Traveling through the Tokyo bubble era

Chapter 748 I am a businessman

MCA Global.

Hideki Hanyu is certainly no stranger to the name uttered by Peter Peterson.

For domestic movie fans, this name may represent "Jaws", which made Spielberg famous, and later well-known series of movies such as "Jurassic Park", "The Mummy" and "The Bourne Supremacy".

But the name MCA Universal represents more than just Universal Pictures.

The MCA in the name should stand for America Music Corporation.

Don’t think that this is just a record company just because it contains music.

In its early years, MCA was actually more like an agency.

When talking about this company, we have to introduce its boss.

Lew Wasserman.

This is a big behind-the-scenes figure who has connections in both the black and white worlds in America, has enormous relationships and connections in both the business and political circles, and has an indescribable influence in the American entertainment industry.

Lou Wasserman was previously best known for being a close friend of the outgoing American celebrity president and an important fundraiser for his party.

And Lou Wasserman himself is a legendary agent in Hollywood.

Michael Ovitz, the founder of CAA, the most famous agency in Hollywood today, made his first fortune from MCA in his early years.

Michael Ovitz also considers Lou Wasserman an idol.

Because later CAA cooperated with major studios in Hollywood to promote the so-called "package" service, which was exactly what Lou Wasserman had played with in the 1950s and 1960s.

It was even under the leadership of Lou Wasserman that MCA made the proactive sales model the mainstream of Hollywood's agency business.

By recommending MCA's actors, directors, and scriptwriters to the studios, he gave Hollywood stars in the 1950s and 1960s the right to negotiate with the studios, greatly improving their status and income.

This shows Lou Wasserman's status in the American entertainment industry.

And this is not the most "excellent" thing he has done.

In the early 1960s, Lou Wasserman pushed MCA to acquire Universal Pictures and Decca Records and merge the two businesses with MCA.

With the help of MCA's huge contracted customer resources, the new MCA Universal escaped from the business quagmire at the time and returned to the ranks of Hollywood giants.

After taking over MCA Universal, although Lou Wasserman began to reduce his energy in the agency business, he did another thing that affected the development of Hollywood.

In the 1960s, this tycoon used his powerful influence to appoint Jack Valenti as chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).

You may not know this person, but after taking office, he promoted the establishment of the American film rating system in the late 1960s.

Many people also say that Jack Valenti established the grading system under the instructions of Lou Wasserman, the boss behind the scenes.

After all, everyone admits that after Lou Wasserman integrated MCA Universal, he relied on his power to a certain extent to plan and control the way Hollywood operated.

And it continues to this day.

It was also under the leadership of Lou Wasserman that MCA Global became the media group that it currently is, encompassing many businesses including film and television production, records, television networks, publishing, cinemas, and studios.

It can be said that Lou Wasserman, who is still the chairman of MCA Universal, is a true big shot hidden behind the scenes of Hollywood.

Therefore, even though Hideki Hanyu knew that Panasonic had indeed acquired MCA Universal in history, he inevitably had an emotional reaction after hearing Peter Peterson say this name.

It's not surprise, but excitement to face a strong person.

After planning step by step, now at the final moment, he will inevitably stand in the center of the stage.

Because MCA Universal was his first target.

But even so, Hideki Hanyu remained calm on the surface and even spoke to Peter Peterson in a joking manner.

"MCA Universal? I thought you were going to say Disney, or Warner Bros."

Peter Peterson replied in an exaggerated manner, "Mr. Hanyu, don't be ridiculous. Although Disney's business has been a bit down in recent years, as long as there are children who like its cartoons, it will never have any problems.

As for Warner, the negotiations with Time Group are probably coming to an end. Does Mr. Hanyu want to be an enemy of Time Group? "

Hanyu Hideki shook his head and said, "Of course not! But MCA Universal is not a small company. Could it be that it also has management problems? You know, the chairman of MCA Universal is Lou Wasserman."

Peter Peterson smiled and said, “MAC Global is certainly not a small company, but that doesn’t mean it won’t have problems in its operations, even if its chairman is Lew Wasserman.”

Hanyu Hideki finally showed interest and asked, "Oh, it seems that Mr. Peter knows something that I don't know."

“It is my job to provide customers with the most comprehensive services.”

Peter Peterson first made a polite remark and then began to explain.

"We have investigated the operating conditions of MCA Global in recent years and found that the profitability of MCA Global's film business in Hollywood has not only been decreasing, but the investment ratio has also been declining sharply.

