America 1982-Chapter 435 - 64: Determined to Win_2

The assistant pointed towards the door, "Susan called the legendary big boss Tommy; Tommy had his girlfriend’s stylist and the Los Angeles regional manager of a few brands she’s used to wearing send over a bunch of clothes for you to pick from, and then you can even shoot at one of the luxury houses he’s renting."

"I love Tommy and his girlfriend. Should I personally make a call to thank them? I’ve never met this legendary Tommy; he only exists in Mark’s and Susan’s descriptions," Laura said with a sigh of relief after hearing the assistant’s words.

The assistant shook their head, "Better not; I heard from Susan that Tommy is in the middle of a huge tantrum right now."

"Over what?" Laura asked curiously, looking at the assistant.

The assistant pulled the curtains shut again for Laura, "Not clear on the details, but it seems like he’s mad because his money isn’t being spent. I had them bring in the clothes for you to try on."

"Rich people’s problems are truly unimaginable," Laura said, watching the assistant leave, incredulously adding, "Angry because the money isn’t spent - that’s a new one for me."

...

Sean Lei, the Vice President of Public Relations at BT, sat leisurely in the conference room, watching Tommy pace back and forth in front of him like an infuriated bull, continually muttering curses under his breath. After several rounds, Tommy finally plopped down next to Sean, his gaze fierce as he looked at him:

"You’re telling me, you represented BT and offered real money to buy the television broadcasting rights for a Fox movie, and not only did they turn you down, but they also insulted BT, is that right, Sean?"

Sean smacked his lips and slowly nodded, speaking up to the Tommy who was close at hand, "That’s right."

"It’s their fault; they didn’t just insult you, they insulted BT and even the whole of America," Tommy said with a vicious and determined tone.

Sean rolled his eyes; the other party simply turned down BT’s proposal because the offer was too low. They didn’t want to sell the movie rights to BT. He didn’t understand why such a typical business behavior, in Tommy’s mouth, turned into cardinal American sinners. Hesitating for a moment, he said with a half-smile:

"Uh...I wouldn’t put it that extremely. In fact, according to your instructions, BT’s offer wasn’t high, or rather it was the lowest in the industry. Their refusal was within reason. As for the insult, it was just a standard response. I won’t elaborate on who insulted whom first between BT and FOX. Anyway, if they don’t mock each other on their TV channels every day, the audience might find it odd. Oh, have you heard? The audience is likening BT and FOX to a couple – BT is an African American from the lower echelons of America, and FOX is a rude country girl from Australia. They’re constantly fighting every day, and the viewers are like their kids, sitting at the dinner table every day watching their parents argue over various topics."

"Even if BT is an African American from the lower echelons, it has its standards. It definitely wouldn’t mess with an ugly * from rural Australia, let alone have so many bloody kids with her." Tommy stared at Sean for a while before saying with annoyance and then asked Sean:

"You backed up all the phone calls for the purchase attempts, right? That includes the recordings of FOX mocking and insulting BT."

Sean nodded, "Mm-hm."

"Wrap it up nicely, tie it with a pink ribbon, and when I need it, I’ll remember to present it as a surprise gift to Fox," Tommy said, his expression relaxing a bit after receiving Sean’s affirmative response, as he instructed.

Sean didn’t understand why Tommy had previously made him record all the audio or written records of the negotiations regarding movie broadcasting rights with FOX Film. To him, those records seemed pointless:

"What’s the use of that? There was no personal attack, just industry banter, which falls short of the minimum requirements for legal action."

"If I tell you now, then it wouldn’t be a surprise, Sean." Tommy didn’t satisfy Sean’s curiosity. After dropping that line, he prepared to stand up and leave.

Seeing Tommy getting ready to leave, Sean quickly sped up his speech:

"There’s another issue, Warner Bros wants... to discuss a partnership, and they hope to talk to you in person."

"Warner?" Tommy sat back down, looking puzzled at Sean, "What kind of partnership?"

"I previously helped BT look for TV broadcasting rights for some classic movies. Besides Fox, I’ve also reached out to several other film conglomerates, and Warner has been the most active," Sean explained in an unhurried tone.

Tommy thought about Warner’s famous movies, then said, "Of course, they’re active. It seems that in recent years, aside from the Superman series and Batman series, Warner doesn’t have many notable works. What’s worse, the Superman series’ reputation has been declining."

"Warner is willing to license their classic movies to BT for broadcast without a fee, meaning we wouldn’t have to pay a cent to broadcast all of Warner’s classic movies on BT TV network all day. However, the catch is that they hope to acquire shares in BT’s entertainment production company, have a seat on the board of directors, and then..." Sean trailed off, spreading his hands and looking at Tommy.

Tommy nodded, understanding the unspoken half of the sentence, "So, BT Entertainment Production Company’s original programs, they’d also get to use them for free."

"Exactly, and their international distribution department can help to push our original programs overseas," Sean nodded.

Tommy lit a cigarette and took a puff, "I remember Warner’s tied up with CNN, right? Little Turner, the owner of CNN, is a Warner shareholder. CNN’s pay-movie channel has always broadcast Warner and MGM’s movies. So why are they now thinking about licensing their library externally, aren’t they worried about competing with CNN’s business?"

"Actually, this partnership was proposed by Mr. Turner, a member of the Warner board. His reason for wanting Warner to invest in BT’s production company is that CNN’s cable variety channel has always lacked any hit shows. He actually hopes that BT can help CNN plan one or several top-notch reality shows to compete with the damned Fox, which has also started producing a cable pay-per-view reality show channel," Sean briefed Tommy on the situation he knew.

BT TV network and BT Entertainment Production Company, although clearly under the same ownership, could be treated differently in Hollywood’s production-broadcast separation. For instance, other television networks and film companies could, if willing to pay, have BT Entertainment Production Company help produce the programs they want. In fact, recently, some other networks have approached BT, hoping they would help produce some reality shows.

It’s not that their own production companies can’t do it, but the ratings just can’t beat BT’s shamelessly successful shows. BT, at the cost of forgoing Emmy Awards, might not receive critical acclaim, but shows like "Wife Swap Game," "Finding Daddy in America," "All-Around Gun Modding King", "Counterfeit Heiress," and many more reality series have soaring ratings, winning the favor of a vast majority of advertisers.

Therefore, in the ratings-driven TV industry, Turner from CNN wanting Warner to take a stake in BT’s production company and then have BT create a hit reality show for CNN is not so strange or incomprehensible.

Tommy silently smoked most of his cigarette before slowly speaking, "This reason indeed makes it hard for me to refuse. After all, whoever wants to kick the arrogant Aussies out of America, I, Tommy Hawk, will certainly stand by and cheer."

He looked up at Sean, "He wants to meet me? You arrange it."

Sean shook his head, "Mr. Turner said that if you agree to the meeting, let him know, and then Warner will have another board member organize a meeting."

"Why all the complication? He’s... determined." Tommy answered his own question before looking at Sean again, "Does that director know Stephen Binn or his father?"

Sean chuckled, "No, that director has been a good friend of your father-in-law for many years. You’re right, Little Turner is indeed determined to invest in producing reality shows."