In the mid-nineties, the cable television industry in the United States was on the verge of exploding with the new wave of technology.

As long as FFM is properly operated, it is a very conservative estimate that the market value will only double when the new technology wave is at its peak in five years. The options that Eric promised to Weinstein at this time were worth more than 10 million dollars, and could even bring hundreds of millions of dollars in returns at that time, and as long as the development of FFM TV met expectations, Eric would definitely not be stingy in paying management compensation.

It's just that Harvey Weinstein obviously doesn't think so, after all, not everyone can see the future, he shook his head and said: "Eric, I can accept an annual salary of $250,000, but the option of 1 million shares is too little." ”

Eric said: "Harvey, after this cable company is handed over to you, according to the annual growth rate of 30%, the company's market value will be about four times that of the current one in five years, and you will end up with a salary of more than $40 million, which is already very generous, whether it is Firefly or News Corp., there are no more than ten executives with an annual salary of tens of millions." ”

Harvey Weinstein opened his mouth to refute, but he couldn't say it, he can't say that he can't say that he is not confident that he will achieve the company's 30% annual growth rate, right?

It is not easy for a company that has passed the rapid development period to achieve an annual growth rate of 30%, but for a start-up company like FFM that has just been established and has sufficient financial and resource support, if it cannot achieve an annual growth rate of 30%, it is indeed not considered a success.

Seeing that Weinstein was a little hesitant, Eric thought for a while and said, "If you think the option is too risky, we can take another way and set up a special bonus, as long as you complete the annual performance goal, you can get this bonus." However, I can only give you a maximum of $5 million per year. ”

Sony hired Peter Cooper to run Colombia in this way, and Peter Cooper was also on a five-year contract, with Sony setting a bonus of $50 million. In the end, Peter Cooper took the prize money and left Sony with a mess.

Sony, that's an outsider, and Firefly and News Corp certainly don't make that mistake. However, at the level of CEO of Peter Cooper Film Company, the bonus amount is only 50 million US dollars, and Eric certainly cannot set a too high bonus amount for Weinstein, otherwise the executives of the two companies at the same level as Weinstein will definitely be dissatisfied.

Xavi is obviously aware of the rules, and his expression is even more hesitant, and the choice of bonus is undoubtedly very safe.

Although he has received a lot of money from Miramax in the past two years, this is also a good year, the film industry has always been very variable, and maybe next year he will not get a penny of dividends because of losses.

However, the high returns on options are also very attractive, but they also come with very high risks, and the continuous growth described by Eric is only a sweet spot, and if one of those years causes a significant drop in FFM valuation due to factors such as large losses, then the previous year or two of efforts are likely to be wasted.

Eventually, Weinstein said, "Eric, can you give me a few days to think about it?"

"No problem," Eric nodded, not expecting Weinstein to agree on the spot, adding, "If you're not in a hurry to leave, maybe you can listen to my thoughts on FFM, which should help you decide whether to accept the job or not." ”

Harvey smiled cheerfully and said with a hint of compliment, "Of course I would love to, I don't think anyone would let go of this kind of opportunity." ”

HBO has changed its slogan eight times since its establishment in the early 70s, which is actually HBO's exploration of the business model of paid cable stations.

HBO's current slogan is 'We're OutofTownToday,' as it was established in 1993. And HBO's most classic and longest-used slogan, which implies that HBO's business model has completely matured, 'This is not TV, this is HBO', has not yet been released.

'This is not TV, this is HBO' actually represents the core business philosophy of HBO, which not only gives the audience a viewing experience that is completely different from ordinary TV programs. It is around this core that HBO has consistently invested heavily in producing a large number of high-quality series with the production specifications and concepts that are completely comparable to the film, while introducing hundreds of excellent films every year.

Since HBO hasn't launched its own classic slogan, Eric didn't hesitate to replace it with 'It's not TV, it's FFM'.

Combined with the memories of his past life and the materials he has consulted in the recent past, he discussed in detail with Murdoch and Weinstein the development ideas he planned for FFM TV.

