Chapter 230: The Recruitment War

[Chapter 230: The Recruitment War]

Link received news that Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, and Julianne Moore were planning to switch agencies. He called Marty Bauer, the president of United Talent Agency (UTA), urging him to secure deals with all three, recognizing their immense potential for future collaborations.

Initially, while preparing for Speed, Link had anticipated that the film would be a massive hit, propelling both Keanu and Sandra into stardom. He had previously reached out to UTA, asking them to contact the two actors to explore a possible switch. Months had passed, and he almost forgot about it, so he was surprised to receive a call now.

Marty Bauer informed Link that a recruitment team had been arranged to meet with the three actors, offering numerous incentives, including covering their release fees and compensating for any losses incurred from leaving their current agency. UTA was approaching this with great seriousness, resulting in a high probability of success.

...

However, once the news broke, WMA (William Morris Agency) and ICM (Innovative Artists) also reached out to the trio, prepared to make lucrative offers, while CAA (Creative Artists Agency) was determined to retain them. The recruitment war had ignited among four major agencies, capturing the attention of many in Hollywood -- not just the agencies but also on Link himself.

Though Link had no direct involvement, the three actors, who had previously collaborated with him, maintained a good relationship with him. The impending switch appeared to be Link's doing, seemingly a form of retaliation against Michael Ovitz for undermining him in the industry.

Some media speculated that this incident could be part of a larger summer box office battle. As the summer approached, CAA was presumed to be teaming up with the seven major studios to suppress Guess Pictures' Speed and Se7en. Since Link couldn't compete with the trailers those studios would provide, he might be considering an internal clash to embarrass Ovitz.

...

Link did not comment on the speculation. During this time, he also received calls from Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.

Keanu expressed his desire to leave CAA, stating that the agency's atmosphere had shifted. Upper management had started to interfere with artists' work, insisting that actors endorse films they disliked, leading to a toxic work environment. If they didn't comply, they were threatened with a withdrawal of support. Keanu found the treatment unacceptable and decided to switch agencies, receiving Link's full support.

...

Sandra explained that her primary concern for switching was her age -- 30 -- and the fierce competition among CAA's numerous actors, which made it hard for someone like her to secure suitable roles. In the past, she had managed to land roles through personal connections or through intense auditions. Yet, CAA provided minimal support while still taking 10% from her earnings as the agent's cut. With better terms offered by UTA, she was inclined to try her luck there and sought Link's opinion, hoping for his backing.

Link supported Sandra, affirming that they could still collaborate in the future. Grateful, she cheerfully invited him to dinner.

...

Meanwhile, Julianne Moore didn't call Link directly but brought up the agency switch while he was at Renee Zellweger's house, snuggling up to him as she discussed her situation. At 34, Julianne had been in the industry since 1983, earning recognition through various supporting roles and gaining significant popularity with her performance in the thriller The Hand That Rocks the Cradle in '92. Post-stardom, CAA had renegotiated her contract, offering her numerous opportunities in both film and advertising.

However, with over four years left on her contract, leaving would incur a hefty $2 million penalty, resulting in substantial losses. Moreover, upon hearing rumors of her potential switch, CAA had recently offered her valuable resources, worth several million dollars. Feeling conflicted, she sought Link's insight.

Sensing her hesitation about leaving, Link advised her to stay with CAA. While he had a minor disagreement with Michael Ovitz, he shared a good rapport with Vice President Jay Moloney. If everything went as planned, Ovitz would likely transition to Disney the following year, leaving CAA's future uncertain.

Julianne appreciated Link's guidance and happily cuddled back under a blanket to show her appreciation as Renee teased her about being overly affectionate.

...

After several days of negotiations, CAA made a significant effort to retain Julianne, while WMA successfully recruited Keanu. Sandra signed with UTA, marking a win for them. The showdown among the four major agencies had come to an end.

Internally, CAA executives revealed that Michael Ovitz was furious after losing ground, breaking several cups in a fit of rage and vowing to blacklist Keanu and Sandra. Ovitz's ire stemmed not only from losing to Link again but also from his hatred of betrayal -- he once left WMA to establish CAA, inadvertently becoming a rival to his former agency.

To prevent further defections, he had implemented a system at CAA that required an artist to have multiple agents overseeing their careers, spanning different sectors like film, television, and endorsements to prevent any one agent from leaving with their client. However, Keanu and Sandra managed to sever ties and drag along several agents and assistants. This debacle indicated that Ovitz's management strategies were not as effective as he had believed -- once an artist was determined to leave or if a competitor offered substantial incentives, merely holding contracts could not deter them.

Ovitz's frustration mounted, leading him to blame Link for the outcome. Not one to take a hit lying down, he immediately contacted several media outlets, demanding they refuse to promote Guess Pictures' films, offering to coordinate other promotional activities as compensation. Some agreed, while others declined.

...

