civilwarnovels Chapter 987 A Blessed Journey
Chapter 987 A Blessed Journey
In the following days, the news about Lin Haoran's acquisition of MGM intensified.
The media outlets controlled by the Squid Consortium, like sharks that have smelled blood, relentlessly pursued this news story.
Every day, new "explosive news" is revealed, every day, new "industry veterans" speak out anonymously, and every day, new angles are used to question Lin Haoran's motives and abilities.
Their logic is simple: if repeated enough times, a lie will become the truth.
Meanwhile, at the MGM Grand Hotel, many media outlets gather there daily, hoping to interview Lin Haoran.
However, Lin Haoran never showed up at all.
Even the very next day, they secretly went to another MGM hotel.
Currently, MGM Resorts International owns two hotels: the MGM Grand Las Vegas and the MGM Grand Reno.
Both Las Vegas and Reno are cities in Nevada, the state's largest and third-largest city, respectively, and both are primarily based on tourism and gaming.
This is also why Kirk Kocorian chose to locate MGM's second hotel in Reno.
However, the Reno MGM Grand Hotel is far less famous than the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and its revenue is also far less than the latter.
Lin Haoran seemed to ignore the media reports and, with Kirk Koccorian's assistance, systematically learned about the MGM Grand Hotel's business every day.
As Citigroup stated, he is currently in the acquisition phase, taking both companies private, and the media noise is nothing to him.
He doesn't need to explain anything to reporters, prove anything to the public, or bow down to those squid conglomerates that manipulate public opinion.
He only needs to do one thing: privatize MGM.
It's not too late for him to truly reorganize MGM after the two companies become his private assets.
As for the MGM Grand Hotel, perhaps it was because Kirk Kocorian intervened, or perhaps because Kirk Kocorian still serves as the company's honorary chairman and will continue to serve as a company advisor for another month.
So we didn't encounter too many specific problems.
The root of the problem lies entirely with Hollywood.
In the past few days, the intelligence gathered by Citibank's intelligence department has become increasingly detailed.
Including who started it, who participated, the time, place, participants, and general content of each meeting, although meeting minutes are unavailable, the fragments of information provided by informants are enough to piece together a complete picture.
Lou Wasserman, head of Universal Pictures, is the initiator and commander-in-chief of this media war.
On the afternoon of the same day Lin Haoran held his press conference, he convened the heads of the other five film studios in a conference room at Universal Studios to urgently discuss countermeasures.
The specific strategies discussed are unknown, as no one except the six major bosses knows.
However, judging from their subsequent actions and the information cross-verified by Citigroup's intelligence department through other channels, these six individuals discussed at least three different approaches to the response.
Information warfare, distribution warfare, talent warfare!
The propaganda war was their first move. The Squid Consortium controls more than 60 percent of the mainstream media in the United States, from newspapers to magazines, from television to radio, covering almost everything.
They let the public see what they want them to see.
They want the public to believe something, and the public will believe it.
This is not a conspiracy, but an open strategy. They never hide the fact that they control the media, because in their view, this is the natural order.
Whoever controls the media controls the discourse.
It's fortunate that many media outlets refrained from participating out of consideration for Citibank; otherwise, there would have been even more media outlets criticizing Lin Haoran's acquisition of MGM!
As for the distribution war, it's quite simple: they firmly control the scheduling power of seven out of the top ten theater chains in the United States.
How many screens a movie can be shown on, what time slot it can be scheduled for, and how many theaters it can occupy all depend on the scheduling managers of these cinema chains.
These film scheduling managers have intricate relationships with the six major film studios. Some are old classmates, some are former colleagues, some are relatives by marriage, and some were simply "borrowed" from the six studios.
They don't need to sign any written agreements or hold any formal meetings. All they need to do is say at the dinner table, "We Warner Bros. have a big movie coming out this time, so please schedule more screenings." The theaters will understand and push the competitors' movies to less popular times, in more remote theaters, and with fewer screenings.
The talent war is also quite simple. The Squid has been operating in Hollywood for nearly a century. From Louis Mayer to Jack Warner, from Karl Limmler to Adolf Zukor, generation after generation of Squid have taken root, multiplied, and grown here.
They have established a complete talent development and placement system, starting with small roles, gradually working their way up to supporting roles, then leading roles, and finally directors, producers, screenwriters, agents, and executives.
This system is like a large, intertwined tree, with roots reaching every corner of Hollywood and branches covering the entire entertainment industry.
Any outsider who wants to find a foothold in the shadow of this big tree is indulging in wishful thinking.
This is the intelligence that Citibank has gathered.
It's clear that Citibank's intelligence network is incredibly strong.
As for Lin Haoran, the United States was ultimately not within his sphere of influence. If Citibank hadn't gathered this intelligence for him, he would have been practically blind and would never have known that those Hollywood giants had formed such a meticulous alliance to deal with him, an outsider, right after he acquired MGM.
They had no idea that they had already launched simultaneous attacks on three fronts: public opinion, distribution, and talent acquisition, attempting to nip this outsider in the bud.
