I am Hollywood

Chapter 573: Chapter 574: A Good Opportunity



[Chapter 574: A Good Opportunity]

Barry Diller spoke in a rather flat tone, but Eric realized that continuing the conversation wouldn't yield any results.

While Eric felt some regret, he mostly thought it was a shame. With Barry Diller's talents, running QVC, a television shopping company worth less than one billion dollars, was hardly enough to showcase his abilities. Moreover, Eric knew that in just a few years, with the rise of e-commerce, television shopping would likely be obsolete.

With Barry Diller passing on this opportunity, any hope of his return to Hollywood seemed bleak.

Not achieving his goal, Eric didn't rush to leave. The two casually chatted about other matters until Eric's mobile phone rang at three in the afternoon. After answering, Eric quickly hung up.

He hadn't made a point to avoid Barry Diller while on the call, so after ending the conversation, Barry remarked, "That was Jeffrey calling, wasn't it?"

Eric chuckled and nodded. Barry Diller had been under a lot of scrutiny lately. Although the Paramount acquisition had been settled, the attention on him hadn't faded immediately. Within just a few hours of their meeting, news had already spread to many.

Both understood that Jeffrey Katzenberg's call was surely probing Eric's intentions regarding Barry Diller, but Eric explained, "Jeffrey said one of the company's films just finished its final cut and asked if I wanted to take a look at it."

"You should head to Burbank then; there's just enough time to watch a film," Barry said with a laugh. Then he added, "Jeffrey can be a little impatient, much like Michael. The calm Frank Wells is a perfect counterbalance to him. During the years Michael ran Disney, Frank always acted as a buffer between Michael and the Disney staff. Anytime those guys got an earful from Michael, Frank would step in to smooth things over. I don't know much about Mr. Hansen, so if you were to make Jeffrey the CEO, I suggest you keep Frank as Jeffrey's right-hand man."

Eric got up, put on his coat, and shook Barry Diller's hand. "Thanks for your advice, Barry; I will consider it carefully."

Barry personally escorted Eric out of the hotel. Just as they stepped outside, a throng of reporters who had caught wind of their meeting surrounded them, bombarding them with questions about their discussion.

Since Barry hadn't agreed to his invitation, Eric opted not to stir the pot further. He said nothing and slipped into his car under the protection of his bodyguards.

...

Arriving at Firefly's headquarters, Eric found Katzenberg waiting for him in the lobby with a group. On the phone, Katzenberg's excuse for inviting Eric was to view a screening of Interview with the Vampire. At that moment, director Neil Jordan, original author Anne Rice, and stars Tom Cruise and Kirsten Dunst were also present, along with David Geffen, who had collaborated on the film.

After greeting everyone, it was clear to Eric, despite Katzenberg's good disguise, that there were traces of doubt and inquiry in his expression.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the group surrounded Eric and headed for the elevator. Due to the crowd, they naturally split into two groups, allowing Eric, Katzenberg, and Geffen to use one elevator.

As they entered, Eric chatted briefly with David Geffen before asking Katzenberg why he hadn't seen Michael Lynn and others.

"They're all at Playa Vista," Katzenberg replied and then casually added, "Eric, why did you suddenly return today?"

Eric explained, "Barry and I are good friends. He wasn't able to wrest Paramount from Redstone, so I came back early to comfort him."

Katzenberg nodded, seeming relieved. As a former subordinate of Barry Diller, he had reached out to Barry after the failed acquisition. Yet, he didn't believe Eric had rushed back from New York just for that reason. Compared to himself, Eric wasn't as close to Diller; merely expressing sympathy would suffice with a phone call.

Katzenberg could guess the reason behind Eric's meeting with Barry. Since Eric chose to state it this way rather than admit to discussing certain matters, it implied that nothing significant had transpired, and that there wasn't any need for further discussions. With that, he let out a sigh of relief.

To be frank, Katzenberg didn't think Michael Eisner was significantly more capable than himself. Many of Disney's successes in the late '80s had stemmed from his leadership. But compared to Barry Diller, Katzenberg willingly admitted his inferiority, making it hard to envision how they would coexist should Barry join Firefly. He certainly wouldn't want to relinquish the soon-to-be-assured position of CEO at Firefly, which he had worked so hard to attain. The thought of letting Barry serve as his subordinate was even more unfathomable. Setting aside those worries, Katzenberg grew more chatty and began discussing recent happenings. Standing next to Eric was David Geffen, who also picked up on the sudden change in atmosphere and chimed in.

...

The trio bantered as they made their way to the screening room. As the projectionist prepared to start the film, Eric leaned toward Katzenberg, who was sitting to his left, and whispered, "Jeffrey, David seems a bit overly enthusiastic. Is something going on?"

David Geffen was sitting to Eric's right when Katzenberg lowered his voice, "Geffen's record company is about to split from Warner Bros."

