Chapter 376: Chapter 99 Michael Ovitz

“Alright, that’s it for today, meeting adjourned,” declared Claude, prompting a sigh of relief from the executives who quickly rose to leave.

“They seem quite frightened,” Adrian remarked half-jokingly after everyone had left. Throughout the meeting, he had been mostly silent, allowing Claude to handle the majority of discussions, adjustments, and criticisms, no wonder it always seemed as if he was being sidelined.

“Most of them are just putting on an act,” Claude said nonchalantly, waving his hand, “The pressure I put on them isn’t that much. They just want to show they are working hard. You need to be able to tell who the real workers are.”

“That’s fine, with you here, I don’t need to worry about much,” Adrian spread his hands, looking quite pleased with himself.

“You rascal…” Claude glanced at him disapprovingly, though he probably felt a bit proud deep inside.

“Okay, Crow, although there were some minor issues, overall it’s a good start. It’s still not enough to support a sweeping change in ABC, but we can’t wait much longer,” Adrian pointed to his head, “I still have plenty of ideas up here.”

“Everybody Loves Raymond” finally premiered on ABC in mid-January 1996 after rushing casting and production, thanks to adequate promotion, Adrian’s publicity stunts, and widespread dissemination to ensure the script did not leak early, the first episode achieved a 10 percent rating, meaning about 12 million viewers! Though this number couldn’t compare to “Friends,” it was still unprecedentedly high for ABC in recent years. Based on the feedback, many people enjoyed the warmth, humor, and family-friendly nature of the TV show, so the ratings remained strong for the second episode.

This was undoubtedly a strong tonic, not only bringing immense joy to the restructured ABC management but also beginning to draw positive outlooks from many critics.

“A magazine specializing in economics wrote, “It proves that being acquired by AC Media was the right decision. It’s already showing improvement in less than half a year. While it’s not certain if this will continue, it’s undoubtedly a good start. If it were Disney, it might not have been possible for ABC to see the light so quickly.”

Although “Everybody Loves Raymond” achieved expected success, the concurrently aired reality show “Survivor” did not receive as much enthusiasm. There were many applicants, given the handsome reward for the winner, but the viewership was mediocre, neither too hot nor too disastrous.

“A few people living outdoors for a period, getting eliminated if they don’t achieve their goals, it’s a fun idea, but… it feels like something is missing,” a viewer expressed during a survey.

“It seems like it should be exciting, but it’s not quite what I imagined, so if there were better options available, I definitely would choose another show,” another viewer shared.

“Adventure and thrills are the themes and attractions of this reality show! I don’t know how you all perceive it, but the first two episodes completely failed to achieve this. The island’s scenery is there, but where is the danger? The uniqueness? The adventurers’ exciting experiences? The only well-executed parts are the emotional voting out scenes. I hope you all think seriously about what the audience wants to see,” Adrian had remarked during the meeting, one of his few contributions.

He couldn’t be certain his views were correct, although he had managed to watch a few episodes of “Survivor.” He had only known about the show in his past life. But no matter, he would let these producers refine their skills through this program. These professionals were very competent; they just needed experience. Since “Everybody Loves Raymond” was doing well, and he could always bring out more excellent episodes if needed. What was crucial was building an elite team of reality show makers, otherwise, even if those creative ideas were taken, they might repeat the same mistakes.

“Of course, we have the Miracle Director, a guy capable of causing political turmoil in a country with a movie,” Claude laughed heartily.

“Oh, come on, Crow, let’s not talk about those jokers,” Adrian waved dismissively, “Those guys are just showboating, just like all politicians trying to capitalize on opportunities, essentially no different from Clinton running for re-election. At least Clinton had some economic achievements, while they are only out for themselves.”

The Scottish independence motion not only wasn’t withdrawn after severe criticism but also gained the support of a few members of the Scottish Parliament, even though they knew it was an impossible task. The media further fueled the situation, causing quite a stir, fortunately, most ordinary Scots lacked interest, preventing an uncontrollable situation.

Even so, Adrian could be proud, knowing that the original “Braveheart” had also caused such turmoil but had never attracted as much attention as now. It was all thanks to the reputation he had built over time, unknowingly acquiring such immense influence.

“OK, let’s not talk about this, but it seems you have a fondness for Clinton. ‘The Rock’ wasn’t modeled after him, was it?” Claude asked again.

“Of course not, I don’t think any president would feel that way–have you watched it already?” Adrian looked curiously at his best friend.

“Of course. It knocked ‘Braveheart’ off the top spot as soon as it was released and received so much praise, why wouldn’t I check it out?” Claude shrugged.

