Chu Huan came to Los Angeles not just to meet Spielberg. For Chu Huan, the most important thing about this trip to Los Angeles was to meet Jerami Grant, the head of Hasbro!
Hasbro's headquarters is not in Los Angeles, but in Rhode Island, northeastern North America.
However, after Chu Huan contacted Jerami Grant, the other party said that he was currently on vacation in Los Angeles, so the two parties made an appointment to meet here!
After Chu Huan and Lin Qingxia rested in Los Angeles for two days, Chu Huan met Jerami Grant in a coffee shop.
After the two parties exchanged greetings, they began to discuss business.
"Mr. Grant, I wonder what you think of the offer that Fantasy Comics made before?"
The meeting with Hasbro was actually Chu Huan's preparation for the youth toy factory that had already started construction.
Youth Toy Factory started construction in Huaye City first, but unlike the sensation caused by Huaye City in Hong Kong, the start of Youth Toy Factory seemed a bit dull.
However, the start of construction of the two factories of Youth Toy and Fantasy Printing still attracted the attention of some people.
CEOs of real estate companies in Xiangjiang.
These people all know that the workers of these two factories will be Huaye City's main potential customers in the future, which means that the success of Huaye City largely depends on the success of these two factories.
In addition, some original residents of Xiangjiang and people who have just arrived from their hometown in Xiangjiang are also paying attention to this matter.
The current general environment in Hong Kong has made the employment situation very difficult. Even students from the University of Hong Kong like Wu Xiaoshi are worried about whether they will be able to find a job after graduation, let alone these people.
Prior to this, Chu Huan had already spread the word that these two factories would have a capacity of 10,000 people in the future, which would provide a large number of employment opportunities for these people.
So many people are waiting for these two factories to be completed and then start applying for jobs immediately.
The last people to pay attention to these two factories are their colleagues.
Other printing factories and toy factories in Xiangjiang.
The printing factory is better. They don't know that Chu Huan has reached a cooperative relationship with four newspapers: "Zhen Bao", "Oriental Daily", "Sing Tao Daily" and "Sing Pao", so until now they all think that the printing factory is just
He is solely responsible for "Fantasy Comics".
Of course, with the scale of Fantasy Printing being so large, it will inevitably have an impact on printing plants in the same industry in the future, but everyone believes that there is always a buffer.
But the toy companies and toy manufacturers in Xiangjiang are different.
Since the release of "Fantasy Comics", they have seen the profits from "Fantasy Comics" peripherals, so they began to imitate the peripheral toys of "Fantasy Comics".
But now that "Fantasy Comics" has established its own toy factory, this will definitely have a huge impact on the toy market in Hong Kong.
So some people have begun to take the initiative to find Chu Huan, hoping to create opportunities for cooperation between the two parties.
But these people have never seen Chu Huan.
When "Fantasy Comics" was founded, Chu Huan regarded "Dragon Ball" as the flagship work of this comic.
Now that Youth Toys is founded, Chu Huan wants to regard "Transformers" as the toy factory's flagship work!
You know, in another time and space, Hasbro's "Transformers" peripheral toys immediately caused a huge sensation around the world as soon as they were released. In just half a year, they brought Hasbro $111.6 million in sales.
net income!
Having such a net income benefits from two things!
The first point is Hasbro’s mature sales channels.
The second point is that Hasbro launched the cartoon of the same name that year, which caused a huge sensation in Europe, America and Japan.
It is precisely based on these two points that Hasbro was able to earn more than 100 million US dollars in less than a year from this IP alone!
The purpose of Chu Huan coming to Jerami Grant now is to reach a cooperation with the other party, and the other party will help him produce the animation of the same name for "Transformers". At the same time, Chu Huan also wants to take advantage of the other party's sales channels in Europe and the United States.
Jerami Grant sat opposite Chu Huan, gently shaking the spoon in front of him, and said with a smile: "Your company's quotation is very good, but we at Hasbro have a more suitable cooperation plan. I would like to
Let’s see what Mr. Chu thinks.”