Since it has decided to play the slogan 'This is not TV, this is FFM', this paid cable station must completely de-TV, completely eliminate the profit model of conventional TV stations based on advertising revenue, and obtain profits through user subscriptions and copyright operations. While introducing high-quality content, FFM needs to produce more high-quality self-made dramas, of course, this does not mean blindly spending money in pursuit of big investment and big production, but according to the current situation that FFM's audience is mostly social elite groups, to produce more open and more ideological and artistic works that meet the taste requirements of this group of audiences.

The trio then discussed other details such as branding and focusing on user satisfaction, and Eric also talked about some big data ideas that emerged more than a decade later, so that the three of them left until 8 o'clock in the evening, after dinner.

After a busy day and some fatigue, Eric did not rush back to Sharp Corner Manor, but went to the nearest residence of Droo at Strausdale Manor.

The girl didn't know where she went, there was no one in the villa, Eric sent the driver away, took out the key and opened the door and entered the house.

After a brief shower, I came to the living room in my bathrobe, turned on the TV, and sat on the sofa with my laptop in my arms to check today's mail while watching TV.

Judging by the reaction of Weinstein when he left not long ago, he has basically decided to accept the job, and at most he will only fight for a little more in terms of salary. Finding the right manager, Eric began to think about his next steps.

In the media field, the core of competition is, after all, content.

If you want FFM to quickly become famous and establish a brand, it is definitely not enough to introduce external film and television copyrights, and self-made content with sufficient topicality is essential.

In addition to "Lust City", which has been taken to Lifetime, Eric's first thought is "The Black Road Family".

In the original time and space, because of the rise of the Internet, mainland audiences are obviously more familiar with Netflix's "House of Cards" than "Black Family". It was with the strong influence of "House of Cards" that Netflix surpassed HBO in terms of subscribers, and in the following years, it left HBO far behind. And the status of "The Black Road Family" on HBO is actually equivalent to Netflix's house of cards. Although there have been many high-quality dramas such as "Lustful City", "Six Feet Under", and "Band of Brothers", it is actually "The Black Road Family" that really pushed HBO to the supremacy of paid cable stations.

Back then, even in China, Eric often heard the fame of "The Black Road Family".

This TV drama masterpiece has been ranked first in the 'Ranking of the Greatest TV Dramas of All Time' by many Western media. In the past, although "Lust City" was very influential, it was limited to women, but "Black Road Family" was able to become the focus of the topic at the national level.

Normally, dramas of the same quality are usually larger than the basic cable station in terms of ratings, and the basic cable station is greater than the paid cable station.

Because of the innate disadvantage of the audience base, few TV programs on paid cable stations can squeeze into the top few positions in the ratings rankings, but "Black Road Family" just did it, this TV series at the peak of HBO, even achieved more than 10 million viewers, compared to the total number of subscribers of other paid cable stations is only tens of millions, the ratings of "Black Road Family" is simply a miracle. Although there have been many high-quality dramas such as "Lust City", "Six Feet Under", and "Band of Brothers", it is precisely with the ratings data of "The Black Family" that HBO has been able to ascend to the position of the hegemon of paid cable stations.

There are many reasons for the rise of "The Black Road Family", but after all, it is inseparable from the excellent quality of the series and the inadvertently catering to the tastes of the American media and audiences.

Although history has changed because of Eric's appearance, David Chase still wrote the script because the script idea was conceived by David Chase based on some personal experiences in his youth, and the story has been brewing in David Chase for many years.

David Chase is already a well-known producer in the television industry, having worked on the CBS hit drama Northland.

It's just that the pitch of the script of "The Black Road Family" was not so smooth, and between Eric's attention to this matter, several major TV stations, including ABC, received the script, but the executives of the four major TV stations were not interested in this kind of alternative gangster film with a cold style, so they all chose to refuse without exception.

The production of "The Black Road Family" has been even more bumpy, and after a failed pitch to several major television networks, David Chase turned to cable television. HBO eventually won the script in 1997, but the desire to make it wasn't as strong. At the strong request of David Chase, HBO finally approved the production funding for a pilot episode, and David Chase himself served as the director to shoot the pilot episode, but it was pressed by HBO for more than a year, and it was not until 1999 that "The Kurodo Family" landed on the TV screen, and then it was a miraculous rise.

