HPDBC Chapter 990 Traitor
Chapter 990 Traitor
MGM Grand Hotel, Las Vegas.
In a luxurious presidential suite, Lin Haoran sat in the study, looking at the documents that MGM Studios had just faxed over.
The reason he hasn't gone to Hollywood is simple: due to the manipulation of public opinion by numerous pro-squito media outlets, he's now like a "rat crossing the street," hated by everyone.
If he were to appear in Hollywood at this moment, at the headquarters of MGM Studios, the media would swarm him and surround him.
Reporters will definitely be there with their cameras and microphones shoved in his face, asking him the questions he's heard a million times:
"Mr. Lin, how do you respond to those comments that you don't understand movies?"
"Mr. Lin, are you really planning to remake MGM's classic IP into a commercial film?"
"Mr. Lin, do you think you can revive MGM?"
"Mr. Lin, could you tell us about how you made your fortune? Is there anything shady going on?"
He didn't want to answer any of these questions.
Because answering it wouldn't make a difference.
Those reporters weren't there to hear what he had to say; they were there looking for a story.
No matter what he answers, they will find an angle to distort it, take it out of context, and continue to smear him.
Rather than handing them a knife, it's better to say nothing.
Silence is his best shield and his sharpest weapon.
His silence over the past two weeks has proven that if he doesn't speak, the media will gradually lose interest.
If he doesn't respond, those rumors will gradually lose their appeal.
Public opinion is like a fire; it will go out on its own if no fuel is added.
Although it has indeed affected MGM Studios in the short term, as long as he manages MGM well in the future, this impact on public opinion will naturally be insignificant.
Hollywood is a place rife with controversy, so he chose to postpone his trip.
He'll go after the privatization is complete, after everything settles down, after Clifford Perlman officially takes office, and after a suitable new CEO for MGM Studios is found.
By then, privatization would be complete, and MGM would be his private company; no one's opinion would matter.
Let the media write whatever they want, criticize whatever they want, it won't affect him.
It's his company, and he calls the shots.
There is no need to report to shareholders, explain to the market, or answer to the media.
This is the greatest benefit of privatization—freedom.
He can shut himself away and quietly reorganize the company, and then reappear in the public eye once the reorganization is complete.
By then, those doubts and criticisms will have long been washed away by time and facts.
For the past two weeks, Lin Haoran has focused all his energy on the privatization of the two MGM companies.
Midway through, NBA Commissioner O'Brien personally visited him twice in Las Vegas.
Regarding the conditions previously proposed by Lin Haoran, such as obtaining 40 years of global commercial rights to the NBA and priority renewal rights, the owners of the 23 NBA teams have held two rounds of negotiations during this period, and have not yet reached a consensus, with some opposing and some supporting.
The teams that oppose the move are mainly the top teams, such as the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Boston Celtics. These teams are backed by a large market and have remained profitable even in the worst conditions of the NBA market.
Therefore, they were unwilling to relinquish the NBA's global commercial rights, and they did so for 40 years.
Although Lin Haoran's willingness to lend $5 million was indeed very tempting, it did not immediately convince them to agree.
On the contrary, the team owners who are on the verge of bankruptcy or in debt are very supportive of bringing in Lin Haoran, a major investor.
In any case, the NBA league is currently in a state of disagreement, and it will be difficult to reach a conclusion in the short term.
Lin Haoran didn't care about this. To be honest, the NBA's future is indeed profitable, but the timeline is too long, so long that it might take him eight or ten years to get a return.
His main purpose in wanting to control the NBA was the influence and global recognition that the NBA could bring him.
But if those people are unwilling to compromise, Lin Haoran won't beg to get in.
NBA Commissioner O'Brien approached Lin Haoran hoping that Lin would lower his demands, such as reducing the NBA's global commercial rights from 40 years to 10 or 15 years.
However, Lin Haoran directly declined the other party's offer.
Do you want him to lower his demands?
That's impossible.
Ten or fifteen years?
It's like I painstakingly built up the NBA, and they just kicked me out and reaped all the benefits themselves?
Lin Haoran wouldn't do something that would lose him money.
A 40-year commercial right means he has enough time to expand and strengthen the NBA's overseas market, promote the brand value globally, and then reap substantial rewards from it.
If he's only given 10 or 15 years, and he's kicked out before he even starts making money, why would he bother?
Does he work for the NBA?
When has Lin Haoran ever worked for anyone?
After being politely declined, O'Brien didn't say anything more.
He knew Lin Haoran's personality; the kind of person who meant what he said and wouldn't easily change his mind once he made a decision.
He could only go back and discuss with the team owners again to see if there was any way to persuade them to accept Lin Haoran's conditions.
If not, then the deal will have to be put on hold.
Given the current state of the NBA, no one knows how long it can last.
If a team were to go bankrupt, the entire NBA league would be at risk of bankruptcy due to the chain reaction.
Therefore, O'Brien was under more pressure than anyone else.
He wasn't speaking up for Lin Haoran; he was trying to find a way for his alliance to survive.
The team owners in those big markets can leisurely object because they have no worries about food or clothing; they'll still make money even if the NBA dies.