MCA Universal is certainly powerful, and has Lew Wasserman at the helm, but their focus now is not on movies. They are more like a TV production company that produces programs for their broadcasting and television networks.

It is obvious that Lou Wasserman, a Hollywood tycoon, is shifting MCA's business focus toward television networks.

I also learned through my research that Lou Wasserman had sold his MCA Universal shares several times to subsidize the development of the radio and television network.

However, the development of MCA TV Network was not so smooth.

Therefore, Lou Wasserman no longer wanted to be distracted by managing MCA Universal's other businesses, and was considering focusing on the management of the television network after cashing out his MCA Universal shares.

This news remains a secret for now, but I can't guarantee how long it will remain secret.

So if Mr. Hanyu is interested, he'd better act quickly and contact Lou Wasserman in advance.

I think if your condition is that you are willing to allow Lou Wasserman to run MCA Network after buying MCA Universal, he should be happy to talk to you. "

“Buying MCA Global, this is not going to be a small deal.”

When Hanyu Hideki spoke, his expression pretended to be hesitant.

The MGM that Peter Peterson just mentioned is not even on the same level compared to MCA Universal.

One is an independent production company among the Hollywood giants, and the other is a standard media group. You can imagine how exaggerated the price difference is.

"That's for sure. After all, the only drawback of MCA Universal today is perhaps its high price." Peter Peterson said with a smile on his face.

This old fox in Hollywood, of course, wants to make this deal with Universal more successful.

After all, only if Hanyu Hideki pays more money can he earn more.

Although Hideki Hanyu looks young, strong, smart and capable, it is not easy to trick Hanyu like they did Sony.

But for such a big deal, the commission alone was enough to make him a fortune.

Hanyu Hideki said with a serious expression, "Mr. Peter, you know, this could be a huge deal worth more than 5 billion US dollars. I need to consider it carefully."

Peter Peterson nodded in understanding and said, “Of course, I understand, but Mr. Hanyu should also know that a deal of this level cannot be concluded in a short period of time.

So you'd better give me an answer as soon as possible, because that will make it easier for me to arrange a meeting between you and the senior management of MCA Global to facilitate the subsequent work. "

Hanyu Hideki pretended to think and then said, "No problem, I will give you an answer as soon as possible."

Peter Peterson said, "Then I will wait for good news from you, sir."

When the two of them talked about this, they had almost finished talking about the topic of the meeting.

After chatting for a while, Hideki Hanyu said goodbye to Peter Peterson.

When Peter Peterson personally sent Hideki Hanyu to the parking lot, Hideki Hanyu did not drive himself, but planned to take the Rolls-Royce driven by Marco.

But before getting in the car, he suddenly asked Peter Peterson.

"Mr. Peter is Mr. Morita's friend, right?"

Peter Peterson didn't understand why Hanyu Hideki asked this question, but he answered, "Yes."

“Then why did Mr. Peter help me introduce acquisition targets when Cloud Pictures and Columbia Pictures announced their cooperation?

You should be well aware that if my acquisition is completed, the cooperation between Yunshang Pictures and Columbia Pictures will inevitably be terminated, which will definitely have an impact on Columbia Pictures' revenue.

This behavior does not seem to be consistent with your identity as Mr. Morita's friend."

As soon as Hideki Hanyu asked this question, Peter Peterson smiled immediately.

Then, this old fox from Wall Street answered meaningfully.

"Mr. Hanyu, I am a businessman."

……

The Rolls-Royce started and the vehicle slowly drove away from Ngee Ann Building.

In the back seat, Hanyu Hideki instructed his secretary, "Immediately ask the production department of Yunshang Pictures where the new movie directed by Kathryn Bigelow is being filmed now?"

"Yes, boss."

The accompanying secretary quickly picked up the car phone and made a call.

After a moment, the accompanying secretary hung up the phone and reported to Hanyu Hideki, "Boss, Director Kathryn Bigelow is currently filming at Warner Studios. The specific location is ******."

"Marco, go to this address." Hanyu Hideki ordered immediately.

"Ok."

Marco immediately changed the direction of the vehicle.

Ten minutes later, Hideki Hanyu arrived at Warner Bros. Studios, where crew members had already come to greet him.

Under the guidance of the crew members, Hideki Hanyu and others soon arrived at a modern urban street scene area.

Before we even got close to the filming location, we heard a few beeps.

