Bringing people together

Within the headquarters of Firefly Films, in the office of Blake Cole:

His trusted aide, Evan Braden, glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, a smile on his face. "Boss, should they be back soon?"

"Yeah, it won't be long." Blake remained nonchalant, reclining in his chair, legs crossed, while he skimmed through newspapers and marketing department reports.

He was now grateful for staying with the company. How else could he have such a comfortable life? The film projects they developed were doing well, and there weren't too many company affairs to attend to. He had even developed a habit of reading various newspapers. Since the release of "Effervescent", seeing the positive reviews and news related to Firefly Films in the newspapers was a source of comfort.

Within the company, while he might not hold the highest position, he still had some influence. Many people hoped to join Firefly Films through him. That feeling of being sought after was simply delightful. Even though he couldn't make any guarantees, it didn't dampen his good mood.

Moreover, the company's prospects were promising, and his standing in the industry was on the rise.

"Boss said they would distribute 5% of the film's box office revenue as bonuses. Is that true?" Evan asked excitedly.

"Where did you hear that from?" Blake gave him a sidelong glance. It turned out he came here for this. No wonder, there was no particular reason for him to be in the office so early.

"Haha, it's been circulating around the office."

"Yeah, it's true," Blake didn't doubt it. Many people were aware of this.

After confirming, Evan asked, "So, how will the bonus be calculated?"

"Based on the current box office approaching $300M, after deducting the theater's share and Paramount's share, our company should get around $80M. After deducting some distribution expenses, it'll be slightly over $70M. 5% of $70M is $3.5M. And this money will also need to cover the production team's bonuses..."

Indeed, Paramount, as the distributor, bore the least production risk but could still earn over $70M in box office revenue through investment and distribution terms. Even after accounting for promotion costs and tax payments, they would still earn over $50M. It was truly a profitable deal. However, that's how distribution worked; that's how business was conducted.

Their vigorous promotion efforts were based on the film's promising market prospects. Otherwise, if there was no profit to be made, Paramount would be the first to give up.

Who would make a lot of noise if they couldn't make money?

And this calculation didn't even consider the earnings from the offline market and overseas box office. After all, those couldn't be settled immediately. Given the good relationship with Europa and the need to settle profits with various theaters worldwide after the film was completely taken down, it would take at least a month or two.

Evan listened, somewhat dazed, and asked, "So, how much can I get?"

"You? As the deputy director of the marketing department, you should get around $80,000. You're just an employee in the marketing department, mainly responsible for research in that area, so you probably won't get much, maybe around $20,000."

"That's a lot!" Evan exclaimed.

His usual salary was only $5,000 dollars, so $20,000 was equivalent to four months' pay. How could he not be happy? Moreover, if things continued like this, with every successful film, he would receive bonuses. In a couple of years, he could probably buy a house in the community and even pay off his car loan.

Wow, the future looked bright.

It seemed like Blake had seen through his thoughts and said in a somewhat speechless manner, "Why are you thinking so far ahead? This is just a one-time reward. Will they distribute bonuses like this on a regular basis? This is a company, not a charity. When the time comes, don't get kicked out. Layoffs are not out of the question."

The two of them were about to continue their conversation when the office floor outside suddenly became lively.

"Boss."

"CEO."

One by one, the employees eagerly greeted them.

"Thank you all for your hard work. Tonight, the company will host a celebration at the Hilton Hotel. Everyone is invited."

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Lyman headed to his office.

Evan hurried back to his own workstation upon seeing this, while Blake tidied up some documents to report on the company's situation.

In the CEO's office, besides Lyman, Eva was also present.

Speaking of her, she had been doing quite well lately.

The young lady had also experienced a taste of fame.

In terms of fame, she didn't have the recognition of someone like Sophie Marceau, but with the success of "Effervescent", she had gained a fair share of audience appeal. Especially for her portrayal of a resilient, optimistic young woman, which added to her charm.

Now, her salary had risen to $2M, a significant increase, thanks to the rising value of female leads in blockbuster films.

Take Anne Hathaway, for example. Before starring in "The Princess Diaries", her salary was only a few thousand dollars. After "The Princess Diaries", it skyrocketed to $3M, and the sequel to the film brought her a base salary of $5M.

Among the many actresses, she was emerging as an industry newcomer.

Blake was well aware of the relationship between the two, and he didn't shy away from it. He went on to report the company's operations over the past few days.

After listening, Lyman instructed, "The company should continue hiring, and also, get in touch with some industry headhunters. Experienced professionals are our primary target."

"I understand."

After Blake left, it wasn't long before Johnson also arrived at the company.

He was now Eva's agent, and the reason she hadn't returned to the set of "The Day After Tomorrow" was not only due to director Roland Emmerich's goodwill but also because of some miscellaneous matters that needed to be handled.

He seemed particularly energetic now, constantly on the move, and showed no signs of fatigue. As soon as he entered, he began, "I've contacted Dior. They want Eva to endorse their latest women's fragrance and also want you to direct the promotional ad."

"Me?" Lyman asked in surprise.

"Yes, they're very sincere. What do you think, should we accept?"

Before considering a spokesperson for Dior, they had done their research on Eva. They naturally knew about her relationship with Lyman and thought it would be great to have them work together.

It was a well-thought-out plan.

Considering Lyman's strong reputation in the industry, his involvement in the ad would be excellent material for promotion. As for Eva, she was primarily wanted to ride the wave of success of "Effervescent".

After all, she wasn't the exclusive spokesperson for their brand.