But small-market teams are no good; if the NBA dies, they're truly dead.
If a few small-market teams declare bankruptcy, the entire league's credit system will collapse, sponsors will run away, TV stations will terminate their contracts, fans will be lost, and the remaining teams will be dragged down as well.
This is not alarmist; this is what is happening.
Several NBA teams are already struggling to stay afloat, and if it weren't for O'Brien scrambling to raise funds, things would have gone wrong long ago.
Besides matters related to the NBA, Lin Haoran's purchase of a commercial building in Manhattan, New York, has also made progress.
Of the 45 buildings in Manhattan that he intended to purchase, 23 have already been sold, and 16 of them have had their property management rights fully transferred to Universal Property Management Company.
According to Citibank, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the handover of all 45 buildings will be completed in February.
However, since the property rights did not directly fall under Lin Haoran's name, but rather under Huanyu Property Management Company, the new company did not attract anyone's attention.
The sellers didn't share information about which buyers they sold the buildings to, so this massive real estate transaction caused almost no stir in the New York real estate scene.
The sellers each thought they had just encountered a generous and efficient buyer, unaware that this buyer had purchased more than a dozen buildings on the same street.
They have no idea that the New York housing market is about to experience a major recovery, and selling now is equivalent to selling at the bottom.
Let's turn our attention back to the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas.
In the most luxurious presidential suite, Lin Haoran looked at the document in his hand, his brows furrowed.
During this time, he had been treating this presidential suite as his home in Las Vegas. Since the entire hotel belonged to him, it was practically like living in his own home, without spending any money and still enjoying a comfortable stay.
The Presidential Suite is a duplex suite with a loft spanning over 500 square meters. It features a living room, dining room, study, gym, sauna, and private cinema, and even has a private elevator. Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the entire Las Vegas Strip.
Every morning when Lin Haoran wakes up and draws back the curtains to see those giant resort hotel buildings gleaming in the sunlight, he feels a sense of unreality.
This largest resort hotel in Las Vegas is entirely his.
It wasn't booked or rented; he bought it with his own money.
But at this moment, his brows were furrowed.
The documents were sent by the legal advisor he had hired; there were three copies in total.
After this Citibank legal counsel took over his role at MGM Studios, every contract signed by MGM Studios had to be reviewed by him and then reported to Lin Haoran.
The reason is simple: they fear that after Lin Haoran takes over, they might sabotage MGM's IP, development strategies, and film production.
For example, if MGM's high-quality IPs were to be sold, the current CEO of MGM would have the authority to do so based on his past management rights.
Therefore, after acquiring MGM Studios, Lin Haoran took precautions in this regard.
This precaution now seems to have been the right thing to do.
The first contract sent by the legal counsel was an agreement for licensing the IP of *The Wizard of Oz* to Universal Pictures. The license granted Universal Pictures the film adaptation rights to *The Wizard of Oz* for a period of ten years, at a price of ten million US dollars.
When Lin Haoran saw this number, he almost dropped his coffee cup.
What level of IP is The Wizard of Oz?
It is a symbol of Hollywood's golden age, a classic in the hearts of audiences worldwide, and one of the most valuable assets in MGM's film library.
For such an IP, the film adaptation rights were sold for only ten million US dollars, and the sale lasted for ten years.
Isn't this tantamount to selling a gold mine to someone else at the price of scrap metal?
Do you really think he's a fool?
He spent over a billion dollars to privatize MGM, and he's still short of this ten million dollars?
Lin Haoran took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and continued reading.
The contract has not yet been signed because it has been opposed by the legal counsel and finance department appointed by Citibank.
As CEO and Chairman of MGM Studios, Frank Rothman certainly has the power to determine the direction of MGM Studios' development.
However, the problem is that the terms of this contract are clearly unreasonable, the price is obviously too low, and the authorization period is obviously too long.
Any experienced IP operator could see that this was a contract that was extremely unfavorable to MGM Studios.
Frank Rothman couldn't possibly have missed it.
Frank Rothman's appointment as Chairman and CEO of MGM Studios by Kirk Kochrian demonstrates his capabilities.
However, his approach was completely inconsistent with his abilities.
His actions were incredibly idiotic!
Or was he doing it on purpose?
Most likely, he was secretly bribed by Universal Pictures, so he doesn't need to worry about his future career prospects at all, since the six major entertainment conglomerates have definitely already guaranteed his future.
His purpose in doing this was to sell MGM's most valuable intellectual property to Universal Pictures at a low price before he had fully taken over MGM and was unfamiliar with Hollywood.
Once the privatization was complete, it would be too late for Lin Haoran to back out, because the contract had already been signed, the money had already been paid, and the legal effect had already taken place.
In that case, he will have no choice but to file a lawsuit, which requires time, energy, and money.
Universal Pictures has plenty of lawyers; they're not afraid of lawsuits. What they're afraid of is Lin Haoran not filing a lawsuit.
As long as Lin Haoran spends his time and energy on the lawsuit, he won't have time to manage MGM Studios, which is exactly the effect they want.
