Fortunately, the director of the crew and Little John were friends. Although he deeply regretted why he had so arrogantly shown the TV series to Little John in advance, which turned his well-produced primetime network drama into an online series.
He still had to try his best to communicate with the crew, while brandishing the contract as a big stick. Finally, he told them that if they filmed a second season, everyone's salary would increase by 30%, which finally stabilized the entire crew.
A 30% salary increase was also a good thing, which could comfort his fragile heart. As for what kind of success this TV series would achieve after its release, they no longer cared at all.
After all, they heard that the entire Los Gatos Television Station had only sold 4 million boxes, which meant they had at most 4 million viewers. This was undoubtedly the worst performance for Americans and a television station, without exception!
\---
"Is it necessary to hold an opening ceremony?" Boss Huang frowned as he looked at the proposal jointly submitted by Randolph and Donald. He wasn't reluctant to spend money, but he felt it was a bit too troublesome.
"Chairman, our industry is different from other industries. At the beginning of our opening, we must spread our reputation!" Donald explained, "According to the company's future development plan, we will produce a large amount of our own content. This requires recognition from many people in the industry to facilitate the allocation of various resources."
"After all, one team cannot produce a wide variety of TV series, so industry connections are very important. Holding an opening ceremony this time is also an opportunity to meet everyone in the industry, which will make future cooperation easier!"
"Yes! Especially since our group has just completed its integration and is now attacking the traditional television market. We will inevitably face a lot of attacks and difficulties in the future. If we set the tone properly now and try to build good relationships with other television stations and industry insiders, it will also help us avoid future troubles!"
"Moreover, the company has undergone such a huge restructuring, and the morale of the employees is relatively low. Holding a celebration, with you personally appearing and speaking to them, cheering everyone up, will greatly boost the morale!"
Although Huang He felt that Randolph and Donald insisted on holding an opening ceremony more for their own gratification, it would be great if it could boost the morale of the entire company. At the same time, Boss Huang did not want to dampen their spirits, as it was best for Los Gatos Media to avoid any new changes. So Boss Huang nodded and said, "Since that's the case, let's do it! Coincidentally, after it's done, I'll return to China!"
"Yes!" Randolph and Donald breathed a sigh of relief, and then heard Huang He say, "Since we are going to hold it, let's do it with the spirit of being the best in the world. Then everyone in Hollywood, and even the entire industry, will know who the wealthiest company is!"
"Is it necessary to make it so grand?" This time, it was Randolph and Donald who looked at each other in dismay.
"The grander the occasion, the easier it will be to cooperate with them in the future. Believe me, this is the experience of us Chinese!" Hearing Huang He say this, they had no reason to object. Anyway, the grander the occasion, the more face they would have.
Thus, a few days later, a big piece of news spread throughout Hollywood and the film and television circles: the newly established Los Gatos Television Station had directly booked the entire Times Square in New York to hold their opening ceremony.
Good heavens, as soon as this news broke, not only the industry, but all Americans were shocked. Many people asked those around them blankly if Times Square in New York was a place that could be booked for events.
Well, this is not surprising. Just like many Chinese might not know that Tiananmen Square can also be booked for commercial activities, let alone Times Square in the United States, a country of capitalist civilization.
Times Square in New York was originally named Longacre Square, after a real estate developer, just like Wanda Plaza and Vanke Plaza today. They are all commercial real estate properties where various activities can be freely booked.
However, with the influx of many media outlets such as The New York Times, ABC, and NBC, the media exposure of Times Square greatly increased. For a simple example, because the news broadcasting centers of ABC and NBC television stations are located within the Times Square building in New York, and their glass curtain walls face Times Square, all Americans can see the situation of Times Square directly while watching TV news.
And when these television stations switch programs, they also like to broadcast live images of Times Square. Over time, this made all Americans familiar with this place, and the whole world also knew about this place, making Times Square seem like some inviolable sacred place in the United States.
But there are no official or government agencies here. This is a legitimate commercial property, and you can hold whatever activities you want as long as you are willing to pay.
It's like in later generations, countless Chinese companies, even though a 10-second advertisement on the electronic billboards in Times Square costs 30,000 yuan, still flock to have their advertisements appear on these electronic billboards.
