Chapter 127: The Dusty "Gold Mine"

San Fernando Valley, the spiritual haven for American adults, is rarely mentioned in public. However, its annual economic impact amounts to staggering four billion dollars, while Hollywood's annual production value is only around a few billion.

In the current situation, the San Fernando Valley is like a smaller, adult-oriented version of Hollywood. However, it falls under the gray market and doesn't enjoy high social status and reputation.

After all, finding female actors there is not as easy since many of them are coerced by gang members through various means.

The three individuals present belong to a relatively large film company in the San Fernando Valley. The company's name may be unfamiliar to most people, but they are known for their famous Blond Paradise series.

To produce better works, they even hired professional directors from Japan to create superior movies. However, now they have a new pursuit: creating special versions of blockbuster films.

For example, they could produce a different version of Pirates of the Caribbean, with different actors and a unique plot. Interestingly, even if the quality of their films is average, they are often not criticized heavily.

After all, their focus is on action, and the plot is secondary. As long as the female actors are attractive and have good figures, male audiences can tolerate the shortcomings in other aspects.

The plot can be embellished to some extent to fulfill the audience's expectations. This allows them to differentiate themselves from other film producers in the San Fernando Valley and serves as a new experiment for their company.

Of course, there are different approaches to acquiring film rights. For instance, the Planet of the Apes series is a typical example of not acquiring the rights, yet they manage to avoid legal trouble. However, they cannot openly promote their films using that particular name. In their movies, male actors cannot be depicted without clothes, but they cannot advertise it openly.

...

Looking at the three individuals in front of him, Kevin confirmed once again, "You want to acquire the rights to the 18+ version of Pirates of the Caribbean for ten million dollars?"

The three nodded repeatedly.

Kevin hesitated for a moment before saying, "I can grant you the rights without any problem. But I'm curious, why are you willing to pay such a high price to acquire the rights? After all, other film companies in the San Fernando Valley have a notorious reputation in this regard."

Among the three, the short and chubby man in the middle rubbed his hands together and spoke with a self-righteous tone, "We are different from them. Our Heavenly Films company aims to develop in a legitimate and high-end manner, focusing on sophisticated and aesthetic tastes. While they may disregard copyrights, we cannot."

Kevin stroked his chin and pondered. He couldn't believe the words of these bastards. Who would leave money on the table and focus on acquiring copyrights unless it could generate more profit for them?

However, that was an industry Kevin didn't have direct involvement in. On the other hand, he realized that he might have a hand in the future with platforms like P-site.

For now, it was important to get acquainted with these individuals from the San Fernando Valley. Developing P-site was a crucial part of their resources.

"That's not a problem, but I'd like to understand your current methods of film distribution and production. I'm curious about these aspects of the business," Kevin said, with a face that clearly showed he just wanted to grasp the industry's insider information.

A sly smile appeared on the faces of the three bald men. The San Fernando Valley was indeed a sacred place for American men, and there were no shortage of people wanting to know its secrets. Even renowned directors like Steve Kevin were ultimately men, after all.

The short and chubby bald man who led the group confidently began his introduction.

...

The films from the San Fernando Valley were clearly not able to make it to the big screen in an era where internet speeds were insufficient to support smooth video streaming.

Their primary method of sales was through DVD distribution.

Various DVD stores, video rental shops, newspapers, and more were their sales channels.

On the other hand, they also had offline networks in place, particularly in higher education institutions across the United States, to help with DVD sales.

Although they lacked the speed of the big screen, their income was steady and continuous.

It was something that only those who understood would understand, especially for 18-year-old boys.

These DVDs sold much better than DVDs of movies like Pirates of the Caribbean.

The only issue was that their popularity might not last as long as that of Pirates of the Caribbean.

After all, men always had a tendency to seek out new things and get bored of the old.

As Kevin listened to the back-and-forth introductions of the three individuals, he interjected, "I see..."

"So you're saying that you have many past films that are no longer beloved by today's American men, is that right?"

"Yes, we have tens of thousands of films in our warehouse."

"And if we consider the entire San Fernando Valley, we have millions of films in stock."

Kevin's eyes suddenly lit up.

He asked directly, "So, do you sell these films?"

No one, besides Kevin, had ever thought that these unwanted items could hold such great value.

They were like piles of gold waiting for Kevin to uncover their worth.

With a few more years until the era of online video, Kevin needed to make strategic moves in advance.

Otherwise, once everyone realized the value of these piles of gold, acquiring them would come at a tenfold or hundredfold cost.

When the chubby man heard Kevin's question, his eyes lit up.

The production of these special films was different from regular movies. If they worked quickly, they could produce hundreds of films in a day. Even if they took their time, they could still complete several films in a day.

The tens of thousands of films in their inventory might seem intimidating, but considering the scale of their company, it was only their stock from the past few years.

Those films had long been gathering dust in the warehouse.

If someone wanted them, it would be a perfect opportunity.

"Well... could we exchange the rights to these films for the 18+ version of Pirates of the Caribbean?" Griffin, the chubby man, tentatively proposed.

Kevin's heart filled with excitement. If it were just tens of thousands of these films, their value wouldn't be high. They had no real substance. Anyone with a camera and a couple of actors, regardless of gender, could shoot them.

But what made these films valuable was that they had gone through the process of review and could be legally released. In simple terms, they were legitimate products subject to taxation.

If Kevin were to shoot these films himself, it wouldn't be a problem. The real challenge lay in the arduous process of review, which required substantial resources and manpower.

Now, with just ten million dollars, he could acquire tens of thousands of films, which was a massive windfall.

However, Kevin's thoughts went beyond just these tens of thousands of films. His ultimate goal was the entire stock of the San Fernando Valley.