Chapter 76: Super Potential Client

It's 2001, after all. If the new film can achieve the same success as "Hard Candy" and make it to the theaters, releasing it in September would be suicidal. Not to mention, by that time, the psychological resilience of the entire country would be at its lowest. How many people would want to watch such a bloody and brutal film?

If possible, Murphy wants to complete it quickly, find a suitable distributor, and strive to release it before August.

Noon arrived quickly. After having lunch in the studio and giving some instructions to Paul Wilson, Murphy left in his Ford to meet someone he had scheduled to see.

The meeting was at a coffee shop in Century City at two o'clock. Murphy arrived early on purpose and waited for about half an hour before Nick Clibbert, whom he had met once before, arrived.

"Hello, Nick," Murphy greeted warmly, not showing at all that this was only their second meeting. "We meet again."

Sitting opposite him was a man in his thirties, the prop master introduced by Kara Faith. Their previous negotiation had fallen through due to salary issues.

"Hello, Director Stanton," Nick Clibbert nodded at Murphy.

"I'm preparing a new project," Murphy said, not beating around the bush since they had already talked on the phone, "and I need an experienced prop master."

The prop master and makeup artist are crucial for the new project. Murphy planned to continue using Jack Watson as the makeup artist, but he had yet to find a suitable prop master.

Nick Clibbert was currently Murphy's top choice. He had been in the industry for over a decade and had worked on several films, including some with budgets exceeding ten million dollars, making him quite experienced.

"Director Stanton, I reviewed the work plan you sent to my email," Nick Clibbert said, placing his hand on his coffee cup, frowning slightly. "It might conflict with my schedule. I have a major project with DreamWorks starting in July."

Hearing him subtly use DreamWorks to raise his own value, Murphy smiled and said, "The two jobs won't conflict. It's only March now, and my project will be completed by late May at the latest. You'd only need to be on set for five weeks..."

After Kara Faith's recommendation, Murphy had looked into Clibbert's previous work and found him to be very capable. To win over someone like him, sweet talk would not suffice; practical methods were necessary.

Murphy calmly stated, "I guarantee your weekly salary will not be less than five thousand dollars."

For a second-line prop master, this was a high figure.

Hearing this, Nick Clibbert was visibly moved but did not immediately agree. After thinking for a moment, he said, "My agent isn't here, so I can't give you an answer right now."

"Can I have his contact information?" Murphy knew Clibbert was interested. Nick Clibbert handed him a business card, which Murphy glanced at before saying, "I'll get in touch with him."

Barring any surprises, this prop master was secured.

Leaving the coffee shop, Murphy didn't return to the studio. Instead, he called Bill Rossis and wandered around Century City before entering the CAA building.

Taking the elevator to Bill Rossis' floor, Murphy walked down a long hallway to the end and knocked on an office door.

This was a shared office space. Besides Bill Rossis' desk by the window, there were at least four other desks, indicating Rossis' status in the agency and at CAA.

Just as Murphy thought, Rossis was just one of the many ordinary agents at CAA.

"Hi, Murphy," Bill Rossis greeted warmly, "This way."

Since the office wasn't a good place for private conversations, he led Murphy to a nearby meeting room.

"Have a seat," Bill Rossis gestured to the sofa in the meeting room, then turned to the beverage shelf and asked, "Would you like something to drink?"

"Water is fine," Murphy replied, glancing around the luxuriously decorated meeting room.

Bill Rossis brought a cup of water and placed it on the coffee table next to Murphy before sitting on another sofa.

"Is the script finished?" he asked eagerly. "When do you plan to start preparations? Is there anything you need me to do?"

"I'm still revising the script," Murphy replied slowly, taking a sip of water. "Preparations should begin next month."

"Alright," Bill Rossis nodded, then reminded him, "If you need anything, just let me know."

From "Hard Candy," he had earned a five percent commission. The fifty thousand dollars had boosted his annual income by nearly half.

As an ordinary agent, who wouldn't want to climb higher, to have their own office and a dedicated assistant?

Having even a second-tier director under his wing could grant him such privileges, as the value and importance CAA placed on a second-tier director far surpassed that of a second-tier actor.

But which known director would want to work with an agent like him? Like other agents who had climbed up through actors or directors, discovering new talent was the most reliable way.

Now, he saw Murphy's potential as being at that level.

Bill Rossis had received confirmed reports that under Miramax's operation, "Hard Candy," with a production cost of three hundred thousand dollars, had generated nearly five times that in North American box office revenue and over ten times the total market output, with those numbers still rising...

Ultimately, this industry is all about results. Bill Rossis believed Murphy could be his breakthrough.

Treating such a super potential client, he was naturally very attentive.

Looking at Murphy, Bill Rossis seemed to be gazing at the most beautiful woman in the world.

Murphy had come specifically to find him, clearly with something in mind. Putting down his water cup, he said, "You know, during the filming of 'Hard Candy,' most people were hired at low wages and lacked sufficient ability. Apart from Jack Watson, I won't be working with them again."

Bill Rossis nodded slightly, appreciating this about Murphy. Despite working with such a mediocre crew, he had successfully completed "Hard Candy" and even exceeded expectations.

He had spent a long time on the set, and the lighting and set designers were purely laborers who couldn't keep up with Murphy's ideas, only completing their tasks under his direction without any real collaboration.

Of course, he also knew that with the wages Murphy had offered, finding someone like Jack Watson had been a stroke of luck.

"The new crew will need many behind-the-scenes roles," Murphy continued. "I need reliable people. CAA should have no shortage of such talent, right?"

"Certainly not. Even our newcomers are highly capable," Bill Rossis replied. Then, thinking of CAA's core strategy, he suggested, "Murphy, why don't you let me handle all these arrangements for you?"