Hollywood Hunter

Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan.

It was April 9th. After staying in Paris for a week, Simon and Janet flew back to New York yesterday and started working again today.

The headquarters of Cersei Capital was not selected in the downtown area where financial companies gathered. Instead, it was set up in Building 1230, Rockefeller Center. The three subsidiaries each occupy a floor.

Compared to work, Janet paid more attention to their lives.

Therefore, unless necessary, women only plan to work three days a week, each for the three subsidiaries. Moreover, even during working hours, in most cases, he still lives in Los Angeles with Simon.

Wall Street is full of all kinds of workaholics, but there has never been a shortage of people like Janet who only work very little but can achieve great results.

In the process of acquiring the Blackstone Financial Management Company of the Blackstone Group a few days ago, Simon discovered that John Sreber, the head of the real estate investment department of the Blackstone Group, works only 40 days a year, but can get a 20% stake in the partnership. , Still lives in Chicago, far from New York.

In fact, it is very simple. The most important thing to achieve this kind of hands-off work status is to choose the right team.

This is what Janet has been doing for two months before the wedding.

The team of Cersei Fund Management Company has gone through a year of polishing and screening, which is the most reassuring one. Leon Black and Lawrence Fink, the leaders of the two teams of Apollo Management Company and Black Rock Asset Management Company, both have Simon's foresight and are also very reliable.

The large conference room at Cersei Capital's headquarters.

The meeting on the investment plan of the Lawrence Fink team for the new quarter lasted for two and a half hours. When it was over, it was almost noon.

Simon had been sitting next to Janet the whole process, and patiently watched the whole meeting.

Lawrence Fink was very much looking forward to Simon's comments during the meeting. However, the behind-the-scenes BOSS, who should have a greater voice than his wife, never said a word. Instead, Lawrence Fink felt unpredictable. . Sometimes I feel that Simon may not understand the asset management industry, and occasionally I feel that this may be the case. However, a young man who has earned a fortune for himself in just over three years, Fink dare not despise it.

In fact, Simon just tried his best to make himself a hand-off shopkeeper.

In the afternoon there was a meeting with the Apollo management company team. Everyone left the meeting room and went to a restaurant in the building to have a meal. In the corridor, the elevator had just opened, and it happened to see Wayne Huizanga, the chairman of Blockbuster. And Leon Black are also in the elevator.

Everyone said hello, so we started to cooperate.

During small talk, Simon learned that Wayne Huizanga came this time for the acquisition of Blockbuster some time ago.

After Blockbuster completed its IPO, in order to stimulate the company's share price, it soon announced an acquisition of the East Coast-based Errol Company in Baltimore.

Originally, this acquisition had negotiated a $40 million offer.

However, a few days ago, Nancy Brill found something wrong when checking Errol’s financial information, and hired the newly established Apollo management company team to review the acquisition. M&A consulting, this is also the business of the Apollo management company team. Leon Black’s largest M&A consulting case happened to be Daenerys Entertainment’s planned acquisition of MCA.

Speaking of the future, after taking on this not a big task, Leon Black’s team quickly discovered a hidden debt of more than $8 million under Errol.

The purchase price of US$40 million is relatively high compared to the size and liabilities of Errol.

After the additional hidden debts were exposed, Blockbuster immediately stopped the advancement of the acquisition and started renegotiating with the Errol management team.

Videotape chain is a capital-intensive industry. Although Errol’s scale is not comparable to that of Blockbuster, it has expanded to 250 chain stores and relied heavily on loans during the expansion process. If this acquisition case collapses, Errol, which is far from a scale advantage, is likely to go bankrupt.

Therefore, the final transaction price is hopefully lowered to 30 million US dollars.

Back in Los Angeles, Nancy Brill also talked about it with Simon.

However, Nancy pointed the finger at Wayne Huizanga.

If she hadn't reviewed the acquisition at the last moment, Blockbuster would probably not find the problem and would end up with additional losses. This is obviously the mistake of the chairman and CEO Wayne Huizanga.