In the second week that ‘Braveheart’ hit the theaters, ‘The Rock’ also had its premiere, then over the weekend scooped up $28 million in the box office. It pressed on with an unstoppable momentum, overtaking ‘Braveheart’, which was quite normal.

After all, Americans still prefer their country’s films, especially when it’s an exciting blockbuster. The scenes like General Hammer’s tactics and the raid on the naval armory, and the fierce battle in the toilets of The Rock are all classic and impressive. Adrian even remembered someone commenting in his past life that he would willingly work under someone like General Hammer; and what more for patriotic Americans.

Plus, the music was still composed by Hans Zimmer, stirring and blood-pumping as always–Hans Zimmer is a prolific composer, and with high output sometimes comes repetition. Indeed, Adrian had found when collecting his materials that one of the movie scores from last year had echoes of ‘the Rock’s iconic music, so he didn’t interfere too much.

The performances of the three main actors were also quite spectacular. Nicholas Cage was at the peak of his career, perfectly capturing the character’s multifaceted image, sometimes dignified and panicky, sometimes boldly fearless, all the while maintaining a unique sense of humor. For instance, the last scene where the FBI director doesn’t believe that Mason’s body evaporated and he, squinting yet seriously, replies “Yes, evaporated,” posing as an expert, “trust me, I’m right,” really makes one want to burst out laughing.

Not to mention Ed Harris and Sean Connery, both are seasoned veterans, especially Connery, the original Bond. With all these factors combined, it would be insane if the movie weren’t popular, so the Weinstein brothers were quite thrilled with the premiere results.

“If there are more films like this, we might share some with them, Miramax and New Line are different after all, and it would be good to make Robert green with envy for a while.” After discussing a bit more about ‘The Rock’, Claude said this, then seemed to remember something and asked, “By the way, I heard Sean Connery…”

“I didn’t ask,” Claude shook his head, “maybe someone else did, but I didn’t hear it–you know, many things are just talk.”

What Claude wanted to inquire was about the rumor that Sean Connery wouldn’t return unless Scotland became independent. This is actually quite trivial; many topics are merely a stance or distorted interpretations by the media or by promoters. Connery has returned to the United Kingdom, and to say he hasn’t visited Scotland, probably few would believe.

“I was just curious,” Claude shrugged.

“Let’s be curious later, it’s almost time.” Adrian checked the time and then stood up.

The two of them left the conference room together, went to the parking lot of the building, got into the RV, and continued their conversation after it started moving.

“What do you think, Claude?” Adrian asked.

“He’s capable. The company’s standing today isn’t just because of him, so if it’s just him alone, the impact remains uncertain,” Claude considered and then replied.

“But if we were to bring other people in– let’s not discuss whether it’s feasible–we would be cutting down our own control, right?” Adrian laughed.

Claude shrugged, signaling agreement, and waited for the next part of the conversation.

“He alone is enough, he is the CEO, has the best grasp of the company’s structure, and…” Adrian adjusted his posture to make himself more comfortable, “Repay me, right?”

“Yeah, and you…” Claude suddenly sighed, took two cups out of the car’s fridge, filled them with purified water, and abruptly changed the topic: “I’ve already acquired Victoria’s Secret, any good suggestions?”

Adrian almost spit out the water he had just brought to his lips. He had long forgotten the advice he had given Claude, and although Charlize compiled detailed reports every month and sent them to him, he always liked to have his female secretary sit on his lap and hold her while she read the parts he wanted to hear. With such distractions, it’s naturally easy to miss such news, but then again, even if he had read the reports he might not have noticed.

“You really acquired Victoria’s Secret?” after a cough, Adrian asked.

“Of course, it just happened they were looking to transform and seeking to collaborate with television networks, and we own a broadcasting company like ABC. Moreover, the parent company was not optimistic about their transformation, and being a mass brand, we bought it for very little money. What’s more important is that this was your suggestion,” Claude argued forcefully, as if without any personal interest, entirely considering the company’s perspective.

Adrian rolled his eyes, annoyed: “When we were acquiring game studios and animation studios, you were not this decisive and swift.”

“That’s because I couldn’t be sure of your judgement then, now it’s different,” Claude shamelessly continued, “Cut it out, Ed. Tell me.”

“What else is there to say? I pretty much said it all last time. Any fashion brand starts out mainstream, and the task is to elevate it into a luxury brand. Aren’t they already transforming? Haven’t they held a fashion show already? Sign long-term deals with them, all shows broadcast by ABC, first sign a few supermodels, then create our own exclusive modeling team, make them famous, and finally aim for a performance at the Super Bowl–just like that.”