The most terrifying thing in the business world is not the obvious competitors, but the nets that are quietly laid in places you can't see.
Today is January 16th, four days after that press conference.
Los Angeles, Hollywood, Universal Pictures headquarters.
At this moment, in the conference room at Universal Pictures headquarters that is never open to outsiders, six people are once again sitting around the huge oval conference table.
Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the blinds, casting long, thin shadows on the floor, just like at the meeting four days ago.
They all wore satisfied smiles.
In the past few days, public opinion has escalated as they expected, even exceeding their expectations.
The media coverage was overwhelming, and public doubts rose one after another. Lin Haoran's name almost became synonymous with "a speculative businessman who doesn't understand movies".
Under their meticulously planned media offensive, that Hong Kong-born Chinese tycoon has transformed from an "Eastern prophet" adored by Wall Street into a "foreign invader" despised by Hollywood.
Contrary to their expectations, the other party did not hold a press conference to refute the rumors circulating in the market, nor did they engage in any form of verbal battle with them in the media.
According to Universal Pictures boss Lou Wasserman, this silence is not a strategy of waiting for the right moment to act, but rather a sign of insecurity.
How could a truly confident person remain silent after being insulted for four days?
He didn't believe it.
He preferred to believe that Lin Haoran was overwhelmed by the overwhelming public opinion and didn't know how to deal with it, so he could only choose to remain silent.
Steve Ross picked up his coffee cup, took a slow sip, and chuckled softly after putting the cup down.
"Lu, you made a good move. The effect of the public opinion war is even better than I expected. It seems that young man Lin Haoran really doesn't know how to deal with this."
Does he think silence will cool down public opinion? He's too naive. We won't give him a chance to cool things down. As long as he doesn't speak, we won't back down.
By the time he opened his mouth, the public had already judged him, and nothing he said mattered. This is the essence of the war of public opinion: strike first, or you will be at a disadvantage.
"I bet they're regretting their acquisition of MGM now!"
Steve Ross's words elicited a burst of laughter from the audience, the laughter echoing in the closed conference room with a sense of smug ease.
After a few days of media offensive, the other side was forced to keep their distance. In their view, they had already won 80% of the battle and Lin Haoran must be scared.
What can a boss who doesn't even dare to face the media accomplish? He can't even protect his own reputation, so how can he revive MGM?
Lou Wasserman chimed in, "Ross is right. Lin Haoran is probably regretting it to death now. He spent $650 million to buy a hot potato, and he still wants to privatize it? I guess he has no such idea anymore."
His reputation is ruined, his stock price has plummeted, and Hollywood no longer welcomes him. Did he think America was like Hong Kong, where money could buy anything? Now he should know that in some places, money is useless.
Marvin Davis added, "Whether he regrets it or not is his business. Our business is to prevent him from turning the tables. The media war is just the first step. We need to catch up with the distribution war and the talent war as soon as possible."
We cannot give him a chance to breathe. Just because he is not speaking now does not mean he will never speak. Just because he is not retaliating now does not mean he will never retaliate.
We need to block all the roads before he can react.
E. Carton Walker coughed lightly, drawing everyone's attention.
"I agree with the battle for distribution rights and the battle for talent, but I would like to remind everyone not to go too far. We can fight a war of public opinion, a battle for distribution rights, and a battle for talent, but we must do so within the limits of the rules."
We are businessmen, not gangsters. We want to win, but we want to win with dignity. If someone finds something on us and takes us to the anti-monopoly bureau, that would be undignified.
Arthur Crimson chimed in, “Mr. Walker is right. We must win, but we must win gracefully and leave no openings for others to use against us.”
On my side, Orion will fully cooperate. I'll keep an eye on the independent film industry; if MGM dares to poach talent from there, I'll notify everyone immediately.
Although the Squid Corporation is very united and often acts in concert against external forces, there are also strong anti-squid forces within the United States, and they are unwilling to give these forces too much leverage against them.
Lou Wasserman's gaze swept across everyone's faces, finally settling on Steve Ross.
"Ross, can the Warner media go a little further? The current reports are overwhelming, but they haven't touched on the core issue yet: Lin Haoran's financial background."
If we can steer the conversation toward where his money actually comes from, the effect will be even better. The public loves these mysterious stories; the more unclear it is, the more suspicious they become.
Citigroup has already disclosed the source of his funds for the acquisition of MGM, and it is indeed clean. But what about his previous acquisitions?
Lin Haoran's rise to power is too strange. Starting in 1978, he began to frequently acquire companies and make large investments in Hong Kong, Japan, the United States, Singapore, and mainland China. Where did his money come from?
Where did a young man in his early twenties get so much money? There must be something wrong here. We don't need to provide the answer, we just need to raise the question.
The public will naturally conjure up the most outlandish answers, and those most outlandish answers are often the most easily believed.
Everyone's eyes lit up; this was a ruthless move to make things difficult for Lin Haoran.