After Blockbuster's IPO, because Wayne Huizanga and other founders' equity was further diluted, Daenerys Entertainment, which held a shareholding of 35%, basically owned the control of the company. Nancy was dissatisfied with Wayne Huizanga's abilities early on. Taking advantage of this opportunity, she proposed to re-select a CEO for Blockbuster and divide Huizanga's power into two.

"The core operating philosophy of Blockbuster is to continuously improve efficiency and reduce costs while expanding, so as to gain stronger competitiveness in the same industry. I agree with you that you want to find a new CEO. However, Blockbuster just IPO, I don’t want internal instability. You communicate with Huy Zanga on this point. In addition, the new CEO must not change the business strategy arbitrarily against Blockbuster’s operating philosophy.”

Inside Daenerys Studios in Malibu.

Daenerys Entertainment's various teams will be stationed in about next month. Simon came here in the morning to check the effect of the decoration that has been basically completed. Nancy also rushed over from Santa Monica.

"Of course I understand. This is where I am dissatisfied with Wayne." Nancy nodded and said: "He can't see how Blockbuster should go next. Last time he discussed with me and wanted to buy a cable TV operators are trying the field of cable TV, but Blockbuster has not yet achieved the ultimate in the chain of video tapes. Now the development of cable TV is simply chaotic."

Simon and Nancy walked along the corridor from the administrative district to the next-level office area, and said, "If Daenerys Entertainment is trying to expand into the cable TV field, do you think this is a good idea?"

Nancy asked: "A cable station or a cable operator?"

Cable TV stations and cable operators are obviously two concepts. However, because of the deregulation of media control with the government in the past few years, many cable TV operators have also been involved in the TV station business, such as Time Warner, which is responsible for cable TV operations such as Warner Cable and HBO.

Getting involved in content and channels at the same time is obviously the best way to avoid being choked, but it can also easily distract the management team.

In this regard, Disney and Time Warner, which developed from the original time and space, are two typical representatives.

Disney focuses on content and has never involved channel operations. Its ESPN is indeed the most expensive basic cable station in the cable TV field. Time Warner is both involved in channels and content. Both CNN and HBO are very successful, but both of these businesses are acquired. Moreover, although Warner Cable occupies a large market share, it is still far from being able to compete with Comcast. Competitors compete.

Simon heard Nancy’s question and said directly: "TV station."

"Good idea," Nancy nodded and said, "However, no extra action is required. As long as we win the MCA, we can have our own cable TV network."

Simon smiled, and did not respond too much to Nancy's casual opening of Daenerys Entertainment’s acquisition of MCA, and asked: “Why do you oppose Blockbuster’s involvement in cable TV, but agree with Daenerys Entertainment’s expansion in this regard? ?"

Nancy is a little dissatisfied with Simon's exam school. Do you still have to ask such a simple question, just saying: "Because the video tape chain and the cable TV business are not complementary."

Strictly speaking, the video tape and cable television industries still compete with each other.

Blockbuster’s involvement in the cable TV business cannot in turn promote the development of the video tape chain, but will distract the blockbuster management team.

However, this matter is not a problem for Daenerys Entertainment.

The horizontal integration of media groups has always been a major trend in this field. To get involved in cable TV can make the most of Daenerys Entertainment's content advantages.

Speaking of, with regard to the "Beverly Wife" series, after Daenerys Entertainment insisted on not making any concessions, CBS has confirmed that it will give up the renewal.

According to the original agreement, unless CBS voluntarily gave up, Daenerys Entertainment could not sell the reality show to other TV networks.

Now, Daenerys Entertainment has completely taken back control of this project.

CBS is also "reliant and fearless". The ratings data of "Beverly's Wife" is not excellent. The interests of several major TV networks in terms of content providers are actually integrated. CBS thinks that it has given up this project, ABC, NBC Neither and FOX will take over. Daenerys Entertainment can only sell this series to the next-level basic cable station, which obviously means a lower price.

