章 947: Chapter 949: Female Lead Selection
[Chapter 949: Female Lead Selection]
Unlike other minor shareholders who were upset with Eric for diverting profits from Firefly Group for stock investments, Buffett was most concerned that Eric approached this matter with a purely speculative mindset. However, during their conversation, Buffett gradually realized that Eric had a clear vision and specific objectives regarding the operation of Clover Fund.
Although he wasn't sure where Eric's strong confidence in the potential profit from this investment stemmed from, he was certain that since Eric wasn't blindly irrational, he would choose to withdraw at the appropriate time. Unlike those stock speculators who clung to their investments like gamblers until the last moment before their stocks collapsed. Additionally, Eric's seemingly casual remarks about the situation made his stance clear: if anyone was dissatisfied with Firefly Group's business strategy, the company could buy back shares at any time.
Even though the total value of all shares held by external shareholders of Firefly Group had reached over $26 billion, Buffett didn't doubt Eric's capability to secure enough funds to buy back those shares. With Firefly Group's excellent AAA credit rating and extremely low debt ratio -- less than 10% relative to its market value -- the company could issue corporate bonds worth tens of billions of dollars for share buybacks. Major banks in America and worldwide would be eager to provide substantial loans to Firefly Group.
Moreover, any savvy investment manager on Wall Street would only want to acquire more shares of Firefly Group; only a fool would consider selling. In short, only companies with severely poor operation or financial conditions would feel pressured to compromise under the strain from smaller shareholders selling their stocks. Firefly Group had no such vulnerabilities, allowing Eric to wield complete control over the company and manage it as he saw fit.
Buffett was well aware of this. After talking with Eric, he completely abandoned any thoughts of persuading him and simply shared some advice from his own past experiences, like a wise elder.
...
After sharing dinner with Buffett, Eric accompanied him to the parking lot. After Buffett left, Caroline, who had just returned to Los Angeles from vacation, handed Eric a document. "Eric, here's the annual sales data for Firefly Electronics from last year and the launch plan for Fireflyer 2. They intend to partner with Nokia to release Fireflyer 2 and the Nokia Music Phone M-100. The pricing has been set, and the launch event is scheduled for April 6, kicking off sales over Easter weekend. Also, Miss Foster will be coming by at two o'clock."
Eric took the folder from Caroline without immediately flipping it open and asked with a smile, "How was your Christmas?"
"It was great! Mom asked me to say hi to you when I got back," Caroline said, lifting her face. She quickened her pace to match Eric's. She could feel that Eric always deliberately slowed down when she was around, even though he walked quite fast normally.
"Oh, next time give me a heads-up and I'll say hi to your parents, too," Eric replied, then feigned a serious expression, "But didn't you forget to bring me a New Year's gift?"
Caroline pouted playfully, "You didn't give me a New Year's gift either, not even for Christmas."
"You were in the UK! How would I have sent you something?" Eric said, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a long box like a magician. "Here, I heard that letter necklaces are popular now, so I had someone make this for you. The pendant has your name on it, encrusted with small diamonds; it's quite expensive."
Caroline took the gift from Eric, her excited little face suddenly flushing. After a moment of hesitation, she reached into her own pocket and handed Eric a small box. "We traveled to Italy for New Year's and saw this watch there. It's, um, quite pricey too."
Eric tucked the folder under his arm and began to unwrap the packaging. Inside was a silver Gucci watch. After removing the Patek Philippe from his wrist, Eric put on the Gucci watch, shook his wrist, and nodded in satisfaction at Caroline, saying, "Not bad, you pass! You remembered your boss during the holidays."
Caroline wrinkled her little nose in mock discontent, her eyes sparkling. However, noticing Eric looking at the necklace box she held, she shyly averted her gaze. She didn't dare put the necklace on in such a public setting.
With a child-like demeanor, she hid the box behind her back and continued to follow Eric. Then she asked, "By the way, what about Mel?"
Eric took on a mock serious tone and replied, "Miss Melanie Gleason didn't meet the boss's expectations due to work and even played a prank on him, so she doesn't get a New Year's gift."
"Oh, come on. She must have something, right? Melanie works really hard," Caroline pressed playfully, sensing Eric was joking.
Eric quickly pinched her cheek and picked up the pace as they headed toward the studio lot.
Caroline gasped, her face reddening from the playful gesture, standing frozen for a moment. Feeling the eyes of several passersby on them, she hurried to catch up. "Eric, that's just rude!"
Eric looked at the petite girl scolding him lightly, a mischievous smile forming on his face as he replied, "Are you feeling unfulfilled? Want me to do that again?"
Caroline instinctively moved away a bit. "No way! You should apologize to me."
Eric nodded, "Alright, I apologize."
Caroline immediately forgave Eric but didn't forget the earlier topic. "So, what about Melanie's New Year's gift?"
Eric wanted to pinch her cheek again but settled for a serious explanation. "She's different from you. She lives in Los Angeles; I sent her gift during the holidays."
As her boss, Eric certainly wouldn't forget such small details related to the people directly working for him during the holidays. Everyone in the assistant's office received a gift. Naturally, due to their special relationship, the gift he prepared for this girl would be a little more special.
Having worked in Eric's assistant office for a few years, Caroline was aware that the company sent gifts during the holidays. She had received one in past years when she hadn't returned home for Christmas. Hearing Eric say this made her realize the gift she held was specifically meant for her. She felt delighted and no longer lingered on the earlier topic.
