Hollywood Hunter

Brisbane on the east coast of Australia.

It was July 27th, and the Hollywood summer vacation was still going on. MGM CEO Shirley Lansing had to fly here in desperation.

Because Christopher Skars, chairman of MGM's Australian parent company Qintex Group, suddenly absconded.

The thing has to start with the Japanese stock market bubble.

As we all know, Australia is a highly dependent economy. Throughout the 1980s, the Australian economy benefited from the rapid growth of Japan's demand for minerals and farms. As the Japanese stock market bubble burst at the end of last year, Australia was also dragged down, and the economy began to fall into a downturn in 1990.

The Qintex Group relied on large-scale borrowing to expand rapidly during the booming Australian economy in the 1980s.

If the Australian economy continues to grow strongly, it may be able to barely support it. When the economic situation takes a turn for the worse, bank credit tightens and investors begin to become conservative, the Qintex Group will quickly become unsustainable.

After the completion of the acquisition of 70% of MGM’s equity last year, Qintex Group’s asset restructuring over this period of time, the overall debt still reached 1.7 billion U.S. dollars, which does not count MGM’s own liabilities that exceeded 800 million U.S. dollars last year .

It may be that it is difficult to maintain the Qintex Group for too long. Since the end of last year, Christopher Skas has continued to draw blood from this company through various channels, and then transferred the funds to overseas accounts.

In a recent financial review, the Qintex Group’s board of directors discovered that an unusual “management fee” expenditure of US$13.5 million was illegally transferred to an overseas company. After further investigation, it was discovered that this was a shell company registered by Christopher Skars. .

After urgent consultations with shareholders and creditors, the Qintex Group Board of Directors finally chose to report to the police.

Christopher Skas was arrested and imprisoned for one night. After being released on bail the next day, he fled to Spain without any trouble.

With the absconding of Christopher Skars, the Qintex Group immediately became a mess on the verge of collapse. Shareholders and creditors do not even have the energy to pursue Christopher Skars. How to maintain the collapse of the Qintex Group is the most important thing.

In its heyday, Qintex Group was involved in multiple industries such as media, film, resorts and jewelry retail. However, up to now, the two most valuable assets of this company at this time are only the seventh television network in Australia and MGM in the United States, and other industries have basically been sold.

The Seventh Television Network has been operating well in recent years. However, although it is a nationwide television network, Australia’s television network is naturally impossible to compare with North America, and its valuation at this time is only 800 million US dollars. 70% of MGM’s equity was acquired at a price of US$1 billion last year. At this time, if you choose to sell, US$1 billion should not be a big problem.

Coupled with other fragmentary assets, the overall valuation of the assets under the name of the Qintex Group can actually cover the debt.

However, if the bankruptcy is liquidated, these assets will definitely depreciate.

Moreover, it involves billions of dollars in assets, including these various complex bond relationships. If you want to directly liquidate, it will definitely not be completed in the short term. The Qintex Group can only maintain as long as possible and proceed step by step. Asset reorganization, so that the losses of shareholders and creditors can be minimized.

The Qintex Group headquarters in Brisbane.

When she saw Simon, Shirley Lansing's thoughts that were still somewhat at a loss finally relaxed a lot.

Originally, after hearing the news, Shirley Lansing still felt that she was about to lose her position as the CEO of MGM, who had just been stable.

Now, since this young man is willing to intervene, he was also recommended to join MGM, so unless MGM changes ownership, she should not be swept out in the short term. Apart from her, it is impossible for Australians to find a second suitable company manager in Hollywood for a while.

However, I don't know if Westeros will take over MGM.

Thinking of some recent rumors in Hollywood, Shirley Lansing is a little faintly looking forward to it.

Amy Pascal’s annual salary this year may exceed $100 million, which is something that most Hollywood executives dare not even dream of.

As a woman, able to climb to the top of the Hollywood pyramid step by step, Shirley Lansing naturally has her own ambitions and revenge. She also believes that if Westeros can take over MGM, the company can immediately get out of the mud.

