Reborn in the Entertainment Industry: This Top Star Has Real Achievements

"Haha, everyone has just seen the finished product, and your performance was impeccable."

"As long as we cooperate with the company's entire promotional process, we have a great chance of being nominated for both the Golden Globes and the Oscars."

After listening, Li Xiang tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, his expression calm, but he did not reply.

He's not stupid; he knows he can't pin his hopes on Sony, and he's already made other preparations.

After a moment of silence, he looked at Matt and said, "Sony must ensure that the resources provided under the agreement are implemented. As for external public relations, I have my own arrangements."

Matt was surprised that Li Xiang understood so quickly; he was clearly a Hollywood veteran, quite different from those clueless foreign stars.

They understand the rules better and know that verbal promises are meaningless, and awards are never something that can be won with just a few empty words.

With that thought, Matt was completely relieved.

Given Li Xiang's current net worth and global influence, neither he personally nor Sony has any intention of completely antagonizing him.

If it weren't for that incident of racial discrimination at the entrance, he could have used the award to his advantage, or even used it as leverage to gain the initiative in future collaborations.

But now the situation has completely changed, and all he can do is try his best to help Li Xiang with his award application...

They are not enemies, but they are definitely not friends either.

After all the negotiations were settled, Li Xiang declined Matt's invitation to dinner and left the studio with Damien.

The consensus reached at the table just now is only a business cooperation, but that does not mean that the two parties can drink and chat in private.

The incident at the entrance is still ongoing, and both sides understand that maintaining a respectable sense of boundaries is the best option.

The car slowly drove away from the Sony campus and arrived at the gate, where the guard had indeed been replaced.

Standing there was a spirited young Black man who gave a proper salute as they drove off.

Li Xiang rolled down the car window and gave the black man a thumbs-up, which earned him a bright smile in return.

Having satisfied his wicked sense of humor, he turned to look at Damien beside him: "Why didn't you try to fight for it just now?"

Damien spoke candidly, with a hint of helplessness: "I think there's a high chance we won't win the award."

Li Xiang was speechless for a moment, but still wanted to salvage the situation of this unassuming young director.

"No one can guarantee winning an award, but opportunities are always earned. Even just being nominated is a victory."

These words piqued Damien's interest.

As a native Hollywood actor, he is all too aware of the exorbitant costs of campaigning for top awards.

Unsure whether Li Xiang understood the situation, I decided to offer him some pointers.

"Li, do you know how much it costs to do public relations for an Oscar-winning actor?"

"The price?" Li Xiang raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "My dear Damien, do you mean US dollars?"

Damien was taken aback by his bluntness, then nodded: "That's right, it's US dollars."

"The dozens of FYC screenings sponsored by Sony, as well as the distribution of DVD players and discs to Academy members, all belong to the public budget for the entire film."

"Once this funding runs out, they will most likely not invest any more, so you absolutely cannot put all your hopes on Sony."

"Don't worry about that, I'm not that naive. Today's turmoil might cause Sony to allocate resources slightly, but that's all."

Seeing that Li Xiang remained clear-headed and did not place all his hopes on Sony, Damien finally nodded in relief.

"That's why I didn't try to fight for it earlier. Sony won't spend too much money on a low-budget art film like ours."

"The major production studios are even more so; no one would spend exorbitant amounts of resources to push an actor for awards, and their peers wouldn't allow it either, otherwise it would be breaking the rules."

"As for you, if you want to compete for individual performance awards, you must hire a dedicated public relations team to narrow down the competition to yourself."

"But this road is extremely expensive, with a starting cost of two million US dollars."

"Of course, this money won't be wasted. A top-notch public relations team will use all their connections to get your performance in front of the academy members and judges."

If we add another 500,000, the public relations for the Golden Globes can also be covered. Since there are fewer Golden Globes judges, the overall cost will be significantly lower.

At this point, Damien paused slightly, observing Li Xiang's expression.

Seeing that he remained relatively calm, she realized he was genuinely wealthy and continued speaking.

"But this is just the beginning..."

"Start?" Li Xiang glanced sideways.

"That's right, this is just the basic start-up capital."

"Later, we will also hold a high density of small-scale film screenings, high-end banquets, and various inconspicuous but highly effective gifts and social connections."

This is the biggest expense in the entire public relations campaign; the whole process will cost you at least another two million dollars personally.

"If you calculate it carefully, the 700,000 yuan you received for this movie is not only completely insufficient to cover the shortfall, but you'll also have to pay out of pocket more than 4 million yuan..."

Even though Li Xiang was mentally prepared, he was still taken aback when he calculated Damien's debt.

Five million dollars, equivalent to more than 30 million RMB, just for two awards, or rather, just for a nomination and a Best Actor award.

Even he, who was always generous with his money, was secretly alarmed at this moment.

In this day and age, probably not many people would be willing to spend such a huge sum of money on award public relations.

After a brief moment of surprise, he quickly grasped the key point in Damien's words.

"The price you just mentioned, is that the full budget for vying for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Actor?"

"Yes, that's right." Damien nodded, his tone even more matter-of-fact.

Upon hearing the reply, Li Xiang quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, it's a double-prize budget.

He's putting on airs, making everyone mistakenly believe that he's truly ambitious and wants to win the Oscar for Best Actor.

"My friend, forget about the Oscars. I'm Chinese, and this is my first time running for office. Getting a nomination is already a victory."

"Even if I were to spend two million, it would be very difficult to secure this award through public relations. Besides, the price you mentioned is the local market rate, which doesn't suit me."

After he said that, Damien realized, "Oh right! Li Xiang is Chinese."

When casting the role, even I had some concerns because of his Asian identity, let alone those deeply rooted veteran Hollywood judges.

The Oscars' exclusion of foreign films has always been an open secret; otherwise, they wouldn't have created a separate category for Best Foreign Language Film, which is a deliberate distinction.

"So for me, the goal this time is very clear: I'll be satisfied with an Oscar nomination, and I'll strive to win the Golden Globe for Best Actor."

After hearing Li Xiang's clear-headed plan, Damien was genuinely relieved for him.

At least my friend is clear-headed and always understands his own situation and industry rules, and has not been blinded by the big prize.

"If you're only aiming for the Golden Ball, the pressure will be much less, but you still need to be realistic," Damien said frankly.

"It's all talk and no action; it's not really that prestigious and it's completely useless compared to other major union awards."

Li Xiang simply smiled faintly after hearing this and did not argue.

Damien, from a Hollywood industry perspective, values ​​the industry recognition of the union awards.

However, in China, the reach and public awareness of a Golden Globe Best Actor award are completely different compared to these professional awards.

The prestige of the award is not important, as long as he can win the Golden Globe for Best Actor and become the first Chinese, or even Asian, to receive the award.

The influence behind this honor alone is enough to unlock everything he desires.

At this moment, he was already thinking about where to find a reliable public relations team.