"Hello, Duke."
"Hello, Martin."
In a café in Century City, after leaving ICM, Duke came here to meet Martin Miller, whom he had arranged to see in advance. The two shook hands, each ordered a cup of coffee, and sat down in a quiet booth, quietly sizing each other up.
On the way here, Duke had already guessed a few things. Martin Miller asking to meet him was probably not because of Natalie Portman. After all, he hadn't shown any clear hostility toward the actress from Long Island.
Thanks to Tina Fey's reminder, he also knew that the other party was not only Natalie Portman's agent, but also one of Russell Crowe's co-managers.
"Duke," Martin Miller stopped stirring his coffee and suddenly said out of nowhere, "I'm now an executive shareholder at William Morris."
"Congratulations," Duke replied.
Becoming an executive shareholder meant Martin Miller was now part of William Morris's core decision-making circle.
Picking up his coffee cup, Duke took a sip, found the taste lacking, shook his head, and set it aside. He didn't have time to beat around the bush, so he got straight to the point, "Martin, I still need to head to Wilshire Boulevard next. Just get to the point."
"William Morris has never done anything against you."
Very aware of Duke's personality, Martin Miller also stopped circling and said directly, "Russell Crowe is one of William Morris's most important clients, and he's not in a great situation right now…"
"So that's what this is about," Duke nodded and said, "Russell Crowe's character is terrible, but the one I had a conflict with was David Ellison. There's no real issue between Russell and me, and I haven't done anything against him."
That was indeed true. Duke's hired online commenters had widely spread negative buzz about Robin Hood, but those scandals had come from other sources.
"But on the internet, especially on Instant Share…" Martin Miller clearly didn't fully believe Duke's words, "Russell's scandals are everywhere."
Duke frowned but still patiently explained, "I'm no longer a shareholder in Instant Share, nor can I overly influence the company's decisions. And the internet isn't something anyone can just control."
If someone thought they could control online public opinion, they were clearly delusional.
Martin Miller looked at Duke, who shook his head and stood up, "Martin. You should know how many people Russell Crowe has pissed off over the past decade…"
He reached out his hand to the other man, "That's all."
Martin Miller also stood up and shook Duke's hand, saying no more.
The two left the booth at the same time, walking toward the glass doors from different directions.
Duke didn't look back at Martin Miller. At this stage, he no longer cared much about what William Morris thought of him. Besides, William Morris didn't have that much time and energy anyway.
Since last year, competition between William Morris and CAA had become extremely fierce. The two companies were directly involved in the branding battle between Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Every agency in Hollywood was itching to seize this opportunity to reap some benefits from the William Morris vs. CAA showdown.
Whether in the country Duke used to live in or in today's North America, there had always been myths about agents. But how many outsiders noticed that behind the Hollywood agent myth lay nothing but bloodshed?
Driving his Bentley, Duke left Century City and soon arrived at nearby Wilshire Boulevard, ready to pick up Scarlett Johansson, who had some business there.
Driving along Beverly Hills' Wilshire Boulevard, Duke frequently saw one of the rare sights in Los Angeles. In this city that prides itself on leisure, wearing casual clothes to work was considered proper etiquette. But along Wilshire Boulevard, there were people everywhere dressed in sharp, tailored suits, walking quickly with heads down, furiously tapping away on their BlackBerrys and iPhones.
In New York, eight or nine out of ten of these suit-clad folks would be stockbrokers. But in the City of Angels, they were mostly entertainment agents.
They created one entertainment star after another and earned massive fees for themselves. However, this wasn't an easy job especially in the cutthroat and incredibly complex environment of Hollywood.
These entertainment agents often frequented Beverly Hills and the nearby high-rises of Century City, particularly along Wilshire Boulevard and Santa Monica Avenue.
It was well known that the headquarters of Hollywood's four major talent agencies—representing over 80% of America's actors, directors, musicians, and screenwriters—were all located here.
A slight turn of the head allowed Duke to see CAA's headquarters, housed in a very striking building in Century City that outsiders dubbed the "Death Star." Not far off, inside the MGM building, was Nancy Josephson's ICM, whose clients included Charlize Theron and Brad Pitt. Back in Beverly Hills, not far from the glitzy Wilshire Hotel, stood William Morris. Unlike the old William Morris, the current firm was formed from the merger of Hollywood's oldest and youngest talent agencies. Across the street was UTA, whose clients included Johnny Depp, Harrison Ford, and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Although talent agencies no longer held the same status in Hollywood as they did in the '80s and '90s, they were still the lubricant that kept the Hollywood engine running smoothly.
