America gains both fame and fortune

Chapter 350 Painting Cake
In the office, Thomas looked straight at WMA's top boss Ari Emmanuel, having the illusion that they were on equal terms.

He immediately corrected his thoughts, this was not an illusion!

Thomas knew very well that he was not alone now, but represented Martin.

With Martin's current momentum, they would be VIP guests in any agency they go to.

Ali asked, "What do you want, Martin? Just say it."

Thomas touched his bald forehead and said politely, "Isn't it a bit too conservative for the company to promote Martin to a second-level customer?"

Ali reminded: "Martin has not even completed his first three-year contract when he joined WMA. Above him are only first-tier clients and super giants. There is no limit to people's demands and desires."

Thomas disagreed: "But Martin deserves better treatment in the company. Of all the actors born in the 1980s in Hollywood, he is the only one who can really carry the box office alone!"

Ali is still thinking carefully, weighing the pros and cons.

Thomas reminded: "This year is the last year of Martin's three-year agency contract."

The longest contract with a client is three years. This clause of the Entertainment Act makes the agency hate it, but they can do nothing about it. Ali can't change this reality either, so he said, "I want you to ensure that Martin continues to sign with WMA."

Martin has an excellent image, not only in terms of actor pay, but also in other commercial aspects.

Ali glanced at Thomas and held back some of the words.

He could tell that Thomas was more on Martin's side than on WMA's.

Clients are the foundation of a broker, and Thomas sees this very clearly.

If he misses a client like Martin, he may never meet another one in his life.

"I can guarantee that." Thomas said this, feeling uneasy. After seeking benefits for his clients, he also had to consider his own interests. He said, "My treatment in the company..."

Ali had already made a plan: "You move up from the mixed office downstairs and choose a senior broker's office. All your benefits will be upgraded to that of a senior broker."

Thomas turned his head and his figure was vaguely reflected in the glass curtain wall. The hair on his head was getting thinner and thinner.

He asked for more than that, and asked tentatively: "Where is the partner?"

Ali frowned slightly and said, "It's too early to mention partnership now. Martin is not a superstar yet, and you don't have two first-tier clients, so you have to wait a while."

After saying the polite refusal, he made another promise: "Martin, as long as you become a superstar, the company will invite you to become a partner without you having to take the initiative to ask."

Thomas didn't expect to become a partner overnight, but he wanted to give the company a warning.

If employees are not proactive in improving their salaries, can they expect the company to be proactive?

Thomas added: "I will help Martin renew his contract with the company."

Ali nodded and said, "All the company's project resources are open to Martin. You can take him to the resource management room later."

Thomas responded, said goodbye and left the office. He saw Martin making a phone call not far away and waited for a while.

After Martin finished the call, he came back and asked, "Did the talk go well?"

"I'm a senior broker now." Thomas walked forward, pointed to the real independent office on this floor, and said, "I can move up tomorrow."

Martin said: "Congratulations."

Thomas was full of energy. His bald forehead gave him confidence and the charm of money. "Congratulations, you are now a first-level customer of the company. If you move up, you will receive super high treatment."

He took the initiative to state his position: "If you renew your contract with the company at the end of this year, I will secure a 5% agency commission for you."

Martin also expressed an attitude: "We are the best partners."

Thomas asked, "No other urgent matters to attend to today?"

"No." Martin asked, "What's the good news?"

Thomas led the way: "First-level customers have the right to view all current projects and roles collected by WMA."

A few minutes later, the two went down to the first floor and came to a meeting room.

Thomas exchanged a few words with someone, and the eight assistants in the mail room immediately got busy.

Martin sat on the sofa and watched these people busy.

Someone turned on his laptop and connected it to the projector in the conference room.

Someone held the script sent by the production company and placed it on the conference table.

Someone else also compiled a plan and related instructions to go with the script so that Martin could check it at any time.

Everyone is serving Martin, as if Martin is their God.

All Thomas had to do was stay with Martin and wait.

Martin whispered, "Three years ago, when we checked the company's scripts, we couldn't see some of them at all. The ones we could see were the ones that others had picked out, and we had to print and copy them ourselves."

Thomas also thought about the three-year period: "I was working in the lobby. I didn't even have an office."

Martin encouraged: "Next, we must strive to stand at the highest point in the circle."

Thomas was full of energy: "I will." Soon, an assistant came over and asked, "Mr. Davis, shall we start now?"

