Chương 296: Yahoo

In the year 1994, Jerry Yang and David Filo co-founded Yahoo.

It took them just two years to officially go public on Wall Street.

At that time, their annual revenue was a mere $1.3M, with an actual loss of $630,000, but on the first day of trading, the stock was valued at a staggering $500M.

Today, its growth potential truly justifies its valuation.

Their flagship portal websites, including USA Today, lead the way in web traffic for news updates.

...

Andrew Clinton, one of the executives in charge of the entertainment section of USA Today.

The first contact made by Mel Gibson's public relations company was with him.

A coffee shop near Griffith Park in Los Angeles.

A middle-aged Caucasian man, well-dressed with a briefcase in hand, entered the coffee shop. As soon as he walked in, he looked around, and upon spotting someone sitting near the window, he briskly made his way over.

"Do you have business with me?"

"Please, take a seat."

The man stood up, politely gesturing to the seat across from him, and smiled, "Mr. Clinton?"

"That's me. What brings you here to meet me?" Andrew sat down across from the man, his curiosity piqued. "So, what's the reason for this meeting?"

"Coffee?" the man offered.

"No need, I have something to attend to shortly."

The man smiled before getting to the point, "I have a few photos here that I hope you can feature, preferably with a well-written article to go along. How does that sound?"

Andrew was responsible for this kind of content, so he inquired, "What photos are these? Can I have a look first?"

The man reached into his briefcase and handed over a paper bag to Andrew.

"These are private photos of director Mel Gibson and actress Monica Bellucci. Think about it, a leading actress visiting a director's home while their movie is currently in theaters. What do you make of that?"

The photos displayed no overtly intimate actions, but the context left room for imagination.

Andrew had seen plenty of these situations before. He had been one of the editors at the Los Angeles Times before Yahoo recruited him. In their line of work, they had long forgotten the impartiality of news reporting, instead seeing it as a tool to be utilized.

"What's your proposal?" he asked intentionally.

"I want it to generate buzz," the man replied, not mincing words. Those in their profession had long forgotten the principles of unbiased journalism and had turned it into a useful means to an end. "We'll cooperate as well."

"But tomorrow's news is already set, and this... could be a problem," Andrew hesitated.

The man knew the drill and produced a leather bag from his briefcase.

"If the results are good, there will be an additional bonus." With that, he pushed it over.

Andrew weighed the offer, showing no signs of embarrassment. He opened the bag and took a look.

Then he sealed it again, a satisfied smile on his face.

"All right, it's a deal. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it'll be the headline in the entertainment section tomorrow."

"Good, I won't disturb your work any longer. I have matters to attend to as well. Goodbye." With that, the man got up and left, leaving Andrew to revel in his newfound satisfaction.

Of course, he had dealt with such matters many times, but making some extra money on the side was always welcome.

As for the news value and materials, the other party has already provided them, haven't they?

After the man left, he got into the Cadillac parked by the street, took out his phone, and dialed a number. "He agreed, boss."

"What about the rest?"

"It's all arranged."

...

In his office, Mel Gibson hung up the phone, sat back in his chair, closed his eyes for a moment, and absentmindedly tapped his fingers on the desk.

He wouldn't have considered doing something like this if the release of the movie hadn't been going so poorly. Sometimes, excessive publicity could be detrimental to the future.

But what could he do when "Effervescent" was gaining such momentum?

With a staggering $36.23M in earnings on the first day of the second week, compared to "The Passion of the Christ", which made only $11.64M, it was clear that "Effervescent" was dominating. Without making an effort, they might lose out on a substantial profit.

...

In the president's office of Firefly Films,

Lyman had just taken a seat when Blake Cole brought in a document.

It contained audience research data.

Around 85 percent of the audience had rated it as an A+, with most of the remaining portion being rated as A. Only a small fraction had given it a C.

The word of mouth remained strong as ever.

Then, Blake continued, "Paramount's promotion is ongoing, and several newspapers want to conduct interviews with our production team. In terms of promotional tours, some theaters in the Eastern region are also hoping for a visit."

Lyman sighed. He had just finished touring several major theaters around Los Angeles the day before, and he hadn't even had time to rest before more tasks piled up.

But there was no choice. Experience had shown that even with a great film, without proper promotion, it wouldn't make much of a splash. These were necessary steps.

If you wanted to make money, you couldn't be afraid of a little trouble.

Not long after, René and John also arrived at the company.

Firefly Films didn't have a formal promotion and distribution department yet, so promotional and distribution matters were mostly handled by René as he monitored Paramount's activities and occasionally reviewed the accounts.

As soon as René arrived, he complained, "There are too few people in the company, and there's too much work to do in the marketing department. We need to hire more staff, or we won't be able to keep up."

Lyman chuckled. "The job postings are still up; you can write up a description for the specific roles you need."

John, standing nearby, also chimed in, "Lyman, what are your plans for the company's future?"

Lyman shrugged. "What plans can I have? I want to grow the company and make it stronger. Let's take it one step at a time. I think we might need to establish distribution channels in North America first. What about you? Any suggestions?"

John nodded. "The company is currently doing very well in terms of profitability and film project development. However, many departments lack personnel and proper systems, and employee responsibilities are unclear. It's quite disorganized and unprofessional, and it needs to be addressed."

"I know that too, but the problem is, we can't find people. The HR department is still empty, and we're making personnel changes based on our discretion. We don't even have a detailed policy for job incentives and career advancement. What can I do about it? Why don't you try to find a solution? Connect with some industry peers and see if you can poach a few talented individuals from them."

John sighed, "I've thought about it, but Hollywood's six majors have better benefits than us, and they have a broader future. It's impossible to poach department executives and the like from them unless we offer significantly higher salaries. However, if we skew our financial expenditure too much in that direction, it'll be a risk for the future. What do you think?"

"Let's leave it for now and discuss it later. The company is currently functioning smoothly. Those who perform well will receive more workload, bonuses, and benefits. Let's get through this period first," Lyman suggested.