Wanting to facilitate this deal secretly, Ronald found information about the Bronfman family and their Seagram Company. At first glance, it turned out that he was a wealthy man with nothing but money.
The Bronfman family are Canadian Jews. The first generation, Samuel Bronfman, was born on a ship that fled to Canada in the Russian Empire. They made a fortune growing tobacco in their native Russia, but Canada was too cold for tobacco.
In the farming industry, the Bronfman family began to explore new businesses that could be done in the winter, including winemaking.
By the second generation, when Edgar Bronfman Sr. was born, their Seagram Company received a golden opportunity for development. Prohibition began in America.
The Seagram Company is engaged in brewing in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Brewing here is legal. On the other side of the Great Lakes, in America, due to the prohibition of alcohol, private liquor has become a high-priced commodity. Coupled with the illegality, it has gradually become a source of wealth for gangs.
.
Soon, a smuggling route began to flourish from Montreal, through the St. Lawrence River, to the Great Lakes. All kinds of wine from the Seagram Company were sent to the Chicago area through this route, and then resold to Boston, New York, etc.
land.
The Brown-Forman family established a wholesale distribution point just across the Canadian border, becoming the largest alcohol consumption wholesale point in the world at that time.
Few Americans who grew up when Prohibition was repealed could understand why they could become extremely rich just by selling alcohol. But with a little inspection, you can find that the Bronfman family's downstream distributor is Chicago.
The most arrogant gang boss at the time - Al Capone.
This gang, which could compete with the FBI, which had just been established at the time, used heavy firepower such as the "Chicago Typewriter" to fight against the gang bosses. Most of the profits came from the sale of the Brown-Forman family's private wine.
By the time Prohibition ended, Seagram had become one of the largest alcohol manufacturers and wholesalers in the world. They later acquired Royal Salute and Chivas Regal, becoming some of the most famous alcohol brands.
the owner of.
After getting money, he wanted to increase his influence. The second-generation head of the family, Edgar Bronfman Sr., wanted to increase his popularity by acquiring Hollywood studios.
He bought some MGM stocks in 1966 and briefly served as the chairman of MGM. But it was during that time that the old Bronfman understood that Hollywood is sometimes more powerful than gangsters.
Even darker.
Soon, in 1969, he transferred his shares to Kerkorian and withdrew from the Hollywood he once dreamed of.
His love for Hollywood seems to have extended to the third generation of the family, Edgar Bronfman Jr. Bronfman Jr. has always loved Hollywood. Starting in the 1990s, he gradually
He holds a senior management position in the company and publicly admitted in the Wall Street Journal that Hollywood and the media are higher-end and more promising industries than winemaking.
The elder Bronfman gradually withdrew from the company's operations and began to focus mainly on his work as chairman of the World Jewish Federation. In the 1980s, he visited the Federation and was received by the last president, Mikhail.
The price of economic assistance was exchanged for the right of migration for the Jews within the Alliance at that time. In the last ten years of the Alliance, a large number of Jews immigrated to Israel, Canada, and America, countries without traditional anti-Semitic sentiments.
Bronfman Jr. took over the main management of the company in 1993. His first big move was to acquire a 15% stake in Time Warner for US$823 million.
Judging from the behavior of the two generations of father and son, nothing has changed. They are still the nouveau riche who started out in illegal businesses and want to gain social recognition and enter the upper class. So the World Jewish Association and the glamorous Hollywood
The occasion particularly attracted them, father and son.
Ronald gradually got a little bit of Bronfman's mentality, and he was ready to have a head-on contact with this rich third generation.
"Since he wants to integrate into Hollywood so much, should we invite him to the Palm Springs Film Festival? Or invite him as a guest of honor when the New York Film Critics Circle Awards are presented?"
Richard thought of two suitable locations to create a chance encounter between Ronald and Bronfman Jr. Although Bronfman Jr. owned 15% of Time Warner stock, he was still not really accepted by Hollywood.
This man is rich, but the only times when people in the industry really listen respectfully to his guidance on the development prospects of the industry are when the crew goes to ask him to invest. On other occasions, he is still regarded as an outsider, and sometimes even
I can't even get a word in.
