America: My Time

Chapter 53 Fashion Paradise
Chapter 53 Fashion Paradise
After concluding his trip to England, John went to Bordeaux, France, to spend a few days with his grandparents before setting off for Greater Paris for a new research trip. This time, his focus was on luxury goods. Greater Paris is a fashion paradise, boasting a wealth of luxury brands, offering everything from clothing to cosmetics!

Now that Legendary Entertainment has its own television station, such a promotional platform cannot be wasted. Luxury brands have naturally become its acquisition targets, and now is the best time to enter the market.

The entertainment industry is the easiest way to boost sales of clothing and cosmetics. John doesn't want his burgeoning Legendary Entertainment to benefit other brands; it's essential to establish a presence with these top luxury brands in advance. When the bubble economy arrives, Japan will be a paradise for luxury goods sales, and he can't miss this opportunity!

Television, movies, and celebrities are all driving forces behind clothing sales. Legendary Entertainment is gradually gaining control of this power, so how could the boss not plan ahead? This is also part of the Neon Plan, and I am pushing it step by step. Now it's about deepening our presence in the luxury goods sector!

Greater Paris is the mecca of the fashion world. To break into the fashion industry, John needs to build up his team, acquire resources, and sign well-known models to promote his fashion brand.

While conducting his research, John didn't forget his great business of plagiarism. He kept copying down the songs he knew and submitting them to his copyright company for registration. The record industry was booming, so he couldn't give up the copying business. How could he create a powerful record company and quickly make his artists famous without high-quality songs?

Record companies in this era earned a considerable income, far exceeding that of the film industry. Top European and American albums sold millions, or even tens of millions of copies—an astonishing figure. This demonstrates just how enormous the profits of record companies were, which explains their booming success in the 80s. Everything was driven by profit.

John didn't interfere with Legendary Records' development; that was Iger's business, not his. He only needed to understand Legendary's current situation in Europe. His focus now was on luxury brands and preparing for acquisitions!

Once you have the funds, you can immediately launch acquisitions, secure your targets, quickly build your own luxury goods group, and establish a firm foothold in the apparel and cosmetics industry!
Although Legendary Pictures has always been under pressure from Warner Bros., this pressure has gradually eased as Legendary Entertainment has continued to grow. Moreover, with the explosion of the gaming world, the pressure has now shifted from Legendary Entertainment to Warner Bros. itself.

Warner Bros. is now grappling with the Atari issue. If they can't resolve it, Warner Bros. will suffer huge losses, having invested heavily in research and development only to suffer a crushing defeat. Steve Ross is no longer focused on how to suppress Legendary Entertainment; instead, he's preoccupied with resolving his own crisis and explaining everything to the board.

"Uncle, you should give up your unrealistic ideals and help me establish a branch of the European elite agency!"

"John, that's impossible. I will not give up on my ideals, at least not now!"

“Uncle, what can I say to you? What’s so great about pursuing art? You should be thinking about your future. Overly pursuing art will only lead you into financial crisis. Look at European films these days; they’ve lost the ability to compete with Hollywood because of their excessive pursuit of so-called art. Commercial success is the key. Even if you don’t help me, you should think about your future. If you really want to pursue art, you can switch to photography. I remember you’re quite good at photography.” John still hadn’t given up, trying to persuade his uncle to give up his artistic career as a painter.

"Don't try anything with me, kid. You should use this time to think about how to deal with the pressure from Warner. Your Legendary Entertainment isn't having an easy time either!"

“Uncle, your information is outdated. Warner doesn’t have the energy to fight me right now. That bastard Steve Ross is having a headache over Atari. Faced with the impact of the game world, Atari is on the verge of collapse. Our war has only just begun, and the best is yet to come.”

"John, don't be too careless. You're facing Hollywood giants and record giants. Legendary Entertainment's power is still limited!"

“I know, but so what? Legendary Entertainment isn’t without the ability to fight back. Perhaps Legendary Entertainment’s influence in Europe isn’t enough, but in North America and Asia, I don’t care about Warner’s threat at all.”

Legendary Entertainment is indeed unfazed by Warner's threats. In the US, with Morgan Stanley backing them up, Warner wouldn't dare retaliate. Before a Wall Street giant like Morgan Stanley, it's merely an ant. With media power at its disposal, Legendary Entertainment is unafraid of Warner's threats. In Asia, with Phoenix Media's support, they are equally unafraid of Warner, given Phoenix Comics' widespread influence and the backing of RTV (Rediffusion Television). Only in Europe does Legendary Entertainment lack the strength to compete with Warner.

However, this is not a big deal. Legendary Entertainment doesn't have much ambition in Europe, at least not now! At present, Legendary Entertainment just wants to expand in the record and newspaper industries to maintain its influence.

"Hi, Justin, may I sit down?" a clear voice rang out.

“Emmanuelle, you’ve arrived! Let me introduce you, this is my nephew, John!” John was taken aback when his uncle Justin stood up to introduce him. “Hello, I’m Emmanuelle Béart, Justin’s girlfriend!”

"Hello, I'm John Bayard, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

Indeed, the beautiful woman in front of me is none other than Emmanuelle Béart, the French actress I remember. I just never expected that she would be my uncle's girlfriend. This is such a surprise!

Upon seeing Emmanuelle Béart, John had a sudden inspiration and said, "Uncle, you have a girlfriend now, how come you haven't told Grandpa and Grandma? They've always been very concerned about your marriage!"

"Kid, I'm warning you, don't talk nonsense!"

"Okay, I won't talk nonsense, but Uncle, you have to think about the future even if you have a girlfriend. Since you're unwilling to give up your artistic pursuits, I can't force you, but you also need a stable income. How about you help me set up a branch of the European Elite Agency first?"

"Are you threatening me, kid?"

“Uncle, I wouldn’t dare threaten you. I’m helping you! Of course, it’s a win-win situation. With you here, I can rest assured. After all, I can’t keep an eye on the situation in Europe all the time. You know Warner and I are not on good terms right now, and I need to be wary of Warner’s dirty tricks!” John changed his tone when he saw his uncle’s threatening look.

"John, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that I really can't do it. I don't understand business management!"

"Uncle, Elite Agency is just an agency. You don't need to know business management. You just need to keep an eye on things for me. There are professionals in charge of management. Aren't you in the arts? If you find a suitable model, you can recommend him to the company."

"Okay, you win, I agree. But we need to agree first, you can't tell anyone about Emmanuelle, not even your parents!"

"Okay, I promise. But you have to do me a favor too!"

"I knew you wouldn't let yourself get the short end of the stick. So, what is it?"

"It's nothing major. Since you're in the arts, help me keep an eye on the luxury brands in Greater Paris. Ideally, you could provide a detailed report!"

"John, you want to acquire a luxury brand? That's not a good investment. Given the current economic climate, luxury brands are struggling; they're all heavily indebted. Let me tell you, you should focus on building up your Legendary Entertainment and gaming empire first. Warner Bros. isn't someone to be trifled with!"

It is precisely because they know that luxury brands are having a tough time that they have the opportunity to acquire them. If they wait for the economic situation to improve, they won't have the chance to acquire them; others will already be eager to make their move.

As for Emmanuelle Béart, her uncle didn't say much, and John didn't ask any questions either. After all, it was their first meeting, and there were many things that couldn't be said.

(End of this chapter)