Hawk was panicking.
Even though he was in a bright, spacious office, he couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. It was as if a cold wind was creeping up from under his feet, and he felt like some malevolent spirit was coming to claim his life, making him instinctively hunch his shoulders.
He was holding a thin piece of paper in his hand, showing the sales figures from the past three days. It should have been good news, but his expression looked like he'd just eaten a mouthful ...
2024-09-12 17:09:24 +0000 UTC
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Time quickly passed, and the release date for Heinz's advertisement arrived.
Shooting the Heinz commercial was straightforward; they only filmed a single bottle of Heinz ketchup, leaving the entire ad's creation to rely on computer technology.
Their efficiency was impressive. After finalizing the design for the billboard, they rented 300 billboards across the U.S. in just one day and put up the ad featuring Ethan's creative idea.
"Heinz, the only ketchup."
This slo...
2024-09-12 17:08:38 +0000 UTC
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After leaving Michael Ovitz's office, Rory, looking troubled, went to find Sandra Bullock
She was his biggest client, and Sandra Bullock trusted him deeply.
"What's wrong, Rory?" Sandra Bullock asked, noticing Rory Toledo's distressed expression.
"Mr. Ovitz wants me to implement the package deal policy in Gilbert's production..." Rory Toledo replied with a helpless look.
"What?" Sandra Bullock involuntarily raised her voice, "Doesn't Mr. Ovitz know that Director Gi...
2024-09-12 17:07:09 +0000 UTC
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In Glendale, a city north of Los Angeles, Keanu Reeves resided. At that moment, his agent was passionately explaining, "Keanu, this script was personally delivered by the assistant of director Gilbert. They're inviting you to play the lead role—the lead role!"
Keanu Reeves didn't seem very interested, replying, "This type of project doesn't really appeal to me."
"For heaven's sake, Keanu, this is a mainstream commercial film! Do you know how many people dream of getting such a...
2024-09-12 17:06:05 +0000 UTC
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At the start of a new week, Gilbert walked into his Melon Studio in Burbank, carrying a briefcase.
"Good morning, Anna!"
"Good morning, boss!" Anna stood up, took Gilbert's coat, and hung it on the coat rack. "Ms. Boone is already waiting for you in your office."
"Okay," Gilbert nodded and entered his office, where his agent was already there, flipping through some documents.
"I've spoken with Robert Iger and Jeff Robinov separately. Robert Iger agreed to your term...
2024-09-11 17:15:43 +0000 UTC
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The celebration party was crowded, with many people coming and going, offering toasts. Gilbert had already drunk quite a bit. Although he could hold his liquor, the sheer number of people toasting him made it hard for him to keep up, and he was starting to feel a bit tipsy.
"You should go back and rest," Sheena Boone suggested.
Gilbert nodded, but when he stood up, he felt a bit unsteady. His assistant, Anna Singh, helped support him as they prepared to leave.
"I'll go te...
2024-09-11 17:14:46 +0000 UTC
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In addition to buying stocks, Gilbert also instructed his assistant, Anna Singh, to approach the Tolkien Estate. The goal was, of course, to acquire the rights to the famous "The Lord of the Rings." He had always been fond of this film series and naturally wanted the opportunity to produce it himself.
The negotiation process went smoothly. After Anna Singh raised the offer to one million dollars, the estate representatives quickly signed the film rights transfer agreement. This include...
2024-09-10 17:19:43 +0000 UTC
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By the end of September, "Final Destination" had already grossed $52.746 million in North America, surpassing Gilbert's previous film "Shark Beach." The film was still in theaters, continuing to rake in box office revenue.
Simultaneously, Disney had begun releasing the film overseas in early September. By the end of the month, it had earned $38.529 million internationally, bringing the film's global box office total to $91.275 million.
With global box office earnings set to surp...
2024-09-10 17:19:05 +0000 UTC
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Despite Cameron Diaz repeatedly pleading with Gilbert to let her play the female lead, he firmly refused.
"You're not suited for the lead role," Gilbert said.
"Why?" Cameron Diaz was puzzled. She believed she was quite good—she had gained some popularity, had a great figure, and was attractive.
"In short, it just won't work," Gilbert explained. "You can't always rely on me. You need to carve out your own path."
"But I don't know how to do that. What should I do?"...
2024-09-10 17:18:23 +0000 UTC
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"'Final Destination' is Director Gilbert's continued exploration in the thriller and horror genre. The film creates a new model distinct from typical American horror movies." - *The Hollywood Reporter*
"It turns out that moving Gilbert from Universal to our own studio was a wise choice. The film's $11.376 million opening weekend box office is quite impressive." - *Variety*
"The film uses the invisible concept of the Grim Reaper to create seemingly accidental deaths, constantly k...
