Chapter 7 Playing Big

In the lounge, Saleh revealed his identity, and Ronan and the others had already rehearsed, so they were first surprised and then delighted.

Everything felt natural.

Saleh directly asked, "Ronan, have you ever considered seeking investment in the Arab world?"

Ronan, not being coy, asked with surprise, "Are you representing the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority?" He looked at Saleh. "Are you interested in investing in my film?"

Saleh quickly shook his head. "No, no, the amount is too high, I don't have that much authority. But I can recommend you to Abu Dhabi in the name of the Investment Authority."

"Really?" Ronan saw Saleh nod, then said, "You're willing to help is great, it solves my biggest problem."

Saleh smiled and said, "Don't mention it, your film is speaking for the Arabs."

"Thank you." Ronan was very sincere.

Saleh waved his hand. "I can only make recommendations, whether I can convince the people in Abu Dhabi to invest, I can't guarantee. Ronan, you'd better have a plan."

Ronan quickly stood up and rummaged through his briefcase, took out a proposal prepared for his trip to Germany, and handed it to Saleh. "This is the plan I prepared for the trip to Germany."

Saleh had heard Ronan mention it before, saying he was planning to go to Germany to seek investment. He took the document and opened it, although he didn't understand it very well, he could see that it was a very comprehensive proposal.

Clearly, Ronan had done a lot of feasible work for this project.

This young man seemed quite reliable in his actions.

Ronan then said, "My father used to collaborate with Germans, so I plan to leverage his previous connections to hold a film investment meeting in Germany."

Everything, from this proposal to everything before, made Saleh feel Ronan's dedication to this project.

Compared to those brothers in Abu Dhabi who were just idling around, this Ronan Anderson was indeed someone with ambition.

"How is this plan?" Ronan asked.

Saleh returned the proposal, saying vaguely, "It's okay."

Ronan asked again, "Is it feasible to move it to Abu Dhabi?"

Saleh considered for a moment and said, "It should be fine, the Investment Authority can assist you. However, there are some details regarding food and other aspects that need to be adjusted."

"Don't worry." Ronan nodded. "We will respect the customs of the Arab brothers."

If it meant attracting investment, even changing eating habits in Abu Dhabi was not a problem.

Saleh gave some instructions and soon left the hotel.

After returning to the company from the press conference, Ronan held another brief meeting, rallying the entire company.

Starting from tomorrow, Mary would assist Saleh in handling procedures, George would focus on media publicity, and Robert would prepare various necessary materials.

Although he had heard that oil tycoons didn't care much about money and were using Saleh, a legitimate member of the royal family, as a guide, Ronan wasn't careless. To get people to invest money, he had to be as meticulous as possible.

Indeed, what he prepared was a scam, but the film project was real.

All the preliminary work was done incredibly realistically.

Various documents of the company, tax records, past films produced, proof of membership in the Producers Guild, and relevant media reports previously appeared in the media, Ronan had prepared everything accordingly.

The next day, reports from the media came out, and he specifically purchased some newspapers and magazines with relevant reports.

Although the Los Angeles Times only had a small article, being one of the three major newspapers in the United States was still quite impressive.

Even though the scale of the reports was not significant, it had some effect. Dozens of agents sent resumes of directors and actors to Sahai Entertainment, and some even called to inquire about recruiting positions behind the scenes.

Of course, Ronan wouldn't recruit directors and behind-the-scenes teams now; everything had to wait until after the trip to Abu Dhabi.

If he could attract investment, "The Human Purge Plan" could be operated according to plan; if not, he would have to consider going to India or other means.

For more than a week, Ronan had kept in touch with Saleh, who had specifically visited Sahai Entertainment several times. Seeing dozens of videotaped movies in the film library, Saleh concluded that this was a small but well-established production company. With Ronan's consent, Saleh sent back a lot of materials, including Sahai Entertainment's information and the script for "The Human Purge Plan," to Abu Dhabi.