It sounded like gunshots, but Marco remained indifferent. It was obviously a prop used by the crew for filming.

Getting closer, Hanyu Hideki saw the busy crew.

The two leading actors, Sherilyn Fenn and Jennifer Connelly, are acting in front of the camera in LAPD police uniforms.

Under an awning not far away, female director Kathryn Bigelow, with her hair tied into a ponytail, was observing the performance intently.

Hideki Hanyu did not go near to disturb them, but just watched the filming quietly.

Speaking of which, the filming of Kathryn Bigelow's movie was not smooth.

The main reason has been mentioned before, which is because he plotted against Menahem Golan for the copyright of "Spider-Man" and "Captain America".

Jennifer Connelly's split between two films delayed not only Menahem Golan's project, but Kathryn Bigelow's as well.

Fred Weber spent a lot of time and effort to settle this matter.

But in the end, Jennifer Connelly got into Kathryn Bigelow's project.

After Menahan Golan was delayed for almost two months, a new female lead had to be replaced.

This is absolutely the best news for Hideki Hanyu.

While he was thinking about this, the crew in front of him finished filming the current scene.

Only then did Hideki Hanyu approach the crew and walked towards Kathryn Bigelow, who was explaining the scenes to the two leading actresses.

The news of his visit to the set had already been informed to the other party in advance, and since they knew each other when they worked together on "Bloody Night", the next step was naturally to greet each other in a familiar manner.

After pretending to be concerned and asking a few questions about the crew, Hideki Hanyu changed the subject subtly and started chatting with Sherilyn Fenn and Jennifer Connelly next to him.

However, the crew had not yet finished work, so the two girls didn't have time to chat with Hanyu Hideki for a few words before they had to go to work.

At this time, Hideki Hanyu suddenly said to Jennifer Connelly.

"Jennifer, is your agent here today?"

Jennifer Connelly asked, "She's resting over at the makeup truck, what does sir want with him?"

"There's an endorsement agent who thinks you're a good fit and wants to talk to your agent."

Hideki Hanyu just gave a reason.

But as soon as he said this, the expressions of the two heroines who were about to go to work changed at the same time.

Jennifer Connelly was naturally overjoyed. After all, the brand that Hideki Hanyu could arrange for her to endorse must not be an ordinary brand.

He immediately said, "I will ask her to come see you now."

As for the other girl, Sherilyn Fenn, her face wasn't looking too good.

When looking at Jennifer Connelly, emotions such as envy, jealousy, and disgust appeared one after another, so rich that they were about to overflow.

But Hanyu Hideki didn't care about the two women's reactions at all. He just said to Jennifer Connelly, "I'll ask my secretary to call him. You just focus on filming."

A few minutes later, Hideki Hanyu met Jennifer Connelly's agent in his stretched Rolls-Royce.

This is a woman in her thirties who is affiliated with Creative Artists Agency (CAA), and this is why Hideki Hanyu asked her to come.

After the other party entered the car, he smiled and said to Hanyu Hideki, "Mr. Hanyu, it's a great honor to meet you. I heard from your secretary that you came to me to help Ms. Connery arrange an endorsement contract."

But Hanyu Hideki did not answer the other party's question, but asked directly, "Can you contact Michael Ovitz now?"

Michael Ovitz, CEO of Creative Artists Agency (CAA).

Although the female agent was puzzled, she nodded and said, "I know Mr. Ovitz's phone number, but I'm not sure if he will answer it." Hanyu Hideki picked up the car phone and handed it to the other party, "Call him."

The female agent took the call and asked, "What should I say after the call is connected?"

Hanyu Hideki said, "Regarding Jennifer Connelly's endorsement, you can't decide. I want to talk to her in person."

Although Hideki Hanyu knew that his reason was ridiculous.

How could a mere ordinary Hollywood actress get such an exaggerated endorsement that she needed the world's second richest man to personally negotiate with the head of Hollywood CAA.

But as for the reason, just one is enough.

If he says it, any sensible person will naturally believe it.

The female agent was a sensible person, so she didn't say anything nonsense and directly dialed the number she remembered.

When the call was connected, the female agent reported to Hideki Hanyu and then hung up.

Then she wanted to report to Hanyu Hideki, "Mr. Hanyu, Mr. Ovitz said he would be here in half an hour."

Hideki Hanyu nodded, "I understand."

"Then I'll go to work first."

The female agent said goodbye tactfully.

