To achieve success, opportunity and ability are crucial. Returning to 1998 gave Ronan an opportunity, and he has been enhancing his abilities through various means.
However, there's one more thing that's crucial for entrepreneurs - thick skin and a black heart.
So, even if there's just a one percent chance, he would strive for it.
As for the setbacks he might encounter, Ronan doesn't care at all. After all, there's hardly any entrepreneurship journey without setbacks.
Ronan walked into the DreamWorks, founded by the three famous Jewish personalities in Hollywood and even discussed the distribution of "The Human Purge Plan" with DreamWorks' distribution department.
"Is there a problem with the plot of this film?"
In the reception room, a man with a prominent nose looked at the materials Ronan brought and said directly, "The ending isn't good, it won't be well-received."
Ronan glanced at the man, unable to discern anything from his appearance or ethnicity, and could only say, "The ending resonates with the beginning."
The man shook his head directly, "If the film turns out like this, DreamWorks won't distribute it."
Ronan roughly guessed the reason, as only a fool would expose certain things blatantly.
After visiting nearly twenty distribution companies and encountering all sorts of messy situations, Ronan didn't mind this issue. He tentatively asked, "How about we discuss it after the film is completed and you've seen the final product?"
"If you don't make changes." The man with the prominent nose showed little interest. "There's no need for discussion."
With the conversation reaching this point, Ronan didn't insist any further. After politely bidding farewell, he left DreamWorks' office, preparing to leave the premises.
Ronan took the elevator to the ground floor. As soon as the elevator doors opened, he saw three people stepping out of another dedicated elevator - Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg accompanying an elderly man.
Who was this old man? To have Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg escort him downstairs?
In all of Hollywood, there weren't many people who could receive such treatment.
Ronan didn't make a sound, following behind. Since they weren't far away, he could roughly hear their conversation.
"Steven, I've read your novel, it's excellent."
Judging from the voice, the person speaking was probably Tom Hanks. Those familiar with his films could easily recognize him. "The content of this novel is extensive. I think it would be difficult to convey it in a single film. A TV series might be a good choice."
Steven Spielberg's voice came through, "Mr. Ambrose, I agree with Tom's opinion. Please consider it again."
The old man said slowly, "You're the professionals, I'll listen to you."
Spielberg smiled and said, "You're the expert on the European battlefield of World War II. Without your guidance, we couldn't have recreated those brutal war scenes in 'Saving Private Ryan.'"
The old man suddenly stopped and said, "Ever since I interviewed Lester, E Company has been special in my heart."
E Company? Ronan raised an eyebrow.
The old man stopped, and Tom Hanks and Spielberg stopped with him. The lobby on the ground floor was quite crowded, and Ronan couldn't stop to listen to what they were saying, so he walked past them.
As he walked away, he could still hear their conversation. It was Tom Hanks' voice, "Ever since I received the book you gave me, I've been determined to show E Company to the audience!"
Then came Spielberg's voice, "Mr. Ambrose, it might take a few years. Tom and I want to make a grand war epic. This requires extensive preparation, and DreamWorks has just started to get on track, so we need to find partners. I also need time to raise funds."
"It's okay." The old man's voice was almost inaudible, "I can wait patiently…"
Ronan walked further away, soon unable to hear the conversation. Just before leaving the office building, he turned back to take a look. Steven? Ambrose?
Was this old man called Stephen Ambrose?
Ronan walked and pondered. Stephen Ambrose, where had he heard that name before?
He remembered it clearly. The original author of "Band of Brothers" had served as a special consultant for "Saving Private Ryan," and then this book came to Tom Hanks' attention and was recommended to Spielberg.
"Band of Brothers" had caused quite a stir when it was released, and its impact was profound. Just in terms of DVD sales, the copyright owner made a fortune.
But unfortunately...
Ronan turned back and looked at the office building. In accordance with the usual Hollywood pattern, it would take at least three to four years for this mini-series to be released.
The biggest problem was still money. Without funds, he could only watch from the sidelines. DreamWorks itself also lacked funds, so they had to find other companies to share the investment and risk.
He took out his notebook, jotting down the name "Band of Brothers."
He needed to find out more about Stephen Ambrose and his "Band of Brothers" to see if there was an opportunity. If not, then there was nothing he could do.
Ultimately, it came down to money. Without enough funds, many projects didn't even have the qualifications to get started.
Thinking of this, he scratched his head.
Ronan left DreamWorks and headed to his next target, Lionsgate Films. Soon, he stabilized his mindset. The road had to be taken one step at a time, taking too big of a step would definitely lead to problems.
At Lionsgate Films, he was greeted by Gray Enrico, the head of Lionsgate's distribution department.
After reviewing the materials Ronan brought, Gray Enrico asked curiously, "Mr. Anderson, can I ask a question?"
Ronan smiled, "Go ahead."
Gray Enrico immediately asked, "As far as I know, Sand Sea Entertainment has always produced B-movies. Why did you choose a horror film this time?"
Without hesitation, Ronan replied, "Since the failure of my last film, I've carefully studied successful Hollywood films over the past decade and found an interesting phenomenon: among the batch of films with the highest cost-to-return ratio, the majority are horror films."
"That's true," Gray Enrico nodded lightly.
"These successful horror films also have a common characteristic," Ronan's words were targeted. "They have relatively low production costs, and relatively low investment in promotion and distribution."
Gray Enrico lowered his head to look at the script in his hand.
Ronan continued, "Horror films generally have low word-of-mouth, but the ones that truly win over horror fans will quickly spread within the horror audience group. A small audience is also conducive to formulating targeted publicity strategies, thus controlling expenses."
Gray Enrico smiled, "Mr. Anderson, you're an expert in this field."
"I wouldn't call myself an expert," Ronan waved his hand. "I've just studied many cases."
He remembered clearly that Lionsgate had started out with horror films. Compared to other companies, perhaps Lionsgate would appreciate "The Human Purge Plan" a bit more?
Gray Enrico said politely, "The Lionsgate distribution department was only established last year and hopes to distribute high-quality films." He glanced at Ronan and added, "I hope to see the final product of 'The Human Purge Plan' as soon as possible."
Ronan smiled and said, "No problem."
Compared to DreamWorks' blunt treatment, this new company, Lionsgate Films, was much more courteous.
After chatting for more than half an hour, Ronan took the initiative to bid farewell and left.
Having visited so many distribution companies, even the one with the best attitude, Lionsgate Films, none of them were willing to commit to cooperation before seeing the final product.
But most companies were willing to inspect this film.