Chapter 336: Poaching

Just after the 77th Academy Awards announced their nominations, the 25th Golden Raspberry Awards also announced theirs, and both Matthew Horner and Dwayne Johnson were nominated for Worst Actor and Worst Supporting Actor, respectively. The Golden Raspberry Awards even sent an official invitation, inviting him to attend the ceremony.

In fact, Matthew was somewhat puzzled. The audience's reception of "National Treasure" was not bad, and both he and Dwayne Johnson had received recognition from most fans.

"It's just that the professional reviews were not favorable," Helen Herman said as she walked around Matthew's rented office. "Didn't you redecorate?"

Matthew pointed to the office's furnishings and replied, "No renovations, just using the previous office equipment left behind."

It was just a liaison office, not a company setup.

Helen came to the window, looked towards the distant building of Angel Agency, and commented, "It's good like this, close enough to be convenient if there's any issue."

Matthew nodded, "That's what I thought."

Helen then brought up the topic of the Golden Raspberry Awards, "Do you want to attend?"

"I don't want to go," Matthew snorted, "I want to hire a truck, load it with DVDs of 'National Treasure', and dump them on those judges' faces."

He was somewhat indignant, "I highly suspect those Razzie judges haven't even watched the film, just read the critics' reviews!"

"No need to doubt that," Helen said straightforwardly. "The Razzie jury mainly consists of some fringe industry players, professional critics, and a few fans. The fans can be largely ignored; it's those experts who actually sway the awards."

She was quite calm, "Don't worry, as long as the box office of the films you star in is high enough, not even a Golden Raspberry nomination, let alone being awarded the Worst Actor, will affect the producers' decisions."

Matthew shrugged, "I just feel like, with so many bad films each year, how can 'National Treasure' possibly be considered among them?"

"You're not likely to win," Helen observed. "Colin Farrell and George Bush are also nominated for Worst Actor. Colin's 'Alexander' was much worse received than 'National Treasure', and 'Fahrenheit 9/11' has basically secured Worst Actor for Bush."

She suddenly looked at Matthew, "'Fahrenheit 9/11' also got Britney Spears nominated for Worst Supporting Actress."

"Right," Matthew responded casually, not dwelling on it, as he switched the topic, "Did you get everything ready that I asked for? Is the crew cooperative?"

"It's all set," Helen replied. "I've coordinated with the air traffic control, Aziva Gosman and the 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' crew will fully support us. Also, Peak Entertainment is working on getting you a spot as an Oscars presenter."

Matthew wasn't surprised; all this was for promoting "Mr. & Mrs. Smith."

The office door opened from outside, and Bella Anderson entered carrying a large file box. Matthew waved her over, "Bella, come here."

Bella set down the file box and hurried over.

Matthew introduced her to Helen, "Helen, this is Bella Anderson, my personal assistant. Bella, this is Helen Herman, my agent."

The two were bound to interact frequently in the future.

After Helen and Bella exchanged greetings and chatted briefly, Helen turned back to Matthew, "I forgot to mention, Zack Snyder flew to New York yesterday to meet again with Frank Miller. My people are with him."

"Hopefully, it goes smoother this time," Matthew said, aware that Zack had finished all the test footage last week, "It'd be best if he could secure the adaptation rights."

Helen looked towards Bella who had gone back to work and then said to Matthew, "I saw the completed video clips; they are very unique and special, visually very much in line with Frank Miller's illustrative style."

Though Matthew hadn't seen it himself, he had had enough discussions with Zack to have a good idea of what the test footage looked like. How Zack got the adaptation rights and became the director of the series, he wasn't clear, but now it should be convincing enough for Frank Miller.

After all, how many commercial genre authors, especially those of novels and comics, wouldn't want their work to become a film under the right conditions?

In this era, with the help of movies, commercial novels or comics not only become significantly more influential but could even soar as high as the Harry Potter series.

If it weren't for the Harry Potter film series and Warner Bros.' vigorous promotion, how could the Harry Potter books have achieved their current success?