She was not stupid and had already guessed that Hideki Hanyu did not approach her for endorsement, but because he had other important things to do.

But just as the female agent finished speaking, Hanyu Hideki suddenly stopped her and said, "Wait."

As soon as he said this, the expression of the female agent next to him changed immediately.

The worry that was visible to the naked eye was obviously a misunderstanding that he had learned something he shouldn't know and was being threatened and intimidated.

As you can imagine, Hanyu Hideki’s gloomy warning did not come true.

What the female agent was waiting for was a question, "When will Jennifer's shooting end today?"

The female agent quickly replied, "If nothing unexpected happens, the crew will finish all work at 4 pm."

"I understand. You can go now."

Hideki Hanyu waved his hand, signaling the female agent to leave.

The next moment, the female agent fled from the Rolls-Royce.

Seeing this, Hanyu Hideki touched his chin and asked Marco helplessly.

"Marco, am I ugly today?"

Marco turned around, glanced at his boss, shook his head, and then added, "She's just afraid of the boss."

Obviously, Marco saw Hanyu Hideki's doubts.

Hanyu Hideki said in a bored tone, "What are you afraid of me doing? I don't eat humans."

Marco said nothing.

Because he understood that his boss knew the answer but just didn't say it.

Although a person with wealth and power like Hanyu Hideki will not eat people directly, sometimes the harm he causes to ordinary people unintentionally may be more terrible than eating people.

"Well, since Michael Ovitz won't be here for a while, let's get out of the car and look around. I've never been to the Warner studio before."

Just like that, Hideki Hanyu got off the car and wandered around casually.

More than half an hour later, Hideki Hanyu returned to Kathryn Bigelow's crew.

However, he did not go to the set, but entered the makeup car exclusively for the leading actor.

It is called a makeup car, but in fact it is just a luxury RV.

In addition to the makeup area, there is also a kitchen, a small living room, a bedroom for rest, etc.

The air conditioning in the car was very sufficient, and Hideki Hanyu felt a cool breeze as soon as he got in.

The next moment, he saw Michael Ovitz sitting in the RV.

"I'm sorry to have kept Mr. Michael waiting."

"Mr. Hanyu is so polite."

Just as Hideki Hanyu and Michael Ovitz were saying hello, the door of the RV had been closed by Marco, and even the crew members around them were expelled.

This was left for Hideki Hanyu and Michael Ovitz to have the quietest and most private conversation space.

"I wonder why Mr. Hanyu suddenly came to me?"

Hanyu Hideki did not answer, but asked directly, "Are Mr. Michael and Lou Wasserman familiar with each other?"

Michael Ovitz replied, "He is my idol, and of course we have business cooperation."

Hanyu Hideki got straight to the point. “Did you know that Lou Wasserman wanted to sell MCA Universal?”

"you……?"

Michael Ovitz sounded surprised and couldn't control his expression for a moment, but he swallowed the words as soon as he opened his mouth.

"I think, given my position, it shouldn't surprise you to know this."

Hanyu Hideki said this while crossing his legs and smiling as if he realized something.

“So, the reason why Mr. Michael was surprised was not because I knew about this, but because someone you didn’t know told me about it.

This proves that you are not the only middleman for MCA Global to find buyers.”

After Hanyu Hideki finished speaking, Michael Ovitz's expression in front of him gradually calmed down.

But his calm expression does not mean that his heart is calm as well.

Hideki Hanyu was right. After facilitating the acquisition of Sony and Columbia Pictures, Michael Ovitz felt he could continue this kind of "pushing" work.

After all, doing this not only improves his reputation and status in Hollywood, but also brings tangible benefits.

Because in the acquisition of Sony and Columbia Pictures, he alone received a salary of 20 million US dollars.

So when he received a commission from Lew Wasserman, chairman of MCA Universal, through personal connections, he began to secretly look for a new buyer for MCA Universal.

With the Sony experience as a precedent, Michael Ovitz naturally set his sights on Neon Capital, a company with “stupid people and lots of money”.

After several secret trips to Neon, he did help MCA Universal find a potential buyer.

He thought that all this was done in secret and no one knew about it.

But now, Hanyu Hideki's words made him understand that all this was not a secret at all.

Looking at the change in Michael Ovitz's expression, Hideki Hanyu knew that he guessed right.

In fact, Michael Ovitz's actions were very covert. If he had not traveled through time and was familiar with history, he would not have guessed that Michael Ovitz had already taken action after receiving the news from Peter Peterson.

