Small fry

Inside a simply decorated office.

Smoke billowed, creating an otherworldly atmosphere.

"President."

Matt Cohen, the head of EuropaCorp's marketing department at the time, put down his cigar, yawned lightly, tapped off the ashes, and with a mix of hidden meaning and seeming casualness, he said, "M. Besson, I've heard the company has a new project again? This director Lyman has been quite active lately, not only does he have plans for his own films, but he's also investing. Quite capable."

Sitting across from him, Luc Besson naturally understood there was more to his words.

First, let's talk about his position. Setting aside the role of being head of the marketing department, Matt Cohen had several shareholders behind him.

After all, running such a large film company meant bowing to popular sentiment. How could one person's word be final?

"If he's so impressive, it's only natural he has the ability. I do understand this," Luc paused, seemingly giving the person across from him some room for thought. He held the cigar in his mouth, took a slow and enjoying puff before continuing, "As I've said before, since the company decided to start this project, of course, there are the company's plans. So, do you think Lyman isn't up to the task? Or is the company's decision flawed?"

"No, no, no," Matt immediately shook his head in denial, "In the past couple of years, Lyman's achievements as a director have been apparent to everyone. How could I not believe in him? Also, everyone throughout the company agrees with these decisions, so of course, I have no objections."

No objections?

Ha, what a lie.

Luc saw through the facade but didn't expose it, continuing to play along, "So, did you come to see me today for something else?"

Matt smiled, took a drag on the cigar, and said, "Yes, there's a little matter. I'm starting to wonder if the terms we're offering are too generous, as if they're harming the company's interests."

"Did you know that "Miscreant" has surpassed $600M in global box office?" he exhaled the smoke, murmuring to himself.

This statement seemed disconnected, without a clear context. But, Matt frowned upon hearing it.

The two exchanged a glance, each with their own depth.

"Oh? Is that so? I didn't pay much attention to that aspect. Or maybe I just found out today."

The "Saw" project had relatively low investment from EuropaCorp. Naturally, there would be dissenting voices. However, Luc hadn't expected that there seemed to be some objections from the board of directors as well.

Looking at the person who came to inquire, he understood.

Did they really think he knew nothing?

In larger film companies nowadays, internal personnel dynamics and equity distribution were quite complex.

Even though Luc was visibly the one with the most power, seemingly in control, and his keen eye for good projects, talent discovery, and continuous revenue generation for the company were evident.

Still, there would always be those with different thoughts.

Wealth tempts the heart, and it's never easy to be content.

"The company only takes 30% of the box office revenue, isn't that a bit low?"

"How could that be? Earning without taking on risks, isn't that a great deal? With such a good opportunity, what more do you want?" Luc looked across, gave a calm smile.

"So, you're quite satisfied, it seems I overthought it. I won't disturb your work then..." Matt continued.

He extinguished the cigar, exchanged some polite words, and took his leave.

Watching the office door close again, Luc's smile gradually faded until it disappeared.

His gaze shifted to the financial report for the first half of the year on the table.

The numbers on it were actually quite impressive. Still, there were always those who felt it wasn't enough, and maybe even believed it could be improved further.

Great ideas, if only their minds weren't so muddled.

They couldn't see the bigger picture.

Although they were a distribution company, situated at the top of the industry chain, what good was that without the supply from the downstream? It would be a waste.

If their manufacturing department was performing well, that would be another story. Just like Disney now, even if their live-action movie business wasn't thriving, they still held a strong market share among the big six due to their substantial background.

But did EuropaCorp have that? Not entirely, of course. Who had such a big face, to even think like that was overthinking it.

Lacking good works and failing to court capable directors more carefully, could they really develop well and burst with confidence?

Didn't they know that in the entertainment industry, talent was no worse than channels?

He was working hard to maintain the cooperative relationship between both parties, while others were backhandedly criticizing. For this, Luc truly wanted to explode with anger.

Good directors, weren't they a type of unconventional industry resource?

Capable of earning money, earning a lot of money, yet still thinking of ways to squeeze and exploit.

What were they thinking? Was EuropaCorp the only company he could cooperate with? Or what?

In this world, were there people who couldn't get along with profits?

Or was it that, with Lyman's qualifications and status now, they lacked movie studio investments?

He understood the situation. So, why were there idiots in his own company?

Did Lyman ever demand excessively favorable conditions? Every time, he negotiated on the basis of past achievements, sought reasonable terms, and withdrew when appropriate, willingly showing goodwill.

Every time, it was he who compromised in the end, all for the sake of continuing the partnership.

To Lyman, it was about avoiding trouble. He didn't want to delay the filming schedule over minor disagreements, so he always made concessions calmly, above his own bottom line, at the final negotiation stage.

But in Luc's view, this was showing goodwill, a display of knowing how to advance and retreat.

Moreover, as a director himself, he understood just how remarkable Lyman's prolificacy and market performance were.

Just like himself, he often spent two or three years crafting a single work, which was the norm for most directors in the industry.

After all, having an idea was rare, but transforming that idea into reality and winning the audience's favor was even rarer.

With talent like Lyman's, what reason was there not to cherish a cooperative relationship?

In his opinion, it was just that some people had skewed priorities and nonsensical ideas.

For the sake of power and gain, they could even momentarily ignore the obvious facts, pretend not to see them. Quite impressive.

Luc extinguished his cigar, carefully tidied up, stood up, and paced around the office lost in thought.

After a while, he picked up the phone and called his assistant.

"Notify the company's upper management to have a meeting at 1 PM." He glanced at his watch; it was around 10 AM. He issued the instruction like this.

"Understood." The assistant nodded and promptly sent out the meeting notification.

He sat back in his office chair, his brows slightly furrowed.

It seemed necessary to clean up the board of directors. There were too many shareholders. Too many people, too many ideas; how could this work?

Coincidentally, the company's performance had been good in recent years. Many were more willing to support him, whether through stock buybacks or other means. It was time to sort things out.

For the company's future development, he couldn't allow too much noise.

Luc thought to himself.