Chu Huan remained calm and asked with a smile: "I wonder if Mr. Grant has any better ideas?"
Jerami Grant said with a smile: "We at Hasbro are willing to purchase all the copyrights of "Transformers" under Fantasy Comics except comics for US$5 million."
"Fantasy Comics" is now very successful in North America. Jerami Grant naturally knows about "Fantasy Comics". Especially after Fantasy Comics proposed cooperation, he carefully analyzed the IP "Change of Hearts" in the toy field.
After analysis, Hasbro found that this IP is definitely a treasure trove.
So Haizhibao Company also had other ideas.
How much money can you make as an animation producer of "Transformers" now? Although in previous contacts, "Fantasy Comics" also proposed that it would like to strengthen cooperation with Hasbro, such as leveraging the other party's sales
Channels open up sales in European and American markets.
But this still does not allow Hasbro to obtain the maximum value they think.
So Hasbro finally held a meeting and decided to buy all the copyrights to "Transformers" and develop the brand independently!
Chu Huan didn't expect Hasbro's appetite to be so big, but it was definitely impossible for Chu Huan to agree to the other party's request.
He smiled and refused: "I'm really sorry, we at "Fantasy Comics" are also very optimistic about the potential of the "Transformers" toy, and it is impossible to sell it!"
The net income of "Transformers" toys in half a year has reached 111.9 million U.S. dollars. Now the other party actually wants to buy it for 5 million U.S. dollars. From Chu Huan's point of view, this is simply insatiable greed.
You must know that all Chu Huan needs is Hasbro to provide animation production, and the other is to use the other party's sales channels in Europe and the United States.
Chu Huan himself controls the sales channels in Hong Kong, Japan, and Southeast Asia. If this is the case, the toy revenue from the "Transformers" brand alone may reach 150 million US dollars.
Jerami Grant chuckled and said: "Mr. Chu, although the value of "Transformers" is not small, it also depends on whose hands it is in. In the hands of our company, it can be made into animation as quickly as possible.
At the same time, it can also be successfully broadcast on European and American TV stations, as well as counters and toy stores in major European and American shopping malls.
But can "Fantasy Comics" do all this?
I think without our help from Hasbro, let alone entering European and American TV stations, I’m afraid we wouldn’t even be able to make animations, right?”
After Jerami Grant finished speaking, he was very proud. As one of the largest toy companies in North America, he had the confidence to tell Chu Huan this.
He believed that Chu Huan would give in in the end, because it was useless not to give in. Without Hasbro, "Fantasy Comics" might not even be able to get the five million!
Chu Huan was silent for a while and said: "Our company can increase your sales share."
Jerami Grant stood up directly and said nonchalantly: "I just said that our company only wants to acquire the copyright of "Transformers" and does not want to cooperate with your company.
In addition, Mr. Chu, this is North America, not Hong Kong. You are just a newcomer here!
Having said that, you should think about it carefully. I have some things to do, so I will leave first.
By the way, thank you for the coffee, but I’m still not used to the taste here!”
After saying the last sentence, Jerami Grant left with a happy smile.
"This person is too hateful!"
Lin Qingxia, who had been silent until now, looked at the back of Jerami Grant leaving and said angrily.
Chu Huan's expression remained unchanged, and he couldn't tell whether he was happy or sad. He said, "Hasbro now has the confidence to tell us these things!"
Hearing what Chu Huan said, Lin Qingxia immediately asked Chu Huan worriedly: "Brother Huan, do you really want to agree to his proposal?"
Although Lin Qingxia didn't know the true value of "Transformers", seeing Chu Huan personally responsible for this project, she already knew that Chu Huan must value it very much.
Chu Huan smiled in front of Lin Qingxia and said: "Of course not. It is true that Hasbro has this confidence, but they are not the only toy company and animation company in North America!"
When Lin Qingxia heard what Chu Huan said, she immediately showed an expression of joy and asked Chu Huan: "So Brother Huan, you already have other options?"
"Haha, no!"
Lin Qingxia: "..."
