The Best Entertainment Era

In the conference room of the Relativity Building, Garcia and Jeff Katzenberg, representing Embassy Pictures and DreamWorks Animation, each signed a new contract, and stood up to shake hands.

There was no applause, no tension, and no swords drawn, everything was very peaceful and natural.

The contract was executed in full accordance with the terms agreed between Ronan and Spielberg.

Subsequently, on behalf of Relativity Entertainment Group, Ronan signed an equity transfer agreement with Jeff Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg.

Relativity Entertainment bought all of Jeff Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg, as well as the shares of Walt Disney held by DreamWorks, at the market price on the date of negotiation.

Most companies in Hollywood often hold each other's shares, especially the six major companies.

However, DreamWorks has been established for a relatively short period of time, and its shareholding in Disney is very low. All of these add up to less than 1% of the shares.

The relationship between DreamWorks and Relativity Entertainment has also entered a new era.

Spielberg shook hands with Ronan: Ronan, thank you for your support of DreamWorks.

Ronan smiled and said, We are a win-win situation.

Spielberg also smiled and said, DreamWorks will always be Relativity Entertainment's strongest ally.

Ronan said nonsense that even he didn't believe: I've always believed that.

Today, Relativity Entertainment and DreamWorks have common interests on a large level, but who can say for sure what will happen in the future.

Steven Spielberg is not purely a director, and Ronan is not purely a producer.

In addition to their famous careers, the two also have a common identity as a businessman!

Spielberg asked: As for the director's contract, if I have time another day, I will go to Sandsea Entertainment to sign it.

Ronan nodded slightly: Steven, I look forward to the day of cooperation.

I'm looking forward to it too. Spielberg said the scene was equally pleasant: Ronan, with you controlling the subject matter and script for me,

My confidence is back as well.

In the past two years, Spielberg has actually been going downhill. From the media to the audience, it seems that they are tired of Spielberg's shooting and production style of drawing a good frame and filling in the content.

But Ronan is very clear that Spielberg's ability is still sufficient: We are a strong alliance.

Spielberg asked curiously: Can you know what the subject matter is?

How could Ronan talk about the specific content of the project when Spielberg didn't even sign the director's contract, and said vaguely: I haven't figured it out yet. Our cooperation is the future plan of Relativity Entertainment. Determine the specific theme and After the content, I will definitely deliver it to you as soon as possible.

Spielberg saw that Ronan was leak-free and couldn't find out anything at all, so he said politely: I'm looking forward to it.

Jeff Katzenberg, who had been chatting with Garcia, came over and said, Steven, Ronan has always had a unique vision in choosing movie themes.

Ronan laughed: Speaking of unique vision, Jeffrey, you are really unique in Shrek.

Jeff Katzenberg pushed down his glasses: The contract is signed, and the distribution cooperation between DreamWorks Animation Studios and Embassy Pictures will end next year.

It's a deal that benefits all three parties, Spielberg said.

Ronan said: Jerry Fu, we are friends, and Relativity Entertainment and I cannot prevent DreamWorks Animation Studio from going home.

This was so beautifully said that even Spielberg was a little moved, and he also had a new understanding of Ronan's thick skin.

If you really want to let Dreamworks Animation Studio go home, why do you have to mention so many conditions? Want him to sign a director contract?

As for the shares of Walt Disney, Spielberg didn’t take it seriously. Walt Disney’s recent civil strife has continued, and the stock price has not been very good. If it hadn’t been for no one to take over, he and DreamWorks would have sold that share long ago. .

Jeff Katzenberg said, Thank you, Ronan, for your help with DreamWorks Animation.

In any case, Embassy Pictures has played a great role in the development of DreamWorks Animation Studios. Those animated feature films can be sold well. and distributing the efforts made above.

You're welcome. Ronan said with a smile, We are friends.

Yes, we are friends. Jeff Katzenberg added in his heart: I hope we can be friends in the future.

Spielberg didn't intervene, but he was very clear that the relationship between Ronan Anderson and Jeff Katzenberg was no longer what it used to be.

There is a famous iron triangle in Hollywood: Ronan Anderson, Will Smith and Tom Cruise!

It is very telling that Jeff Katzenberg, who was mixed with the three of them at the beginning, stayed away from this small group.

Jeff Katzenberg glanced at the time, exchanged glances with Spielberg, and said, Ronan, it's getting late, we should say goodbye, and we have to go back to Glendale.

