America gains both fame and fortune

Chapter 51 Business is Business

Before ten o'clock, Kate Winslet left. Martin made three glasses of sweet and sour refreshing mojitos and was ready to leave after drinking them.

Kelly's words caught his attention: "Benjamin, the director who has been working with the company for many years, just gave me a script. He wants to make a theatrical movie."

She opened the bag she brought, took out a script, and handed it to Louise: "You are experienced, help me take a look."

Martin was very curious, but didn't go over for the time being. The script involved commercial secrets, so he had to be careful.

Louise only flipped through the first dozen pages and said, "You can find a lot of them in the script library of any Hollywood film company. You've been in Hollywood before. For B-grade films like this, the quality of the film has little to do with the script."

She said bluntly: "Zombies and vampires are the most cliché B-movie themes. The only new thing is that the vampire dancers have been replaced by vampire dancers."

Kelly suddenly turned to look at Martin: "Actually, the original idea came from Martin. He played a dead body and joked with me about letting the female supporting role pick up the body. I casually mentioned it to Benjamin, and Benjamin wrote this script based on Martin's real experience of working in a gigolo club."

At this point, Martin had enough reason to interrupt: "Kelly, shouldn't you give me a red envelope and some copyright fees?"

Louise was a little surprised: "You are really multi-talented. You have also been a male dancer?"

Martin corrected: "The first bartender at the Gigolo Club." He then said to Kelly: "Did you tailor the script for me? I am so touched. How can I thank you?"

Louise suddenly said, "Penicillin can cure everything, thank you for everything."

Kelly didn't understand at all: "What do you mean? Penicillin? What did you do that you dare not tell me?"

Martin and Louise smiled at each other and said nothing.

"You two bastards!" Kelly cursed with a smile, and then said, "To make this script work, it will cost at least $100 million. The cost the director mentioned is a discount. Once filming starts, who knows how much more will be needed."

Louise understood her friend a little: "Gray Company can't even come up with $100 million, right?"

Kelly said, "I plan to buy those GM factories and convert them into studios for rent. Given the current situation in the auto industry, GM cannot possibly start the ATL production center. The factory area is near a large cemetery, and the land is not very valuable."

Being promoted to vice president gave Kelly confidence: "The preferential film and television policies introduced by Georgia can attract your crew, and it will also attract other crews in the future. Atlanta does not have a professional filming base. I am communicating with the city hall and the state government through the Freedom Association, and by the way, I want a subsidy for the construction of a film and television base."

Louise agreed: "You are right. Many Hollywood companies are attracted by Georgia's tax breaks. Gray Company can provide supporting services and they are happy to cooperate. Kelly, you are a rookie in making movies, but I am not as good as you in doing business."

Kelly picked up the script and said, "If my funding chain goes wrong, not only will my plan be severely affected, but the company may even go bankrupt."

Martin looked at Kelly. This woman was no naive person. The reason he could grab her and climb up was because she saw her value as a gun.

Kelly held the wine glass and leaned on Louise: "In Hollywood, please spread the news for me."

Louise, the female pervert, pinched Kelly's chin and looked at the mirror opposite: "If I don't help you, who else can I help? We are now people in the same mirror."

Martin spread his hands: "Please use civilized language."

Kelly smiled. From the moment she tasted that cup of paper airplane, she was going to treat Martin as a gun.

This gun works beyond imagination.

Martin guessed this, too, but he got what he wanted.

At present, it seems that no one is losing out in this three-party transaction.

Louise saw Kelly put away the script: "Are you really giving up?"

Kelly replied: "Unless there is sufficient funding."

Louise said to Martin, "Macho man, you can't even fix the kettle, come up with a solution for Kelly."

Martin asked back: "I came up with it, do you dare to use it?"

"Go ahead." Kelly didn't expect anything from him and just took it as a joke.

Martin wasn't kidding: "Kelly, you are... let me think about it, yes, you are Wendi Deng, Murdoch's wife Wendi Deng, and you call those people who want to be famous, saying that there is a movie project that needs a male lead, and you happened to see his performance and praised him as a genius, and you want to participate and quickly send money."

Kelly frowned: "Such a low-level scam?"

Martin shrugged, "You can't expect me to do financial scams. I've never been involved in any of them, you two beauties. I'm just a nobody."

