Chapter 16: Business is Business

[Chapter 16: Business is Business]

An hour later, the interview wrapped up.

Next was the dinner.

The dinner was held in the banquet hall behind CBS Channel 4, and many prominent figures were present.

The plump Ikebod Harnett, who was the head of CBS's Channel 4, was also the guy who got woken up by Ian's late-night phone call about selling news. He was the host of this event.

Along with him were Michael Bay, Ben Affleck, and Josh Hartnett, all Hollywood stars and co-stars of Pearl Harbor.

If it had been someone else facing these celebrities, they might have felt a sense of awe. However, Ian was not one to be intimidated.

Having spent years as a top-notch paparazzo, he had tracked countless stars and knew that these big names were just like ordinary people behind the scenes... some were even more foolish.

Even successful businessmen had their moments of stupidity: everyone has their own area of expertise. They might be very smart and capable in their field, but outside of it, they might not be much better than a farmer from the countryside.

Their success stemmed primarily from their surroundings, and then from their individual talents -- there's only the product of the era; outside of that, this saying often held true.

Those who could create an era were called great people!

So Ian looked at them as if they were just a bunch of ordinary folks, with no sense of humility about them.

...

At that moment, Harnett walked over.

"Ian Carr? You're quite an impressive young man," he said, grinning while putting an arm around Ian.

Years ago, when Ian followed his father, he had met this channel head, but back then, he had clearly dismissed the young Carr, even old Carr hadn't been worth his attention.

Until today.

Harnett continued, "Come on, kid, let me introduce you to some important guests."

With that, he led Ian to a middle-aged white man with dark hair and said, "This is Mr. Bertram Leek, CEO of Touchstone Pictures."

Ian smiled and extended his hand. "Hello, Mr. Leek."

Leek responded with a smile, "Nice work, young man."

The film company and the TV station often collaborated, so they knew each other well.

This event had brought them even closer together.

Harnett continued to introduce the next person, a familiar face -- none other than the renowned director, Michael Bay.

"Michael Bay, you surely know his name," Harnett said.

Ian beamed at Michael Bay, saying, "Armageddon, Bad Boys, and The Rock, all great works."

At those words, the young and handsome Ben Affleck nearly burst out laughing.

Seeing his barely contained amusement, Ian instantly recalled a funny story.

Armageddon was made part of NASA's curriculum -- a regrettably negative case study. Rumor had it that NASA required incoming employees to watch the movie and point out the hundreds of errors within it; if they couldn't identify enough problems, they failed the evaluation.

When Michael Bay invited Ben Affleck to join Armageddon, he showed him the script, leaving Affleck utterly confused.

Who was Ben Affleck?

Not only was he an exceptional actor, but he was also the writer of Good Will Hunting, winning an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay! After reading Armageddon's script, he was baffled and asked Michael Bay, "Why turn oil drillers into astronauts? Shouldn't it be astronauts turned into drillers? Is drilling really more complicated than space travel?"

Michael Bay was also taken aback.

He pondered for a long time, then waved his hand dismissively: "What does it matter? Just do it this way!"

Ian did not blush when he praised Armageddon publicly; Ben Affleck's faint smile suggested he was used to this level of flattery.

Clearly, going overboard with compliments wasn't a good idea!

Fortunately, Michael Bay didn't mind, as box office numbers were key for him.

When you have good box office returns, who cares about the rest?

There were no successful works based solely on logic or reason!

He laughed heartily and embraced Ian. "You're the boldest journalist I've ever met. Well done, Ian."

Next, Ian greeted Ben Affleck and the others. Since they were just meeting, there wasn't much conversation.

The banquet hall operated buffet-style, as everyone held their drinks and snacks, mingling and chatting together.

...

After a bit of small talk, Bertram Leek, CEO of Touchstone Pictures, said to Ian, "Regardless of everything, we have to thank you for saving Kate; you saved Pearl Harbor."

Ian chuckled, "But isn't Pearl Harbor already filmed? I can't claim to save the movie."

Kate approached and added, "They might have to shoot a few more scenes."

Leaning in toward Ian, she whispered, "They didn't plan on having you cameo; prediction failed."

She playfully winked at Ian, suggesting he might also make the occasional misjudgment.

Wearing a velvet evening gown that made her look exquisite and noble, she adorned her neck with a precious diamond necklace, making her exceptionally charming.

Ian didn't care; he merely replied with a smile, "So Pearl Harbor is set to launch next year? When the time comes, we'll need to handle promotions. Maybe the Herald can play a role in that."

For the film industry to effectively promote, media was an essential path.

Promotion was both advertising and distribution, with advertising taking center stage!

The media primarily relied on advertisements, and as the owner of the Los Angeles Herald, Ian naturally aimed to draw in business -- film advertisements were the most sought-after, as they held more captivating content, making it easier to retain clients.

Hence, every media outlet aimed to establish close ties with Hollywood; with Hollywood's support, a media outlet could further develop and thrive.

In Ian's mind, this shouldn't be a problem.

After all, he had a connection with Kate in this scenario, so he had indirectly aided Touchstone Pictures; it wasn't unreasonable for them to reciprocate with some advertising contracts.

However, to Ian's disbelief, Bertram Leek shook his head: "That's probably not going to work; the Herald is too small. In reality, we work with ABC."

This response annoyed Ian somewhat.

Of course, he was aware of Touchstone Pictures' ties to ABC News.

They were sister companies with a common parent -- the Disney empire!

Entertainment and media were closely interlinked; controlling entertainment resources would ensure the media had a steady stream of news and hidden benefits. Therefore, major corporate groups often sought to make investments in the film industry.

It wasn't just, "I am your boss" or "You are my boss."

For example, News Corp owned Fox Entertainment Group, and Fox Entertainment was home to FOX News and 21st Century Fox, while Time Warner owned HBO and Warner Bros.

Universal Pictures belonged to Comcast, and Paramount was under Viacom.

One could say that Hollywood's giant companies were ultimately controlled by media groups. Only Disney was exceptional, as it controlled ABC, thus creating a dynamic landscape in Hollywood with a few dominant players.

In the America of this era, where Ian understood things somewhat differently, CBS still hadn't been acquired by Viacom in this timeline.

Disney had its media networks, and naturally wouldn't share resources with Ian Carr, especially since Herald's current size was so small -- put plainly, Ian Carr was likely valued more than the Herald itself.

That's why it left Ian feeling annoyed.

I'm not asking for all your promotional resources; I just want a taste! You can't just give all advertising to one company! I helped you out on such a big project, and you won't even give me a taste?

But that was business; it was a heartless and ruthless commercial world.

Business was not about emotions; meeting you today was just for the sake of publicity.

Promotional resources?

The Los Angeles Herald didn't qualify!

*****

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