To some extent, Ronan could somewhat guess why Abu Dhabi was attaching so much importance. The expenses of Sahai Entertainment were nothing in their eyes. Currently, Abu Dhabi lacked fame and influence, but certainly not money.

In his past life, how much money had Abu Dhabi spent to expand its influence? Just the expenditure in the English Premier League alone was astronomical.

Hollywood had global influence, yet most Arabs depicted in Hollywood films were villains.

Arabs probably wanted to change that.

Upon receiving the invitation from Abu Dhabi, Ronan's confidence doubled.

In his past life, swindlers could get money from Hollywood professionals with just a few words and a fake project. For a real project like "The Human Purge Plan," the possibility of getting money from Arabs who knew nothing about Hollywood was even greater.

What's more, after attending the press conference, the guides were very proactive. Saleh had already called him, saying that he would accompany Ronan to Abu Dhabi and assist him in preparing for the film investment meeting.

"I just graduated, and I have too little work experience," Saleh said. "This will increase my practical experience."

With a local guide's help, Ronan certainly wouldn't refuse.

The situation was very promising, so he didn't slack off. He specifically asked a lawyer familiar with the United Arab Emirates to make appropriate modifications to the investment contract template.

Furthermore, he prepared multiple contingency plans.

The worst-case scenario was failing to attract investment and returning empty-handed.

Before departure, the materials he prepared alone filled dozens of large boxes.

Anyone who saw them would think that Ronan's small team were really people who were doing things.

Of course, money flowed out like water, and Sahai Entertainment's account was reduced by over sixty thousand dollars.

Ronan only took Mary and Robert Lee to Abu Dhabi. He deliberately left George Clint in Los Angeles to operate with money and connections so that "The Human Purge Plan" could occasionally appear in the media.

In mid-February, accompanied by the guide Saleh, Ronan Anderson, known as a friend of the people of the United Arab Emirates, and his team took a flight from Emirates Airlines to Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi Investment Authority warmly welcomed this friendly Hollywood company.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi were the most famous cities in the UAE, and Abu Dhabi had already been developed very beautifully in this era.

"Is this an Arab country?"

Sitting in the car, Mary was full of doubts. "Do Arabs have such advanced cities?"

Ronan just whispered, "They are very rich."

Not only did Abu Dhabi not understand Hollywood, but in fact, Americans didn't understand Abu Dhabi either.

The image of Arabs in Hollywood movies might be influenced by Jewish forces behind the scenes, but it was also the common perception of Americans.

The

 group stayed at the local top-rated ultra-five-star Emirates Palace Hotel, where media reporters were also taking photos at the hotel entrance.

Before adjusting to the time difference, before Ronan went to find the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, a senior official from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority came with Saleh to discuss the upcoming itinerary.

Therefore, with the assistance of Saleh and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Ronan Anderson and Sahai Entertainment's name frequently appeared in the local media, and someone even assisted Ronan in preparing for the film investment meeting.

After attending several events with the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and giving two interviews, Ronan gradually realized that, to some extent, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority was also using him.

Bringing in a Hollywood team, regardless of whether the investment was successful or not, would be a great political achievement.

The struggle for power and profit among Arab elites was also fierce.

Sahai Entertainment and the film investment meeting in Abu Dhabi soon gained a reputation.

According to Saleh, even the President of the UAE and the leader of Abu Dhabi privately inquired about Hollywood investment matters.

It seemed like playing big.

But now, Ronan couldn't afford to back down because he hadn't attracted investment yet.

Although the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority assisted him in preparing for the investment meeting and also helped with publicity, they had never discussed investing in "The Human Purge Plan" with him.

Ronan wasn't in a hurry; a hunter needed to be patient.

Moreover, compared to the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, he preferred to hoodwink small and medium-sized investors at the investment meeting.

That way, the aftermath would be smaller.

If the Investment Authority threw a few million dollars, he wouldn't refuse.

On February 25, 1998, a three-day film investment meeting kicked off at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi.