Chapter 543 - Aftermath of the Oscars

The 74th Academy Awards concluded at the Kodak Theatre amidst the sound of music.

"Beautiful Mind" received the most significant awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, with a total of four Oscars. In comparison, Laila's "Pirates of the Caribbean," though winning three awards, fell short in terms of prestige.

But that was fine. Laila believed that when she returned here once more, it would be the time to launch an assault on those heavyweight awards!

If not successful the first time, then try a second, and if that fails, try a third and a fifth time. Laila was confident that the Oscars, held every year, would eventually give her what she desired. She had no shortage of patience. In her past life, she had spent years seeking sponsorship. Now, with everything she had once dreamed of coming true, why wouldn't she strive for even more?

After the Oscars every year, the winning films would experience a peak in sales, and some would even have re-releases to earn additional box office revenue. Nevertheless, most films favored by the judges could still be described as having dismal box office results.

Laila's "Pirates of the Caribbean" had already finished its theatrical run, but she took the opportunity to release CDs and merchandise, earning a considerable profit. This was perhaps why the Oscars had always been closely followed by the film industry.

The Oscars had ended, but the repercussions it caused were far from over. This time, "A Beautiful Mind" had the last laugh, but "Pirates of the Caribbean," with its shorter stature, had still stolen a significant portion of the limelight.

Why? Because it was Laila's debut in Hollywood, and she had won three major awards! While commercial blockbusters like this couldn't compete for the heavier awards, they still managed to secure recognition in the technical categories.

The next day, various media outlets marveled at Laila's accomplishments at such a young age. If she had previously earned the reputation of a genius for her film "Blair Witch," she was now regarded as an acclaimed prodigy.

No one questioned her directorial abilities anymore, even though she hadn't yet won any directorial awards. People believed it was only a matter of time before she set a new record as the youngest Oscar-winning director.

The crew members under her also rose to prominence. Countless film crews extended olive branches to them, hoping they would join their productions. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible. Even without any films currently in production, they could easily find positions within Laila's own company or other affiliated crews. Why work for another company and risk potential mistreatment? What if they had a bad experience that left them with psychological scars? In case of problems, they wouldn't be able to perform at their best when Laila needed them.

The real reason behind this was Laila's belief in keeping everything in-house. The talent she nurtured herself shouldn't work for anyone else.

Some media outlets speculated that she employed so many newcomers because her company was new and couldn't attract experienced personnel. Bluntly put, that was the truth.

Initially, Laila had split her company into two branches: Phoenix for low-budget productions and the cultivation of new talent, and Dragon Soul for the production of high-quality films and major productions. At that time, she was truly struggling to find people, often needing to offer one-third or even half more in compensation compared to other companies to secure the talents she wanted.

Laila wasn't foolish, and she didn't want to continue paying so much more. Over and over again, it left her feeling frustrated. Why should her film's costs be so much higher? Why should she have to spend extra money to build a film crew?

So she made a lot of effort and poached some talented newcomers she had deemed to have potential and had previously worked in other companies. Thanks to her memories of the future, she easily obtained their names and recruited them one by one.

When she poached these talents, some people might have ridiculed her for wasting so much money to get a group of useless people. However, she firmly believed that when people looked at her company ten or twenty years later, they would realize that she had almost monopolized an entire generation of talented individuals.

Some companies, under Laila's "misguidance," had also begun nurturing new talents. Perhaps they would genuinely find some promising individuals among their choices, but Laila didn't care about that because she knew that the best people were already in her hands!

The film wasn't the only one under the spotlight. Roy, as a Best Actor nominee, was also under public scrutiny. Laila had orchestrated his career path perfectly, ensuring that he was never relegated to merely a pretty face despite his good looks.

Now, his Best Actor nomination had erased many of the labels associated with him. People in the film industry no longer saw him as Laila's boyfriend or someone she had propelled to fame. He had transformed into a talented actor with both skills and good looks.

A good-looking actor with talent and an Oscar nomination – what did that signify? 

It meant that he would become a new Hollywood superstar!

It also means that Laila has miraculously transformed an ordinary person, someone who had never set foot in the entertainment industry and had no specialized training, into a globally renowned mega-star! If she still had the role of an agent, she would undoubtedly be the first choice as a partner for any ambitious actor.

It's a pity that Laila's true profession is directing, but many people were not disappointed. With a separate management company under her name, once they signed with that company, they could access some of the resources she had to offer. Who would worry about not finding good opportunities in the future? 

Because of this, stalled negotiations at some talent agencies were quickly resolved after the Oscars, and some people even went to the company to offer their services, hoping to secure a contract.

This unexpected joy was something even Laila hadn't anticipated. If she had known that one Oscar could bring her so many surprises, perhaps she would have ventured to Hollywood with her work earlier.

"Don't worry about any issues; if you feel they're promising, select them all. We'll be filming a lot of movies in the future, and we'll need a large number of actors and crew members," Laila responded quite generously after reviewing the information below.

"In addition, get to know these people. If possible, try to sign them up, and it's fine to offer slightly higher terms." Laila handed over a list with names on it.

These were actors who were quite popular in the future, and some were talented individuals who hadn't yet had the right opportunities. In fact, many of them were like this. With a chance, they could soar to great heights. The key was whether this opportunity could truly be obtained.