While there was still no news from Zack's side, Matthew and Helen went to the Warner Studios office of the 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' crew to meet with Aziva Gosman. Charlize Theron and her agent soon joined them

, and the three parties finalized the next steps and implementation details.

Being in a competitive environment like Hollywood means always moving forward; not progressing means regressing. Matthew, of course, didn't need to say this, but just looking at Charlize Theron, who fired her agent of ten years for a chance at an Oscar, it was clear she was highly ambitious.

Since Charlize was the Best Actress at the previous Oscars, she naturally would be a presenter for Best Actor this year, and Peak Entertainment had also secured Matthew a chance to step onto the Oscar stage. Although only to introduce a nominee for Best Picture, it still meant walking the Oscars red carpet, and the upcoming plans naturally centered around the Oscars ceremony.

After all, the Oscars are a stage that captures widespread attention, with just the North American live viewership averaging over thirty million each year.

Not just for 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith', but Hollywood films released in the summer typically leverage the Oscars for promotion, such as having the lead actors serve as award presenters, a common strategy.

Each year, the Super Bowl and the Oscars are the two most important promotional platforms for Hollywood films.

Leaving the Warner production studio, Matthew returned to his office to start preparations. In the afternoon, however, he received a call from Sean Daniel, who wanted to meet him for a chat that evening.

Matthew and Sean Daniel were old friends and had collaborated several times; of course, he wouldn't refuse.

What he didn't expect was that when he arrived at the café where he was supposed to meet Sean Daniel, Sean wasn't alone but was accompanied by a woman who seemed as shrewd and efficient as Helen Herman.

"Matthew, let me introduce you," Sean Daniel began, "This is Ms. Patrice Kinsley, an agent from CAA."

"Patrice..." he then introduced Matthew, "This is my friend, Matthew Horner."

Matthew kept his composure. In Hollywood, who didn't know who Patrice Kinsley was? She had been the agent for big stars like Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. After Tom fired her following an Oscar flop, scandalous stories about Tom started emerging frequently, clearly orchestrated by Patrice.

"Hello, Matthew," Patrice Kinsley offered a professional smile.

Matthew lightly shook her offered hand, politely responding, "Hello, Ms. Kinsley."

Sean Daniel then invited, "Sit down, let's talk!"

As Matthew pulled out a chair to sit down, Sean suddenly whispered, "I owed CAA a favor years ago; you don't have to consider me."

Seeing Matthew and Patrice sit down, Sean, with an apologetic tone, said, "Sorry, something came up last minute. You two chat."

It was clear he didn't want to get involved in what was to come.

Patrice Kinsley, aware of this, let Sean leave without fuss.

Once the waiter brought their coffee, Patrice went straight to the point, "Matthew, I'm here on behalf of CAA."

Matthew had guessed her intentions upon seeing Patrice Kinsley; he had encountered poaching attempts by agencies before, but never from one as high-level as CAA.

He remained silent, just watching Patrice speak, "In CAA's assessment, among actors born after 1980, including actresses, you rank first in potential."

"Oh..." Matthew appeared calm, "That sounds like a very nice compliment."

Patrice's tone shifted suddenly, "But having potential doesn't necessarily mean becoming a superstar."

"I agree," Matthew concurred. "Many who think themselves talented or genius often fall at the starting line of Hollywood."

He was unapologetically confident, "Often, someone like me, who has a clear understanding of his own abilities, can make it to the top."

Patrice frowned slightly, sensing that the young star across from her was quite aware of his situation.

"You make a good point," Patrice continued with a professional smile, "But to achieve better development, you need a bigger platform."

She sped up her speech, "Angel Agency is very small, so far the only real star client is you. I know Helen Herman, she's competent but too young, lacking sufficient experience..."

"Ms. Kinsley!" Matthew interrupted her, asking bluntly, "I like to be straightforward. Are you inviting me to join CAA?"

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