In the meeting room of Angel Talent Agency, Helen Herman welcomed a visitor, Mike Stan, a representative from Walt Disney Pictures.
Sitting on a large single sofa, Mike Stan looked at Helen Herman with a face full of sincerity. "Because of internal issues at Disney, the sequel to the 'national treasure' project has been delayed. Now that Walt Disney Pictures is back on track, we plan to put the second installment of 'national treasure' on the schedule."
"That's a good thing." Helen Herman knew that Mike Stan had served as a production manager on the 'national treasure' project, so it wasn't surprising that she was the one to come forward. "Matthew and I have been waiting for this project as well."
Mike Stan said with a smile, "'national treasure' was a box office hit, and Matthew's personal appeal contributed immensely. We intend to invite the original cast and Crew back for the sequel."
Helen Herman nodded slightly. "Matthew is very satisfied with his cooperation with Walt Disney Pictures and wants to continue working together." These were pretty words, but she then asked, "is director Jon Turteltaub returning as well?"
"Yes." Mike Stan didn't seem to be lying. "We have already been in contact with Jon Turteltaub."
"I see..." Helen Herman pondered for a few seconds before saying, "Matthew also wants to continue this series; he's very interested in this type of intellectual action-thriller."
Hearing Helen Herman say this, Mike Stan breathed a small sigh of relief. This initial contact seemed to be going smoothly.
Walt Disney Pictures had sent him because, first, he had served as a production manager on 'national treasure' and knew both Matthew and Helen Herman, and second, his position wasn't overly important. Even if Helen Herman proposed excessive terms, there would still be room for both parties to negotiate further.
In addition, he had another important goal: to test the psychological bottom line of Matthew Horner and his talent agency.
The Matthew Horner of today was no longer the Matthew Horner of before.
Walt Disney Pictures was very aware of this and wanted to understand Matthew Horner's price first. Ideally, he could settle terms directly with Angel Talent Agency.
So, after a few more pleasantries, Mike Stan asked tactfully, "Helen, does Matthew have any special requirements regarding compensation?"
"No special requirements." Helen Herman's tone was very flat. "Daily treatment can be the same as with the 'pirates of the caribbean' Crew."
Mike Stan nodded with a smile; none of that was an issue.
Helen Herman's voice remained steady. "Regarding the salary, we request a modest increase."
"That's fine." Hearing the word 'modest,' Mike Stan thought it truly meant modest. "The company has plans in that regard as well."
He immediately followed up with a question, "Helen, may I know what salary Matthew is requesting?"
"Twenty million dollars!" Helen Herman said calmly.
Mike Stan almost jumped out of his seat, his eyes widening slightly. "Twen... twenty million dollars?"
How was this 'modest'? This was clearly a lion opening its mouth wide!
Helen Herman wasn't finished. "Twenty million dollars is the base salary. In addition, there's a ten percent share of the global box office!"
While it wasn't the top-tier '20 plus 20' salary requirement, twenty million dollars plus a ten percent box office share was still a rare and high level of compensation in Hollywood.
Mike Stan naturally wouldn't agree. Even if he did, it would be useless; Walt Disney Pictures wouldn't allow it.
"That's impossible." Mike Stan, knowing Walt Disney Pictures' bottom line, flatly refused. "The salary you're asking for is excessive!"
Helen Herman, however, didn't share that sentiment and said directly, "This is the salary for a sequel."
Mike Stan argued, "Even for a sequel, the salary you're requesting is too high."
"It's not high at all," Helen Herman said slowly. "Starting from 'the scorpion king', then 'pirates of the caribbean', 'dawn of the dead', 'national treasure', 'mr. & mrs. smith'..."
She suddenly emphasized her tone,
"Matthew has had five consecutive films be massive box office hits. Even the lowest-grossing one among them, 'dawn of the dead', eventually reached the two-hundred-million-dollar level at the global box office!"
Mike Stan naturally knew these were facts.
Helen Herman continued, "Tell me, looking across all of Hollywood among currently active stars, who has achieved such results? Who has demonstrated such immense market appeal?"
Mike Stan thought for a moment and couldn't find a name to refute Helen Herman.
"Twenty million dollars!" Helen Herman's voice grew heavier. "Plus a ten percent global box office share. This is our bottom line."
The smile vanished from Mike Stan's face as he said, "Miss Herman, currently, apart from a handful of stars, no one is worth such a salary."