The screening room wasn't the place for heavy discussions. After that comment, Katzenberg straightened up, confident that Eric understood the implications of what he said.

Of course, Eric grasped Katzenberg's message. It was 1993, and according to established history, next year David Geffen, Steven Spielberg, and Katzenberg would co-found DreamWorks.

However, history had diverged significantly. Katzenberg didn't leave Disney despite his conflicts with Eisner, and Spielberg had no ambitions to strike out on his own following the success of Jurassic Park. The only event that had unfolded was Geffen's record company separating from Warner due to Steve Ross's death and some discord with Warner Bros.

While Geffen's record company didn't stack up against Columbia Records or Universal Music, when DreamWorks was eventually formed, Geffen was the richest of the three, courtesy of his

music company.

With DreamWorks not in play, it was clear that David Geffen was looking for a solid collaborator for his record label. Among the seven major players, aside from his former partner Warner Bros, Firefly was undoubtedly the best option.

Since the success of Home Alone, Eric had contemplated making Firefly a media giant encompassing all areas of entertainment, including the music industry in his plans.

However, after years of experiences, Eric had gradually tempered those ambitions. Just as he had told Elisabeth he wouldn't delve into print media, he found expanding Firefly into the music sector was likely not the best choice. Much like the print media industry that collapsed after the dawn of the new millennium, the record industry had already begun to struggle thanks to the introduction of tapes that were significantly cheaper than vinyl records in the '80s, facing threats from piracy. With the arrival of the internet age in the coming years, music downloads would plunge the record industry further into crisis.

Although a full decline in the record industry was still a few years away, if Firefly were to boldly enter that realm, the potential scenario could see them finally establishing a foothold only to have a sudden freeze in the industry, rendering their efforts in vain.

...

While watching Interview with the Vampire, Eric remained distracted, pondering the implications of the record label discussion Katzenberg had just mentioned.

Once the screening concluded, Eric mechanically joined in applauding along with everyone else, but his last thought lingered on the notion that, rather than venturing into music distribution, it was wiser to establish a payment platform leveraging the internet and hardware, much like Apple had done, which would be the key to profitability in the music industry in the digital era.

As the lights came up in the screening room, whispers filled the air. While Eric mulled over his recent insight, he heard a woman's voice beside him.

"Mr. Williams, what did you think of the film?"

Looking up, he saw Anne Rice, about fifty years old, dressed in black with a bob similar to that

of Anna Wintour, approach him.

From Anne Rice's expression, Eric could tell she was pleased with the film. However, since he hadn't fully focused on it, he could only echo from memory, "It was great, especially Kirsten's performance; it felt like there was a thirty-five-year-old soul hidden in her twelve-

year-old body."

Seeing Eric lost in thought, Anne had initially felt some discontent, but upon hearing his words, her previous emotions vanished. She beamed as if she had found a kindred spirit, waving to Kirsten Dunst, who was seated not far away, pulling her over for an affectionate embrace. "Mr. Williams, what a coincidence! I felt the same way."

Coincidence? That's something you already said.

Eric silently downplayed that thought but maintained his cool facade. "So, Ms. Rice, you're

also satisfied with the film, right?"

"Yes, I was initially worried that Mr. Cruise wouldn't be able to handle the role, but his

performance exceeded my expectations."

"Then why don't you write a review, Ms. Rice?" Eric suggested in line with her sentiment, "It would greatly help promote the film and allow more of your fans to discover it."

In the realm of vampire-themed literature, Anne Rice held a great status. If this renowned author publicly endorsed the film in the media, it would carry the weight of a million-dollar advertisement.

Anne Rice didn't promise immediately but responded ambiguously, "I will share my genuine

thoughts on this film."

After saying this, Anne took Kirsten Dunst's hand and walked out of the screening room,

quietly chatting with her about something.

...

The group quickly shifted to a conference room where the film's creators, Firefly's producers, marketing heads, and a few invited critics began sharing their insights and suggestions for modifying some details of the film.

While many were eager to express their thoughts, Eric remained silent. He didn't have much feeling about a vampire movie. Offering unsolicited suggestions could end up being counterproductive.

About half an hour into the meeting, David Geffen received a phone call, excusing himself

from the discussion. Eric and Katzenberg took the opportunity to leave the conference room

with him.

The outdoor parking lot at Firefly was open-air. As the three exited the office building and

walked toward the lot, David casually asked, "Mr. Williams, does Firefly have any intentions to enter the record industry?"

"Sorry, David, I haven't considered that yet. However, the next phase for Firefly will focus

mainly on TV networks. Even if we were to venture into the record industry, it would have ton/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

wait a few years."

David Geffen simply acknowledged that, his expression remaining unchanged. Although he

wished to align himself with the flourishing Firefly, he had other options available. Since Eric didn't show particular enthusiasm, he opted not to push further.

Once David Geffen left, Katzenberg expressed his regret, "Eric, I truly believe this is a missed

opportunity."

*****

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