“It sounds rather simple,” Claude seemed unsatisfied.

“What else do you want?” Adrian spread his hands, “I’m not a professional, neither are you. Pass these ideas on to those who are, let them worry about it; we only need to provide the necessary support.”

“Alright, alright,” Claude laughed heartily, “I’ll leave it to them to handle, and I’ll wait to see your predictions come true.”

Soon, the RV entered a high-end golf club. They got off and were led by a valet to the private dressing room where leisure clothes and golf equipment had already been prepared. After changing, the two drove a golf cart to Area B. A middle-aged man, also dressed casually, was already there, swinging his club and hitting white balls into the field.

“Hey, Michael, you seem to be in high spirits,” Claude greeted first.

“Of course, I’ve been dying to show you up, Claude,” the middle-aged man laughed, then turned his attention to Adrian.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Miracle Director,” he extended his hand, “I am Michael Ovitz.”

“Me too, Michael, please call me Adrian or Ed.” Adrian smiled and shook hands with the Disney CEO.

“Do you like golf?” Michael Ovitz asked with interest.

“Not bad, but my skills are terrible, so today I can only watch you guys compete,” Adrian said candidly.

“Whenever you see him playing golf, you would think it’s cruel to let him play, Michael,” Claude remarked earnestly at his side.

“Well then, let’s start with a few rounds between us,” Ovitz said, making a gesture of invitation.

The three of them thus started to play golf, occasionally chatting about recent anecdotes, similar to most social interactions. However, Ovitz never touched upon the main subject. Since he did not initiate, Adrian and Claude did not mention it either. The person who spoke later had the advantage, so the three of them kept probing with their conversation. Adrian was forced to take a few swings, and if Ovitz hadn’t been composed, he probably couldn’t help but laugh unabashedly.

“Alright, gentlemen, let me be straightforward,” Ovitz finally said as they sat down to rest by the small table again. “What’s the point of extending so many olive branches?” He was an old fox after all, knowing from the unperturbed demeanor of Adrian and Claude that they held plenty of cards, so it was better to clearly address the topic to seize the initiative.

“You don’t mean to invite me over to be the CEO, do you? Claude is doing quite well now,” he joked playfully, which often achieved surprising effects with its directness and slight impoliteness.

However, Adrian and Claude exchanged looks and smiled slightly, with Adrian speaking first, “We own a talent agency.”

“A talent agency?” Ovitz raised an eyebrow, his expression a mix of amusement and disbelief, “Am I hearing right? Are you saying AC Media has a talent agency?”

“No,” Adrian said with a smile shaking his head, “We own a talent agency, not AC Media.”

“Oh?” Ovitz raised his eyebrows.

“To put it simply, there are no legal issues at all,” Claude slowly added from the side.

“Alright,” Ovitz didn’t fuss over it; in fact, several major talent agencies in Hollywood were involved in such things, and how could he not know, having been the one who developed CAA.

“I think I understand your intentions now, but why do you think I would agree?” Ovitz spoke with a relaxed tone. “You know, I don’t want to do this anymore.”

“Really, Michael?” Adrian revealed an insightful smile, “Do you truly no longer want to do this? Or is it because your old pals left that you’ve thought about leaving? Do you really think you can make a big impact at Disney? Do you really think Eisner is willing to share his power with anyone else? You’ve been the CEO at Disney for 12 months now, right? I can guarantee that in no more than six months, Eisner will let you go. He needs a puppet, a spokesperson who will represent his own will, not a talented individual with autonomy!”

Ovitz still maintained a calm demeanor, showing no change, and he also didn’t respond to these, so…

Adrian’s lips curved into a smile: “You’re a successful businessman, Michael. I read about you when I was in school, and I really admired your tenacious style. I know you have a keen vision; you once proposed to Eisner to acquire Yahoo, unfortunately, he didn’t agree.”

“That’s normal, Yahoo currently shows no promise of profit,” Ovitz shrugged, seeming to try to salvage something.

“Even if he had agreed, Disney couldn’t have acquired it because most of Yahoo’s shares are in our hands,” Adrian said softly, finally seeing a hint of surprise in his eyes.

“We’ve been following the IT industry since ’91. We have the most detailed data analysis library and several promising websites in our hands,” Claude interjected.

“Oh?” The surprise on Ovitz’s face intensified, and his calm demeanor finally began to shift slightly. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at wuxiaworld.site. Your support is my greatest motivation.)