At this time, Chu Huan really didn't have any good solution. He just wanted to contact other toy companies or animation companies, but it was hard to say whether the other parties could meet his requirements.
In addition, there is also a question mark as to whether the other party has a sales network as broad as Hasbro.
The two returned to the hotel in the coffee shop, and Chu Huan called Kelly over.
"Have you contacted all the animation companies I asked you to contact?" Chu Huan asked Kelly.
Chu Huan's character has always been to be prepared for everything, and the same is true for cooperation with Hasbro. It is true that in Chu Huan's heart, cooperation with Hasbro can maximize the benefits as quickly as possible.
But if the other party wants to take away all the benefits, then Chu Huan will definitely not agree.
Isn't this becoming a wedding dress for Hasbro?
So after contacting Hasbro, Chu Huan also asked Kelly to contact a Hollywood animation production company.
As for the two animation companies Pixar and DreamWorks, which will be very famous in later generations, they have not yet been established.
At this time in the North American animation industry, the most well-known animation companies were the animation studios owned by Disney and the animation studios owned by Warner Bros.
However, Chu Huan has already ruled out Disney animation because the animation genes of Disney animation and "Transformers" are different.
Chu Huan not only asked Kelly to contact a Hollywood animation company, but also asked Yasuo Kamikura to contact his teacher Osamu Tezuka to see if he could accept the job.
However, Chu Huan is still more inclined to cooperate with Hollywood animation companies, because the "Transformers" peripherals were definitely focused on the European and American markets in the early days.
In addition, the most important thing is that for the East at this time, they can accept Western cartoons, but for the West, it is very difficult for them to accept cartoons produced by Easterners.
"We have contacted three companies. Warner Animation said that they wanted to acquire part of the rights around "Transformers" before agreeing to cooperate with you. Although the other two companies have no such requirements, can their cartoons meet your requirements?
If you ask for it, then that’s not necessarily the case!”
The top companies naturally have the top talents.
If the animation of "Transformers" is handed over to Warner Animation, Chu Huan will indeed have less to worry about adapting the animation of "Transformers".
Now, although the other party does not want to directly buy all the copyrights of "Transformers" like Hasbro, the other party also wants to buy some of the rights...
"How much did they bid?" Chu Huan asked.
If the price is right, Chu Huan doesn't have to keep all the profits from "Transformers" firmly in his hands.
Kelly said: "2 million US dollars to purchase 40% of the income rights! And the other party is very arrogant and does not agree to any of our demands for bargaining."
After hearing this, Chu Huan understood that it was already impossible to reach a cooperation with Warner Animation.
"Contact the other two animation companies and meet with their managers first to see what they are capable of!"
Now Chu Huan no longer has any extravagant hopes of handing over animation and sales to the same company. The other party will definitely be as aggressive as Hasbro!
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! It seems that it is time for "Fantasy Comics" to set up its own animation department and put it on the agenda!
Chu Huan thought helplessly.
If you have a mature animation production team in your hands, all this will not be a problem now.
It's just that before, "Fantasy Comics" had been working hard on comics and couldn't spare any time to set up an animation department, but things are much better now.
As "Fantasy Comics" itself stabilizes, Chu Huan will have a lot of time to free up more time to establish the animation department.
Kelly then made appointments with the heads of two animation companies for Chu Huan.
The person in charge of the first animation company was called Bagley, a young man who looked gentle and polite. Except for the top animation companies, in fact, other animation companies did not make much money.
The production cycle of animation is long and the rate of return is uncertain, which has led to many unpredictable problems for animation companies.
Maybe you saw that this animation company had just launched a hit cartoon, but you didn't know why it declared bankruptcy not long after.
It’s true that animation companies are burning too much money!
With the support of a large financial group behind the head, you don't have to worry about this, and you can naturally be more arrogant when doing things.
But animation companies in the middle and lower reaches cannot have such ideas, otherwise, when huge waves come, they will definitely be the first to be killed on the beach.
So Bagley seemed very humble when he met Chu Huan.
It's just... what's the use of saying that I like the comic "Transformers" very much without getting a single response from me?
