American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 67 The Marmot Company and the Future

“Isa, starting a brokerage firm in our country is actually a very simple thing…”

As soon as he received Vivian's call, Valentine O'Connor immediately went to her door with the documents.

With a smile, he explained the current state of the British brokerage industry to his old clients—this was actually the reason he had tipped them off earlier. He didn't know who wanted to target Isabella, and he wasn't even sure if the thieves were targeting Isabella, but he knew that making a phone call wouldn't cost much, and that international giants like Warner were not to be trifled with.

And sure enough, his gamble paid off, and business started pouring in again.

Through his introduction, Isabella learned about the state of the British talent agency industry:

1. There are nearly 10,000 brokerage firms in the British Isles.

There are two reasons for this situation.

Firstly, British theatrical culture is very popular, and performances abroad require the coordination of agencies. In order to keep the profits within their own borders, every theater in the UK includes the function of an agency in its registration, so as to facilitate the theater troupe's tours.

Secondly, British pop music culture has a very wide reach. London is also a fashion capital, hosting one of the world's four major fashion weeks, so there are countless talent agencies there.

2. British brokerage firms do not have many restrictions when signing players; it is legal to sign a 10-year contract and split the profits 25%.

The emergence of this lenient clause is still related to theatrical culture. Theatrical performances require stability. Theaters cannot change actors every day, nor can they get up every year to re-sign contracts with artists. If they keep changing actors every day, how can theaters stay in business?
Therefore, long-term contracts, which are not allowed in Hollywood, are very common in Britain.

After understanding the current situation, Isabella began to name the new company.

After a brief discussion, the little girl felt that Marmots might be a better fit for her.

Oh, she's got a problem with animals.

With the name finalized, everything else fell into place. Vivian remained the company's general manager, while the company's setup, legal representation, and accounting were all handled by the bald man. Since he had already pledged his allegiance, Isabella would 'always' trust him until he officially betrayed them.

Uh……

Ok……

Isabella feels that she doesn't actually have many people she can trust right now.

The entertainment industry is too small.

And many of them are devils.

Since the process of registering a brokerage firm takes three days, Isabella and her friends went home after signing the agency agreement.

While waiting for the company registration to be completed, Robbie also called his mother over.

The other person was a typical white woman.

Perhaps she's been working too hard lately? Her skin was a little rough and red.

But this is not important.

Upon seeing Isabella, the aunt immediately showed great enthusiasm.

Holding the little girl's hand, he kept thanking Isabella for choosing his daughter.

Upon learning that the company her daughter had signed with was Isabella's, she blushed furiously and wanted to sign and put her fingerprint on the document immediately.

If I had to describe it, the scene was like...

"Mom? I have a feeling that Margaret's mom is involved in human trafficking?"

Catherine, sitting to the side, was a little puzzled as she watched Robbie's mother chatting enthusiastically with Robbie and his younger sister.

In her eyes, Robbie's mother didn't seem like a real mother at all!

More like human traffickers!

Vivian raised an eyebrow and whispered, "Do you remember the summer three years ago?"

"That's how I sold Isa to J.K. Rowling."

"..."

Catherine glanced at her mother.

At this moment, in Vivian's eyes, Robbie's mother is just like herself back then.

Yes, any mother with a bit of maternal love would want her child to have a better life.

Aren't all "buying and selling" just a form of self-hatred?

I hate myself for being so incompetent.

Catherine sighed softly, realizing she had said the wrong thing.

My body went limp, and I leaned against my mother, took her hand, and drew unknown lines on her palm.

While they remained silent, Isabella reached an agreement with Robbie's mother.

With the signing of the contract—

“Okay, Margot, from today onwards, you’re mine.”

The signature, still smelling of ink, brought a smile to Isabella's face.

After putting down the contract, she also looked at Robbie.

The contract they negotiated was for six years, until Robbie Jr. came of age.

Although the term is somewhat long, the percentage they take is actually not much, because they only take 10% of Robbie's total income.

Assuming Robbie earns one million a year for the next six years.

The commission of 100,000 yuan per year is enough to cover the agency's daily expenses on her.

As for why Isabella did this?

It's very simple; she never intended to make money through her agency.

In her plan, as long as Groundhog Company could survive, all its revenue would be reflected in Beaver Company's accounts.

Thinking of this, Isabella took out another document—

“Margot, here are two projects for you to take a look at. If you’re interested, I’ll call Disney.”

That was a printed copy of an email that Robert Iger had sent earlier.

The contents are related to the projects "The Competition Plan" and "Enchanted Adventure".

Yes ~
Since the business of forming alliances was going to be about this, and since British talent agencies could sign long-term contracts with artists, Isabella felt that her company's future business structure could be structured like this:

First, sign the right people with Groundhog Agency;
Next, she went to help her own people get projects;

Then, let the beavers participate in the production.

In this way, she can achieve both the goals of building a clique and making a cool profit at the same time.