Watching Caroline trail closely behind him, her head hanging slightly down, Eric felt a twinge of selfishness. It was difficult for him to convince himself to let her go freely. Perhaps everyone around Caroline would naturally feel the urge to protect her like a princess in a castle, just like Melanie and Rachel, with Caroline's family likely sharing the same sentiment, and Eric found it hard to be any different.
...
Inside the studio lot, one of the film sets had been transformed into the project studio for Gravity. Digital Domain also set up a small team to begin production of the rough space background that needed to be displayed in the lighting box. Over the next six months, while Eric participated in filming Iron Man, he would also continue exploring the best filming techniques for Gravity and solving the technical issues necessary for the film.
However, while all of this was ongoing, the lead actress for Gravity needed to be confirmed ahead of time due to the film's complexity. Eric hoped the lead actress could prepare several months in advance.
After careful consideration, the target age for the lead actress was set between 35 and 40 years, and the casting director provided Eric with a long list of suitable candidates.
Holly Hunter, Jodie Foster, Michelle Pfeiffer, Geena Davis, Helen Hunt, Meg Ryan, Juliette Binoche, and others were all popular Hollywood actresses who met the criteria in recent years. Among the candidates, Eric was primarily inclined towards Jodie Foster, a two-time Academy Award winner. He would only consider the others if Jodie was unavailable.
After sending out the script, Eric quickly received a response from Jodie Foster, arranging to meet that afternoon to discuss it further.
...
With some time before their 2 PM meeting, Eric walked with Caroline into the Gravity set and sat down at the work table. He began going through the materials for Firefly Electronics that Caroline had recently brought.
Since its official launch in April last year, the Fireflyer MP3 player had seen increasing production over the past eight months. By the end of 1997, it achieved a total shipment of 3.95 million units, with an estimated sales revenue of $1.26 billion.
The North American market for portable players was estimated at 30 million units. In just one year, Fireflyer managed to capture a 13% share of the entire portable player market, which was nothing short of a miracle. The combined market share for various manufacturers promoting cassette players, CD players, and MDs had only been about 20% prior to 1997.
The detailed financial report for Firefly Electronics was still underway, but having reviewed the sales data briefing for the Fireflyer player, Eric turned to the release plan for Fireflyer 2.
After discussions, the final retail price for Fireflyer 2 was increased. The price for the 1GB version was set at $329, which was the highest price that Firefly Electronics had determined for retailers in light of the tight market conditions during the initial launch of the Fireflyer.
Although the sales price for the Fireflyer had begun to trend down toward the standard price of $299 in the last few months of the previous year as production ramped up, confirming the new price for Fireflyer 2 at $329 led everyone to believe it would be easily accepted by the market.
The 2GB version of Fireflyer 2 was priced at $379, an increase of $50 over the 1GB version.
Given the overwhelming demand for the Fireflyer player, Firefly Electronics had no intention of halting its capacity expansion. They anticipated that by April of this year, the monthly production capacity for Fireflyer 2 would reach 2 million units. Consequently, Fireflyer 2 would launch simultaneously in North America and Europe.
Flipping to the last pages, Eric finally saw the information regarding the Nokia Music Phone M-100, which would be released alongside Fireflyer 2. Looking at the last couple of pages, which seemed quite lackluster, Eric chuckled helplessly. Even with the success of the Fireflyer player, Nokia's management remained stubbornly skeptical about the sales prospects for music phones.
For the same 1GB and 2GB capacities, Nokia ultimately set prices at $659 and $759, respectively. In Eric's view, this pricing still seemed a bit high.
He also understood why Nokia took this approach. A brand-new electronic product required the establishment of a new production line and supply chain, and only by reaching a certain monthly sales volume could the production company achieve financial balance. Nokia's prior reports indicated that to turn a profit on this music phone, it would need to sell over 100,000 units a month at a base price of $600.
Now, by raising the sale price, Nokia could reach the breakeven point sooner. Phones priced over $600 were viewed as high-end in both North America and Europe. Nokia's management likely subscribed to the notion that "those willing to spend $600 on a phone won't mind paying an extra $60," hence their decision.
...
Because Eric hadn't informed anyone about the work scheduled for the afternoon, other members of the Gravity team hadn't arrived. Suddenly, footsteps echoed in the quiet studio, and Eric looked up to see Caroline walking in with Jodie Foster and another middle-aged white man.
As soon as Jodie Foster stepped into the studio, she was captivated by the large lighting box and the two high-precision robots.
Eric stood up, noticing Jodie's gaze. He explained, "If you take this job, you might be performing in this lighting box for at least three months, wearing a heavy spacesuit. So, Jodie, you really need to think it over; it will be exhausting."
While saying this, Eric moved to the control table and turned on several devices. Over the months, he had become proficient in operating them.
The lighting box soon lit up, and the robots emitted faint sounds, seeming to be auto-calibrating.
Watching Eric deftly maneuver a mechanical arm with a remote-controlled PDA brought a smile to Jodie's face. "Eric, are you trying to scare me off?"
"Oh, certainly not," Eric replied, shaking his head as he realized, then smiling, he put down the PDA and extended his hand to her. "Good afternoon, Miss Foster."
"Hello, Mr. Williams," Jodie beamed even more, shaking Eric's hand. "You can call me Jodie."
Eric nodded with a smile. "And you can call me Eric."
The middle-aged man next to Jodie suppressed a chuckle and extended his hand to Eric. "Hello, Mr. Williams. I'm Jodie's agent, Joey Funicello."
Eric shook hands with the man and gestured to Caroline. "This is my assistant, Caroline Wilson."
Caroline blinked, feeling the situation was quite strange as she quickly shook hands with Jodie Foster and scurried off under the pretext of fetching coffee.
*****
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