The meeting on Qintex Group’s asset investment and management adjustment after Christopher Skas’s departure lasted for a whole day. Shirley Lansing was also considered a senior of the Qintex system, so she attended the whole process. She also knew that Simon attended this meeting. Its purpose has nothing to do with MGM, but for the seventh television network held by the Qintex Group.

To be precise, the Johnston family hopes to buy the Seventh Television Network.

After operating in the capital market for the past two years, the Johnston family also holds a large amount of cash.

According to Raymond Johnston's mind, it must be the first to use this money to expand the family's mining and transportation business. Simon also knows that Australia's mining resources will undergo large-scale integration in the next nineties, and eventually a world-class oligarch like BHP Billiton will appear.

In such a large-scale industrial integration, the Johnston Holding Group, whose overall market value controlled by the Johnston family is only about 5 billion US dollars, is difficult to affect the overall situation. Unless you can quickly emerge as a behemoth, it is very difficult for small and medium-sized mining companies to be merged or crushed in the face of a billion-dollar industry oligarch such as BHP Billiton.

The current BHP and Billiton are still two companies, and the market value is not as terrible as they were later. If some means are used and the funds are sufficient, the Johnston family is not impossible, but Simon does not understand this aspect. The advice he can give for the time being is to diversify and accumulate its own strength.

Moreover, the media has always been the shortcoming of the Johnston family. At this time, having Simon's resources in Hollywood and not developing business in this area is really a waste.

Australia now, like North America, has many restrictions on overseas capital investment in its own media industry, but again, these restrictions will gradually be relaxed in the 1990s.

Simon's longer-term plan is that after the Australian media industry is opened to overseas investors, the Johnston family has achieved good results in this area.

Then, in North America, the Internet industry and the media industry can also provide Simon with a large amount of cash. At that time, Simon can buy out the surrounding businesses of the Johnston family at one time, and provide sufficient funds for the Johnston family to expand To annex an industry giant such as BHP or Bituo, and continue to expand.

Relatively speaking, the Johnston family directly invested the funds in their hands in the mining sector, because Japan's economic recession throughout the 1990s caused a decrease in demand for mining resources, and it was impossible for this money to get too high a return.

In order to help the Johnston family accumulate more capital, not just the media. During this period, Simon is still discussing with the old man about getting involved in Australia's telecommunications and network industries.

The Australian telecommunications industry has been a state monopoly before, and it is also discussing opening up issues recently. Moreover, in terms of mobile communications and the Internet, the Westeros system can just provide sufficient technical support here. If these industries can be listed in North America in the next few years, taking advantage of the new technology wave, cash out large sums of funds It's easy.

It can be said that not only buying land in Tasmania, Simon is indeed planning to operate Australia as his own overseas base.

If Simon’s most important plan is realized, Johnston Holdings can eventually develop into a giant like BHP Billiton, coupled with the layout of other industries, then, at that time, the Australian economy will basically be in the Simon and Johnston family. Under control.

Of course, these things cannot be done overnight.

In the next ten years, it is very rare to be able to complete the initial layout.

However, the last thing Simon does not lack is time.

If it can take ten or twenty years to control a country and realize the economic status of Samsung Group in South Korea, it is totally worth it.

After a day of discussion, Qintex Group shareholders and creditors finally reached an agreement with the Johnston family to sell Seventh Television Network to Johnston Holdings Group for a price of 700 million US dollars in cash. At the same time, as a potential exchange, in Hollywood, Daenerys Entertainment will come up with two of the original 10 movie plans to cooperate with MGM to help MGM recover.

Until night fell, various meetings and discussions that lasted all day finally ended.

Shirley Lansing finally stepped forward to stop Simon when everyone left the meeting room, and said, "Simon, do you have a meal together tonight?"

Simon nodded, thought about it, and said to Veronica Johnston who was with him today to participate in the negotiation: "Let's go together."

Veronica froze, nodded slightly, and gave a hmm.

She had already given an introduction during the day. Shirley Lansing knew that this cold-looking woman was Janet Johnston’s little aunt, but Shirley Lansing clearly felt that out of a woman’s natural instinct, There was obviously something strange between Westeros and this woman.