Martin nodded: "Let's get started."

Another assistant turned on his laptop and a projector beamed images onto the screen, which was a summary of all the project catalogs and roles WMA had recently received.

Within WMA, there is a dedicated person in the mailroom who is responsible for follow-up and will promptly update the latest information of each project or role.

For example, once a director is confirmed for a project, WMA’s database must be updated with relevant information on the same day.

Martin saw many names or code names of film projects, some of which he remembered.

"The first ranking is recorded, the third one." Martin said directly: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, give the relevant information to Thomas."

A female assistant immediately took the relevant information and handed it to Thomas.

Martin continued reading and saw some memorable titles such as "Justifiable Murder", "Midnight in Barcelona" and Roland Emmerich's "1 BC".

There is also "Summer of Jeans 2".

Thomas also saw it and said, "I was playing golf with Barry Meyer and Alan Horn the other day. Alan Horn invited you to star in the sequel to Summer of Jeans, but I turned it down."

Martin said directly: "Such youth idol movies and shitty and fart comedies are rejected."

With his current status, filming these things would lower his status.

Thomas thought for a moment and then said, "Alan Horn also mentioned a big project with an investment of more than 1.8 million US dollars. It's not Batman, but he didn't say the details. He just said that he would talk to you after the script is finalized."

Martin said, "I'll tell you after I read the script."

Thomas knew that he had no say in the selection of projects and roles, so he said no more.

Martin's eyes fell on "1 Years BC". If he remembered correctly, it was another rip-off.

I remember someone said in my previous life that Roland Emmerich's departure from disaster films was a disaster in itself.

After reading all the catalogs and carefully reading the synopsis, Martin did not discover anything new except "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".

Martin asked Thomas to collect the relevant information and asked, "Is that all?"

"That's all for now." Thomas explained simply, "This is part of the projects that are currently recruiting actors. Some companies and projects may not plan to cooperate with WMA, or the main actors may have been decided, and the public audition is just a formality. Some companies directly invite relevant actors to audition, but do not recruit publicly, so they will not be included in our database."

He said: "There are nearly a thousand projects planned in the industry every year, but less than 20% to 30% can enter the WMA database."

Martin nodded: "Let's go."

Afterwards, the two went to Thomas' office to study "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".

It is adapted from the novel of the same name. The director is confirmed to be David Fincher, and it is co-produced by Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures. The expected investment will not be less than 6000 million US dollars.

Martin has seen all of David Fincher's films and remembers that the male and female protagonists of this film were Pitt and Blanchett.

Now, Pete doesn't have to think about it.

How was the film's box office? Martin didn't remember, but he knew it was very famous, and even one of Fincher and Pitt's masterpieces.

Thomas reminded: "Finch's new film, Zodiac Killer, is said to have received average response from internal screenings and will be released in March."

Martin said: "You contact the crew and initially express your desire to cooperate."

Thomas asked, "What about the pay?"

Martin thought for a moment and said, "Do it normally."

With the box office success of "Limitless," it's normal for Martin to ask for around $1300 million.

It's not just an art film, and Thomas is too lazy to negotiate with them if the salary is less than $1200 million. If someone asks for the price, the opening price he sets for Martin is $1500 million.

For new commercial endorsements, the standard is $1000 million.

The box office success of "Limitless" opened Hollywood's eyes to a new film production model, and many producers began to study how to bring the audience more deeply into the characters.

The original author Alan Green resigned from Empire magazine and became a full-time writer and screenwriter. The Hollywood producers who came to contact him almost swarmed the doorstep of his house.

Alan Green's novel "Winterland" that he is currently writing has also become the focus of competition among major production companies.

Successful people will never lack pursuers.

At the same time, "Limitless" spent its third weekend in North American theaters. Despite the impact of Super Bowl weekend, the film still maintained a steady trend, earning another $1758 million in North America, bringing the total North American box office to $1.12 million.

Another film starring Martin has grossed over 100 million in North America!
Overseas screenings are still expanding, and the film's global box office has already exceeded $2 million.

Many Hollywood production companies and projects have turned their attention to Martin.

Warner Bros. has made a ton of money over the years from films starring Martin, so other companies certainly want to get in on the action.

For capital, stars who can bring high negotiated returns are the most worth pursuing. As long as the profits are high enough, they will not hesitate to offer high pay.

After Thomas contacted the crew of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", Alan Horn led people to find Martin.

(End of this chapter)