Chapter 109 Two Interviews

The day before yesterday, Milo asked Wendy to make a choice.

The first option is to continue to be the general manager of Paladin Films, and then naturally become a senior executive of Paladin Media.

The second is to serve as the general manager of Paladin Capital.

Help Milo keep an eye on the stocks of those Internet companies and subsequent related investments.

Or he could go back to his old job and serve as Milo's family office manager.

It's the housekeeper.

Wendy Aris chose the latter without much hesitation.

This is actually something that can be imagined -

Wendy's family has served the Blackburn family since his grandfather's grandfather.

From a practical point of view, Wendy felt that her third choice was not wrong.

Let’s look at the first one first.

There is a ceiling for being the general manager of a film company.

At most, he would become one of the most famous working emperors in the United States, just like Michael Eisner of Disney today.

But there is a prerequisite, which is that Paladin Media must develop to the same level as Disney today.

Wendy found it difficult, and even if she did it, it would be just that.

Even though Michael is in a good position now, he will be nothing once he retires from that position.

The second option is pretty much the same.

As for the third option, Wendy feels it is the most suitable one, no matter from the perspective of emotion, historical factors or reality.

At this moment, by the swimming pool.

Wendy looked at Milo quietly, watching her boss flipping through the photos and documents.

"Wendy."

Suddenly, maybe a few minutes passed.

Wendy heard Milo say, "Do I look that easy to bully?"

Wendy was speechless.

I thought that if you are easy to bully, then there is no one in this world who is not easy to bully.

After weighing her tone, Wendy spoke, "Maybe the word 'Morgan' gave them courage. Or maybe it was because Morgan promised them something. But they don't understand that promises are often broken."

Milo looked up at the fat man and smiled. "You're right. I'll go to San Francisco the day after tomorrow. Before that, you go there first... or find the Chinese guy. He seems to be more timid and easier to talk to."

Of course, this also means better control.

"Understood." Wendy stood up and indicated that she would do it right away.

Milo stopped him and said, "By the way, help me find a new house when you have time. I want one in Los Angeles or San Francisco. I think this villa is a little small."

"No problem," Wendy replied.

In the afternoon, Milo still did not leave the villa.

The edge of the pool, same location.

But this time he met not Wendy, but two other people.

"Good afternoon, Eric and Elon. Nice to meet you."

The two people opposite him shook hands quickly and introduced themselves.

"Hello, Mr. Blackburn, my name is Eric Schmidt, nice to meet you."

The two people standing in front of Milo.

Among them was a man with a calm expression who looked to be about forty years old. His name was Eric Schmidt.

Eric Schmidt was a talent that Milo found with the help of a headhunting company.

"Hello Mr. Blackburn! It's a pleasure to meet you again. Thank you for your investment in Zip2!"

The other one is younger, with brown hair and a square face. His name is Elon Musk.

Last year, Milo invested in more than 60 Internet companies.

One of them is called Zip2, a startup company founded by a pair of brothers named Musk.

The startup's business is to develop online content publishing software for news organizations.

After shaking hands with Milo, Elon Musk continued to express gratitude:

“Also, thank you very much for your help with Zip2. Without your introduction, The New York Times would not have been able to cooperate with us.”

Milo smiled and waved his hand, motioning the two to sit down, and then said to Musk: "I own 45% of Zip2, and I would be happy if it could make money. But, Elon, the reason I asked you and Eric to come here today has nothing to do with Zip2. I want to talk about something else."

"Okay." Elon Musk, who was still very young and had not yet officially succeeded in his first business venture, quickly responded.

It was a warm March afternoon in Los Angeles.

By the swimming pool of the Beverly Hills villa, looking at the two future Internet tycoons who are still very young.

After Mrs. Solly brought the coffee.

Milo got straight to the point and spoke directly.

"There is only one reason why you two should come here."

Milo looked at Schmidt and Musk with sharp eyes.

“I wonder if you’ve ever heard of Yahoo?”

Schmidt and Musk, who were holding cups of coffee, looked at each other subconsciously.

Yahoo?

Maybe somewhere else, in other industries.