Of course, if it's only for 10 seconds, then 30,000 yuan is not expensive. After all, advertising on the radio for a month would cost over a hundred thousand yuan.
This also gave rise to another industry: professional advertising photographers in Times Square. Well, these professional advertising photographers are not photographers who shoot advertisements in Times Square, but photographers who shoot advertisements *on* Times Square.
This sounds a bit convoluted, but it essentially means photographers who specialize in shooting the billboards in Times Square and the corresponding advertisements on them.
For instance, you can often see in various domestic media that a company's advertisement appears on a Times Square billboard, looking very impressive. But in reality, they only bought 10 seconds of time. To maximize the value of those 10 seconds, professional photographers need to capture that 10-second footage from the best angle and send the photos to the advertisers. Then, these advertisers use these photos to create their own advertisements.
This is a perfect Russian nesting doll.
Of course, compared to advertising on Times Square itself, the cost of directly booking the entire Times Square is definitely an astronomical figure. Boss Huang, in one go, paid 30 million US dollars to book Times Square for three days, averaging 10 million US dollars per day.
So, while the actual event would only take place for one evening, it required time beforehand to decorate the entire square. Therefore, the booking had to be for three days, otherwise, considering Times Square's traffic conditions.
However, this also presented a challenge for future Chinese companies: if they still wanted to show off by advertising in Times Square, they would have to book the entire square. Otherwise, a single billboard would no longer hold any prestige.
At this moment, the entire New York public witnessed a rare sight in their lives: the large intersection and transportation hub of Times Square, usually teeming with tourists, was completely sealed off, cordoned off by barriers, and even vehicles were not allowed to pass, with all traffic diverted.
Such a situation had only occurred during the New Year's Eve celebrations in the past, but now it appeared on a very ordinary day in May.
This instantly caused a stir throughout New York and even the entire United States. After all, Americans were accustomed to walking through Times Square every day, let alone the tens of thousands of tourists who specifically visited Times Square for sightseeing.
But now it was directly blocked off, and they weren't even allowed to look at it. Only employees working in the Times Square office buildings were allowed in, and others were strictly prohibited. This immediately infuriated many surrounding residents, who cursed the rich as scumbags for blocking off their Times Square.
And such a major event naturally could not be missed by the television stations.
In fact, as mentioned earlier, The New York Times, ABC Television, and NBC Television all had their headquarters in the Times Square office buildings, and their news studios' glass curtain walls directly faced the entire Times Square.
Not to mention that they knew that a rival company, Los Gatos Television, was booking Times Square for three days to hold an event to promote itself. With so many factors at play, it would be ridiculous for these television stations to let this news pass them by.
Thus, first these media outlets reported on it, and then all the media across the United States began to report, telling the viewers in front of the television screens that someone had audaciously sealed off the entire Times Square in New York, which was simply outrageous. Were they all-powerful just because they were rich? Could they disregard the well-being of ordinary people, cut off normal traffic, and cause New York, which already had terrible traffic, to become completely gridlocked!
Finally, they would subtly inform the audience that the company that had audaciously committed this act, solely for the purpose of showing off, was Los Gatos Media.
Good heavens, with such reports from these television media, Los Gatos Television instantly became notorious. Countless curious onlookers and keyboard warriors in the United States began to furiously criticize this behavior online, vowing never to watch the so-called Los Gatos Television again when changing channels. In an instant, it ignited the indignation of the entire United States, with public outrage reaching its peak.
In fact, not only Americans, but the entire world was flooded with this news in a short period. Half of them were onlookers, while the other half expressed anger. However, unexpectedly, the most furious were the Chinese.
Many Chinese people shouted online that this was the sinful act of capitalism, that the rich were indeed all-powerful.
Then, many public intellectuals immediately stepped forward. They would appear online or in the media, speaking from a condescending, instructive tone, implying that they did not understand the values of freedom and democracy, and told everyone that this was the free commercial world. As long as it did not violate the law, companies could do anything to promote themselves. Doing such things was considered great freedom and the fundamental reason why the United States could become the number one power!
Chinese people would never have such great enterprises in their lifetime.