I still like banknotes, don’t I have to work hard to earn money? Will the banknotes automatically jump into my account just because I like it?
Therefore, Chu Huan's conversation with the other party was not very smooth.
After meeting with Bagley, Chu Huan met with Jerome, the person in charge of the second company.
Compared to the boring Bagley, Jerome is obviously more prepared.
After meeting Chu Huan, he took out a few concept drawings from his bag and handed them to Chu Huan.
"Mr. Chu, this is an animation sketch we designed based on your company's comic "Transformers". Of course, we know that the final images must be consistent with your company's toy design, so we can change it at any time.
.
And I personally have bought all the individual volumes of the first few issues of "Transformers" that are on the market, and carefully read the stories inside.
Not just me, but all the story editors in my company.
Now we have even written the story script for the first episode based on the content of the comic and our own understanding of the story.
As long as Mr. Chu can hand over the animation of "Transformers" to our company for production, I guarantee that we will be able to produce the animation that Mr. Chu has in mind!"
After finishing speaking, Jerome took out a stack of paper manuscripts from his bag, which was naturally the story script for the first episode of the "Transformers" animation.
Chu Huan took over the animation sketch and script from the other party with satisfaction. Regardless of whether he would cooperate with the other party, the attitude of the other party was enough to satisfy Chu Huan.
"Mr. Jerome, I have to say that chatting with you is a very pleasant process!"
After hearing Chu Huan's words, Jerome immediately showed a smile on his face.
There is no way, the animation company is too expensive. Jerome Animation was founded by him. When Jerome was a child, he was already crazy about Disney and Warner cartoons.
So after graduating from college, I immediately joined Disney Animation. However, many times, beautiful things can only be seen from a distance and cannot be touched up close.
Otherwise, the beauty will be defeated by all kinds of odds and ends!
No matter how beautiful a woman is, if you watch her peeing in the toilet, you won't feel beautiful!
Jerome has his own animation philosophy. During his time at Disney, he gradually discovered that there was no way to perfectly integrate his own philosophy with Disney's animation philosophy.
This moment made Jerome very hesitant.
In the end, Jerome followed his heart, left Disney Animation, and founded his own Jerome Animation.
During this period, Jerome discovered that TV animation had great potential, so he began to focus his animation company's main projects on TV animation.
But at this time, North American TV animation was almost monopolized by Disney and Warner. Although his Jerome Animation produced a TV animation during this period, it did not cause much response.
This also caused Jerome Animation to fall into financial crisis.
It was at this time that Kelly took the initiative to find Jerome and made Chu Huan's request.
Since Jerome works in an animation company, he naturally also knows about "Fantasy Comics". It is now known as one of the three major comics in North America, as famous as DC and Marvel!
At least in terms of sales!
Outside of North America, "Fantasy Comics" has even surpassed DC and Marvel comics!
For Jerome, finding such an animation project from a comic company was as good as pie in the sky.
This project must be won!
This is Jerome's only thought now!
Chu Huan took a look at the animation sketch that Jerome brought, and there were still some differences with the toy model designed by the toy company.
But it doesn’t matter. Didn’t Jerome just say that it can be modified according to the toy model?
As for the changes in the script, Chu Huan felt there were no problems.
In Chu Huan's mind, there is actually not much difference between this type of comic stories. It is nothing more than a story in which the decent side is the weak side at first, then is suppressed by the villain, and finally the decent side breaks out into the small universe and wins.
In fact, this type of story is somewhat similar to an animation Chu Huan watched when he was a child.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! I vaguely remember that this animation is called "Six Gods Together"!
In fact, it is also a story about robots, but what is different from "Transformers" is that "Six Gods Combined" has six Autobots as separate individuals. Each time they will be beaten up by the villain, and then they will use their ultimate move and shout.
:Six gods combined!
So six Autobots combined to form a giant Autobot, and then easily killed the villain!
Animations of this type of story also include two siblings, She-Ra and He-Man, who first investigate various situations and then disappear and run to a deserted place.