However, this thought occasionally flashes in her mind, and Shirley Lansing no longer thinks deeply.

This is someone else’s business after all.

Thinking too much, angering this young man, it's completely out of value for her.

Randomly chose a good restaurant near the Qintex Group headquarters. The three of them sat down and ordered a meal. Simon first asked, "How is the copyright issue of 007 handled?"

"Still talking, I plan to buy the Ghost Party copyright in Kevin McCrory's hands to completely resolve this dispute. McCrory's offer of 5 million US dollars is really a bit high. In terms of the script, according to your original reminder , The company has completed the first draft of the first edition of "Golden Eye", and I happened to bring it here, Simon, would you like to see it?"

"I will return to Melbourne directly later. When you go back, let someone send the script to Malibu," Simon nodded and said, "In addition, the actor needs to be changed. Timothy Dalton is really not suitable for the role of 007. .You can contact Pierce Brosnan to see if he is interested."

Shirley Lansing remembered Pierce Brosnan, who entered the Hollywood field of vision with "Pretty Girls" in the first half of the year, and thought for a while: "Brooksnan shouldn't play this role easily."

If Brosnan is only a second- and third-line actor, of course he would be interested in 007.

However, since they are already on the front line, few stars are willing to lock themselves in the shackles of the image of 007. Although 007 will bring a lot of fame, it is often difficult for actors to transform once they participate. After so many generations of 007 for so many years, only Sean Connery's career development is not bad, this is also the result of CAA's full support.

Simon also quickly wanted to understand this truth, saying: "You can contact him, you can't change another person, the most important thing is to sign a few more film contracts."

Shirley Lansing nodded and said to write it down. After thinking about it, she couldn't help but asked, "Simon, why don't you just buy MGM?"

Simon seemed to anticipate Shirley Lansing's doubts, but did not answer. He just randomly turned the topic to the cooperation of the two films.

If there is no planned MCA acquisition plan, Simon will definitely buy MGM without hesitation, or, even if it is to take over a part of the shares from the Qintex Group, he believes that Qintex will be very happy.

However, MGM is one of the top seven after all.

In the early 1990s, the United States still had very strict antitrust supervision over the media industry.

Daenerys Entertainment is now strong enough. If you control MGM again, the MCA acquisition will definitely be subject to antitrust investigations. Simon doesn't want to lose too much.

After dinner, Shirley Lansing was taken to the hotel, Simon and Veronica rushed to the airport together. It only takes more than an hour to fly from Brisbane to Melbourne. There is no place to stay here, and Simon plans to return overnight. .

Veronica will still come over tomorrow, but when Simon returns to Melbourne, she silently follows Simon back to Melbourne.

The Boeing 767 landed at Melbourne Airport and the two rushed to the mansion together. It was just nine o'clock here.

Anthony Johnston was here tonight. As soon as Simon and the two got home, Anthony stepped forward and handed him a copy of the information he had just received.

In recent days, the situation in the Middle East has been on the verge of breaking out, but there are still many people who firmly believe that Iraq will ultimately not use force against Kuwait.

However, after reading the information in his hand, the last trace of worry in Simon's heart disappeared.

According to the information in the information in hand, Saddam suddenly met with the US ambassador to Baghdad this afternoon local time in Baghdad. The content of the discussion between the two was not public, but the information obtained by Simon clearly showed the meeting Content.

The US ambassador to Baghdad promised Saddam that Washington will not interfere with Iraq's military operations in the Middle East.

According to what happened later in Simon’s memory, he was very clear that such a promise was nothing but fart, and the purpose of the Bush administration was just to drag Iraq into the quagmire of war again.

However, Saddam clearly believed it.

Now that the overall situation was set, Simon flew back to North America quietly the next day.

The last few days of July passed away quietly.

So until August 2nd, explosive news quickly spread all over the world.

In the early morning of August 2nd, local time, the Iraqi Republican Guard suddenly crossed the I-Koo border and ran into Kuwait City.

This war that gathered countless people conspired to seek profit and calculated, finally broke out.