Hollywood starts with an agent

Chapter 438 Goddess of Art Films

“Interesting. Michael Ovitz has really taken a big hit this time,” Aaron said, sitting on the sofa in his Malibu seaside villa, flipping through the newspaper in his hand.
The screen above displays news of Michael Ovitz leaving Disney, along with a statement from Michael Eisner;
"I will miss Michael's incredible energy, immense creativity, and outstanding leadership at Disney. We worked together, we were friends for many years, and our relationship in life and work will continue to grow."

Michael Ovitz joined Disney, and although he received a considerable severance package from Disney, it was a significant blow to his career!
All I can say is that Michael Eisner's lust for power is indeed quite strong.

Michael Ovitz certainly has the ability, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to develop CAA into Hollywood's number one talent agency.

"What are you looking at?" Cate Blanchett came over and sat in Aaron's lap.

"Just some Hollywood news," Aaron said, putting down the newspaper and kissing the woman in his arms.
"How's it going, filming over there?"

Cate Blanchett smiled and said, "I only had a supporting role in 'Road to Heaven,' but I learned a lot from the lead actress, Glenn Close, and other actors on set."

"I also traveled to the United States on the same plane as Glenn Close."

Glenn Close, a veteran American actress, also played a role in "Airplane One" this year;
Glenn Close plays the lead role in the upcoming live-action Disney animated film "101 Dalmatians," which will be released at the end of the month. Her return to the United States is likely to promote the film.

“These veteran actors with a theatrical background certainly have a lot to teach us.” For actors, drama is a great way to hone their basic skills, whether it’s lines, expressions, or movements.

Cate Blanchett graduated from drama school and then performed at the Sydney Opera House, following the path of art-house films!
Aaron moved closer to the woman's neck and began to caress her thigh. "New Moon Pictures has a new film to release. We can recommend you to join them for training. You should also consider commercial films in the future."

Cate Blanchett squinted, snuggled against Aaron, and chuckled, "My agent got me another script; it's a British-Australian co-production."

"Fox Searchlight Pictures financed the film, based on the 1988 Booker Prize-winning novel by Australian novelist Peter Carey."

"It's called 'Oscar and Lucinda,' and the male lead is British actor Ralph Fiennes. I guess I'll be joining the cast soon!"

With Fox Searchlight Pictures investing in it, it's definitely going to be an art film. Ralph Fiennes has another film, "The English Patient," coming out next month.

The preview screening organized by New Moon Pictures was a great success, after all, it was Dawn's representative work for award ceremonies.

"Alright, you should get some rest these next few days."

"Los Angeles is also great, enjoy a few days of the West Coast charm!"

Aaron hugged Cate Blanchett and kissed her. He had to go to the company; with such a big incident at Disney, things certainly wouldn't be so calm in Hollywood...

Michael Eisner's firing of Michael Ovitz, who had only been with the company for a little over a year, was not only incomprehensible to many outsiders, but also to many members of Disney itself.

The president of Disney is not someone you can just fire on a whim; the severance package would be a huge problem.
If Disney wants Michael Ovitz to leave, the price they'll have to pay will certainly be substantial!
Glendale, DreamWorks headquarters.

Inside the office, two bald men sat facing each other, sipping champagne; they were none other than the two founders, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen. "Heh, see? Michael Eisner won't allow anyone at Disney to challenge his position."

"Michael Ovitz being dropped is not surprising at all."

Jeffrey Katzenberg is more than happy to see Disney make a fool of itself; bad news for Disney is good news for him.

David Geffen chuckled. "Right now, your settlement case with Disney is ongoing. Michael Eisner fired Michael Ovitz, but it didn't specify how much Disney would have to pay."

"Now that the two sides have fallen out, Michael Ovitz will not easily admit defeat, and Disney will definitely have to spend a lot of money this time."

Next, we'll see how the two sides clash.

After all, Michael Ovitz's release clause is a big problem.

There has been much speculation in the media about Michael Ovitz's release clause, with cash and stock totaling hundreds of millions of dollars!
Jeffrey Katzenberg shrugged. "These aren't enough to shake Michael Eisner's position."

"Euro Disneyland Paris was losing money, but Michael Eisner sold off a significant portion of its shares and relieved the parent company of a large amount of debt. Last year, Euro Disneyland's financial statements showed a profit."

"Even with this incident, it will only diminish Michael Eisner's prestige at Disney, but will not shake his position at Disney!"

The reason is simple: Michael Eisner led Disney for more than a decade, and the successful operation of Disneyland in California and Disneyland in Florida made the Disney brand deeply rooted in people's hearts, and the stock price increased so many times.
This kind of mistake can't defeat him; at most, it can only annoy Michael Eisner.

In particular, Michael Eisner wields such concentrated power on the Disney board of directors, and major shareholder Sid Bass unconditionally supports him!

David Geffen thought for a moment, "Knowing him as I do, Michael Eisner will definitely get President Michael Ovitz's departure sorted out as quickly as possible."

"Furthermore, I don't think Michael Eisner will appoint any more presidents in the future;"

“He has no desire to decentralize power unless another puppet like Frank Wells comes along, completely subservient to him.”

Of course, most importantly, Michael Eisner himself needs to be convinced that the new president will not pose a threat to his position or affect his rights at Disney!
Jeffrey Katzenberg laughed, "Disney's crisis will only get worse. In the film industry, there's a giant like Dawn, and they have absolutely no advantage in the competition."

"In terms of television, ABC's highest-rated series this year is still 'Little Men in Politic,' produced by our DreamWorks."

In the film industry, Hollywood has now widened the gap thanks to Dawn!

(End of this chapter)