Career progress

On October 25th, at nine in the morning.

Inside CAA's headquarters building, people were bustling about, moving with a sense of urgency.

Within the company, the possibility of pending project approvals deeply stirred every ambitious and aspirational agent. If a deal could be struck or if a client they represented could rise to prominence, these were the endeavors they worked tirelessly for each day.

Having stood at the pinnacle, enjoying the exhilarating view of the world below, who wouldn't want to take the next step up, to stand even higher and expand their horizons?

Beneath the facade of suits and polished shoes, no one concealed their inner desires.

Gains, reputation, accolades, and applause – truly, these were the most enchanting poisons in the world.

And fortunately, they were on the right path.

John Brandon sat in his personal office, sipping coffee and gazing out of the clean and transparent floor-to-ceiling windows, his mind wandering.

The success of movies like "3 Idiots", "Fury", and "Miscreant" had not only propelled Lyman's directing career to new heights, but John, as the agent responsible for business affairs, had also been seeing his status rise within CAA.

With an independent office, improved internal information resources, and a network of high-value connections, compared to before, John was undoubtedly a standout among agents.

Having finished his coffee and checked his wristwatch, seeing that it was almost time, John quickly picked up his briefcase, descended to the underground parking lot, got into his car, and drove towards Lyman's mansion.

Even with his rising status, he still held Lyman in high regard.

He was an astute person who knew that his career development depended on whom he relied on.

About twenty minutes later, he smoothly entered Beverly Hills. After parking his car, he informed the butler and made his way to the second-floor living room.

Upon entering, he saw Lyman engaged in a conversation with James on the sofa.

Naturally, Lyman's purpose for inviting him was related to the establishment of a legitimate film company.

Registering a film company in Hollywood wasn't difficult, and many directors or producers had their own film companies. However, the problem was, like Lyman had initially thought, they all preferred to affiliate themselves, paying some attention to finances but avoiding excessive management.

However, Lyman now wanted to establish a company with independent production capabilities, one that operated professionally. For that, he needed the guidance of professionals.

After all, he wasn't entirely sure how to best proceed, whether he should fumble in the dark.

"John, come over here."

Seeing him, Lyman greeted warmly.

"How are things?"

"If you want to invest in film production, having a company is the right way to go." John sat down and analyzed for Lyman, "Firstly, film production certainly requires assembling a crew. The coordination of these tasks and the subsequent expenses for salaries and production costs can become quite chaotic without a company handling them. While you were affiliated with Paramount before, you weren't responsible for these matters. But now that you want more autonomy, you need to handle this aspect properly."

Lyman nodded in agreement, having already considered this. That's why he urgently wanted a more comprehensive production company.

After all, working for someone and being your own boss were two completely different things.

"So, how should I go about it?"

John continued, "I'm not very knowledgeable about finances, so I can't offer extensive advice. However, I think establishing partnerships with reputable accounting firms could address the financial aspect. Then, moving on to production, I suggest directly acquiring an existing production company."

"Are you suggesting not registering a new one?"

"That would be quite troublesome. If you register a company yourself, even after establishing it, it would remain an empty shell. You'd have to find office space, hire people, and assemble a team for film production... Instead of that, you might as well directly acquire an existing company. Everything would already be in place."

John opened his briefcase and took out a report, handing it to Lyman. He continued, "Hollywood sees the establishment of numerous film companies every year. Likewise, many production companies face bankruptcy or closure due to poor management or other issues. But regardless, their existence signifies preliminary operations are feasible. Once you take over and make arrangements, it's definitely much more convenient and easier than starting a company from scratch."

Indeed, acquiring in this manner was certainly more straightforward.

Thinking about it, Lyman looked at the report and asked, "What are these figures?"

"Some information about relatively promising production companies that I've collected. You can take a look."

As an industry insider, CAA was well-informed about the establishment and closure of film companies, and even which companies had plans for new productions and releases. Furthermore, these weren't exactly industry secrets; with a little effort, anyone could find this basic information within the industry.

Lyman glanced over the documents, studying the information carefully.

The report roughly outlined the operating history of several production companies.

For instance, it listed the movies they had been involved in producing, the works they had distributed, and even provided estimates of their market value and the likelihood of a successful acquisition.

After a while, a company named Rodrian Entertainment caught Lyman's attention.

This company had been established in 1998, carried no external debts, and had produced several low-budget offline films, the kind that were only sold on DVDs or videocassettes and not screened in theaters. They had some production experience, although perhaps due to their overly singular revenue streams, the owner of this company had started entertaining the idea of selling it.

Such a phenomenon was understandable. Companies following offline distribution routes were essentially trading time for meager profits to sustain their operations.

For instance, for a $100,000 film distributed through DVDs and video tapes, even if the results were average, it would likely take at least half a year to break even. The remaining time would be when they started to see pure profit.

Essentially, in the end, they might earn a few hundred thousand dollars a year, and with a bit of inattention or a downturn in the market, they could earn even less or incur losses.

This cycle likely resulted in investors who wanted to make significant profits from investing in film companies growing disheartened and considering selling the companies.

However, Lyman wasn't focusing on all of that. He only saw that this company had production experience, and the financials seemed healthy...

These factors were enough to pique his interest. Besides, the fact that the company was already considering selling meant that the acquisition process wouldn't be too complicated.

"I think this one is promising. John, could you please get in touch with them these days and negotiate a suitable price?"

"This one? Sure, I'll follow up on it right away."