Capítulo 20: Chapter 20: Superfan
Manually locking the car doors and carrying his briefcase, Murphy walked out of the parking lot and looked up, unlike the low-rise architectural style of downtown Los Angeles, there were skyscrapers and luxurious business centers all around, this is Century City, the most important commercial center and residential area in West Los Angeles, covering an area of nearly two hundred acres, where a lot of film, television and music companies have offices.
For example, the big-name Twentieth Century Fox is located in Fox Plaza, not far from an upper floor, there is also a dominant Hollywood agency CAA, or Creative Artist Agency.
As long as it is a little understanding of Hollywood people know that the agency's powerful, and in the experience of Michael? After the pain of Michael Ovitz's departure, CAA quickly returned to the right track, and in recent years the development has been even more rapid, not only occupies more than half of Hollywood's market share, but also extends the tentacles to the sports world.
Thinking of the CAA agent who called him, Murphy couldn't help but have a headache as he walked towards the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles.
He did not expect, no matter how, Kobe Bryant's agent agency is not a specialized sports agency, but instead is the super giant CAA of the Hollywood brokerage session!
Murphy's goal was Hollywood, and messing with such a giant was not a good thing by any stretch of the imagination.
However, he did not intend to retreat, things have been done, I think CAA's people will also be a big light, and then think about this is useless, the most practical way, or within a reasonable range, try to get benefits for themselves.
Before coming over, Murphy also from the network to face the CAA to carry out a certain understanding, just like the status of professional sports in North America, football and the NFL is the CAA sports brokerage field is the most important a department, basketball and the NBA department's weight to be much worse.
This is perhaps the only place where Murphy can psych himself up.
In fact, he also knew very well that the person who could represent Kobe Bryant's brokerage business would never be a fool.
"It's done."
Walking to the front door of the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles, Murphy shrugged rather self-deprecatingly, "I'm just a small, unattached person, what is there to be afraid of?"
The worst outcome would only be both sides tearing their faces apart, and anyway, he was just a small person with nothing to lose.
Walking into the hotel lobby, Murphy asked the doorman, then went up to the second floor through the escalator, and after finding the cafe where both sides had made an appointment, he no longer had any worries, straightened his back and strutted in.
"Is Mr. Leon Rose here?" Murphy asked the waiter at the door.
"You are?" The waiter looked at him and Murphy rate quickly, "Murphy Stanton, with an appointment with Mr. Leon Rose."
The waiter made a gesture of invitation and led the way, "This way, please."
Following the waiter, Murphy walked to the far left of the sunrise side of the café, which was a large partition separated by greenery, and when he was still some distance away, he saw a middle-aged man and a young woman sitting in the partition, seemingly whispering something.
The man was wearing a well-fitted suit, his tie meticulously tied around his neck, and a pair of sunglasses resting on the left hand side of the coffee table; in Los Angeles and especially in Beverly Hills, ninety percent of the time when you see someone in this kind of attire, it's probably an agent.
The woman on the other side was about twenty-five years old and looked like she should be his assistant.
Did not see that basketball superstar here, Murphy is not surprised, this situation has an agent enough.
Walked to the coffee table, the other party did not have the intention to stand up, just raised his eyes to survey him, Murphy was also not polite, greatly grinned and sat on the opposite chair, said to the waiter, "A latte, please."
The agent across from him was always watching him, and after the waiter walked away, preemptively said, "Murphy Stanton, Los Angeles native, freelance journalist, incarcerated for a year not too long ago, got out of prison and returned to his old job, currently working with Fox LA TV Channel 6."
Now that he was sitting down, Murphy let go of all his concerns, "You guys have investigated in great detail."
Leon Rose said calmly, "Because we're CAA!"
These words could be described as self-confident, as if the CAA he was backing was an untouchable mountain.
In front of a small man like Murphy, CAA was more than a big mountain, but a small man also had the advantages of a small man.
From the beginning of walking to this here, Leon Rose, whether from the momentum, or in words, firmly occupy a suppressive advantage, but Murphy simply do not pick up his words.
Murphy opened his briefcase, pulled out a storage disk, and pushed it directly in front of Leon Rose.
Words say more, are not as persuasive as the actual action, Murphy now there is no need to say anything more, as long as the photographs held in the hand, he has enough foothold.
The female assistant took out a laptop, turned on the computer and connected it to the storage disk, Leon Rose looked at a picture that appeared on the screen, his face did not have any change, as if these pictures were unusual.
Clasping his hands, Murphy quietly looked across the room, his expression equally calm.