However, all this may be about to change. According to the exact information Ronald received from Ron Meyer, Bronfman Jr. is the one who really has the power to take over Universal Pictures and Universal Records from Panasonic.
"This is his investment record..."
Ronald picked up Little Bronfman's investment records in the securities market to study again. It didn't matter once he studied it, and Ronald began to smack his lips. "This guy's investment ability is second only to mine..."
Ronald took advantage of Viacom's acquisition of Paramount and made a lot of money by shorting the company's stock. However, judging from the stock investment record alone, he did not make any money but lost some money.
This little Bronfman doesn't know whether it's just luck or he's really capable. He spent more than 820 million to buy Time Warner stock. In just over a year, the price now exceeds 2 billion. It's the original price.
More than twice.
"When it comes to investing in Hollywood listed companies, my vision is still a little bit poor..." Ronald looked at the Wall Street Journal and the Investor, two famous Wall Street newspapers, both of which had exclusive interviews with Bronfman Jr., and he was still a little bit confused.
fluctuation.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! If I invest in Microsoft and Coca-Cola, the performance of these companies will also be announced. Hehe, I will definitely have more interviews than you.
…
"Hello, Mr. Bronfman, it is our honor to have someone as enthusiastic about Hollywood as you come to the film festival."
This year's Palm Springs Film Festival, Sonny Bono, already a federal congressman, also came back to attend the opening ceremony. Ronald's funding for him was very good, and it was time to repay this donor.
As soon as Bono came back, he immediately modified the schedule of the film festival. In addition to inviting Bronfman Jr. to attend the film festival, he also arranged a keynote speech for him at the opening ceremony, titled "Realizing the Hollywood Media Industry through Acquisition and Integration"
Global expansion…”
Bono became a member of the House of Representatives and learned a lot more about the descendants of these rich people. They are always pretentious and like to express their opinions on things. They also like to be recognized by others, or to defeat the opponent after being challenged.
feeling.
Therefore, the best way to make little Bronfman feel good is to take the opportunity to chat with him a few more words and implant your thoughts in his mind. Let him talk enough first.
"I hope to develop Seagram into a global media powerhouse, especially in the fields of music, film and television.
The company must move away from the traditional brewing business and invest in the entertainment and media industries to promote industry integration and globalization. The entertainment and media industry is a much more exciting industry than brewing. Not only does it have good investment opportunities,
It is also an industry that can greatly improve human welfare, at least compared to the brewing industry..."
"Hahahaha..." The entire audience laughed and applauded. This was not an intentional arrangement by Ronald. The young Bronfman was naturally not as good as a self-made rich man like him, but among the rich, he was outstanding.
.
His appearance has absorbed more of his mother's genes, and he is more impressive than the old Bronfman. In addition, he talks about some high-level topics and has a sense of humor. I have to say that this is what Americans do and they like it.
hero.
Ronald was also very generous and applauded with everyone below. Just in time, he met the little Bronfman who specially cast his eyes over to see his reaction. Ronald smiled with his teeth and nodded slightly. The little Bronfman was the first to greet.
He also responded with a look and a nod.
"I think that starting with Viacom's acquisition of Paramount and the establishment of DreamWorks, Hollywood will usher in a new era of diversification and expansion through acquisitions, especially through the acquisition of television stations, cable TV, records, and
International Pentahedron can break industry boundaries and closely integrate the film, television and music businesses to form stronger market competitiveness."
"Wow, wow, wow..." Everyone applauded again. This time, the applause was even louder. With such financial backers and big wallets, the lives of Hollywood practitioners would be much easier.
After the speech, the movie started to be shown. Ronald took the opportunity to find a place to have coffee with Little Bronfman.
"You invested in the opening movie, right? Does it speak Chinese?" Little Bronfman still understands the trends in Hollywood very clearly.
"Yes, Ang Lee is my college classmate. His level is greatly underestimated by the industry. This is his third film. I am pushing him to direct an English film. By then you will know how extraordinary he is.
.”
Ronald did not show any special kindness to Little Bronfman, nor did he have the attitude of looking down on newcomers that Hollywood elders often have. He just started talking about industry gossip like he was an old acquaintance.
