Chapter 760: Behind the Agency Myth Lies a Bloodbath

"Hello, Duke."

"Hello, Martin."

After leaving ICM, Duke headed to a Century City cafe to meet Martin Miller, as previously arranged. The two shook hands, ordered coffee, and settled into a quiet booth, silently appraising each other.

On the drive over, Duke had put together a few guesses. Martin Miller's request to meet probably had nothing to do with Natalie Portman. After all, Duke hadn't shown any obvious hostility toward the actress from Long Island.

Thanks to Tina Fey's reminder, he also knew the man wasn't just Natalie Portman's agent, but also one of Russell Crowe's co-agents.

"Duke," Martin Miller said, pausing his spoon in his coffee to drop an abrupt remark. "I am now an executive shareholder at William Morris."

"Congratulations," Duke replied.

Becoming an executive shareholder meant that Martin Miller was already part of William Morris's core decision-making circle.

Duke picked up his coffee and took a sip. It didn't taste very good. Shaking his head, he set the cup aside. He had no time to beat around the bush, so he got straight to the point. "Martin, I have to head to Wilshire Street after this. If you have something to say, just say it."

"William Morris has never done anything to target you."

Well aware of Duke's personality, Martin Miller dropped the pleasantries. "Russell Crowe is William Morris's most important client, and right now, his situation isn't looking too good..."

"So that's what this is about." Duke nodded. "Russell Crowe has a terrible personality, but the person I had a conflict with was David Ellison. I don't have any issues with Russell Crowe, nor have I taken any action against him."

That was indeed the truth. Duke's paid online shills were spreading negative reviews of Robin Hood all over the internet, but those scandals had leaked through other channels.

"But on the internet, especially on Instant Sharing..." Martin Miller clearly didn't quite believe Duke, or at least not entirely. "The scandals about Russell are spreading everywhere."

Duke frowned but patiently offered an explanation. "I am no longer a shareholder in Instant Sharing, nor can I exert much influence over the Instant Share Company's decisions. Furthermore, the internet isn't something anyone can casually manipulate."

If anyone believed they could control online public opinion, they had water in the brain.

Martin Miller just looked at him. Duke shook his head and stood up. "Martin, you should know how many people Russell Crowe has pissed off over the past decade..."

He extended a hand to the other man. "Let's leave it at that."

Martin Miller stood up as well and shook Duke's hand without another word.

The two left the booth at the same time, heading toward the glass doors in different directions.

Duke didn't spare Martin Miller another glance. Right now, he didn't care much about what the William Morris Company thought of him, and William Morris didn't have the time or energy to spare on him anyway.

The competition between William Morris and CAA had grown exceptionally fierce since last year. The two companies had been drawn directly into the brand war between Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Every talent agency in Hollywood was growing restless, eager to seize the opportunity presented by William Morris and CAA's showdown to reap some benefits for themselves.

Whether in the country Duke used to live in or here in North America, there were always myths circulating about agents. Yet how many people outside the industry ever noticed that behind the myths of Hollywood agents lay a bloodbath?

Driving his Bentley, Duke left Century City. He soon arrived at the nearby Wilshire Street, preparing to pick up Scarlett Johansson, who was there running errands.

Driving through Beverly Hills along Wilshire Street, Duke could often spot a sight rarely seen in Los Angeles. In a city that prided itself on being laid-back, wearing casual clothes in the workplace was perfectly acceptable etiquette. But on Wilshire Street, there were people everywhere dressed in sharp, immaculate suits, walking briskly with their heads down as they furiously typed on their BlackBerries and iPhones.

In New York, nine out of ten of these suited-up men would be stockbrokers, but in the City of Angels, they were almost exclusively entertainment agents.

They manufactured entertainment stars one after another and raked in massive commissions for themselves. However, the job wasn't easy, especially when navigating the fiercely competitive and incredibly complex environment of Hollywood.

These entertainment agents frequently haunted the stretch of Wilshire Street and Santa Monica Boulevard that connected Beverly Hills to the nearby skyscrapers of Century City.

It was common knowledge that the headquarters of Hollywood's big four talent agencies—representing over eighty percent of all actors, directors, musicians, and screenwriters in the country—were located right here.

With a slight turn of his head, Duke could see the CAA headquarters. It was situated in Century City inside a striking building that outsiders dubbed the "Death Star." Not far away, inside the MGM building, was Nancy Josephson's ICM, whose roster of stars included Charlize Theron and Brad Pitt. Looking back toward Beverly Hills, not far from the glittering Wilshire Hotel, was William Morris. Unlike the William Morris of the past, the current iteration was formed from a merger between Hollywood's oldest and newest talent agencies. Sitting across the street was UTA, whose clients included Johnny Depp, Harrison Ford, and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Even though the standing of talent agencies in Hollywood was far lower than in the eighties and nineties, they remained the lubricant that kept the Hollywood engine running smoothly.