"Is that all?"
Probably after looking at all the pictures, Leon Rose revealed a disdainful smile, "These don't mean anything, Kobe is a superstar, it's normal to have female fans who like him."
The waiter brought coffee at this time, when he walked away, Leon Rose picked up his own coffee cup and drank a mouthful without slowing down, "Young man, do things cautiously, don't be too greedy, Kobe is the hero of this city, no matter what happens, the majority of people will only stand on his side."
Hearing the other side say so, Murphy subconsciously touched his own face, could see that Leon Rose was not very important to him, probably thinking that he was just a lucky man who had **** gotten lucky.
Come to think of it, he looks just twenty years old, all such people are extremely lacking in social experience, and in this complicated society, they are often played by some old foxes.
"Mr. Ross, I'm actually one of Kobe's fans, or the crazy kind."
Believing is a necessary quality in this kind of negotiation, it didn't have any difficulty for Murphy, "I was also surprised after I took these, so my first choice was to find Mr. Bryant, not to sell the photos to the media, I like Kobe Bryant above the court, and I also appreciate his contribution to the city of Los Angeles, and a superstar like Kobe will also have a great public image."
Leon Rose gently nodded, the young man across from him was obviously more on board, in that case the problem was solved, but why did he always feel a little awkward listening to these words of the other party that seemed to worship Kobe?
"Do you have any more backups? Leave it all to me." Leon Rose said in a seductive tone, "Kobe will definitely thank you, what do you want? Kobe's signed basketball or robe?"
Murphy didn't say anything, just looked across the room.
Leon Rose gently tapped his head, "Tell you what, I can gift you season tickets for the Lakers next season on behalf of Kobe, and in the first home game, you'll also have the opportunity to take a picture with Kobe."
If a basketball fan or a Lakers fan, such an opportunity can be said to be very tempting, but a basketball illiterate like Murphy is not likely to be moved by it at all.
Even if Murphy was a Lakers fan then he wouldn't be moved, he wanted more.
The primitive accumulation of any capital was difficult, even dripping with the blood of many people, and he couldn't let go of any possible opportunity if he wanted to earn enough start-up capital.
"What you're saying is really good." Murphy slowly stirred his cup of coffee, "And I do want to give you the pictures."
He stirred his coffee with slower and slower movements, "I close my eyes and think about how Kobe's healthy and sunny public image would be harmed if the photos were to get out, possibly leading to family discord and a broken relationship with his fiancée, which would affect his form on the court, causing a sudden interruption in his rising athleticism, and leading to fluctuations in the negotiations for his next big contract with the Lakers ..."
Listening to these very considerate words for Kobe Bryant, Leon Rose's eyes became sharp, and his face was not as kind and nice as it was just now.
As if Murphy did not see this, he just said to himself, "I really don't want to see that Kobe's public image is tarnished because of these photos that I took. I'm also worried that if the photos are accidentally spread outside, and are seen by sporting goods companies like Nike or Adidas, or other large businesses, what about affecting the endorsement cooperation that may exist between Kobe and them? I've heard that they've been very satisfied with Kobe's healthy, sunny and responsible public image."
Picking up his coffee, Murphy took a good sip and savored it carefully before adding, "As a fan, an admirer of Kobe, I'd hate to see that happen."
Across the room, agent Leon Rose's face had tightened.
If he hadn't realized by now that he had been confused and deceived by the other party's overly youthful appearance, then he would really be an incorrigible fool.
Murphy hadn't stopped yet and continued, "I, like all fans, consider Kobe to be a serious and responsible person, and would like to see him play without any distractions and win championship ring after championship ring, and even more so, I would like to see him have a beautiful and happy family."
Leon Rose is staring this way so closely that if his gaze could be a bullet, Murphy would be a broken sack with a thousand holes in it in an instant, I'm afraid.
"For the superstar I idolize and for Kobe's future." Murphy said with conviction, "I can't let these pictures get out either."
Even though these sounded like the words of a superfan, Leon Rose understood that they were all backhanded words, and knew that he had underestimated this not-so-impressive young man too much before, and that the other party had uttered the very thing that could be the serious consequences of the photos getting out.
If Kobe Bryant is a person like Rodman, Leon Rose will not worry, but Kobe Bryant's past image is too good to afford these, especially sponsors, in case of problems with the sponsors, the loss will be measured in millions of dollars.
But he will not easily compromise, at least to suppress the other party's chips.
"Don't forget, you're facing CAA!" said Leon Rose forcefully, "Mainstream media are CAA's partners!"
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