I’m in Hollywood - Chapter 602
[Chapter five hundred and ninety seventh subject matter restrictions]
Concerned about impeding media freedom, (the Federal Communications Commission) imposed limits on the number of media a media company could have in the same area, and in the early days even stipulated that a network could not have more than two public television stations in the same area at the same time, but these restrictions With the development of the times and the promotion of capital forces, it has been relaxed, otherwise the phenomenon of the monopoly of news channels by several major media companies in North America would not have occurred.
However, the restrictions at this time are still relatively strict, and the TV network covers the entire United States. In order to pass the review, Firefly has to promise to divest a public youth TV station in Los Angeles that it acquired when it acquired Disney within a certain period of time.
After solving these problems, the merger between Firefly and Firefly quickly gained scrutiny.
At the same time as the review, Firefly began a large-scale debt financing plan.
Firefly has achieved ultra-high profitability in the past two years, but in order to ensure the company’s sufficient cash flow, Eric only intends to withdraw $2 billion in cash from the company for this acquisition, and the remaining $8 billion will be raised by issuing bonds.
Firefly and the TV network after the merger in the future have a large amount of excellent assets, coupled with the same stable operating conditions and profit expectations of the two companies, no one will doubt the solvency of Firefly in the future. Credit ratings are maintained at a very high level of aa.
So, for a whole week, Eric was surrounded by executives from Morgan Stanley, Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch, and investment bankers from all over the world. After all, when it came to an $8 billion bond issue, investment banks If they get this business, the basic commission and the interest margin earned during the issuance process are enough for them to earn hundreds of millions of dollars in profits. In the 1990s, the annual profits of most investment banks in the United States were only about one billion dollars.
In order to raise this huge amount of money as soon as possible.
Eric followed Chris’s advice and chose two lead underwriters, Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank, to undertake the $4 billion bond issuance each, while raising funds in North America and Europe.
After a really busy week in New York, because he was surrounded by a lot of media, Eric didn’t even go to Long Island to see his one-year-old son and daughter, and he didn’t even have a chance to pay attention to Katherine, who was also in New York. .
March 21.
Although things in New York are still very busy, Eric had to get on a plane back to Los Angeles to attend the 66th Academy Awards.
Firefly’s small Gulfstream business jet landed at Santa Monica Airport and felt someone tap on his shoulder. Eric opened his eyes and saw the tall flight attendant in front of him. Eric tapped lightly. head, stand up.
A week in New York, every day until late at night to rest.
The only thing Eric wants right now is a good night’s sleep.
Carrying a suitcase and walking off the plane alone, he
looked at his watch, it was already five o’clock in the afternoon, and he felt the warm sunshine above his head. It should still be two o’clock in the afternoon, five hours before the start of the Oscars.
As one of the most important film awards ceremony in the United States and even in the world, the stars participating in the Oscars are often ready within a few days of the ceremony.
Eric thought it was rare for him to be in such a situation. He just received an award speech from the Oscar organizing committee three days ago.
It was only because Eric was discussing the details of the bond issue with the acquisition team at the time, Eric just glanced at it briefly, and now he has basically forgotten all about it.
However, fortunately, what he is going to present is the last best picture, and as the awards ceremony is nearing the end, there will be no more restrictions on the speeches of the presenters.
Feel free to play, Eric believes that no one in the academy will settle accounts with him.
It was Kapoor who came to pick up the plane. Although Eric’s identity was far from being a director, matters such as attending events would still be arranged for help.
The two chatted and laughed and got into a commercial car, and Kapoor joked to Eric: “You are the only one who cares about Oscar so casually. Some stars of the company will even be unable to sleep for several days when they hear that they are going to attend. ”
Eric smiled and gestured to Kapoor with his faint dark circles under his eyes, and said with a smile: “I can’t guarantee that I will fall asleep at the Oscars now, by the way, the seat they arranged for me won’t be in the first place. Arrange
it?”
Kapoor said: “What do you think? Who dares to put you in a secondary corner now.”
“Okay,” Eric shrugged: “If I take a nap at Oscar, I guess It
will increase the ratings of the awards ceremony.”
Kapoor laughed, and after a while, he said, “By the way, have you been paying attention to the latest Hollywood news?”
