then seemed to suddenly remember something: "Should I get rid of Ellison, who's been popping up all this time?"

"Ellison?"

Haha, thank you for your concern, Uncle.

However, this guy isn't worth your time.

He's just a clown; I have plenty of ways to deal with him.