2024-09-09 16:30:41 +0000 UTC
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All the preliminary promotional work that could be done had been completed, and according to Disney's plan, the roadshow would begin next weekend.
In other words, Disney wanted to see the film's first-week box office performance, the impact of word of mouth, and then decide whether to invest more.
Because of this, during the opening weekend of *Final Destination*, Gilbert found himself with rare free time and decided to host a barbecue party with his team members.
These w...
2024-09-09 16:29:47 +0000 UTC
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No matter how hard Ye Xiaoyi tried to figure it out, she could never have guessed that the person spreading the phrase "卧槽" (Wocao) was actually a Chinese soul—a person with a "yellow heart."
If Ye Xiaoyi was a "banana person"—yellow on the outside, white on the inside—who was working hard to integrate into mainstream American society, then Gilbert was like a "melon person," a type with white skin and a yellow heart, perfectly representing him.
Though Gilbert was deepl...
2024-09-09 16:29:00 +0000 UTC
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Raymond and Yesan had already boarded a plane to another city to promote "Re-Invention."
Ethan's life had finally calmed down a bit, with the noisy and unfriendly stares of the Black neighborhood gone. Walking through the white neighborhoods, he felt more at ease.
Today, Ethan had a simple plan: to resign from *New York Underground Art* magazine.
He no longer lacked job opportunities; instead, he was running short on time.
However, when he arrived at the magazine o...
2024-09-07 19:36:20 +0000 UTC
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The buzz around "Re-Invention" continued to grow.
Nylon Music Magazine, which usually focused on song reviews, had shifted its attention to the MV this time, barely touching on the song itself.
"If I had to highlight the standout aspect of this song, it would definitely be the MV. The melancholic blue perfectly complements the style of the song. The concept of killing oneself—what does it represent?
"It represents the current self killing the past self, akin to a rebirt...
2024-09-07 19:35:40 +0000 UTC
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While the promotion for "Re-Invention" was in full swing, major record companies were also scrutinizing the song's MV. Their interest wasn't because of the song itself, but because of the ongoing rivalry between Republican Records and SBK Records. Each company watched with glee, eager to analyze the competition.
"It's definitely cool," Joel Jay, the president of Warner Records, said after a meeting, discussing the MV with other executives.
"Dolly Amos is planning to release a ne...
2024-09-07 19:35:04 +0000 UTC
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On the weekend, major music radio stations in New York simultaneously received a new single CD. The cover still featured Raymond, and Republic Records showed no intention of obscuring him. Except for the color change to a deep blue with a yellow title and Raymond being covered by a pink halo, it was identical to the first single.
Unlike the cover of the previous single, this one was still eye-catching, but the title had changed from "Beast Star" to "Reinvention."
Yes, the song "...
2024-09-07 19:34:29 +0000 UTC
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The Heinz ad pitch took place at their headquarters. Early in the morning, Ethan and Jimmy were waiting outside the conference room.
Three companies were competing for the ad: IPG, Ogilvy, and lion advertisement
Among them, only lion advertisement was the smallest. If it weren't for the recommendation from the Domino's owner, they wouldn't even have made it through the building's doors.
This also showed that Heinz's executives seemed flexible, prioritizing creativity abov...
2024-09-07 19:33:33 +0000 UTC
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Although Maroni had rejected the idea, Ethan's expression seemed unaffected, and before he could speak, his good friend Jimmy spoke up.
"But I think Ethan's idea is more direct and hits the audience better," he said, pointing to himself. "I use ketchup regularly, and I don't buy those seasoned ketchups because they feel fake to me; they're not really made from tomatoes. That's why I choose Heinz."
"But you only represent Heinz's loyal users, right?" Maroni retorted. "We're deali...
2024-09-07 19:32:30 +0000 UTC
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On their way home, Ethan and Jimmy were stopped by the police.
"Stop!" The officer in a blue uniform and bulletproof vest waved his hand, signaling Jimmy to roll down the window, then lowered his head to scrutinize the two men with a serious look.
"Listen, keep your hands where I can see them! Then show me your driver's license!" The officer had his gun holstered at his side, seemingly on a search mission.
It also looked like they might be tested for drunk driving. Jimmy ...
2024-09-07 19:31:53 +0000 UTC
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While Yesan and Raymond were still debating between the two record companies, Ethan was already at Apollion's Lion Advertising Company, listening to the latest news with Jimmy and Maroni.
"Our luck is really good!" Apollion lounged on the sofa, his round belly propped up on the armrest. "Guys, that picky old man at Domino's is extremely satisfied with our advertisement. Now, all over the U.S., they're displaying the billboard that Ethan came up with the idea for!"
