Reborn as a tycoon in Hong Kong

The day after Isabella's birthday, Shirley Lansing and Isabella formed an acquisition team and approached several film companies that Shirley Lansing was looking for.

In today's Hollywood landscape, in addition to the eight major film companies, there are also many second- and third-rate film companies.

Second-rate film companies usually have complete production, promotion, distribution and other departments. As for the most important distribution department, although it cannot cover the entire market that Hollywood radiates, there is still no problem with distribution in the North American market. At the very least, it can also distribute films in the American film market.

Among second-rate film companies, the overall market value of a well-run company can reach tens of millions of dollars. Let’s not talk about whether they are willing to sell the company. Even if they are willing to sell, if there is a premium, they may not be able to afford it for $50 million.

Even if it is a poorly managed second-rate film company, as long as it is not about to go bankrupt and liquidated, considering the size of the company, it will still cost ten to twenty million US dollars to acquire. And if you spend so much money to acquire poorly managed film companies, you can make other choices.

So Shirley Lansing set her sights on third-rate studios.

Third-rate film companies usually do not have a complete company scale, and there are few film companies that have all departments complete. For example, some film companies are only responsible for production, and then send the films to second-rate film companies or the eight major film companies for distribution.

Some film companies only engage in distribution, buying low-cost films for distribution. If the quality is good, they choose to show it in theaters. If they think the film may not be popular, they will directly show it in the video tape market and make money through this operation.

Shirley Lansing chose three film companies, one with complete departments, one with film production, and one with distribution.

Her choice was to integrate several companies and become a second-rate film company. Although it could only be ranked at the bottom of the second-rate film company, the scale of the company had at least increased. In doing so, she doesn't have to spend too much money on acquisitions. Secondly, the important thing is that the company is small and easy to integrate, and it is three companies integrated together. She can better control the company.

If it were a second-rate film company with complete departments and a large number of employees, even if the company changed owners, the original management would remain to avoid turmoil in the company, which would make it more difficult for her to control the company.

How could Shirley Lansing develop a movie company if she spent all her energy fighting for power with management?

Shirley Lansing wanted to acquire three film companies. Although Lin Baicheng said that it would be up to Shirley Lansing to decide, Shirley Lansing still smartly reported to him. Lin Baicheng didn't say anything about this and happily agreed. Shirley Lansing's decision.

Shirley Lansing and Isabella took the acquisition team to several companies and negotiated with the bosses of multiple film companies. The acquisition was to acquire only three film companies, but there were more than three film companies negotiating. It was obvious which one would be negotiated first. Whichever one you choose.

Although the third-rate small film companies are not big, most of them only have a few million dollars, but whether to buy or not can not be decided in a few hours. It is very normal to go through many negotiations.

With so many companies negotiating, Shirley Lansing and Isabella were certainly very busy, going to at least several companies a day for acquisition negotiations.

Five days later, Shirley Lansing and Isabella completed negotiations with three film companies. Lin Baicheng went there separately to sign and pay.

Of these three film companies, the one with the most complete set was the most expensive, spending a total of $11 million. The production company only spent 4 million US dollars. This was because some films existed in the company's film library, otherwise the production team alone would not be worth so much money. Finally, a company specializing in distribution spent US$7 million. This company has more films in its library, and the company has a stable income every year from markets such as video tapes and television broadcasts, which makes this company more valuable.

Shirley Lansing said: "BOSS, the company has now completed the acquisition. I will complete the integration in the shortest possible time and then put the company into operation."

Lin Baicheng nodded when he heard this and said: "I will send additional financial personnel to the company, and then I will transfer the remaining nearly 28 million US dollars to the company's account. Regarding the development of the company, I will mention two points. The company’s distribution scale will increase the number of films in its library, and you can take care of the rest.”

"I won't let you down, Boss."

Shirley Lansing solemnly promised, and then said: "BOSS, do you need to change the name of the company? If you are not prepared to change it, then I am going to use the name of the largest of the three companies."

"Let's call it Star Pictures."

Lin Baicheng said with a smile: "I also have a film company in Xiangjiang, also called Star Pictures, but the two companies will not merge, so it's okay to have the same name."

Shirley Lansing said tactfully: "BOSS, if the company grows in the future, the film will definitely be distributed to Asia. When the company in Hong Kong grows, it will also distribute the film to Hollywood. Come, so I think since there are two companies, it’s better not to use the same name.”

"In that case, let's call it Morning Star Pictures."

Lin Baicheng thought for a while and said, one is called Xingchen and the other is called Morning Star.

Shirley Lansing heard this and no longer objected. Anyway, as long as they were not called by the same name, it was not a big deal if they were somewhat similar.

"Lansing, I have a script now and I need you to find the protagonist for me. This is a family comedy. The protagonist is an 8-year-old boy who is quirky. The actor who plays the protagonist can be between 8 and 11 years old. Just make sure the actors are not too tall."

"I am planning to shoot a trilogy, so when looking for actors, remember to make arrangements in advance and sign relevant contracts."

What Lin Baicheng is planning to film is "Home Alone". This is a low-cost, high-return comedy film. If the film is as good as the original, it can make Lin Baicheng hundreds of millions of dollars. How could Lin Baicheng let it go? In order to maximize profits, he was even willing to shoot a trilogy, which greatly reduced the cost.

Shirley Lansing couldn't help but persuade: "Boss, you can let someone shoot a movie first. After the movie is sure to be profitable, it won't be too late to shoot a sequel."

"As for the investment in the trilogy, I will pay for it separately, and the company will not have to pay for the filming. If the film really makes a profit, I will at most take away the profits and keep the copyright, and your management will not be busy in vain. .”

After all, there may be hundreds of millions of dollars in profits. Lin Baicheng will also finance the filming. Of course, he will not generously stay in the company in terms of profits. After all, 10% of the company's shares were granted to the management as options by him. This is a contract signed. of.

Hearing what Lin Baicheng said, Shirley Lansing couldn't say anything else. As long as the boss pays for the filming of the film, he can do whatever he wants. At most, the company will spend some manpower to help with the operation, which will not have much impact on the company.

Lin Baicheng has watched several films in the "Home Alone" series. He knows very well how important the male protagonist is. A poor choice of actor may ruin the series. Therefore, if he does not find a satisfactory actor, he will never Will take videos.