Chapter 938 Celebrities and Agents
In fact, Darren Wilson's departure and resignation as Lu Yanhe's agent is a period that has the least impact on Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe suspected that this was precisely why Darren brought up the matter with him at this time.
After this summer, Lu Yanhe has firmly established himself in Hollywood. Even if Darren leaves, Lu Yanhe can quickly find an agent who is no less capable than Darren to take over his work.
A top star like Lu Yanhe will never lack top agents to serve him.
If Darren Wilson were to become an executive at D19, it would indeed mean that Lu Yanhe could increase his cooperation with D19.
Lu Yanhe believes that D19 is definitely not the end of Darren Wilson's career.
With Darren Wilson by his side, Lu Yanhe can, in a sense, be more confident and bolder in pursuing more collaborations.
From Saw to Halloween, from The Purge to It... a large number of thriller and horror scripts can be quickly developed instead of being produced one by one.
On the other hand, besides scripts of this genre, Lu Yanhe has several other scripts that Darren Wilson can work on.
With his help in connecting and mediating, Linghe can also accelerate its development through cooperation with D19, instead of having to slowly accumulate resources and proceed cautiously as it does now.
The reason Lu Yanhe thought of continuing to collaborate with D19 to develop more horror and thriller films is simply because he saw the potential in this type of movie. It is relatively easy to produce, and it is also the most cost-effective, allowing Linghe (North America) to quickly complete the first phase of initial capital accumulation.
The scripts he obtained through his "golden touch," the scripts Linghe received himself, including those that could be adapted from all over the world, could all be filmed one by one with his own funding.
As the world's most experienced and arguably most successful film company distributing horror and thriller films, D19 was a company Lu Yanhe hoped would participate in these films. Whether they were willing to invest or not, it would solidify the interests of both parties. If D19 wasn't willing to invest, they could handle distribution; Lu Yanhe was even willing to offer concessions initially. In short, through these films, he aimed to help Linghe (North America) gain a competitive edge in Hollywood and establish a firm foothold.
If Darren Wilson goes to D19, given his understanding of Lu Yanhe, especially as a beneficiary of Lu Yanhe's outstanding achievements, the collaboration will certainly be much smoother, more convenient, and even more stable than Lu Yanhe initially anticipated.
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Darren Wilson's phone call gave Lu Yanhe much to think about.
On the one hand, what exactly are Linghe (North America)'s goals? Is its positioning to become a top-tier Hollywood film company with an independent production and operation system from Linghe in China, or to unite with Linghe in China and ultimately play the role of international distributor?
On the other hand, to what extent should his cooperation framework with D19 be discussed? How are the copyrights for each film divided and owned? If D19 wants to participate in the investment, what percentage of investment should D19 receive? And what conditions should D19 offer?
After Lu Yanhe had thought about it for a while, he immediately went to tell Chen Ziyan about it and wanted to hear her opinion.
Chen Ziyan looked surprised when she heard the news.
“I didn’t expect him to ask for your opinion on this matter,” Chen Ziyan said. “In the United States, it is very common for agents to become senior executives in companies. However, it is quite rare in recent years for someone to go directly to a top-tier film company as a senior executive, especially one focused on film production.”
Especially for top agents like Darren Wilson, whose income is often higher than that of executives at film companies. Normally, Darren Wilson would become a partner in his agency, a senior executive, thus enjoying both a share of the company's profits and continuing to earn substantial commissions from his agent work.
"Darren seems to have always aspired to be an executive at a top Hollywood film studio as part of his career goals."
Chen Ziyan shook her head.
"His ultimate goal is none of our business for now, so let's not talk about it. Actually, you're right. If he ultimately accepts D19's invitation, he can indeed become the person in charge of your cooperation with D19. Perhaps he told you about this in advance because he wanted to get some support from you to help him negotiate with D19. He's your agent, and you know that given your current situation, if he can help you increase your cooperation with D19, that will be his bargaining chip in the negotiations with D19."
Lu Yanhe seemed to be deep in thought.
"In other words, it's very likely that his thoughts coincide with mine."
Chen Ziyan smiled slightly.
"That's right."
