Chapter 78 American Agent

Chapter 78 American Agent

Chapter 78 American Agent

Early the next morning, the people sent by Columbia arrived.

This time, "Dark Invasion" was shortlisted for the Saturn Award, and the biggest beneficiary is Columbia.

The release date for "Darkness" was set long ago, just after the Saturn Awards ceremony.

If "The Darkness" can win an award, it will undoubtedly serve as a catalyst for its overseas box office.

Zhang Chenwan declined Columbia's invitation to entertain him. He just wanted the other party to accompany Lao Li. It just so happened that he had a lot of things of his own to do and it was not convenient for him to bring Lao Li with him.

At ten o'clock in the morning, Zhang Chen and his cousin came to the cafe where they had an appointment with the headhunting company.

In the United States, many business deals are done in coffee shops.

The person sent by the headhunting company was a guy wearing glasses named John, who looked to be in his forties.

The other party was very polite to Zhang Chen, but unfortunately, due to language barriers, communication was not very smooth.

Zhang Chen knows a little English, but is still far from being able to communicate fluently, so he can only rely on his cousin Zhang Hongwei to translate when communicating with others.

"The first candidate is Oldman. His last job was in Disney's production department, where he was involved in projects worth $2000 million. He has a very impressive resume and 22 years of experience in the industry..."

John briefly introduced the candidate's profile and then entered the interview phase.

"Mr. Oldman, could you please briefly describe the duties of your last job in detail?"

The two sides chatted for about ten minutes, and Zhang Chen took the initiative to end the conversation.

"OK, we'll call you again if it's appropriate."

After sending the man away, Zhang Chen shook his head. He didn't like this person because he was a bit boastful.

This is probably a big company disease. Even though it is a very ordinary thing, they always like to use some high-sounding words to describe it, making people feel mysterious and impressive.

For example, closed loop, ecology, etc.

"If this one doesn't fit, there's another one named Richard, who used to be the distribution manager of Buena Vista Pictures..."

John from the headhunting company did not say anything about Zhang Chen's dissatisfaction and continued to recommend candidates.

After all, choosing a person is like finding a wife. There is no such thing as the right one right away.

Buena Vista Pictures is one of the largest entertainment groups in the United States, holding a large number of companies, including Touchstone, Hollywood, Miramax, Dimension...

Judging from his resume, this Richard is better than Oldman just now. Zhang Chen is not only looking forward to it, but also a little worried that he might be the same kind of person as before.

Richard is very talkative. In fact, there is no one who works in distribution who is not talkative. This time the two sides talked for a longer time, but Zhang Chen still felt it was inappropriate.

What can I say about this person? Although his words were very polite, Zhang Chen could still feel the arrogance in the other person's bones.

It seemed as if it was Zhang Chen who was looking for a job.

Zhang Chen shook his head, still not satisfied.

John continued to recommend candidates, and he arranged a total of four candidates today.

Then everyone continued to meet the third and fourth people in the cafe, but Zhang Chen was still not satisfied.

As the day was about to end, I had drunk a bellyful of coffee, but I still hadn't found the right person.

The waitress next to them refilled their cups of hot coffee and then left, twisting her graceful figure.

If these people were not looking for actors, she would have wanted to go up and give it a try.

This is Los Angeles, the headquarters of Hollywood, and it is full of young people who dream of becoming stars.

Many crews audition in cafes.

"Are there any other candidates?"

After a whole day of continuous interviews, Zhang Chen had wasted countless saliva and felt a little dizzy. In addition, he had not found the right person, which made him a little irritable.

"Don't worry, it's not easy to find the right person."

The cousin comforted him and translated Zhang Chen's words to Tom.

Tom hesitated for a moment, and finally said, "There is another candidate. She used to be the production director of Focus Business, but she is a woman and a single mother. Of course, I don't have any other intentions..."

As soon as Tom finished speaking, he realized that his words might be inappropriate and immediately made amends.

This is the United States, and gender discrimination is a very serious accusation, and it also involves discrimination against pregnant women.

Zhang Hongwei translated Tom's words to Zhang Chen, who waved his hand indifferently. He didn't care whether Tom discriminated against women or not.

"Okay, I'll notify her to come over now, but it may take some time. As I said just now, she is a single mother..."

Zhang Chen said OK, and then Tom started calling the other party.

After hanging up the phone, Tom shrugged: "She's nearby and will be here in half an hour~"

It seems that this candidate is very enthusiastic. This is Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. Zhang Chen didn't believe what Tom said that the other party just happened to be nearby. Most likely, the other party really needs this job.

Sure enough, about half an hour later, several people in the cafe saw a car coming outside through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The car stopped nearby, and a lady got out. She saw Tom inside through the glass and waved at him, but she didn't come in right away. Instead, she opened the trunk and took out a folding stroller, then took a baby out of the car and put it in the stroller. Zhang Chen and his cousin were stunned, and then they both looked at John, who smiled and shrugged: "I just said that the other party is a single mother."

