Hollywood starts with a broker

In Los Angeles, Burbank, Thomas Gray, the general manager of Golden Harvest's American branch, visited Aaron Anderson at Dawnlight Pictures' office.

Due to the popularity of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," Golden Harvest and New Line are already preparing to film the sequel, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze," with the production budget nearly doubling to $25 million.

The release date has been set, and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze" will be released next spring.

At noon, after Aaron had lunch with Jennifer Connelly, they passed by the Warner Bros. Studios and noticed a large number of luxury cars parked nearby, surrounded by reporters!

"What's going on?" Jennifer Connelly, in the passenger seat, asked, puzzled.

"Didn't you see the news?"

Aaron said, stopping the car and getting out.

"Warner Bros. is celebrating reclaiming the studio lot's shares from Columbia. Time Warner's chairman and co-CEO, Steve Ross, is spending $3 million to have Steven Spielberg plan a grand ball!"

"They've invited 300 to 400 top celebrities to a banquet at the Warner Bros. studio lot—luxurious, exquisite, and eccentric!"

Aaron leaned against the car. Because Al Pacino drove this Lotus sports car in the movie "Pretty Woman," Lotus sales have surged.

"I see. It's quite a scene!"

Jennifer Connelly glanced over; it seemed to be big shots from all walks of life.

Aaron hugged Jennifer Connelly, kissed her on the cheek, and smiled, "Hollywood develops very quickly. Newcomers always replace the old. The era of people like Steve Ross and Lew Wasserman is coming to an end!"

Clearly, Time Inc. merged with Warner Communications, but Warner Communications' Steve Ross defeated Time Inc.'s N.J. Nicholas in the power struggle to become chairman, wielding the greatest power.

Gerald Levin, the former president of Time Inc., also defected to Steve Ross, becoming Ross's confidant and the group's vice chairman.

Gerald Levin had been managing HBO, Time Inc.'s most profitable business, making him undeniably important!

Now, Steve Ross is ill, and his health is not what it used to be.

And Panasonic is acquiring MCA Group, the parent company of Universal, which Lew Wasserman manages!

Aaron truly understands why Liu Bang exclaimed, "A real man should be like this!" when he saw the grand spectacle of the First Emperor's tour.

"Let's go!" Jennifer Connelly reminded him with a smile.

"Yeah."

Aaron Anderson was accompanying Jennifer Connelly to ICM to sign an agency contract.

ICM is not weak now, holding stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mel Gibson, and Eddie Murphy.

ICM was originally a subsidiary of the publicly traded Josephson International, formed by the merger of CMA (Creative Management Associates) and IFA (International Famous Agency), but Marvin Josephson and several senior partners privatized it the year before last.

Marvin Josephson is the major shareholder, but he is not in the agency business. The current president of ICM is senior partner Jeffrey Berg.

However, Marvin Josephson's daughter, Nancy Josephson, works at ICM as an agent.

Nancy Josephson at ICM specially invited Aaron Anderson to her office after suddenly noticing him accompanying Jennifer Connelly.

"Mr. Anderson, hello, I'm Nancy Josephson!"

"Hello," Aaron said. Hearing her last name, he more or less guessed her identity.

"Just call me Aaron. Can I call you Nancy?"

"Of course," Nancy Josephson smiled.

"Connelly is actually a good actress, but she lacks some acting experience."

Aaron took a sip of coffee. "Her acting is still relatively immature, which is why I previously suggested she continue her studies at school."

"If she becomes a sexy vase, a typecast actress, her path will narrow in the future!"

Nancy Josephson was a little puzzled. "So, you're very optimistic about 'The Rocketeer,' Aaron?"

Aaron looked at Nancy Josephson. "Given Connelly's current situation, if she turns down a script like 'The Rocketeer,' she probably won't get any roles for the next few years, until she graduates."

Saying that, Aaron spread his hands. "Clearly, Connelly doesn't plan to play roles only after graduation!"

Nancy Josephson shook her head. "You're too modest, Aaron. The success of 'Sex, Lies, and Videotape' and 'Phone Booth' is enough to prove your vision."

"Moreover, 'Wild at Heart,' which is currently being screened at Cannes, is receiving high praise. The female lead, Nicole Kidman, will also participate in your new movie, 'Ghost'."

How could Nancy Josephson, a former entertainment lawyer, not understand Aaron's relationship with her?

"'Pretty Woman' has already grossed $120 million in North America. Julia Roberts can be said to have become famous overnight."

"For this, we really have to thank you!"

If Aaron hadn't directly provoked the conflict between "Pretty Woman" and "Dick Tracy" at CAA last year, would Julia Roberts have joined ICM with her agent?

"Thank me? That's not necessary. Julia Roberts' own conditions are not bad, and she knows how to seize opportunities."

"It's normal to become a hit with a project like 'Pretty Woman'!"

Aaron looked at her. "You invited me into the office for more than just these things, right?"

Nancy Josephson smiled. "Of course not. After you left CAA, the first movie you produced, 'Phone Booth,' achieved commercial success."

"Now you're preparing for your second work, but in that case, you won't have many works each year. You know, ICM also has bundled projects every year. Don't you think we can cooperate?"

"Dawnlight Pictures' projects can be handed over to ICM to help operate. We'll find distributors and investors for you, and we'll never interfere in the production field!"

Aaron found it a little funny. "If you don't interfere in the production field, but you want to use ICM's directors and actors..."

"Is that what you mean?"

Nancy Josephson shrugged. "ICM also has to get its rewards. In addition to your own projects, you can also develop ICM's internal projects that you're optimistic about. We'll also support you!"

Aaron shook his head. "I don't really like bundled projects. Movies need the right people."

"Besides, I think Dawnlight's projects are attractive to film companies. There's no need to add another link in the middle."

"We can just maintain cooperation on actors."

"Well, you can consider it first," Nancy Josephson didn't expect to convince the other party all at once.

After all, producers are not like directors and actors. Many producers don't join agency companies, but only maintain a certain cooperative relationship.