Eric had only recently approached David Chase again from Firefly's copyright department to get the script down. There is another more coincidental thing in this, David Chase is the agent of the script named Brad Gray, who used to be Weinstein's assistant and now has created a production company on his own.

Of course, Eric will not come forward in person about this matter, otherwise he would have clearly told the others to come and grab it.

Eric specially explained that the person in charge of the copyright department reported to him the progress of the negotiation of "The Black Road Family" in a timely manner, opened the mailbox, and quickly found a related email.

Perhaps sensing the change in Firefly's attitude towards the script of "The Black Family", David Cheng asked to be the director and producer himself in the negotiations, and participated in the selection of the role, and Brad Gray refused to completely let go of the production of the series.

Compared to the sheer size of Firefly, Brad Gray's production company is like an inconspicuous little workshop, and as long as the other party is not insatiable to share the copyright, Eric doesn't mind giving the other party a little sweetness. As for David Chase wanting to participate in the production of the series, it is what Eric wants to see.

Writing a reply, Eric closed his mailbox and opened the Yahoo portal to browse the latest news.

I don't know how long it took for Eric to fall asleep on the couch when Drew, dressed in a blue evening gown, came back from outside with the twins.

"Eric," the girl entered, threw herself into Eric's arms and kissed her greasy.

Eric pushed away the laptop sandwiched between the two, put his arm around the girl's waist, and asked, "Where did you go crazy and come back so late?"

"I'm not crazy, Godfather's party, I can't help but go," the girl said, twisting her little body, sticking closer to Eric's body, and raising a pair of calves and shaking it, the twins stepped forward quietly, helped the girl take off her high heels, and took the initiative to come over and put away the laptop that was crooked to the side, and one of them asked softly, "Boss, do you want to take a shower?"

"Well, I'll wash it with Eric later. ”

Eric laughed, "I've washed it." ”

"Then wash it again," the girl said coquettishly, putting her arms around Eric's neck.

Eric had no choice but to nod his head and wait for the twins to leave to prepare the hot water before asking, "What party did Steven invite you to this time?"

"It's still some business cooperation," the girl obviously didn't have the heart to say this, but said: "Anyway, I always feel that the godfather and they can't do much this time." ”

Eric smiled, at the end of last month, with the support of Microsoft, Steven Spielberg and David Geffen, George Lucas and others officially announced the big studio plan, perhaps Eric took the name of DreamWorks in advance, and the new studio did not rename, but integrated all the resources of several parties into Spielberg's Amberlin Pictures.

Microsoft injected the first batch of $500 million and promised to provide technical support in film and television special effects and computer animation, and obtained 25% of Amberlin's equity, George Lucas merged Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic into the company, also holding 25% of the shares, Amberlin will also obtain the production rights of "Star Wars", and the remaining 50% of the shares, Spielberg holds 30%, and as the earliest initiator of the big studio project, David Geffen only got 20% of the equity this time, faintly ******** As long as Microsoft conducts the second and third rounds of capital injections, the first to be diluted will definitely be David Geffen.

At the same time, Amberlin also signed a distribution agreement with Paramount for eight films over the next five years.

Eric has been paying attention to these things, and like the girl's feeling at this time, Eric also feels that it is not very likely that Spielberg and others will make the studio bigger this time.

Not to mention the shortcomings of distribution channels and the secret pressure of the original seven studios, let's talk about Spielberg and George Lucas, the two of them are not the kind of ambitious people, although many people call Spielberg a film businessman, but he has a somewhat indecisive personality, but he is completely unsuitable for running a large studio.

In this case, it is said that during the partnership negotiations, Spielberg also told the other partners that he would do his best to run the company, but at the same time maintain the right to cooperate with other film companies alone. Does this sound like what an ambitious person can say?

Spielberg's talent in cinema is undeniable, but he can't be a time-traveler like Eric with the advantage of a prophet. In the original time and space, DreamWorks has been established for many years, and the live-action film business has basically not achieved much profit, and the only one with relatively stable development is DreamWorks Animation, which is controlled by Katzenberg himself.

PS: This book has been free for a limited time on PC in the last few days.

…… (To be continued.) )