American Gossip King

Chapter 52 Hollywood's resources cannot be wasted

WND is an independent news website headquartered in Delaware. It was unprofitable from the beginning and did not turn a profit until 99. However, its profitability was mediocre, and its shareholders gradually lost patience.

With Gaskell's financial backing, Ian invested $40 million to acquire 95% of the news website, becoming the owner of WND.

After acquiring WND News, the Los Angeles Herald finally had its own online platform. Unlike other online news platforms, there were no time restrictions on broadcasting. As long as the news was sensational enough, there would be enough traffic and Google revenue.

This also meant that Ian's news no longer had to be exclusively sold to CBS—the news network got priority access, the newspapers got all the coverage they needed to expand their influence, and the newspapers themselves got all the inside stories and wordplay they wanted to do.

Ian's company was thus officially reorganized into Carl Media Group, which currently includes two companies: the Los Angeles Herald and WND News.

Thanks to Ian's "betting" agreement, subscriptions to the Los Angeles Herald annual have skyrocketed, now reaching 180,000 copies. Since it's just a single newspaper, the price isn't very high, at $65 a year, with total annual revenue of $11.7 million.

This is just newspaper revenue; there's also GG revenue.

Ian's bombshell made GG distributors realize the potential of the newsletter—GG bought now at 200,000 copies could potentially sell 300,000 copies in the future, resulting in a net profit.

In addition, Gaskell introduced him to a group of clients, which greatly enhanced his reputation as a banker, resulting in a surge in GG clients for the Los Angeles Herald.

This means the Los Angeles Herald's first-quarter net income will be no less than ten million.

For a newly established newspaper, this is already a remarkable figure—the Los Angeles Times, also based in Los Angeles, has a daily circulation of 1.5 million copies and an annual revenue of around 80 million.

Ian Carr managed to achieve the Times' 50% profit margin with only 15% of the Times' sales volume, and he did it all in less than four months.

Of course, if the bet fails, the massive compensation costs could bankrupt Ian instantly.

After completing the website acquisition, Ian continued his work.

The basic structure of Carl Media Group has been formed; the next step is to consider fulfilling the bets made with clients.

The hottest topics of the year also depend on media hype.

The same news story, if it's only published in the Los Angeles Herald, will hardly become a hot topic, no matter how big it is.

Because you don't have enough motivation.

But if you have enough influence, you can turn anything that isn't trending into a trending topic. So many trending news stories, when you look at the quality of the news itself, aren't actually that great. It's just that the media is powerful and only hypes up this one thing. If there are no other trending topics, you can only pay attention to this one thing.

Therefore, trending topics can also be artificially created!

Ian Carr's immediate priority is not to continue creating headline news, but to further expand the influence and sales of the Los Angeles Herald and WND News.

This requires more than just a series of breaking news stories; it requires a significant improvement in the quality of ordinary news and the cultivation of readers' trust—just as no online novel platform can survive on one or two wildly popular novels.

Breaking news brings about a breakthrough in the ceiling, while a large amount of high-quality ordinary news brings about an increase in the bottom line.

So, let's put some effort into working towards Hollywood next.

Hollywood is never short of news... Because of the celebrities involved, this kind of news has its own bottom line, which means that even if the plot is not very good, although the ceiling is not high, the minimum readership is always enough.

It's a great way to raise the bar!

Besides, Hollywood has so many beautiful women, and I've only managed to get one... that's inefficient.

........................

As night fell, Ian strolled through the streets of Hollywood.

Going out every night to pick up news and find clues has now become his daily routine.

Unfortunately, after the Lily Martha incident, Beverly Hills significantly strengthened its defenses, rendering the electrician's approach useless.

What use would I have for this skill?

Are you changing a light bulb in your house?

As for those large film and television companies, they were also heavily guarded. The invisible wires were only twenty meters long, making it difficult for Ian to send cameras into key locations.

Now that Ian has arrived at Century City in Los Angeles, he looks up at the twelfth floor.

That's where the CAA headquarters is located.