It is not very famous now.

But in California, the two of them are engaged in Internet and IT related industries.

Yahoo is so famous now! It is the largest Internet portal in the United States and even the world.

Although Yahoo's revenue in 1995 was only $1.3 million, its actual operating loss was $630,000.

But with Netscape's successful IPO, Yahoo can now be said to be Silicon Valley's number one unicorn enterprise seed.

Of course, there is no such thing as unicorn yet.

But that’s what it means.

"certainly."

Musk put down his coffee cup and smiled, saying, "Last night I checked Yahoo's website and found a company that makes publishing software just like Zip2. The search function it developed two months ago is very useful!"

When Musk finished speaking, he saw Milo's eyes on him.

Schmidt thought for a moment and said softly, "Without a doubt, in the Internet boom that emerged last year, Yahoo is the most eye-catching Internet company besides Netscape, which has already gone public."

Milo nodded, then added, "I own 35% of Yahoo, but it was supposed to be 40%."

"The two founders of Yahoo betrayed me, and now I want to replace them."

"Eric, Elon. I asked you to come here to ask if you are interested in becoming a manager of Yahoo?"

Before the two could be surprised or excited, Milo continued, "If you are willing, then... Eric, you will be the CEO of Yahoo. And Elon, I think the chief marketing officer of Yahoo is very suitable for you."

After saying this, Milo didn't say anything else, but just looked at the two of them.

He noticed that Schmidt looked relatively calm.

But the younger Musk's clear eyes clearly revealed excitement.

Milo understood why Musk was excited.

It was Yahoo, after all.

Although it is not yet as famous as it would be two years later, it is now one of the most famous companies in Silicon Valley.

Compared with Yahoo, the Musk brothers' Zip2 is still relatively unknown.

Even if Eric Schmidt can't become the CEO of Yahoo.

He is also a senior executive of SUN, a well-known company in the industry.

As for Musk, if he can become a senior executive of Yahoo, even if he is not the CEO, it will be a huge promotion for him.

After all, Zip2’s current valuation is less than $100 million.

Yahoo's latest market valuation is said to have exceeded $1 billion.

Without hesitation, Musk said, "Of course, I'd love to."

After that, he tried to justify his impatience, "Anyway, as long as you, Mr. Blackburn, think I can do it, I will do it. Just like what you said to me when you invested in Zip2."

When investing in Zip2, Milo naturally recognized him as Musk.

The so-called Iron Man who will be famous in the future, and the biggest internet celebrity and billionaire in the United States in the future.

Milo chatted with Musk for a while and encouraged him.

Eric Schmidt was calmer. He said, "Of course I am happy to do so. But Mr. Blackburn, Jerry Young and David Filo are the founders of Yahoo. They also have a lot of shares. And as founders, the outside world is more optimistic about their control over Yahoo, at least before the IPO."

"in addition……"

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

Schmidt: “Will they be happy for Elon and me to join Yahoo?”

"They'll agree." Milo smiled.

"You just need to tell me whether you are willing or not. I will leave the rest."

"I still say the same thing." Elon Musk said with a smile, "As long as Mr. Blackburn wants me to do it, I will do it!"

Looking at the licking look on this guy's face, he seems to be thinking about leaving SUN company.

Eric Schmidt, who wanted to join the Internet trend, did not hesitate in his answer this time.

"Me too. That's why I'm here before you, Mr. Blackburn."

Whether Milo can do it is one thing, but what if he can? Being the CEO of Yahoo is very challenging.

Eric Schmidt was happy to try.

“Bingo!”

Milo smiled and stood up, motioning to see the guests off. "Go and get ready. Try to familiarize yourself with Yahoo's situation. At the latest, your names will appear on the list of Yahoo's managers in a week."

…

…

the next day.

March 9, 1996.

It was also on this day that "Angels & Demons", which had been released for a longer period of time by extending the key, was finally officially and completely removed from theaters around the world.

Its final result was slightly better than Milo himself had predicted.

US$508 million.

That's $20 million more than Milo's forecast of $470-480 million.