"Thank God!" M...
2024-09-07 19:31:11 +0000 UTC
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A day later, Ethan sat in the recording studio of Faith Music Company, watching as the sound engineer, Garcia, recorded a young black girl with her hair in a ponytail. Garcia appeared disinterested, giving occasional advice while distractedly playing with his phone.
The girl's singing was subpar, even worse than Raymond's, as at least Raymond didn't sing off-key.
After the girl finished singing, Ethan discreetly left the studio and headed to Yesan's office.
As he approach...
2024-09-07 19:30:37 +0000 UTC
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While Yesan was negotiating with other record companies, Ethan also went to visit his father's former lawyer, Kirk Ramsey.
In the capitalist land of America, as Jimmy had said, he needed a professional lawyer to handle various legal issues and avoid getting caught in various terms and tax traps.
The reason Ethan sought out Kirk Ramsey was because he had been very principled when he worked for Ethan's father, even to the point of being somewhat rigid.
Basically, any illega...
2024-09-07 19:29:09 +0000 UTC
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After Raymond's MV was completed, everyone gathered at the Faith Music Company to watch it on the TV.
Yesan, Raymond, Davis, Lil B, Big M, Jimmy, and other staff were all present.
Ethan was also there, sitting in a chair with his feet propped up on the table, watching as they discussed the MV.
When the MV started playing, they immediately began to praise the color scheme.
"Wow! This is so cool! This blue is beyond imagination!" Raymond was the first to sing praises...
2024-09-07 19:28:22 +0000 UTC
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The packaging work for the MV was handed over to a specialized visual effects company by Yesan on the same day. Naturally, Ethan had already written down all the necessary details and handed them over to the visual effects company. They would receive the final product within three days.
That night, after having dinner with his family, Ethan lay in bed playing Snake on his phone when he suddenly received a text message.
It was from Scarlett.
"Let me see what she sent me," ...
2024-09-07 19:27:43 +0000 UTC
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Two days later, the MV shoot began. Everyone, including Yesan, gathered on set to watch the filming progress.
Ethan was the director, and Jimmy was the cameraman.
Jimmy had honed his skills through various film sets and was quite familiar with basic camera techniques due to his experience and learning.
That was sufficient. For the more complex shots, he just needed to follow Ethan's instructions.
At this point, the originally luxurious model room had been transform...
2024-09-07 19:27:07 +0000 UTC
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"The first week's sales are only a little over three thousand copies, and the radio play count is just thirty-five. Look at this and face reality," Yesan threw the compiled data onto the desk, his face filled with anger.
Raymond, Davis, and the other staff members sitting across from him looked clearly dejected, their expressions a mix of disbelief and dismay at the abysmally low sales.
With these numbers, not only was it impossible to hit the Billboard charts, but even mentioni...
2024-09-07 19:26:30 +0000 UTC
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Releasing an album was no easy task, but Ethan didn't have to worry about that.
In the past few days, besides occasionally visiting Apollon's company, he had been busy photographing for *New York Underground Art* magazine.
As expected, the female model had become a sensation, gracing the cover of the recent issue of the magazine. Many homeless people relied on her to get through the harsh cold nights.
In terms of money, the model had put aside her previous shyness and pri...
2024-09-07 19:25:51 +0000 UTC
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Buying a car could wait; for now, Ethan was focused on the album shoot for Raymond.
The next day, when Ethan arrived at the address given by Yesan, he found that it was the same room where Davis had previously ambushed him.
But now, Ethan's situation had changed.
"Place the lights to the left, at a 45-degree angle, and keep them on the ground. Just like that, don't move!"
Davis,Lil B, and Big M were all acting as props today, following Ethan's instructions for arra...
2024-09-07 19:24:59 +0000 UTC
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"Ethan, good afternoon." Yesan was not wearing a suit at the moment; instead, he wore suspenders over his belly, making him look somewhat bloated.
"Good afternoon, Yesan."
Ethan greeted him and took a seat across from the desk.
Yesan's face looked a bit tired but he smiled as he said, "You don't need to call me 'Mr.' I'm not used to it."
"Alright, Yesan."
"That sounds much more friendly. Remember, Black people dislike the formalities between white people. Es...
2024-09-07 19:24:23 +0000 UTC
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Inside the company was much more spacious than it looked from the outside, with various certificates and medals hanging on the walls of the lobby. It appeared quite professional, although almost every photo featured a scar-faced Black man.
"Is this your boss, Faith?" Ethan asked as he looked around.
"Yes, that's right," Raymond said, greeting a passing Black friend before continuing, "But Dad isn't very involved with the company right now. He's been focusing on his new girlfrien...
2024-09-07 19:23:46 +0000 UTC
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