CAA (Creative Artists Agency) is one of the most influential talent agencies in Hollywood, representing a large number of stars. Its founder, Michael Ovitz, is also a highly influential figure in Hollywood.

Of course, choosing to become the president of Disney was his Waterloo.

The company is no longer Michael Ovitz's, but it remains Hollywood's most prestigious and largest talent agency.

Ian came here, naturally, to see if there were any clues.

No matter what the news is, it cannot escape the realm of human beings.

Therefore, in some ways, talent agencies are better able to provide Ian with the material he wants than film and television companies.

Ian has been wandering around here a lot lately, but unfortunately he hasn't found any good opportunities.

Standing under the tree, Ian looked up at the building, his gaze piercing through the obstructions and sweeping over the rooms.

Suddenly his gaze sharpened slightly, and his eyes revealed excitement.

After thinking for a moment, he strode into the Century City Building and went up to the eleventh floor.

Then he walked to the window, took out the bugging device, and, pulled by invisible threads, it rose upwards.

………………

"No, Maddie! I won't agree to this!"

In a CAA office, Scarlett Janssen was shouting angrily.

Scarlett Johansson is only 17 years old this year, a time of youthful beauty. Although she has already starred in works such as The Bodyguard, Manny & Lo, and The Horse Whisperer, her fame is still limited.

The latest novel is first published here!

The key is that they are still young and haven't been deeply harmed by this industry yet.

So at that moment, she looked at her agent with a face full of grief and indignation: "I will absolutely not serve that fat pig Harvey Weinstein!"

Her agent, Matisse Clay, said helplessly, "Scarlett, this audition is very important. I'm doing this for your own good! Harvey has a lot of influence in this industry; he can make you an Oscar winner and bring you countless opportunities. Scarlett, you need to understand that in Hollywood, beautiful women are never a rare resource; it's the support of powerful figures that matters!"

Scarlett Janssen said desperately, "Mattie, don't push me! This isn't the life I want."

Matisse Clay sighed and put her arm around the girl in front of her. "I don't want to pressure you, but this is a life experience you have to face. Think about it carefully, my little girl. If you've made up your mind, go to Miramax tomorrow. He'll be waiting for you on that red sofa."

She shook her head and walked away quietly.

I've already said all the right things, but ultimately she has to figure it out herself.

Scarlett walked out of the building.

Standing in front of the gates of Century City, she was completely bewildered.

What should I do?

Should I agree to that disgusting bastard for the sake of my future? Or should I stick to my principles?

The inner conflict caused the girl immense torment.

Just then, she saw a red Porsche pull up beside her.

The driver was a handsome blond young man with captivating light blue eyes.

He sat in the driver's seat, smiling at her: "Hi, do you need a ride, Miss Jason?"

Scarlett Janssen stared at him in astonishment: "Who are you?"

The other person smiled: "Don't worry, I'm not a bandit. My name is Ian Carl, I guess you've heard of that name before."

Scarlett was stunned: "Ian Carl? Ian Carl from the Los Angeles Herald? What are you doing here?"

Ian smiled: "I just happened to be passing by. I've seen your movie and really admire your performance, so I took the liberty of recommending myself. Don't worry, I mean no harm. I just want to find someone to vent my frustrations to."

"Dissatisfaction in your heart?" Scarlett asked, puzzled.

Ian pointed to the Porsche: "My car. I sold it for $35,000 three months ago. Then I realized the rental car was unreliable, so I had someone buy me a new one. But I never dreamed that some fool would buy back the car I sold. Guess how much? $42,000! In three months, I lost $7,000 plus 2,000 kilometers. I'm absolutely devastated and desperately need to complain to someone about this terrible deal… This is the worst business I've ever done!"

Ian angrily slammed his fist on the steering wheel as he spoke.

We've lost a fortune!

That stupid Bill kid actually thought I'd have an emotional attachment to an old car!

I have no feelings for the women I've been with!

Hearing this, Scarlett couldn't help but laugh out loud: "That's really bad!"

(End of this chapter)