Unlike the myth of them being puppet masters of stars, being a good agent required always putting star clients first. This concept was drilled into them from their very first day on the job often starting in the mailroom.
It was a ruthless place. Long hours and grueling work. But the mailroom had become a rite of passage for Hollywood agents. Anyone who wanted to make a living in the industry had to go through it.
Perhaps the old agencies had indeed once basked in boundless glory and were truly the most crucial part of the industry but Duke had never seen that.
Today's Hollywood was no longer the small town it once was. Whether for emerging talents or A-list stars, there were just too many agents to choose from.
For example, Endeavor's founder and now one of William Morris's top figures, Ari Emanuel. This lean, graying middle-aged man was the brother of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. His long-term clients included Mark Wahlberg, Larry David, and director Martin Scorsese. He once told Duke during a casual chat that he was always prepared to go to any lengths to secure the greatest benefits for his celebrity clients.
Agents like him, who value their clients' interests and think on their feet, will always be in demand.
However, talent agencies have more to worry about than just competition with each other. There are also challenges from other sectors, especially issues surrounding how much Hollywood companies are willing to pay their clients. These days, all the major Hollywood studios are trying to cut costs to offset the huge losses from the plummeting sales of DVDs.
After all, over the past ten years, DVD sales have been one of their largest sources of profit.
In the 1990s, Hollywood stars' pay soared due to a sharp rise in home entertainment demand. Several superstars landed "20 and 20" deals $20 million paychecks plus 20% of sales profits!
For blockbusters, this meant that actors or directors could rake in over $100 million, and their agents would also earn significant commissions.
But with the impact of the financial crisis and the rapid shrinkage of the DVD market, studios have had no choice but to slash budgets. At the same time, the number of films released has dropped. Last year, Hollywood produced 520 films, nearly 20% less than the year before.
Talent agencies had to explore new markets, expanding into the sports industry and other sectors for example, the brand war between Coca-Cola and Pepsi between CAA and William Morris. ICM recently secured a marketing contract for the New York Yankees' new stadium, and Nancy Josephson is preparing a plan to create an unprecedented "Big Three" in one of the NBA teams.
Duke came over this time for two reasons: first, to accompany Scarlett Johansson to Wilshire Boulevard, and second, to discuss his Los Angeles Raiders promotion plan with Nancy Josephson. Meeting with Martin Miller was just a side note.
Although the Los Angeles Raiders moved from Oakland to Los Angeles, rooting themselves here won't be easy. Historically, the Raiders have been in Los Angeles before, but it ended in failure.
This is the second-largest city in America and the second-largest metropolitan population in North America. With a developed economy and a large enough population, it's undoubtedly a great market. Duke wants to make the Raiders Los Angeles's Raiders, which means there's still a lot of work to be done.
Nancy Josephson's ICM has been hired by him to handle the Raiders' marketing in Los Angeles.
ICM has been deeply rooted in Los Angeles for decades and knows the market well. Unlike CAA, which only recently established a sports division, ICM's reach extended into North American professional sports leagues back when Nancy Josephson's father ran the agency.
Currently, the American football market in Los Angeles is mainly shared by two college teams USC and UCLA. Starting from the new season, the Raiders will need to perform well. Performance is one of the key factors in capturing the market.
Duke is also preparing to invest in building a brand-new stadium. His agent has already been in touch with the Pei Partnership Architects firm.
After picking up Scarlett from the film academy headquarters on Wilshire Boulevard, Duke drove away from Beverly Hills.
"How did it go?"
While waiting at a red light, Duke turned and asked. Scarlett shrugged slightly, "I'm Jewish too, and those people are old friends of my godmother. They were pretty nice to me."
If you want to win an Oscar, relying solely on the film and the role isn't nearly enough. Compared to marketing, Duke's relationship with the Academy is just average.
Still, the quality of the film is one of the basic conditions. He's already preparing to start planning his new project.
.....
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