Let’s talk about who is a director with potential and which star is likely to skyrocket.
"Palm Springs is a B-level film festival. It's not easy to invite you as a guest, right?" Little Bronfman liked this tone. Such an attitude of accepting him as an important player in the industry made him the most
Comfortable.
Therefore, he also wants to show that he is knowledgeable about various conventions and rules in the industry. Logically speaking, a film festival like Palm Springs cannot hire someone of Ronald's level.
"I used to be an importer and imported a lot of Chinese-language films and Japanese films. I chose Palm Springs as the trading market for distribution, which gave me a lot of good memories. I like this kind of audience and this atmosphere very much.
Ha, you know, Robert Redford also goes to the Sundance Film Festival he founded every year. This is all caused by some nostalgic thoughts of sentimental people like us."
"You are not just sensual. I have studied medium-sized film festivals like this. Many imported tickets and independent productions can get good distribution prices here. There are also some film projects that can obtain financing at the film festival. I
I am very optimistic about this kind of platform. Wait for me to accept it...well, I will come and participate more in the future."
"Ha, maybe what you said is right. However, I am only interested in the movie itself..." Ronald smiled, neither admitting nor denying.
Anyway, Little Bronfman's character is like a child who has not grown up. No matter how much education he receives, or how much power and money he gets, he is still a "little kid" who needs affirmation and recognition from "adults".
child".
For example, communicating with Ronald on an equal footing like an insider, or breaking through Ronald's disguise with just one sentence and seeing through his true thoughts about the film festival, are all ways to gain "recognition".
"Maybe... hahaha." Little Bronfman showed a smile that said, "I've seen through you, stop pretending." He was very proud. "By the way, you like Chinese and Japanese movies so much, now it's time to invest in them.
A good time?
"Now? Now may not be a good time. Chinese-language films will gain high recognition internationally, but in terms of box office, there are not many people in America who can watch non-English films with subtitles.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! If you come to bid for distribution rights, I will quit. It is not a good thing to price such niche movies too high."
Anyway, Ronald said it was true and false that Ang Lee's "Eat Drink Couple" was shot with more skill and proficiency than the previous two films Wedding Banquet and Push Hands. Now it's time to make an English film to introduce him to mainstream Hollywood.
It's time.
However, Ang Lee himself is still hesitant. This is the director's fault. He always feels that he is not confident enough in his abilities. He still has to find time to strengthen his confidence.
"Then what do you think of Japanese movies? Our acceptance of Japanese culture is much higher, and Ronald's contribution is also included in this. When I watched Long Wei Boy, I was so excited that I even
I practiced Crane Kick in front of the mirror..."
"Hey, this action is really popular. The stuntman in our movie can do it very beautifully." As soon as Ronald heard the topic of Japan, he knew that the fish was biting. He deliberately did not mention Japan itself, but talked about it.
The action scene of Long Wei Boy.
Little Bronfman patiently chatted with Ronald about the filming of action movies for a while, but he still couldn't hold his breath and couldn't help but bring up the topic of Japan again.
"I feel that there is a big gap between the Japanese culture and ours. Sometimes I don't know what they think."
"Hey, yes, you noticed it too?" Ronald smiled inwardly, and now he could lift the pole.
"Yeah, they don't seem to be profit-centered. Sometimes I don't know what they are thinking. I obviously give them a lot of money, but they don't want it and have to find other buyers... What kind of psychology is this?
"
"Edgar, it's not that they don't want more money. No one will refuse more money. It's just that for Japanese people, they often value face. You have to find a way to give them some face so that they can
Other places pay you back."
"Face?" Little Bronfman thought thoughtfully.
"Yes, the Japanese people don't want to be seen as losers, so you have to make them look like winners. As long as they have this, they can give you discounts elsewhere."
"Is that so?" Little Bronfman was still dubious, and his habit of distrusting others took over again.
However, injecting a belief may be more important than persuading such a person. When he encounters the opportunity to negotiate with Panasonic again, Ronald's words will pop up again, and little Bronfman will take them for granted.
If you come up with your own brilliant idea, then the purpose of doing this today will be achieved.