Helen Herman said indifferently, "For 'national treasure', Matthew is one of those handful of stars! Don't forget the market research data published by multiple agencies; one-third of the North America audience chose to buy a ticket for 'national treasure' because of Matthew."
The lead actor of a sequel naturally holds an advantage in negotiations; Mike Stan knew this well. Even so, the terms Helen Herman set were too much.
As a member of the production side, he naturally had to push the price down. He said, "Miss Herman, I don't feel the sincerity you spoke of."
Helen Herman knew Mike Stan didn't have the final say and didn't waste words, saying simply, "How about this, Mike? You can take my terms back to Walt Disney Pictures."
Mike Stan considered for a moment and nodded slightly. "Fine, I will report the price you've set to the company as it is." He stood up and added sharply, "Miss Herman, I hope we have another chance to talk in the future."
Helen Herman smiled slightly but didn't respond, shaking hands with him to say goodbye.
Watching Mike Stan leave, Helen Herman sat back on the sofa. The current situation was the exact opposite of when Matthew was fighting hard for the lead actor role in 'national treasure'. Matthew didn't necessarily need the 'national treasure' sequel project, but the 'national treasure' sequel very much needed Matthew—one could even say he was indispensable. 'national treasure' was a typical commercial entertainment film. To get Matthew to continue playing the role of Ben Gates, talk of friendship and pleasant cooperation was all empty; only a high salary constituted real sincerity.
Furthermore, in her view, aside from the high salary, the 'national treasure' sequel didn't hold much significance for Matthew. In the future, Matthew had two 'pirates of the caribbean' sequels, as well as '300 spartans' and Akiva Goldsman's project; he wasn't lacking for heavyweight roles and work.
Since the greatest value of the 'national treasure' sequel was the salary, they naturally had to shout a higher price.
If she waited until 'pirates of the caribbean: dead mans chest' was released and became a box office hit, she would dare to directly demand the top-tier 20+20 price.
However, Helen Herman also knew that Matthew had only just stepped into the A-list. Getting Walt Disney Pictures to shell out such a terrifyingly massive salary wouldn't be easy.
Regardless, she and Matthew weren't in a hurry. They could take their time negotiating. Unless absolutely necessary, Walt Disney Pictures wouldn't risk the massive gamble of replacing the lead actor.
This was no longer the starting phase. With the trump card of Matthew in her hand, it wasn't just her financial income that had improved, but also her status within the industry and her bargaining power when negotiating with production companies.
Helen Herman actually knew that her most important job was how to keep Matthew and prevent him from being poached by other companies.
She had known him back when Matthew was a nobody and a poor kid. Having worked together for years, she considered herself the person who knew Matthew Horner best in the world. For Matthew Horner, words like 'black-hearted,' 'thick-skinned,' and 'mercenary' were definitely the most appropriate descriptions.
If someone offered terms with massive benefits, someone like Matthew Horner would definitely kick her aside without hesitation to change Agents.
It wasn't just Matthew Horner; this kind of situation was all too common in the industry.
There were ways for an Agent to keep a star they had raised. Helen Herman considered three strategies: first, the friendship from years of working with Matthew—even if he was a bit of a bastard, they did have some rapport; second, seeking greater benefits for him—she could provide whatever others could, and given Matthew's nature, he certainly wouldn't jump ship; and third, building Matthew's entire service team around her, so that if Matthew wanted to jump ship, the cost would be extremely high.
Thinking of this, Helen Herman took off her black-rimmed glasses and gently rubbed her temples. The profession of being an Agent wasn't that easy either.
She remembered that in the 1990s, a magazine published a report that was like an interview with Michael Ovitz, which infinitely mythologized the profession of Hollywood Agent. It claimed that people like Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, and Steven Spielberg were all pawns in the hands of Agents, manipulated like props in a movie. It said Michael Ovitz was the mastermind behind the scenes in Hollywood, the actual controller, and so on... If only that were true. If it were, Hollywood wouldn't have so many stars firing their agencies and changing Agents every year. CAA wouldn't have faced the loss of clients like Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Cruise, and Tom Cruise firing Pat Kingsley wouldn't have been the end of it.
Without star clients, Agents have a headache; after creating star clients, Agents have a headache all the same.
Helen Herman felt that Agents were actually the vulnerable group in Hollywood.
Of course, she was just thinking that. When an Agent faced ordinary actors, they definitely held a dominant position.
As for who the truly vulnerable group in this circle was, perhaps even Helen Herman couldn't say for sure, but even minor actors knew exactly who the truly powerful group was.