Ronan smiled and shook hands with the two of them one by one: I won't keep you guys.

After shaking hands, Ronan walked Jeff Katzenberg and Spielberg all the way to the elevator.

Satisfied, the two got on the elevator.

Garcia said at this time: Is it a pity to give up DreamWorks Animation Studio like this?

Ronan walked towards the office, waited for Garcia to catch up, and said: Dreamworks Animation Studio has invested heavily in the three projects after Shrek, and the Embassy Films must invest in publicity and distribution to match them. It meets the funds, but DreamWorks Animation is not the style of pursuing the ultimate picture after a large investment...

It's very risky? Garcia understood what Ronan meant.

The main reason is that we don't need to take this kind of risk. Ronan said slowly: Shahai Entertainment Animation Studio will continue to release feature-length animation films in the past two years, and our resources and strength also need to be tilted towards our own production company. And after the end of this year, there may be new changes in the pattern of Hollywood animation production.

Garcia vaguely guessed, but didn't say it out loud.

Ronan smiled: The distribution rights of the Shrek series and Madagascar and other films are still in our hands until 2008. You should find a way to mobilize the market as much as possible, and squeeze as much as possible in the past few years. value, without considering the negative impact of future sequels.”

Embassy Pictures is working on a plan, Garcia said.

Except for next year's Shrek 3, the sequels of the rest of the cartoons will no longer be distributed by Embassy Pictures, so naturally there is no need to consider the long-term plans and long-term operations in the future.

The income that popular animated movies can bring is much stronger than that of live-action movies.

In the first half of this year, DreamWorks Animation earned $247.1 million from two projects, Shrek and Shark Gang, even without a movie in theaters.

Embassy Pictures is the distributor and has a good understanding of this data.

These incomes all come from offline operations and related commercial copyright authorizations.

It is precisely because of this that Spielberg and Jeff Katzenberg have repeatedly expressed to Ronan that they want DreamWorks Animation Studio to go home.

Compared with the former DreamWorks Animation Studio, Jeff Katzenberg has more advantages in terms of distribution channels and company platforms.

The former DreamWorks Animation Studio has been fighting alone-it is a content manufacturer, and most of its income comes from the movie box office itself, unlike Pixar, which was acquired by Disney at that time, which had stable distribution and derivative sales channels .

Therefore, Jeff Katzenberg has been seeking external cooperation. DreamWorks Animation Studio has high-quality content resources and needs a larger company to ensure future development space.

At that time, Jeff Katzenberg, this road has not been smooth.

DreamWorks Animation Studio has changed distributors several times, and Jeff Katzenberg once wanted to sell the studio, similar to Hasbro’s acquisition of DreamWorks Animation, and Hasbro did not acquire DreamWorks Animation Rumors pop up frequently.

First Hasbro, then the island nation's SoftBank, all failed.

Selling DreamWorks Animation Studios, the former Jeff Katzenberg negotiated with various companies for nearly ten years before joining Universal Pictures.

The reason?

Ronan didn't know it before, but Ronan has been in contact with Jeff Katzenberg for many years now, and through Katzenberg, he can more or less guess something.

Katzenberg is not easy to talk to, and he has an extremely strong desire to control DreamWorks Animation Studio. Even if he sells the controlling stake to other companies, he himself still has to control DreamWorks Animation, and he is still the studio's uncompromising boss.

It is estimated that there will be a greater conflict with the acquirer in this regard.

What's more, outsiders will find that Hollywood is extremely unfriendly to new entrants after on-the-spot investigation.

One thing is recognized, Hollywood has investment value, but there are not many opportunities for new entrants.

The theory of relativity entertainment can grow, there is one thing that cannot be ignored, Ronan and the early Shahai entertainment, no matter how you measure it, they are Hollywood's insiders.

Hollywood is a system of big companies, and distribution companies are at the top of the food chain. Even if latecomers join, they will be firmly stuck in the distribution channel alone.

Relativity Entertainment let go, DreamWorks Animation Studios is home, and Ronan thinks about Jeff Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg, the former Big Three of DreamWorks, in conflict and a series of power After the struggle, with the withdrawal of David Geffen, it became a pattern of two giants.

What Spielberg wanted was a dream factory with a complete industrial chain, strong strength, and under his control.

But DreamWorks is very complicated internally, and the ownership structure determines this.

Katzenberg was once forced out by Disney's controllers, and it was difficult to be controlled by others.

I wonder if the two monks can carry water to drink?