Chapter 83: Nothing Gained

Dragged Tony Coe onto the plane, found seats in the business cabin, and Ronan packed his luggage, preparing to head to Park City, Utah, the venue for the Saint Denis Film Festival.

"I came to Hollywood to experience the various charms of female stars," Tony Coe complained, fastening his seatbelt. "But before I even left the airport, you dragged me to attend a film festival."

Ignoring Tony's complaints, Ronan said, "The film festival is an important part of Hollywood."

Tony glanced around and asked, "Are there many beautiful female stars at the film festival?"

"I guess there are some beautiful women," Ronan replied honestly. "But it's not easy to see A-list female stars at the Saint Denis Film Festival."

In this era, the Saint Denis Film Festival was purely a paradise for independent films. Unlike a few years later, when Hollywood films invaded, there was a tendency for it to become a place for Hollywood film promotion and trade.

Tony grumbled, "Beautiful women and A-list female stars are totally different creatures!"

Ronan deliberately asked, "Is there a difference?"

Tony retorted, "Would your psychological experience be the same if you dated an A-list star compared to an ordinary woman?"

Ronan was momentarily speechless; the answer to the question was quite obvious.

The halo, status, and fame had a significant impact on one's psyche.

Thinking back to the Hollywood Gates and the incident with Teacher Chen, why did so many people vie to watch them? It wasn't necessarily because they were more attractive than the top female stars in the San Fernando Valley, but the effect brought by their star power was considerable.

"Do you know what my main goal is for coming here this time?" Tony asked again.

Ronan shrugged, "Isn't it to understand our future collaboration better?"

"That's just one aspect," Tony said. "I also want to meet several female stars, preferably..."

He chuckled and then asked, "Honestly, Ronan. How many female stars have you been with?"

Ronan remained silent, unsure of how to answer.

Tony curiously asked, "Ten? Five? Three? One?" His face was incredulous. "Not even one? You're wasting resources! Wasting resources is a crime, Ronan!"

Ronan didn't care and casually replied, "It's not the right time yet. Let's just say, when your status is high enough, these things won't matter."

He changed the subject, "Speaking of business, have you started a new round of financing on your end?"

"Not yet," Tony said, putting aside his playful demeanor and speaking seriously. "We need film projects to attract investment. And with the connections on my mother's side, most of the last round's $40 million has been used up. We need to find new sources of investment, so for now, we can only make some preparations."

Ronan nodded, "That's good. When I start a new project on my end, you should be ready by then."

Tony adjusted his seatbelt and asked, "How much investment does your next project need?"

Ronan pondered for a moment and said, "It's not finalized yet, but it'll probably be at least fifty to sixty million dollars."

"I'll need to speed up the pace of financing when I get back," Tony said with some difficulty. "That's not a small figure."

Ronan patted his chair and said, "Let me give you some motivation. If the financing doesn't come from Aunt Helen's friends and business partners, you can increase the fees. I mentioned last time, the fees for many companies can be as high as fifteen percent."

Tony's eyes sparkled. "Let me do the math. Fifteen percent is how much?"

Someone sat in a seat across the aisle and greeted, "Ronan."

Hearing the familiar voice, Ronan turned his head and smiled in response, "What a coincidence, Gray."

The person greeting him was Gray Enrique from Lion Gate Entertainment.

"Are you also going to the Saint Denis Film Festival?" Gray Enrique asked.

Ronan nodded, "Our destination is the same."

Gray Enrique glanced at Ronan and said, "I heard you acquired a distribution company?"

"Embassy Pictures, a very small distribution company," Ronan did not deny, after all, Embassy Pictures' film library was bought by Lion Gate. "The distribution capabilities are average and can't be compared to Lion Gate Entertainment."

Gray Enrique brought up the old topic again, "It's more appropriate to entrust Final Destination to Lion Gate Entertainment for distribution. With such a large investment, if there are distribution problems, you won't be able to explain it to investors."

Ronan continued to delay, "Let's talk after the film is finished and reviewed? I also have a responsibility to the distributor."

Gray Enrique frowned, feeling that this person was shameless.

Does a producer like you need to take responsibility for the distributor?

He clearly felt that Ronan Anderson did not want to entrust Final Destination to Lion Gate Entertainment for distribution.

What a shameless businessman!

After dealing with Gray Enrique, Ronan continued to chat with Tony. After the plane took off, he took out a book and started reading.

It was still a book about the entertainment industry.

Someone once said that many money-making tricks were written in the law. He had to be familiar with industry rules and relevant legal provisions to find opportunities to gain benefits.

Ronan arrived in Park City smoothly with Tony. The end of January in Park City was quite cold, and you could still see snow on the mountains outside the city.

Although the film festival had not officially started, the cold weather could not dampen the enthusiasm for film.

Not only did cinemas of all sizes in Park City screen films in rotation, but you could also see people promoting films everywhere in the city square and along the streets.

Many of them couldn't even touch the edge of Hollywood, let alone pure-hearted filmmakers who shot films out of interest and then came to Park City to try their luck.

From short films that cost a few hundred or a few thousand dollars to feature films that cost tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, they were everywhere here.

In the evening, small screens were set up on the roadside and in the square, and the owners of these small production films used the rare opportunity of the Saint Denis Film Festival to repeatedly screen their films, hoping to sell them.

Some people didn't expect to make much money but hoped that their masterpieces could be seen by more people.

After all, films were made to be seen.

However, most people still harbored dreams of overnight fame.

No matter what kind of person they were, no one could deny their love for movies.

For those accustomed to the climate of Southern California, it was indeed a bit cold here. Ronan put on a newly bought down jacket, wore a knitted hat, and even armed himself with gloves.

On a cold night, his enthusiasm for film was undiminished.

In this fiercely competitive industry, without enough passion, it was difficult to persist for a long time.

Ronan and Tony got off the plane and met Gray Enrique in the hotel lobby.

Staying in the same hotel and having somewhat similar goals for attending the Saint Denis Film Festival, it was quite a coincidence to meet each other.

"Do you have any suitable targets, Gray?" Ronan asked.

Gray Enrique had spent a long time on the square in the afternoon.

Since the other party had already acquired a distribution company, Gray Enrique wouldn't be foolish enough to reveal his targets. He shook his head and said, "Not yet."

The middle-aged man next to them curiously asked, "Who is this?"

Ronan nodded at him and smiled, introducing himself, "Ronan Anderson, a buyer from Ocean Entertainment."

The middle-aged man shook hands with Ronan and introduced himself, "Billy Hoffert, from Yattison Entertainment."

Ronan knew this company; in his previous life, it was better known as Artisan Entertainment.

The group left the hotel together. Ronan's target was the square and the roadside, where he would search for valuable films. It was like searching for treasures among countless low-value goods in an antique street.

It wasn't easy, but for Ronan, the selection process needed to be simpler.

For those films that cost tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands to produce, as long as there was one he was familiar with, it was definitely valuable.

Ronan went from one film booth to another with Tony, stopping to watch each film being screened roadside. He would watch for a while, then reminisce.

From six in the afternoon until after nine in the evening, they gained nothing.