Questioning his current funding sources is likely to run into Citibank, but if his earlier funding sources are questioned, Citibank has no reason to intervene.
Between 1978 and 1981, Lin Haoran had only recently entered the business world, yet he frequently made acquisitions in Hong Kong, Japan, the United States, Singapore, and other places. Where did all that money come from?
How could an ordinary second-generation rich kid from a small Hong Kong family accumulate such a huge fortune in just two or three years?
There must be a story behind this, and stories are the best weapon of public opinion.
They bet that Lin Haoran's funds came from dubious sources, and things would get interesting if he really couldn't explain the origin of his funds.
Steve Ross nodded and said, "Lu, don't worry, leave this to me."
……
Reno, Nevada, MGM Grand Hotel.
Lin Haoran sat on the spacious and luxurious sofa, crossed his legs, and flipped through a document.
He has been in Reno for three days since he came from Las Vegas. Because he arrived secretly at night, the outside world still does not know that he was not in Las Vegas at all.
Perhaps it's because Kirk Koccorian likes to make everything the biggest and best that the Reno MGM Grand Hotel is quite large.
This grand hotel, which opened in 1978, boasts a total of 2001 rooms and a casino that is even larger than the one in Las Vegas. It is known as the world's largest gambling city, with a length equivalent to two American football fields.
However, its revenue is less than half that of the MGM Grand Las Vegas.
Nevertheless, the Reno MGM Grand Hotel is clearly one of the important assets of the MGM Grand Hotel Group.
The document in his hand was compiled by Citibank on his behalf.
The industry that MGM Grand operates in is a highly profitable one; it's already making a lot of money now, and it will only become more profitable in the future.
He had seen some data in his previous life that showed that after entering the 21st century, the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas had an annual net profit of over one billion US dollars!
And Las Vegas will only become more prosperous and more international.
Therefore, who will take over the MGM Grand Hotel is a very big question.
He can't stay in the US indefinitely, so he needs a highly capable professional leader.
The hotel's general manager, Frank McCarthy, is not bad, considering he was able to serve as general manager under Kirk Koccrian.
However, after investigating this person, Lin Haoran found that he was not suitable to be the president of MGM Grand Hotel.
The reason is simple: in recent years, the main development decisions of MGM Grand Hotel have been made primarily by Kirk Koccrian, while Frank McCarthy has been more of an executor than a decision-maker.
His strength lies in implementing the boss's ideas, rather than proposing his own.
Such a general manager is competent during the period of stable hotel operation, but Lin Haoran has greater ambitions for MGM Grand Hotel. He needs not just someone who can execute, but a partner who can think with him, plan with him, and drive the hotel forward together.
Moreover, Frank McCarthy has always followed Kirk Kocorian, and it's highly likely that he will switch jobs to Kocorian's new hotel once it's completed.
Therefore, Lin Haoran entrusted John Reed to help him select a suitable candidate for the leadership.
He didn't ask Kirk Koccorian for help for a simple reason: the former MGM owner would be his future competitor, and even if Koccorian were willing to help, he wouldn't wholeheartedly recommend the best.
Citibank is different. They share common interests with him, and since they are all on the same side, they will definitely do their best to help him.
Citigroup's intelligence department and headhunting team have been working intensively these past few days, scouting more than a dozen candidates from across the United States and even the world. After several rounds of screening, they finally narrowed it down to two people.
Both of them have impressive resumes and outstanding abilities.
Citigroup strongly recommends Clifford Perlman, the former president and CEO of Caesars Palace, who just left Caesars Palace last July and is now a free agent looking for new business opportunities.
The reason why he was chosen by Citibank as the undisputed first choice is simple: his abilities have been proven by history.
Ford Perlman served as president and CEO of Caesars Palace from 1969, transforming this ordinary hotel into one of Las Vegas' most iconic and prestigious casino resorts.
His status among professional managers in Las Vegas is absolutely unmatched. He is known as the pioneer of the "corporatization era" in Las Vegas and turned Caesars Palace into the first publicly traded Las Vegas casino company in 1969.
Moreover, Ford Perlman has extremely deep connections with Nevada politicians, Wall Street, and top Hollywood stars. Such a person is practically tailor-made for a candidate to take the helm of MGM!
This is exactly the kind of leader Lin Haoran needs.
In another world, Clifford Perlman would eventually be invited by Kirk Koccorian a few years later to become the first chairman of the new MGM.
As for the second-best candidate, he also comes from the world of Caesars and is the chief operating officer of the world of Caesars; he is equally outstanding.
Both are very talented, but now he holds an important position in the Caesar world, so it will be quite difficult to poach him.
Therefore, after reviewing the information on these two individuals, Lin Haoran no longer needed to consider much.
Clearly, Clifford Perlman was the person he was looking for.
Professional managers of this caliber are extremely rare, and for one to appear on the market so soon after taking over MGM is nothing short of incredible luck.
Lin Haoran didn't believe in luck, but when luck came, he never refused it. (End of Chapter)