He took out his sword and shouted: I am He-Man (Ciri), please give me power!
Counterattack and kill the big villain!
This story about this model is now the golden creative rule of European and American animation.
"Mr. Chu, according to our company's calculations, if we want to adapt "Transformers" into animation, the cost per episode will be about 45,000 US dollars. I guarantee that this price will definitely be met by all companies in Hollywood that can provide services to Mr. Chu.
The lowest among them!”
Jerome continued to introduce the advantages of his company. He really needed this project.
Chu Huan naturally saw the urgency of the other party at this time.
“Can your company meet the demand for one episode per week?”
Jerome's face immediately showed an expression of joy. Chu Huan had already expressed interest in their company by asking.
"Please rest assured about this, Mr. Chu. Don't be afraid of Mr. Chu's jokes. If we can get your company's "Transformers" project, it will become the most important project of our company this year and even the next two years, so we will definitely do our best to guarantee it."
Progress on this project!”
Although Jerome's preparation and performance were the best, Chu Huan did not just agree to cooperate with the other party. There must be many other problems later.
So what follows is a process of Chu Huan asking and Jerome answering.
"I am personally very satisfied with Mr. Jerome's performance, but the "Transformers" project is not only your company's most important project in the next two years, but also our company's most important project in the next two years, so this
I still need to think about things!"
After the two people's defense ended, Chu Huan still did not agree to cooperate with the other party immediately.
This may be a common problem among reborn people, that is, they are more willing to believe those companies or people they have heard of in later generations, but they will have certain doubts about people like Jerome who have never heard of them.
If they didn't succeed in another time and space, can they succeed in this time and space?
It was precisely this suspicion that prevented Chu Huan from agreeing to cooperate with the other party in the first place.
In the following days, with Kelly's efforts, she contacted two more animation companies, and Chu Huan also met with them, but the overall feeling was not as good as what Jerome brought to Chu Huan.
On the other side, Jerami Grant was waiting for Chu Huanlai to look for him again.
I’ve talked about Jerami Grant’s pride before.
He was even so proud that he didn't find anyone to keep an eye on Chu Huan's situation, because in Jerami Grant's view, it was a very simple matter to win the copyright of "Transformers".
As for where his confidence comes from, it is naturally the Hasbro behind him!
But as time went by, Chu Huan never appeared again, which began to make Grant a little nervous.
So he immediately contacted the person in charge of Hasbro in Los Angeles and inquired about Chu Huan's whereabouts in Los Angeles. However, Jerami Grant was not the chairman of Hasbro, and his position in Hasbro was the same as that of the person in charge in Los Angeles.
They exist at the same level.
Therefore, the person in charge of Hasbro's Los Angeles did not pay attention to Jerami Grant's request at all.
"The manager of the animation department wants to order me to do things, or to pay attention to an Oriental. I don't know what to do!"
The person in charge of Hasbro Los Angeles said this privately.
He neither looks down upon Jerami Grant nor Chu Huan!
Even if Chu Huan's identity here is the boss of "Fantasy Comics", what does it matter?
It has nothing to do with Hasbro at all, okay?
As for the revenue from "Transformers" peripherals, not everyone thinks it can become a hit. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many people who are blind to the hit project.
It was precisely because of this person's indifference that Jerami Grant missed the best opportunity to learn about Chu Huan's behavior.
After many considerations, Chu Huan decided to cooperate with Jerome Animation, and it was not just a simple cooperation...
When Jerome saw Chu Huan again, his expression became even more excited, because this meant that he would become the final partner of "Fantasy Comics"!
Chu Huan's official statement also confirmed Jerome's thoughts.
So Jerome said excitedly: "Mr. Chu, please rest assured that our company will definitely let Mr. Chu see the most successful "Transformers" animation!"
Chu Huan smiled and said: "Although we have initially decided that your company is our partner, we still have to look at your company's finished products. If the finished products cannot meet our requirements, the cooperation can be terminated at any time!"
Jerome had no initiative in this matter and could only agree to Chu Huan's request!
"There is another thing I want to tell Mr. Jerome!"