Inquiring about an agent

Hugo only now realized how powerful his agency was. In the early 1990s, there were only three top agencies in Hollywood: the oldest and most powerful William Morris Agency (WMA), as well as two up-and-coming agencies, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and International Creative Management (ICM). These three companies were also the only ones in Hollywood that had a commission rate of up to 10%, demonstrating their ability.

In short, the responsibility of an agency is to provide intermediary services for clients through its own network, and profit by taking a commission from the client's salary. The more powerful the agency, the more abundant its resources and network are, and the more job opportunities it can provide. Naturally, clients can enjoy broader development prospects. The reason why the three major agencies dared to charge a 10% commission was because of their ability.

Before signing with an agency, new actors without agents are protected by SAG and AFTRA. They can provide a large number of job opportunities and, when needed, arrange for agents to help actors sign contracts, with the overall goal of protecting actors' interests.

Hugo's first work, "Diner", was successfully performed with the help of SAG, and later he was brought to International Creative Management by Ron Meyer. It must be said that Ron was quite capable. He pushed Hugo step by step to the position of a new acting star, and received his reward in "Dead Poets Society". Afterward, the three works, "Desperate Hours", "The Adventures of Ford Fairlane", and "Hudson Hawk" certainly had Tracey's role, but Ron's role as an agent should not be overlooked. Unfortunately, these three works unexpectedly failed, which was regrettable.

Before the completion and release of the movie "Hudson Hawk", Hugo and Ron's management contracts had just expired. So Ron transferred Hugo's management contract to Joseph, although both were in ICM, it was obviously a lower level. Later, the performance of "Hudson Hawk" proved Ron's vision.

It could be said that the crew of "Scent of a Woman" ultimately chose Hugo to play the role of Charlie, and Joseph and ICM behind him were definitely indispensable.

This was the first time Hugo felt lucky. He had experienced all of this, so he knew clearly how important it was to have a powerful management company and an excellent agent. This was also the first time Hugo felt the benefits brought by his predecessor, of course, if you didn't count his handsome appearance.

Speaking of the management company, Hugo remembered Charlize, whom he had met before. These days, he had been busy preparing for the audition for "Scent of a Woman", and he had actually forgotten about her, "Joseph, let me ask you something. Do you know an agent named... um..."

Hugo tried to remember the name of that agent, but he couldn't recall it, and Joseph just stood there watching Hugo's frustrated expression, without any response. In the end, Hugo had to give up and started searching for the business card of that agent, but he couldn't remember where he had put it.

Joseph struggled to suppress the urge to roll his eyes as he sat down on the mattress, watching Hugo rummage through his things. First, he checked his own pockets and wallet, then the coat in the wardrobe, followed by the bedside table and desk. Finally, Hugo patted his own head, flipped open the script of "Scent of a Woman" and successfully found a hard card inside. With a look of joy on his face, he exclaimed, "Oh, I remember now! His name is Karl El!" It was almost like the real name of Superman, but Hugo's knowledge of American comics was not that deep, so his associative memory was not that profound either.

Listening to Hugo's words, Joseph finally couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Come on, you didn't remember it, you just read the name on the business card out loud, didn't you? You're the kind of person who can't even remember where you put the card."

"Joseph, do you know him? He said he's an agent from the ICM." Hugo walked happily to Joseph's side and handed him the business card.

Joseph looked at Hugo's excitement and confusion and realized that he was completely unaware of his own absent-mindedness. Joseph could only sigh in his heart and take the card, "We do have someone named Karl El in our company, but we all call him Superman." Obviously, this name worked much better for Americans.

Joseph looked at the business card and said, "Yes, this is his card. What's the matter?" Joseph seemed to have realized something, and with a puzzled expression, he looked Hugo up and down, furrowing his brow slightly. "Did he give you his card and say you have potential as an actor?" If that were the case, it would be quite funny. After all, Hugo was the lead actor in three films, and if his agent treated him like an ordinary person, it would be a real blunder.

Hugo was quick to react this time, and he immediately understood what Joseph meant, shaking his head repeatedly. "No, no, it's a friend of mine who is a model. Karl thinks she has the potential to become an actor, so he gave her his card. But I'm not sure if it's real or just a trick. Since I saw that they're from our company, I thought I'd ask for your help."