She can profit from the artist's projects without exploiting them.

What? Someone asked? She has so many other jobs, how can she have time to make a movie?
Dear!
Who says production companies need real producers?
Eighty percent of the production companies in the entertainment industry are shell companies!

Their only purpose is to be listed under the production company's name and share the profits!
Why should other companies share profits with you?

Very simple...

"Oh~ Sister Isa~ Both of these projects are great~ I like them both~"

"So I'll film whatever you say you want to film."

Since the materials sent by Robert Iger were all overviews and introductions, Robbie Jr. quickly finished reading both projects.

As she looked up again, her eyes sparkled with excitement.

Because she really didn't expect that Isabella had already found a project for her.
The game starts with "The Game Plan", ends with "Enchanted", and then there's "Mean Girls" that comes knocking on our door in between?
Oh--

This kind of treatment—

She dares to say there's no one like her in all of Hollywood!

Oh no!
No brokerage firm in the world could come up with a plan like this!
“Okay, I’ll talk to Bob about the project now.”

Without hesitation, I made a phone call to the baby dragon at Disney, despite the time difference.

When Isabella revealed that she had started a talent agency and signed Margot Robbie, the main villain from "The Voice," and then wanted to find some projects for her people, Iger immediately chimed in with his savvy observation—

“Okay, Isa, which project are you interested in? Just tell me.”

Isabella bluntly pointed out "The Game Plan" and "Enchanted".

She also said that she would make time to attend her artists' movie premieres whenever she had it, or even if she didn't.

These words made Aiger laugh very readily.

“Isa, I think I understand what you mean.”

“I can give the ‘Competition Plan’ project to Marg, but I need you to be credited as the producer.”

"For this, I can give you a 2.5% cut of the entire system."

"And turn this income into production revenue for your production company."

"And 'Enchanted'..."

"Um...Isa...we won't be developing this project for the time being, so can we talk about it later?"

"Because you said that Margot will be filming Paramount's 'Queen Bee' next year."

“I know about that project, and I’ve read the original novel. The female lead is somewhat rebellious, therefore…”

"We have to deal with each case individually. If the character portrayal in the movie 'Queen Bee' doesn't match the princess image in our 'Enchanted' movie, then we can't use Margot. You know, Disney's brand image is very important."

“We know each other well, so I have nothing to hide from you.”

"Then I can say that if that girl named Marge is really good, we can consider developing some movies about rebellious girls in the future. Of course, if you have any good ideas, you can call me directly."

Game Over——

Why should Isabella get paid without doing any work?
Because she's famous!

It's standard practice in Hollywood to be a nominal producer and take a cut of the profits!

I'll put my name on your project, you'll use my name to promote it, and then you'll give me a share of the profits.

That's it. This is the simplest way to monetize fame in this industry!

Of course, this approach is actually very easy to backfire.

If a movie credited to someone is poorly made, being criticized is the least of your worries; losing public favor is the worst.

For example, a certain martial arts masterpiece that tells the story of "the greatest heroes are those who serve their country and its people".

That movie ruined Tsui Hark's reputation built up over many years.

However, Isabella will never encounter any of these things.

Because she doesn't just lend her name to every project.

She only posts projects from her own family members, or projects that she has personally reviewed.

Take "The Game Plan", "Mean Girls" and "Enchanted" for example. Regardless of anything else, in terms of box office, these three movies are guaranteed to be box office hits. Since the audience who went to the theater didn't feel like they were losing out, how could it possibly flop?

To put it bluntly, the reason she dared to do this was because she had the memories of her past life.

And when she can't perform in all the excellent projects...

Honestly, being a nominal producer is basically just sitting at home making money for free.

Since Iger agreed so readily, communication between them will be smooth. Before cutting off contact, Iger also said that he would have someone communicate with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to see if "The Game Plan" could be filmed within three months.

If possible, it could be released this Christmas.

After speaking with Disney, Isabella contacted Paramount.

When Paramount's production managers learned that Margot Robbie had become Isabella's artist, they, who already wanted to capitalize on Isabella's fame, directly stated Isabella's request—

“Oh, Isa, I understand what you mean.”

"Your company is involved in the production, and you're listed as the producer, right?"

"This idea is perfectly sound, and it's very easy to implement. Paramount can handle the accounting, and then..."

"How about two percent?"

Isabella: "But Bob gave me 2.5 percent."

"Bob?" The Paramount manager didn't react.

“Yeah~” Isabella said, “Didn’t you say that the ‘Queen Bee’ project would have to wait before it could be filmed? So I contacted Disney and asked Margot to film one of their movies first.”

"The movie stars Dwayne Johnson; it's a typical Disney family movie, and I'll be credited."

"Then Bob said that the total investment for that movie was at most 20 million, so I think it's likely to make a profit."

“Okay, three percent, across the entire system.” The Paramount manager understood.

Isabella continued, "What if that movie grossed a hundred million?"