Louise said instead: "It is possible to succeed, but you must pretend to be a heavyweight."

"If the scam is successful, the FBI will come to my door soon." Kelly could imagine the consequences: "Whether it is Wendi Deng or Kathleen Kennedy, the other party will definitely put pressure on the FBI, and then I will be finished."

She casually said, "I'd rather learn from Hollywood and cooperate with money launderers." Louise couldn't help laughing, "Can you handle it?"

Kelly was confident: "I couldn't handle it before, but after the kettle, if it doesn't involve any powerful people in Atlanta, I can handle it."

Even in the new century, money laundering and shady dealings are still the norm in this industry, and Kelly and Louise don't take them seriously.

Martin poured himself another glass of wine, sat in the chair and sipped it slowly.

After a while, he asked Kelly, "Can I see the script?"

Kelly handed it to him and said, "Don't think too much. This is not tailor-made for you. Our friendship is friendship and business is business. I can still consider it if it is less than 50 US dollars."

"I'm just taking a look." Martin continued flipping through the script.

It's a standard cheesy B-movie plot, with a vampire dancer using his good looks to seduce women, sucking their blood for food and offering it to the evil god. The elder sister, in order to avenge her sister, is willing to sacrifice her looks, and after finding out what's going on, she leads a group of busty female hunters into a huge fight at the dancers' club.

The characters with the most important roles are the heroine and the leader of the vampire dancers.

Martin has worked with many film crews, and based on a rough estimate from the script, he believes that it would be difficult to get just $50 for the costumes, makeup, props and action stunts.

…………

West Street, black bar.

In the large private room on the second floor, Lin En was lying on the sofa, feeling dizzy and disoriented.

Adam Smith and Ward saw the dozen pages of script copies he brought.

Ward said: "This vampire dancer is tailor-made for you."

Adam Smith closed the script and picked up the information next to him: "Martin Davis has been to the Gigolo Club. Lynn just mentioned it. Benjamin used Martin as the prototype for the script."

He was extremely tempted: "The leading actor in a theater movie!"

The relevant information Ward inquired about included all kinds of public information about Martin, such as living in the Clayton community, working part-time as an extra at the age of sixteen, working as a maintenance worker, owing loan sharks, working as a bartender in the Beast House, and joining the ATL Freedom Club by chance.

The door of the private room was opened from the outside, and the owner Boyet and the Latin assistant Diego came in together.

"How's it going, Adam?" Boyet reached into his crotch out of habit: "Is the new stuff I gave you strong enough?"

Adam pointed at Lynn and said, "They are all good stuff. Look at him. He is enjoying it."

Boyet sat next to Adam: "I heard from Ward that you are having some troubles?"

Adam pointed to the information with his eyes: "A jerk named Martin Davis is trying to take my job."

"Where have I heard this damn name before?" Boyet couldn't remember it and said, "You can't lose your job. You can help me get in touch with those damn middle and upper class people and sell the goods at a high price!"

At this point, he suddenly remembered: "Is the bartender at the Beast House across the street called Martin Davis?"

Adam said, "Martin the Bastard does work part-time across the street."

Boyet stood up and pulled out a gun from his pants: "I'm going to kill him! There's news that the Beast House robbed customers, it was all this bastard's idea!"

Diego quickly reached out and grabbed Boyet: "No, don't!"

Boyet said: "He's just a poor kid from the slums!"

Diego grabbed the gun and handed the information to Boyet. Boyet looked down and was dazzled by the long paragraph of text: "I can't understand it."

"Martin Davis is an official social investigator of the ATL Freedom Club and has received a special honorary certificate from the Freedom Club." Diego has a clearer understanding of the social situation: "The Freedom Club is making such a fuss now. If they really want to get rid of Martin Davis, will they ignore it?"

Boyet was impulsive, but his head was not dizzy: "We are black, no, you are not, you are not either."

He tapped Adam's forehead gently: "Dude, make sure you don't have that damn job and let me see that you are worthless."

After Diego and Poyet left, Adam Smith and Ward looked gloomy.

The two discussed for a while, and Adam Smith suddenly remembered the entertainment news he read at the beginning of the year: "Robert Downey Jr. was released from prison last year."

(End of this chapter)