章節 354: Chapter 354: Arsenal's Commercial Ventures
In the morning, a sleek Aston Martin DB9 was cruising down Bishop Avenue in London, heading toward the Colney Training Centre. As Charles drove, he chatted with his lovely assistant, Amelia.
"Boss, reports are saying Heath Ledger died from food poisoning. On the day before his death, he took a mix of six different drugs, like sleeping pills, painkillers, and prescription meds. But it wasn't depression!" Amelia explained.
"What a shame. He worked with me before, pretty good actor. He was great in Brokeback Mountain," Charles sighed, feeling a tinge of regret.
While speaking, Charles's left hand wandered onto Amelia's thigh. Recently, there had been plenty of happenings in Hollywood.
"Boss, keep your eyes on the road," Amelia wasn't actually bothered by the touch. Rather, she noticed that Charles seemed distracted, lost deep in thought.
"Don't worry!"
January 22, 2008, Heath Ledger, who played the Joker in The Dark Knight, was found dead in his New York apartment at the age of 29.
In interviews, Heath Ledger had admitted that he was terrified of the Joker character but still wanted to portray him uniquely. Reports mentioned that before filming, he'd locked himself in a room for a month. He delved deeply into the Joker's psyche, hypnotizing and psychologically conditioning himself until he felt like a true mental patient, merging completely with the character.
Due to this, many media outlets speculated that his intense method acting led to psychological issues, which resulted in drug abuse and ultimately his death.
Charles didn't fully understand either. Method actors often blurred the lines between reality and fiction, leading to problems with drug abuse from the immense pressure.
"On January 22, the Writers Guild of America announced they would not boycott the Grammy Awards.
On January 23, the Writers Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers resumed informal negotiations. Progress was being made on the writers' strike!"
"Looks like it's getting tough for both sides. The strike has been going on for three months, and the losses are piling up," Charles was also preparing to head back to Los Angeles since it was already February.
Upon arriving at the Colney Training Centre, Charles went straight to David Dein's office and called in the new Marketing Director.
"We need to ramp up our commercial efforts at Arsenal, Ron. The current commercial development isn't enough," Charles frowned as he settled into the sofa.
"The naming rights for Emirates Stadium for 15 years, plus the 8-year sponsorship deal for the front of the jersey, is only worth PS100 million since last season?
The kit sponsorship deal with Nike from '03 is just PS55 million over 7 years. Yet in '02, Manchester United signed a 13-year deal worth 300 million pounds with Nike!"
Arsenal's deal with Emirates for the stadium naming rights and front-of-shirt advertisement seemed like a major loss. Fifteen years of stadium naming rights were valued at PS45 million, while the 8-year jersey sponsorship brought in PS55 million.
David Dein explained, "At the time, we needed funding to build the new stadium. The PS100 million from Emirates was a considerable help."
"This winter transfer window, I spent over PS60 million on new signings. Let's see if we can buy out the remaining two and a half years of the Nike contract next season. Umbro, New Balance, and Adidas have shown interest in partnering with us," Charles couldn't accept an annual kit sponsorship worth less than PS8 million when Liverpool and Chelsea had more lucrative deals.
Ron nodded, "Understood. Several American companies have also reached out, like shaving brands, beer, watches, and car manufacturers. They all want to collaborate with us."
"Actually, Nike also approached me about increasing the sponsorship fee!"
Charles nodded, acknowledging that the American-imported commercial operations officer had a quick mind. "Also, let's look for separate sponsors for our training gear. Start negotiations with Nike, but if the price isn't right, buy out the two-year contract and partner with Adidas or another brand.
And see if Emirates is open to buying out the contract. The stadium naming rights and front-of-shirt sponsorship fall short of my targets!"
Besides having the most expensive tickets in the Premier League, Arsenal's commercial operations had no other significant advantages.
Ron nodded in agreement, "We could bring it up. After all, Arsenal isn't just a top-four team anymore; Emirates should understand that. This season, if we achieve our targets, we'll have the leverage to set conditions!"
Charles agreed, "We'll wait for summer."
Arsenal was currently at the top of the Premier League, with AC Milan as their first round opponent in the Champions League knockout stage. Advancing shouldn't be too tough.
However, Charles' primary goal for the season was the Premier League title. New January signings like Neuer and Sanchez couldn't play in the Champions League for Arsenal. According to current Champions League rules, a player could only represent one team per season in European competitions - a rule not set to change for another decade.
Summer would be the prime time for clubs to shine, as it's harder to secure top players in winter.
Charles had only managed to sign Sanchez from Valencia due to internal conflicts and financial problems within the Spanish club. He quickly shelled out PS20 million in cash with no installment plans - just a lump sum payment.
The same went for Schalke 04 - a goalkeeper sold for nearly EUR10 million was not a bad deal. Money was transferred immediately upon the player's arrival.
"Alright, I need to head back now. The main objective this year for Arsenal is the Premier League title. We can't let Manchester United defend it," Charles stood up and added, "Make sure the scouting network is on point. I'll support you during the summer window!"
David Dein nodded, "No worries. Wenger's abilities are undeniable. I have full confidence."
After wrapping up affairs at Arsenal, Charles returned to the US.
...
On February 8, 2008, after long negotiations, representatives from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and the Writers Guild reached a tentative agreement.
The new agreement included an increase in the rate writers could earn from online film and television sales, allowing them to earn up to $1,200 from each work's first two years of online distribution, with a 2% cut from the third year's gross profits from online sales.
On February 13, 2008, the 100-day-long Hollywood writers' strike finally ended, with members of the East and West branches of the Writers Guild returning to work.
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票