Now the two of them finally understood why Tom had that expression when he asked them just now.

Soon, the woman came in pushing a stroller and went straight to where everyone was.

Walking to the sofa, the woman took the lead and extended her hand: "Sorry, I'm late. My name is Diane Lockhart."

Zhang Chen and others shook hands with her one by one, but their eyes unconsciously looked at the baby in the stroller next to them.

"I'm sorry, I'm a single mother and can only bring my child to the interview, but you can rest assured that Nina is very well behaved and will never affect us."

Zhang Chen quickly said that he didn't care, this is the United States. But he was quite impressed by Diane. It was actually quite embarrassing to bring a child to an interview, but Diane didn't hide it at all, and acted very calmly.

"Oh, the child is really well behaved."

The two chatted for a few sentences, and Zhang Chen found that the child really did not cry or make a fuss. He just stared at everyone with his big black eyes full of curiosity.

"Oh, she is indeed a very sensible child." Dai An also smiled at the right time, and then suddenly asked: "Are you Chinese?"

"Yes." Cousin Zhang Hongwei nodded.

"That's great, we can communicate in Chinese." Diane suddenly spoke fluent Chinese, which really surprised everyone.

"Oh, your Chinese is really good."

"It's okay. I once dated a Chinese boyfriend and learned Chinese from him."

Well, it turns out that learning foreign languages ​​also has this joke abroad.

Diane acted very confident, but that's normal. She even used idioms, so her level is really high.

"So, Ms. Lockhart, tell me about yourself."

"Mr. Zhang, just call me Diane. Well, let me introduce myself first..."

After a brief introduction, Zhang Chen learned that Diane was previously a producer at Focus Features. Later, she left Focus due to schedule conflicts due to marriage and having children.

Focus Features is a small company affiliated with Universal Studios. It has production and distribution capabilities. It has not produced any works that have gone viral yet. Its most famous works are "Lust, Caution" and "Brokeback Mountain" a few years later.

The two sides exchanged some views, and Zhang Chen thought Dai An was good.

He has dabbled in all aspects of film production, distribution, copyright sales, etc. He is very familiar with the rules of Hollywood, and most importantly, he understands Chinese.

The only downside is having kids.

"I'm looking for an agent who can fully represent me in all my business in the United States. I have some scripts and I need an agent to help me register them and sell them. If possible, it would be best if he could facilitate my cooperation with Hollywood."

"Do you need to work?"

"No, as long as you can complete the work I assign, I don't ask for anything else."

"Then I am perfect for this job. I am familiar with everything in Hollywood, and I have my own connections in the industry and can talk to many companies. I think I should be the most suitable candidate. And coincidentally, I also need a job with flexible working hours."

Zhang Chen was indeed quite satisfied with her. "Well, Ms. Diane, I wish us a pleasant cooperation. By the way, when can you start working?"

Zhang Chen glanced at the baby next to him. Diane understood what he meant and immediately replied, "Anytime. I told you, Nina is very well behaved. She won't be a burden to me."

"OK, I'll go find a law firm to sign the contract tomorrow morning, and then I'll give you some scripts, and you can register them all for me."

"No problem, but I suggest that you become a member of the Writers Guild before registering."

"?"

"When your work is stolen by unscrupulous companies, the identity of a member of the Writers Guild can help you. It may not be absolutely useful, but at least it is better than nothing."

"understood."

After making an appointment with Diane to sign the contract tomorrow, she left with the child.

The Zhang Chen brothers were also preparing to say goodbye to Tom.

Tom was very excited. He was the happiest person because the two parties to the transaction were able to reach a cooperation. The headhunting company received commissions.

Moreover, everyone thought that the deal was a failure and Diane was called in as a last-minute rescuer. Unexpectedly, the elites at the beginning did not pass, but Diane, who had the most trouble, was hired.

But who cares? At least I get the money.

"If you need anything else, you can always contact me. Bruce has my phone number."

Bruce is Zhang Hongwei's English name. I don't know what's wrong with this guy, but he has to have the same English name as Bruce Lee. He probably thinks it's very impressive.

After settling the agent issue, the two brothers were in a good mood, and Zhang Hongwei took his cousin to tour Los Angeles.

Two people chatting on the road
“Are you planning to develop in the United States?”

"No, there are just some scripts that are not suitable for domestic filming. They should be more suitable for the taste here, so I take them here to try. My main focus is still in China."

"Oh, what genre? Or a horror movie?"

"Yes, I'm still a newcomer here. Only low-budget horror movies can be successful. The investment in other types is too big, and no one will cooperate with me."

(End of this chapter)