Eric shook his head and said, “No, what happened ?
”
Last week, Michael Ovitz sold his shares in caa. This morning, Japan’s Panasonic Group announced the appointment of Michael Ovitz as the president of Universal Pictures. Michael Eisner is about to undergo heart surgery. ,” Kapoor paused and said: “Michael Eisner’s heart problem is very serious. I heard that the success rate of the quadruple bypass surgery to be performed this time is only about 75%.”
Eric and Kapoor both He has no friendship with Michael Eisner, not to mention that Eric is well aware of the result of Michael Eisner’s heart surgery, so he has no idea and just asks: “Did Panasonic not let Michael Eisner resign? ”
Universal’s business situation has been improving in the past two years. As long as Michael Eisner successfully completes the heart surgery, he can still return to his previous working state. The Japanese are also waiting for the result.
” It will be in trouble,” Eric said with a smile: “Although Michael Ovitz has managed caa very well, after all, the film company is not a brokerage company. If Michael Eisner can’t survive this operation, then It is not so easy for Michael Ovitz to maintain the global situation. If Michael Eisner can successfully complete the operation, then the situation will be even more fun.”
Kapoor saw a schadenfreude smile on Eric’s face. , asked, “What do you mean?”
“Although Michael Eisner and Michael Ovitz are very good friends, it’s just that they are both very controlling people when there is no corporate power struggle involved. Once Michael Eisner If Na goes through the surgery smoothly, then Universal Pictures is likely to be caught in an internal power dispute,” Eric said, and suddenly asked: “By the way, did Michael Eisner prepare a golden parachute for Michael Ovitz? What kind of employment agreement?”
In my memory, Michael Ovitz took away more than $100 million in severance compensation after working at Disney for more than a year, because Michael Eisner gave Michael Ovitz the amount in advance. He made a golden parachute agreement with a very high compensation amount.
“It seems like this is the case, otherwise Michael Ovitz would not have given up caa to join Universal Pictures so simply. When Sony just acquired Columbia five years ago, he also invited Michael Ovitz to run the company. Ovitz immediately refused.”
“That’s it,” Eric nodded with a smile: “Let’s just wait and watch the show, Universal will definitely be very lively in the future.”
Kapoor also nodded, but The expression was a little different.
Eric noticed Kapoor’s expression and asked with a smile, “You don’t want to change to a film company executive like Michael Ovitz, do you?”
Kapoor nodded slightly without denying it.
Eric is very clear that most executives of brokerage companies aspire to become the top executives of film companies, which not only means more generous salaries, but also broader powers.
However, although there have been many cases in the history of Hollywood where agents turned into film company executives and producers, there were not many very successful ones. In Eric’s memory in his previous life, only Ron Mayer, who successfully took charge of Universal Pictures One can be regarded as the head of a big film company.
From the bottom of his heart, Eric did not recommend Kapoor to change careers, but facing Kapoor’s thoughts, Eric didn’t know how to persuade him. It seemed that he could only let the facts prove it.
“Let’s talk about the Oscars tonight. I haven’t paid much attention to UU reading www.sonicmtl.com. Which awards are more promising for Pulp Fiction?”
“There is no big-name director competition this year. I think Quentin is very likely. To get the best director,” Kapoor also put aside the matter just now, said: “However, the most stable should be the best original screenplay.”
Eric remembers that the best actor this year in his previous life should be Tom Hank. However, because Hanks filmed “Saving Private Ryan” ahead of time, “Philadelphia Story” changed the male lead, and Eric did not see the nomination for the best male lead in “Philadelphia Story” at the Golden Globe Awards. However, thinking of another person, Eric shook his head and said: “Then John Travolta’s best actor should be out of the picture, right?”
Kapoor nodded: “Daniel Day Lewis made a few years ago in “I “Left Foot” lost to Al Pacino for best actor, and he was nominated for a second time this year, with a much greater chance of winning than John Travolta.”
Although “Pulp Fiction” makes The critics and fans were stunned, and there is no strong competitor this year.
But Eric finally found that because of the limitations of the subject matter, the possibility of this film winning important awards such as best picture is still very low, and the subsequent facts also proved this.
(To be continued.)(www.. )
[End of this Chapter]
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