Lu Yanhe said, "This is really—"
“Darren Wilson has done a really good job these past few years. For a creator like you, it’s clear that as long as he doesn’t leave Hollywood, whatever he does, you represent a huge resource that can impress anyone. I think that’s why he told you this before this matter was settled,” Chen Ziyan said. “He doesn’t want to end his working relationship with you just because he’s no longer your agent. In fact, I think he would strongly recommend another agent for you, one with a good relationship with him who can continue to maintain a friendly working relationship with you.”
Lu Yanhe nodded.
"Remember to talk to Xu Tianming and Chen Yin about this later. They have a lot of dealings with D19, so they might know some other information," Chen Ziyan said. "However, no matter what, we need to prepare early. I will contact some agencies and agents in Hollywood, and I'm also planning to change Jiang Jun's agent."
Is there a problem with Jiang Jun's agent?
“He’s not capable enough. We’ve been working together for two years, and he still can’t provide any real help to Jiang Jun’s work. He can basically do the work of an assistant,” Chen Ziyan said. “You can tell by looking at the roles Jiang Jun has taken in the past two years. Normally, even if Jiang Jun doesn’t like the scripts he’s given, he should at least be treated like a top Hollywood actor in terms of media relations, brand resources, and other services. But he’s given me nothing. I’ve put up with him for long enough. It’s only because Jiang Jun keeps saying he’ll think about it some more that I’ve put up with him for so long.”
“I think that, to some extent, Shihuo could set up a branch office in Europe and America, just like Linghe did. It doesn’t need to be a physical office. Just like we sent Wan Qingqing there, we could train our own agents there, or we could directly hire agents from there to cooperate with Shihuo,” Lu Yanhe said. “Of course, relatively speaking, the brokerage industry is more difficult to break into without sufficient resources and background. It relies on information asymmetry and personal networks. However, in the long run, doing this will definitely help us understand the industry situation there, rather than relying on secondhand information.”
Chen Ziyan: "We actually did this a long time ago, but for an actor of Jiang Jun's caliber, I don't want him to be used as a guinea pig. I still hope to find him an agent who truly appreciates his acting talent and has the ability to help him reach new heights in Europe and America."
"That's true, I understand."
“We at Shihuo have already set up an Asian branch and a European and American branch. Although they are both in their initial stages and our capabilities are still insufficient, as you said, it’s all part of the overall strategy. Especially in Asia, it’s a market with great potential. As you know, because we have many commonalities in cultural and historical background, we influence each other. Previously, Cai Na only signed her brokerage agency in China with us. Now, apart from her original company handling her brokerage agency in her home country, we have handled the brokerage agency for other regions in Asia,” Chen Ziyan said. “She alone can bring in millions of dollars in revenue for the company every year, which was unimaginable in the first year after signing with us.”
Millions of dollars... Lu Yanhe was speechless when he heard that.
This equates to an income of tens of millions of RMB per year.
in the country, even a top-tier celebrity might not bring in this much revenue for a company.
Because Shi Huo's management of foreign artists is very successful, several agencies want to follow suit. However, on the one hand, they are not trusted by foreign artists, and on the other hand, they have found that they simply do not have the resources to manage these foreign artists.
Cai Na is already the most famous Thai artist in China.
However, without the initial boost to her fame from shows like "The Birth of an Actor," and the subsequent successful placement of several Chinese films and television dramas through Shi Huo's management, she wouldn't have achieved such high commercial value in China.
If it weren't for this, Linghe wouldn't have bought and promoted Thai films that Caina had already shown overseas, and then released them in China.
Most importantly, Shi Huo not only helped her land roles in Chinese films and television dramas, but also in a Korean drama and a Japanese drama. She also became the brand ambassador for brands from seven countries and regions. Shi Huo's strategy of positioning her as a top Asian idol actress greatly enhanced her commercial value.
It was these collaborations that made Cai Na willing to further expand her cooperation with Shi Huo.
It's fair to say that without Shi Huo's management, Cai Na wouldn't have been able to bring in such high revenue. Of course, without an artist like Cai Na, Shi Huo's operations would be like a skilled cook without ingredients. This win-win collaboration is consistently regarded by Chen Ziyan as Shi Huo's most significant achievement in recent years.
"Does Cai Na have an agent in Europe and America?" Lu Yanhe asked.
“Yes.” Chen Ziyan nodded. “At first, we were acting as her agent. But after ‘Flypaper’ was released, she signed with a European or American agency on her own. She’s a very shrewd actress.”
(End of this chapter)
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