The primary issue was Guess Pictures had allocated a minimum of $15 million for promotional budgets for Se7en, which would only increase, creating a tempting opportunity for the media companies.

This was a huge piece of meat.

Media companies were also profit-making organizations and were accountable to their boards of directors. They would not sit back and let others take profits.

Even Time Warner is the same.

Time Warner Group's business portfolio spanned media, publishing, film and television industries. Its subsidiaries include Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Media. The two companies have equal status within the group.

The company president wass appointed by the board of directors and was accountable to the board of directors. In companies with good performance, management would be rewarded by the board of directors and their annual salary and bonuses would be increased. Those with poor performance will be criticized or even replaced.

This led to different attitudes of the two companies towards Guess Pictures. Even though Warner Bros. Pictures and Guess Pictures were hostile, it did not prevent Warner Media from cooperating with Guess Pictures and helping to promote Guess Pictures' movies.

Same cae with News Corporation's subsidiaries 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, FOX News Channel and Star Media.

The same is true for Paramount Pictures and MTV, both subsidiaries of Viacom.

Unless mandated by corporate higher-ups, these media companies had no reason to refuse working with Guess Pictures.

Currently, it appeared Guess Pictures, despite its weight, wasn't capturing enough attention from these media giants, which also explained Link's lack of concern regarding the promotional aspects of his films -- even amidst all the pressure, estimates for the summer box office battle forecast substantial returns.

However, there were negative repercussions; faced with pressures from multiple entries, the studios knew Guess Pictures was at a disadvantage, so they offered a higher price than usual, ready to reap the benefits.

Doing so also forced Link to continue to invest more resources or risk his films receiving minimal promotional support and being overshadowed during the summer box office, and be completely crushed by the seven major film studios.

Once he invested more money in promoting the movie, it would be fine if the movie was a hit, but if it failed at the box office, Guess Pictures would suffer even greater losses.

This was also the result that the seven major film studios wanted to see.

"Would Link really continue to up the ante?" many in Hollywood began to wonder.

...

Contemplating his decisions, Link called for increased promotional funding, willing to spare no expense, and backing Speed and Se7en aggressively. The upper echelon at the seven major studios, upon hearing the news, chuckled. They considered Link a decent director but not a savvy businessman -- he was too green and completely out of his depth in the battle of the brands.

After all, Hollywood was their domain; they felt confidence that as long as Link remained in the game, they could ensure he would ultimately lose everything.

The media leaked Link's announcement about increasing the promotional budgets. Analysts considered his bold move a gamble that might lead Guess Pictures down a perilous path. Numerous associates, like Robert Shay and Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Graydon Carter, reached out, advising him against such a hardline stance, cautioning him about the might of the seven major studios, urging him to entertain partnerships and share some equity for better backing.

However, Link stood firm. The war with the seven major studios had just begun; he wouldn't bow out without a fight.

Hearing his resolute stance, many who tried to sway him fell silent, yet most thought it was evident that Link would ultimately succumb and join the seven major studios.

...

"Link is naive -- how could one man stand against everyone?" Harvey Weinstein remarked while flipping through the newspaper with a chuckle.

"He's too arrogant, thinking he bested Ovitz and the rest, believing that would deter the seven major studios from applying pressure. He's also too greedy to share profits with entertainment capital, which guarantees his downfall." Robert Reiner, founder of Castle Rock Entertainment, took a sip of coffee while smirking.

Harvey nodded in agreement, recalling how in the '80s, Miramax hadn't profited yet the seven major studios turned a blind eye to their minor earnings. As soon as Miramax struck gold, they began circling, signaling acquisition intentions and applying pressure to ensure compliance.

Harvey preferred to keep smooth relations with the major studios and strategically sold his company to Disney, ensuring stability even at the cost of lesser profit, unlike Link, who was essentially becoming the industry's pariah.

Such folly would likely lead to Guess Pictures' demise, making any acquisition by the seven major studios that much harsher for Link.

"Rumor has it you didn't accept Michael Ovitz's invitation?" Robert Reiner inquired.

"I still have commitments with Guess Pictures, and I can't be part of your plans. Besides, it wouldn't matter if you had Miramax or not with so many of you going after him," Harvey replied, taking a drag from his cigarette.

"True enough. Four studios are already on board to launch attacks on Link this summer. If we can pressure him into submission now, by next Christmas, he could be out of Hollywood for good. As long as he stays in the game, we can't have a peaceful day," Robert Reiner remarked with irritation, recalling how Castle Rock used to be a leading independent film studio, pulling in hundreds of millions until Guess Pictures' rise turned their fortunes bleak.

Harvey nodded, focusing on an article stating that Guess Pictures' Speed would release on Friday. After facing so much adversity, he wondered just how well it might perform at the box office -- would Guess Pictures fall into severe financial ruin?

Harvey eagerly anticipated the upcoming drama.

*****

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