Contrary to the myth of them being the masters of the stars, becoming an outstanding agent required putting one's star clients first at all times. This mindset was instilled in them from their very first day on the job—which usually took place in the mailroom.

It was a ruthless place with long hours and grueling work. Yet the mailroom had become a sort of coming-of-age ritual for Hollywood agents; anyone trying to make a living in this industry had to pass this trial.

Perhaps talent agencies had indeed enjoyed boundless glory in the past and truly were the most crucial part of this circle, but Duke had never witnessed it.

Today's Hollywood was no longer the small town it used to be. Whether for an emerging new star or an A-list actor, there were simply too many agents to choose from.

Take Ari Emanuel, the founder of Endeavor and now one of the key figures at William Morris. This thin, gray-haired middle-aged man was the younger brother of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. His long-term clients included Mark Wahlberg, Larry David, and director Martin Scorsese. During a casual chat with Duke, he had once mentioned that he was always prepared to use whatever means necessary to secure the maximum benefits for his star clients.

An agent like him, who valued client interests and possessed a sharp mind, would always have a market.

However, what entertainment agencies had to worry about extended far beyond their mutual competition; challenges also came from other areas, especially concerning the compensation Hollywood's major companies gave to their clients. Nowadays, studios all across Hollywood were trying to cut costs to offset the massive decline in DVD sales.

After all, DVD sales had been one of their biggest sources of profit over the past decade.

Back in the nineties, the compensation for Hollywood stars had skyrocketed due to the surging demand in home entertainment. Several superstars secured "20 Plus 20" deals—twenty million dollars in upfront salary plus twenty percent of the sales profits!

If it was a blockbuster, this meant an actor or director could pocket over 100 million dollars, and their agents would similarly earn a substantial cut.

But with the impact of the economic crisis and the sharp contraction of the DVD market, studios had no choice but to drastically slash their budgets. At the same time, the number of films they released also dropped. Last year, Hollywood produced 520 films, a decrease of nearly twenty percent compared to the year prior.

Entertainment agencies were forced to open up new markets, expanding into the sports industry and other sectors. Examples included the brand war over Coca-Cola and Pepsi between CAA and William Morris, or ICM recently securing the marketing contract for the New York Yankees' new stadium. Nancy Josephson was even preparing a plan to create an unprecedented super Big Three on a certain NBA team.

Duke had come over this time, firstly, to accompany Scarlett Johansson to Wilshire Street, and secondly, to discuss his Los Angeles Raiders promotion plan with Nancy Josephson. His scheduled meeting with Martin Miller was merely a convenient detour.

Even though the Los Angeles Raiders had relocated from Oakland to Los Angeles, putting down roots here would not be easy. Historically, it wasn't as if the Raiders had never come to Los Angeles before, but it had ended in failure.

This was the second-largest city in the country and the second-largest population center in North America. With a developed economy and a sufficiently massive population, it was undoubtedly an excellent market. For Duke to make the Raiders truly belong to Los Angeles, there was certainly still a lot of work to be done.

Nancy Josephson's ICM had also accepted his commission to handle the Raiders' market promotion in Los Angeles.

ICM had been deeply rooted in Los Angeles for decades and understood this market exceptionally well. Furthermore, unlike CAA, which had only recently established a sports division, ICM's tentacles had reached deep into North America's professional sports leagues as early as when Nancy Josephson's father was running the agency.

Currently, the American football market in Los Angeles was primarily shared between two university teams—the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles. Starting this new season, the Los Angeles Raiders needed to achieve a strong enough record; performance was one of the key factors in winning over the market.

Moreover, Duke was preparing to invest in building a brand-new stadium, and his representatives were already in contact with the I.M. Pei Firm.

After picking up Scarlett from the Film Academy headquarters on Wilshire Street, Duke drove out of Beverly Hills.

When they hit a red light, Duke turned his head and asked, "How did it go?"

Scarlett gave a slight shrug. "I'm of Jewish descent too, and those people are old friends of my godmother, so they treated me fairly well."

If they wanted to mount an Oscar Campaign, relying solely on the film and the character was far from enough. Compared to his pull in the market, Duke's relationship with the Academy could only be described as average.

However, film quality was one of the foundational requirements, and he was already preparing to start planning his new project.