Joseph nodded in understanding. "Karl and I started working at the company around the same time. His situation is worse than mine now. At least I have you as an artist under my wing." Joseph didn't say that Hugo's situation wasn't great either. "But Karl brought two actors before, and they didn't work out. In the end, those two actors were fired, and now he doesn't have any actors under his management. That's why he's back on the street as a talent scout."

"Fired?" Hugo raised an eyebrow. He realized that his agent was actually his assistant, and he was the boss. The agent worked for him. Of course, an excellent agent could also bring more job opportunities to actors, thereby making actors trust their agents more, which had a reverse effect.

Joseph was a bit unnerved by the meaningful look Hugo gave him. Hugo had not trusted him before, even though Joseph was his agent. Hugo had repeatedly bypassed him to talk to Ron. Although Ron had given some advice on the surface, which Joseph considered irresponsible, he had privately warned Joseph several times to "manage your actors well, I don't work for free" and later deducted a portion of Joseph's salary as a consulting fee before dropping the matter. Now, when Joseph heard what Hugo said, he immediately averted his gaze and said stiffly, "This is the actor's right."

Hugo was somewhat puzzled. He had only made a little joke, and Joseph didn't seem like the kind of person who couldn't take a joke. But why did Joseph look so serious now? He couldn't help but chuckle, "But we've just started working together, and it's the honeymoon period. This kind of thing won't happen for sure."

The mention of the honeymoon period made Joseph roll his eyes, but his serious expression eased a bit, and a faint smile could be seen at the corner of his mouth. "The success of "Scent of a Woman" case is definitely worth celebrating."

"Joseph, what do you think of Karl? Should I have my friend call him? Or should I just introduce her to you?" As Hugo spoke, he remembered that the top agent's subordinates must have more than one actor, so introducing Charlize to Joseph should not be a problem.

When Joseph heard Hugo's words, his expression truly eased up. The fact that Hugo was willing to introduce his friend to Joseph showed that Hugo trusted him, which was progress. "Oh, Karl is a very friendly person, and he takes his work very seriously. He is a trustworthy agent." Joseph replied. He knew that his current ability was not enough to handle two actors, so if Hugo's friend could become Karl's client, that would also be a good result.

"Why did the two actors leave before?" Hugo also spoke his mind without any concealment.

Joseph had no intention of hiding anything. These things could be easily found within the company. "Karl is a very serious person. He hopes that actors can devote themselves wholeheartedly to every job, so his personality can be quite stubborn and lead to conflicts at times."

Hugo nodded. It was easy to imagine that Karl was probably someone who took things very seriously. Such a personality was taboo in interpersonal communication, but once he got his work done, his achievements would be more outstanding than others.

Furthermore, Karl has always believed that overnight success was not difficult and that it could be achieved through a combination of timing and luck. However, the results obtained through opportunistic and deliberate management for the sake of fame were difficult to maintain. Even if you become famous overnight, you still had to rely on your own strength to continue on the actor's path. Otherwise, it would only be a vase career. Joseph looked at Hugo and said, "So, as you know, not everyone can accept such ideas."

Indeed, many people come to Hollywood with the dream of getting rich quick, but Karl had always advised others to start from the basics, which naturally annoyed people. The so-called sincere advice was often hard to swallow.

In fact, in Hugo's opinion, Karl was a very excellent agent, at least he sincerely considered the actors. Perhaps because Karl had not yet reached the top of the agent industry and had not been assimilated by the industry rules that prioritized interests, it was not known whether his personality could persist until the end. If so, it would definitely be a rare conscience in the industry.

"How about it, are you willing to introduce your friend to Karl?" Joseph asked seemingly casually, but his heart was still a little jittery. Joseph and Karl were similar in a certain sense, otherwise, they would not still be in such a bad situation for more than a year after entering the industry. Therefore, Hugo's affirmation of Karl could also be seen as an affirmation of Joseph, which was important to the latter.

Hugo, however, did not think so much. He just nodded naturally and said, "Of course, why not?" Hearing this, Joseph's creased between his eyebrows gradually relaxed replaced by a faint joy. However, the slightly insensitive Hugo did not notice it, and continued to say, "I should call Charlize..."