That was after the movie was completely taken off the screen.

Its sequel, but actually the original "The Da Vinci Code", has announced that auditions and casting have begun.

After careful consideration, Milo finally chose to continue working with Disney.

Firstly, the collaboration on the previous film was quite pleasant, and continued cooperation would be more beneficial to the filming of the film itself.

Secondly, it is because of the competition between the previous work and other film companies.

This time Disney gave up a lot of interests, and you can earn more by cooperating with Disney.

Third, Milo also wants to poach people from Disney.

Now that we continue to cooperate with Disney, we can also expect Disney to turn a blind eye when poaching employees.

For example, now Disney is happy to give up the contracts of several members of the Mickey Mouse Club, which has been suspended for two years.

So the members of the Mickey Mouse Club that included Christina Aguilera, Keri Russell, Justin Timberlake, and... Britney Spears.

The contracts of these people have now been transferred to Paladin Media.

Today is the day for open auditions and casting for "The Da Vinci Code".

Hollywood, Los Angeles.

At ten o'clock in the morning, Milo, accompanied by Wally Pfister, arrived at the floor where the audition office was located.

As soon as I walked out of the elevator, I looked around and saw long, white legs and surging cleavage.

There were more than 20 young, beautiful and elegant Hollywood girls, most of them were young, around 20 years old, giving Milo the illusion of being at a party.

Seeing his boss turning his head to look at him, Wally quickly explained, "The first actor to audition this morning was Sophie Neveu."

Sophie Neveu is the heroine in "The Da Vinci Code".

The setting is a French person.

Zeta-Jones had already played Vittoria in Angels & Demons, so Sophie Neveu needed to be played by a new actress.

Requirements: Dark hair, slightly French appearance.

But it is not a hard requirement, after all, hair can be dyed.

All the actresses present today dyed their hair black.

The two entered the audition room, where an assistant director and a casting director were already waiting.

Wally was relaxed and pulled a stool for Milo, waiting for the boss to sit down.

He looked at the boss, and Milo, who was sitting in the main seat, nodded and said, "You can start the interview."

"Okay, let's start right away." After Wally finished speaking, he immediately called the production manager to start today's interview.

"Mr. Blackburn, Mr. Fister..."

"Hello, my name is..."

A girl in her early 20s knocked on the door and came in, with long flowing hair and a graceful figure.

She was wearing a loose white shirt, a denim skirt and a pair of Martin boots.

She is over 1.7 meters tall, very tall, and has a very good personality. She greeted me warmly as soon as I entered the door.

Well, when facing directors and producers.

There are no bad-tempered ladies in Hollywood.

Milo's eyes focused on her long legs for a while.

It should be very comfortable to carry such a long gun mount on your shoulder.

But it is indeed inappropriate. Her facial features are rather sweet, and even if she dyes her hair black, she still looks like an American sweetheart.

I didn't think the French woman was suitable for the female lead, so I interviewed several more people.

It also allowed Milo to see once again how hard the girls in Hollywood can work.

Some of them bow so that you can see grapes on the milky white waves; some of them take off their coats as soon as they enter the door, and when they put them on, it’s almost the same as if they were not wearing anything; and some of them, when leaving the interview, specifically shake hands with each person and directly slip a note with the phone number and hotel number on it.

Of course, there are some that are not that outrageous.

For example, the one in front of you.

"…My name is Marion Cotillard, I'm from France, I'm 21 years old, and I…"

Marion Cotillard hadn't finished her words when Milo, who was sitting in the middle, suddenly said, "Let's choose her. Also send an invitation to Sophie Marceau and Julie Delpy. The female lead will be chosen from these three."

After he finished speaking, he stood up and said to Wally and others, "I will not participate in the casting of other actors. Wally, I trust you. That's it."

With his current wealth and status, he is too lazy to participate in this kind of work.

I came to the company today for something, and just now I happened to meet Wally Pfister when I was taking the elevator.

I came up to take a look at it at Wally's invitation.

It's on the shelves now, a little suddenly, the rhythm is not yet settled, and there are two more chapters to come in the evening...

(End of this chapter)