However, it is obviously impossible for CBS to see Simon's specific plan.

As long as the acquisition of MCA can be completed and the "Beverly Wife" transferred to MCA's USA TV network, it may not be able to get the income of the public television network, but it can further expand the series of "Beverly Wife" to become a brand and increase The value of the USA TV network itself can be described as multiple actions.

The Malibu Studios is very close to Cape Du Mui. Simon walked around the studio until noon, and went straight back to his home on the west side of Cape Du Mui to dine. He also casually invited Nancy to invite her. The senior woman just wanted to rush to Bo Bank refused on the grounds.

When I got home, Janet was not the only one in the villa, Catherine also rushed over, and the two women were bringing lunch into the dining room.

"Surprising Point" is about to start shooting here in Los Angeles, and Catherine will only be here soon.

Catherine was naturally invited to the wedding last month, but it was too busy at the time and Simon did not have the opportunity to get along with women.

After all, it is impossible to go back to the past. Everyone sat down in the restaurant, but still had a strange sense of harmony.

After chatting for a few words about "Frightening Point", Simon asked the woman: "That project, "The End of the Road", how are you thinking about it?"

Catherine helped everyone with mushroom soup, nodded slightly, and said, "It's a very good script."

Simon smiled and said, "Will it be picked up or not?"

Janet also said to Catherine at this time: "Kate, take it, I think we can still play together."

Simon couldn't help but looked at the two women, and suddenly found that the two women and the original Susan Sarandon and Gina Davis really resemble each other, so he looked at Jenny and said, "You know what I'm doing. What?"

Janet gave Simon a blank look: "I have read the script, of course I know."

Simon was curious: "When did you watch it?"

"You care when I watched it."

"Okay, but this is a story about two women rebelling against patriarchy. Do you think you two are suitable for acting?"

"of course."

"Then some people think I abused you."

Catherine put a bowl of creamy mushroom soup in front of Simon, groaning: "It's fine if you mistreat Jenny, why are you pulling me up."

"What is torture me, Kate, I never thought you were so vicious, you are the stepmother of Snow White."

Simon took a sip of the mushroom soup and said with a smile: "Yes, Snow White and stepmother, very good PLAY."

Catherine obviously did not react.

Janet twisted a slice of bread and threw it over: "Little bastard."

Catherine was puzzled for a moment, and then stared, but there was a little more flush on her face.

Simon brazenly pretended that he didn't say anything just now, and said: "So, Kate, this project is for you. Think about it, the desert is yellow sand, and two women drove down the cliff. It's so impactful."

Janet said, "Why do they have to die in the end?"

"Isn't death their best place to belong? Or, do you want them to be sifted in the end like Spielberg's "Rampage"?"

"I mean, why can't the two women beat up the police and then escape to Mexico together?" Janet retorted dissatisfiedly, groaning at the end, and said: "So, this is still a movie after all. A movie dominated by your male chauvinism. I guess if the main actors are two men, they will enter Mexico like heroes and regain their freedom after killing the Quartet."

Listening to the heroic words that Janet specially bit down, Simon thought for a while and said, "It seems that this shot is not bad."

"Ok?"

Simon smiled and looked at Janet and said, "You know, I'm a feminist."

"Ah, I'm still a patriarch."

"So, we are a very good pair."

Simon smiled, then turned to look at Catherine.

Catherine slowly spread the caviar on the bread and said: "I also think Jenny's proposal is very good, let Louise and Selma finally escape into Mexico instead of rushing off the cliff. Why do women have to make mistakes? Die."

"Only death will appear more impactful"

"Humph, macho!"

Simon thought for a while and said, "In this case, some plots need to be revised."

Catherine said lightly: "I happen to have time."

Simon added: "Also, the box office may not be too good."

Janet said: "Where do you need more money?"

"I don't think too much."

"I'll hit you."

Simon smiled and avoided the little paw that Janet was probing over, and reluctantly made a compromise: "Well, at least, with this arrangement, maybe we can make another sequel."