"Uh... four percent, this kind of increase can be written into the contract."

"Okay, let's find a time to sign the contract."

“No problem, we’ll draft the contract and then come to London to find you… Mom?”

Three projects, two phone calls, and it took Isabella a total of twenty minutes.

The smooth and seamless negotiation left Robbie in awe!
After Isabella tossed her phone away with a smile, her nonchalant gesture prompted the young girl to ask, "Sister Isabella... did you really get projects so easily?"

"Oh—it's not that I have an easy time getting projects—"

"That is……"

"Instead, it's easy for highly capable people to get projects."

Isabella laughed and said, "Margot, once you have enough commercial value, Hollywood is a simple game."

The little beaver winked at Robbie.

Now that the matter was settled, she went to rest.

The sight of that cheerful departing figure made Robbie feel as if a sun had risen before him.

Dazzling, eye-catching.

Since the company's establishment and contract signing both take place in London.

So this time, Isabella and the others stayed at Mayfair's house.

Perhaps it's because the house has been uninhabited for a long time? Or is it because the house lacks human warmth? Or is it because London's climate is so changeable? Even though Vivian hired a cleaning service to clean regularly, many things in the house still showed very obvious signs of aging.

This situation made Vivian feel sorry.

She personally purchased most of the items in the house.

As they cracked and became moldy, Vivian suddenly felt a sense of loss.

but……

"Oh, Mom—please stop worrying about those things!"

Isabella couldn't stand it anymore. "Even the strongest steel will lose its strength over time."

"There is only one thing in this world that remains unchanged."

"What is it?" Vivian asked curiously.

“Me?” Isabella said matter-of-factly, “Your daughter’s cuteness will never change.”

"..."

Vivian rolled her eyes at her daughter.

"come over."

She waved to her youngest daughter.

"what?"

Isabella, leaning back on the sofa, shrank back, thinking her mother was about to beat her.

Vivian then tapped on the stove and said, "Since you're free, come and cook with me. I haven't cooked anything in a long time."

Isabella is capable of this job.

But as she went into the kitchen, she also said, "So we won't get food poisoning, will we?"

"..."

At that moment, Vivian really wanted to give her youngest daughter a good whack.

Amid the commotion, people from Disney and Paramount gradually appeared.

On January 19, 2003, the three parties officially signed the employment contract in London.

Disney will cast Margot Robbie as the lead in "The Game Plan" for a fee of $100,000.

If the box office surpasses 100 million, Margot Robbie will receive a bonus of 300,000 US dollars.

Paramount invited Margot Robbie to play the lead role in "The Queen Bee," with her salary to be determined on a case-by-case basis.

If the total box office of "The Game Plan" reaches 100 million, then Robbie will receive 500,000 US dollars from the "Queen Bee" project. If it does not reach that, her salary will be at most 200,000 US dollars.

Then, if "Queen Bee" grosses over 100 million, Robbie will also receive a bonus of 300,000.

If the total amount exceeds 200 million, then the total amount of red envelopes will be one million.

Uh... this price is already quite high.

As I said before, not every project is Harry Potter.

Those kinds of projects that seem destined for success are extremely rare; you won't see even one in ten years in the entire industry.

Isabella could start with 300,000, not because she was worth 300,000, but because Harry Potter had a high budget.

Warner Bros. can afford to start, it's that simple.

Of course, if Robbie's movies can both be huge hits, meaning both will gross over $100 million, then after filming "Mean Girls," her asking price for her new project should be able to exceed $3 million. With a little effort, choosing a big commercial film, it's possible she could even break $5 million.

There's no way around it; prices in the entertainment industry are all determined by what you say.

If you have the ability and you believe you're worth it, then you can give it a try.

As for whether the investors will provide it or not?
That's another matter.

"Mrs. Haywood, Isa, Keisha, Marg, now that the contract is signed, we'll head back."

“We have already contacted Dwayne Johnson. He is currently filming MGM’s ‘The Rock’, which is expected to wrap up filming in May this year, so we will officially start filming around June or July.”

"Keep in touch? We'll come pick you up when it's almost time."

A Disney production staff member pointed to Robbie Jr.

Everyone nodded. "No problem."

As they shook hands and said their goodbyes, the Disney manager suddenly slapped his forehead and said, "Oh, by the way, Isa, when I came here, Bob specifically asked me to remind you to watch NBC tonight."

"What? Why?"

"Because the 60th Golden Globe Awards are being held tonight, and you've already caused a huge uproar in Hollywood, don't you want to see the results?"

The Disney manager winked at Isabella.

Isabella was speechless at his smiling face.

Why is everyone blaming her for what happened earlier?
Are these people polite?

but……

After rolling her eyes and seeing the other person off, Isabella returned home and turned on her computer.

I started looking up the live broadcast time for the Golden Globe Awards ceremony.

Yes, at that moment, she also wanted to know how many people's fates she had changed.

(End of this chapter)