Hollywood starts with an agent

Chapter 630 Tenfold Fee
A week into 2000, Time Warner CEO Gerald Levine and AOL CEO Steve Case jointly announced that AOL would acquire Time Warner for $1640 billion.
AOL and Time Warner announced a stock-swap merger, making this over $2500 billion deal the largest corporate merger in the world to date.

Afterwards, it will operate under the name AOL Time Warner!

On the day the news was announced, AOL's stock price rose by more than 15%, and Time Warner's stock price rose by more than 20%.

Both AOL and Time Warner are very optimistic about this collaboration!

Time Warner Chairman and CEO Gerald Levine called it a "perfect match";
AOL Chairman Steve Case stated that this will contribute to the arrival of the "digital age".

Ted Turner, vice chairman of Time Warner and founder of CNN, excitedly exclaimed: "Today feels just like when I first had sex with a woman more than 60 years ago!"

At the First State World Center in Los Angeles, Aaron and Sandy Weill, a representative of Citibank, signed a share swap agreement;
Aaron's SkySea Fund exchanged 4.8% of AOL's shares for Citigroup's 3% stake in ExxonMobil.

AOL currently has a market capitalization of over $1700 billion, while ExxonMobil has a market capitalization of over $2700 billion. Based on their current stock prices, they are roughly the same.

However, AOL's tech stocks were strong, while ExxonMobil's oil stocks remained stable!
"Aaron, are you also worried about the tech stock bubble?"

Sandy Weir was originally the chairman and CEO of Travelers Group. After Travelers Group merged with Citibank, he had just taken over as CEO of Citibank after internal power struggles.
AOL had just merged with Time Warner and was riding high when Aaron Anderson wanted to sell his shares. This was an opportunity.

Aaron smiled. "After all, I've earned enough and don't want to take any more risks!"

Sandy Weir shook his head with a hint of regret and sighed, "Westinghouse Electric is really lucky. Dawn's 10% stake in AOL is incredible."

Aaron smiled without saying a word. Edgar Irving was in Japan negotiating with SoftBank about Yahoo's shares and had even advised him not to invest in traditional companies yet.
Even if you're not optimistic about tech stocks, you can leave cash in your Tianhai Fund account and see how the investment situation develops before making a decision.

Aaron listened to the advice, but ExxonMobil had just successfully merged, and now was a good opportunity not to be missed. He should just convert the remaining Yahoo stock into cash.
Aaron also believes that companies like Walmart and Coca-Cola should wait and see, as the impact of the Nasdaq crash will definitely not be limited to the internet industry!
That evening, at the Charlie Hotel in West Hollywood, a Hollywood-style party was being held, and Aaron and director Robert Zemeckis were discussing Cast Away.
Because Tom Hanks' character underwent a significant change in the series, filming of "Cast Away" was suspended last year, and director Robert Zemeckis led his team to film "Under the Lies".

"Tom's appearance now meets the requirements for our show, and filming of 'Cast Away' will continue."

"We anticipate that it will take another 12 to 14 weeks of filming!"

Robert Zemeckis spent most of last year working on "Under the Lies," starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer;
Now that the project for "Under the Lies" is complete and just waiting for its summer release, he can return to the project for "Cast Away".

Aaron smiled and said, "Tom Hanks gained and lost weight for this movie, and the filming conditions on the desert island weren't great either. He really had a tough time!"

Robert Zemeckis chuckled and took a sip of his drink. "Tom, he never disappoints."

"Oh, Tom's here."

Tom Hanks walked towards the two of them, holding a wine glass.

After the three greeted each other, Tom Hanks suddenly asked Aaron about the TV series.

"Oh, Tom, what brings you to suddenly be interested in TV dramas?" Aaron was intrigued; he knew that Tom Hanks had set up his own production company.

Tom Hanks smiled and said, "This is a novel called Band of Brothers that I received from a World War II veteran last year when I was promoting Saving Private Ryan!"

The story of Band of Brothers is based on Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army during World War II.

Lester Hashey was the youngest soldier in Easy Company, 506th Regiment. He told writer Stephen Ambrose about his unforgettable experiences fighting alongside his comrades in World War II, and Stephen Ambrose turned these stories into the novel "Band of Brothers".

The U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division is known as the Army's "all-around division" because of its comprehensive combat capabilities and its important role in rapid deployment and emergency operations.
Aaron understood. "You mean, you want to adapt the 'Band of Brothers' novels?"

"Yes, I showed the novel to director Steven Spielberg, and he was very interested, so DreamWorks will also be involved."

"But director Spielberg wants to make a high-quality series with a high degree of realism!"

When Tom Hanks says something is well-made, he means it requires a very high production cost.

"Steven Spielberg, the WWII war drama 'Band of Brothers' based on a true story?"

Aaron smiled. "From what you're saying, this is going to be a TV series made to movie standards!"

Tom Hanks nodded. "Aaron, are you interested in Dawn's television station?"

Aaron took a sip of his drink. "Starz focuses on high-quality dramas. Since you and Steven Spielberg are both interested, and you even want to be the producer of the series yourself..."

"DreamWorks will definitely be involved in the investment, right? Approximately what budget do you need?"

Tom Hanks shrugged, "Band of Brothers had a budget of over $1 million, with about 10 episodes, each costing over $1000 million."

"DreamWorks and I combined can only cover half of the filming budget!"

"Hiss," Aaron also gasped. No wonder even Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg had to go to great lengths to attract investment for their collaboration.
Each episode cost over $1000 million. Keep in mind that nowadays, a show that costs $80 per episode is considered a high-quality production.

The production costs of "Band of Brothers," created by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, have increased by more than tenfold compared to the current production costs per episode!

However, in its previous life, Band of Brothers was the last project HBO invested in, and Band of Brothers' ratings brought HBO both fame and fortune.

Starz's previous series, The Sopranos, attracted many subscribers, so Band of Brothers certainly wouldn't miss out.

"Don't worry, I'll have Starz TV contact you..."

(End of this chapter)