It's fortunate that Lin Haoran took precautions in advance, otherwise those Jewish teams would have succeeded!
Lin Haoran was somewhat frightened at this moment.
If he hadn't immediately engaged Citibank to provide legal and financial advisors, and if he hadn't required every contract to be reviewed, these three contracts might already be signed.
By then, it will be too late for him to back out.
Lin Haoran put the first contract aside and picked up the second one.
The second contract was for the remake rights of "Ben-Hur" to Paramount Pictures. The contract was for a period of fifteen years and the contract amounted to ten million US dollars.
Ten million US dollars, fifteen years, to sell the film remake rights to "Ben-Hur" to Paramount.
What level of IP is Ben-Hur?
It is one of the most awarded films in Oscar history, an epic classic in the hearts of audiences worldwide, and one of the most valuable assets in MGM's film library.
For such an IP, the film remake rights were sold for only ten million US dollars, and the sale was held for fifteen years.
When Lin Haoran saw this number, he wasn't as angry as he was with the first contract, because he had already guessed that this couldn't be an isolated case.
Universal and Paramount must have planned this together. These two giants, one vying for the adaptation rights to "The Wizard of Oz" and the other for the remake rights to "Ben-Hur," had a clear division of labor and worked together seamlessly.
He picked up the third contract.
The third contract is for the television rights to two hundred classic films in MGM's film library. The licensee is WarnerMedia's television network, the license term is ten years, and the license fee is thirty million US dollars.
Thirty million US dollars, ten years, and television rights to two hundred classic films.
On average, a movie earns $1.5 a year.
This price is less than one-tenth of the market price.
In addition to these three contracts, there is also a letter written personally by the current CEO, Frank Rothman, to Lin Haoran.
The letter explained to Lin Haoran how much profit these film libraries could bring to MGM Studios and how worthwhile it was. It claimed that these film libraries could help MGM Studios recover its losses, and that simply granting a license would bring in $50 million in cash, thus providing more funds to produce more films in the future.
At the same time, although the IP is licensed out, MGM can still film it, which is a win-win situation.
The other party's attempt to persuade Lin Haoran to agree to the proposal was completely treating him as a fool who knew nothing about Hollywood.
Little did people know that Lin Haoran's purchase of MGM was actually aimed at MGM's film library.
After reading the three contracts and Frank Rothman's letter, Lin Haoran placed the documents on the coffee table, leaned back on the sofa, and closed his eyes.
His mind raced. Frank Rothman's problem wasn't a matter of ability or attitude; he was doing it on purpose.
He was helping Universal, Warner and Paramount rob MGM's assets.
The three contracts he pushed for were all extremely unfavorable to MGM, and extremely favorable to Warner, Paramount, and Universal.
This is not something a professional manager should do; it's something a traitor should do.
Once all these IP rights are transferred, MGM Studios will truly become an empty shell.
The film library was emptied, the IPs were sold off cheaply, and all that was left was a pile of worthless assets and a mess.
By then, no matter how much money Lin Haoran has, he won't be able to save the company.
Frank Rothman wasn't stupid, he was bad.
He was helping those shrews empty MGM, leaving Lin Haoran with nothing but an empty shell.
This is no longer a matter of professional ethics; it's blatant betrayal.
It seems that the six Hollywood moguls have already bribed Frank Rothman.
Great, that's really great!
He had already been considering finding a new person to take over the position, and now that idea was even more certain.
Lin Haoran stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the desert.
His furrowed brow revealed his inner turmoil.
Frank Rothman's betrayal deepened his understanding of the Hollywood industry.
Those people not only surrounded him from the outside, but also planted spies inside, trying to undermine his control of MGM Studios from within.
If he hadn't taken precautions in advance, MGM's most valuable IPs would have already been sold off cheaply.
By then, even if he wins the lawsuit, it will take several years, and the golden age of those IPs will have long passed.
He underestimated the Hollywood squid conglomerates.
Those people really went to any lengths to deal with him.
If the propaganda war can't break him, then we'll try to sow discord.
If sowing discord doesn't work, then try bribing his people directly.
One move after another, one strategy after another, like an impenetrable net, trying to trap him in Hollywood.
Lin Haoran had to admit that he had underestimated these people.
They've been operating in Hollywood for nearly a century; their connections, resources, and methods are far beyond what an outsider like him can match.
He can wield immense power in the financial markets and profit from bottom-fishing in the real estate market, but in this circle woven from connections and relationships, he is like a child just learning to walk, with every step potentially leading to a misstep.
However, did these people from the Squid Consortium think that doing this would scare him away?
That's wishful thinking.
When he was in Hong Kong, he did not back down when facing those long-established foreign firms and conglomerates that had been entrenched for over a hundred years.
Even when facing giants who controlled the global financial system on Wall Street, he did not back down.
Now in Hollywood, he will not back down either.
The more they tried to drive him away, the more he wanted to stay.
He not only wanted to stay, but also to make MGM the biggest film company in Hollywood, bar none.
He wanted to show them that an outsider could establish themselves in this industry, that a Chinese businessman could make good films, and that someone who "didn't understand film" could revive a century-old brand. (End of Chapter)