At this time, Michael Ovitz asked, "What does Mr. Hanyu want to do?"

Hanyu Hideki replied, “I want to join this acquisition.”

Michael Ovitz said, "I'm sorry, but I already have a client, and since Mr. Hanyu has received the message, why not let the person who told you the message provide the service?"

"I have my own considerations when doing things. Of course, you can also think that I am not short of money, so I don't mind finding a few more middlemen to help me."

Hanyu Hideki said this, and without waiting for Michael Ovitz to express his opinion, he tapped his forehead with his index finger.

"Let me guess, the buyer that Mr. Michael serves is probably also a Japanese company.

Which one is it?

Matsushita……"

Hideki Hanyu turned to look at Michael Ovitz, and seeing that the other party once again showed a surprised expression as if he had seen a ghost, he immediately laughed.

"It seems I guessed it right."

"Mr. Hanyu, what exactly do you want to do?"

Michael Ovitz asked the question again, but his tone was much more serious than before.

"Didn't I just say that I want Mr. Michael to serve me as well."

But after answering, Hanyu Hideki suddenly shrugged and sighed, "Ah, it seems that I am a bit unreasonable. After all, Mr. Michael is a principled man."

As he said this, he stood up and helped Michael Ovitz open the car door.

At this moment, he still had a youthful smile on his face.

But the words out of his mouth made Michael Ovitz feel cold.

"Since the cooperation fails, we will be competitors next. I hope Mr. Michael will not let me down."

Michael Ovitz did not leave through the open car door.

Instead, he lowered his voice and said, "Mr. Hanyu, I think we can have a good chat."

"Oh……"
-
Four p.m.

Michael Ovitz steps out of the vanity van.

Not far away, Jennifer Connelly's female agent, who had been waiting, quickly came over.

"Mr. Michael..."

Before the female agent finished her words, a thin document appeared in front of her.

That was handed to her by Michael Ovitz.

The female agent took it and took a closer look, and found that it was actually a letter of intent for endorsement.

Roger Vivier, a footwear brand under A-Yi International, has received an invitation to endorse its latest series of women's shoes in America.

Could it be that Hideki Hanyu is really negotiating an endorsement with his boss?

Such a ridiculous idea came to the female agent's mind.

Curiosity drove her to ask, but reason told her to shut up.

Michael Ovitz, who handed over the contract, naturally did not explain, but just said, "Follow up on this contract as soon as possible."

Then he just walked away.

At this time, the crew had just finished a day's filming.

Jennifer Connelly, wearing an LAPD police uniform, and Sherilyn Fenn returned to the makeup van to remove their makeup and go home.

The two had their own RVs, but they were not parked far from each other.

The RV where Hideki Hanyu was talking belonged to Jennifer Connelly.

So when the two of them just approached, the female agent excitedly held out the letter of intent and said to Jennifer Connelly, "Jennifer, you will be the spokesperson for Roger Vivier's women's shoes!"

It's no wonder that the female agent is so excited. As a new high-end shoe brand under A-E International, it would be great if Jennifer Connelly could sign Roger Vivier as its spokesperson.

Monetary gains are secondary; the greatest gain is to use the brand to enhance one's image and commercial value.

Upon hearing this, Jennifer Connelly immediately showed a happy expression and started talking excitedly with the female agent.

However, the two of them did not notice that Sherilyn Fenn, who was listening to their discussion not far away, had an increasingly ugly expression on her face.

At this time, the female agent was already pointing at the dressing room car and reminding, "That gentleman is still in the car."

"I'll go see him right away."

Jennifer Connelly rushed into the car in two or three steps.

Seeing her artist's immature look, the female manager instinctively wanted to step forward and give him some advice, but just as she approached, she heard a strange sound coming from the open car door.

There was also a faint sound of conversation mixed in with the voice.

"I haven't taken my makeup off yet."

"It doesn't matter. What we want is the LAPD uniform."

In an instant, the female agent understood what was happening.

After all, in Hollywood, this kind of thing is not uncommon.

But when the female agent wanted to help close the RV door.

Suddenly a figure rushed past her and went straight into the RV with the door open.

Blonde, fair skin, good figure, also wearing LAPD uniform.

Sherilyn Fenn?
Just as the female agent guessed who it was, the car door was slammed shut from the inside.

Although the car door could be closed, it still couldn't cover up the increasingly complex and strange sounds.

(End of this chapter)