With her golden ponytail brushing against the back of her head, revealing a pair of expressive eyes, Amanda Sevried carried a paper bag and briskly entered the office. Seeing the company plaque, she confirmed she was in the right place.
"May I ask whom you're looking for?" someone approached and inquired.
Amanda Sevried smiled charmingly, her face radiant, "I'm looking for Ronan. My mom just spoke to him, and he's still here, right?"
The sheer adorableness of the girl made it impossible to refuse her. The person quickly responded, "Yes, he's in his office."
Just then, Mary entered from outside and glanced at Amanda Sevried, as if she seemed familiar.
"You're looking for Ronan?" she asked.
Amanda also recognized Mary and seemed to recall seeing her on set. She quickly replied, "Yes," gesturing with her paper bag, "I'm here to deliver something to him."
Mary looked at the paper bag and said, "Follow me."
Approaching Ronan's office door, she knocked, and upon hearing his invitation to enter, she led Amanda Sevried inside.
"Hello, Amanda," Ronan greeted the blonde girl, "Please, have a seat."
Amanda Sevried placed the paper bag on the desk and then sat down on a chair.
As Mary turned to leave, Ronan cleared his throat and gestured towards the office door. Mary nodded lightly, leaving it slightly ajar as she exited.
Amanda Sevried pushed the paper bag towards Ronan, saying, "Your favorite cupcakes."
Ronan didn't refuse, opening the paper bag to take a look, and smiled, "Thank you."
He put away the paper bag, opened a drawer, and found a suitable return gift.
"Not at all. We agreed on this when we were on set. I tried contacting you several times, but you were busy. Those times when I made cupcakes, I ended up eating them all myself," Amanda said.
"I've been a bit busy lately," Ronan replied, finding a suitable gift, "These chocolates are for when you need an energy boost. Take them."
Amanda Sevried took them directly, saying, "Thank you." She flipped the box back and forth, "German chocolates, I've never had them before."
"They're alright, but a bit too sweet for me," Ronan wasn't particularly fond of Western sweets, "If you like them, I'll have some sent from Germany."
Amanda Sevried hugged the chocolates to her chest, saying, "Then it's a deal."
Ronan nodded first and then asked, "How did you come here? Where's your mom?"
"My mom went to the supermarket ahead. She'll pick me up later," Amanda Sevried answered.
As soon as she finished speaking, her phone rang from the bag on her back.
Amanda Sevried answered and spoke a few words before turning to Ronan, "My mom's here. I should go." She stood up and waved to Ronan, "Goodbye, Ronan."
Ronan smiled and nodded, "Goodbye, Amanda."
The blonde girl's figure quickly disappeared from the company's entrance.
Ronan took out the paper bag, left the office, and handed it to Mary, saying, "Share it with everyone. Someone treated us."
Mrs. Sevried was indeed a thoughtful person.
Without much thought, one could guess her intentions. The success of "The Purge" meant that Sandsea Entertainment would definitely produce more films in the future, and among them might be roles suitable for Amanda Sevried to vie for. Familiarity and goodwill might well become decisive factors then.
Without saying anything else, even now, if another actor auditioned just as well as Amanda Sevried, the role would undoubtedly go to her.
If Amanda Sevried continued to succeed as she always had, Mrs. Sevried's role would be crucial.
The next day, Ronan arrived at Embassy Films to discuss the distribution of "Final Destination".
"If it's scheduled for release in December, it shouldn't be too close to Christmas," Garcia said as he thought, "The competition during Christmas is too fierce. Our production scale and film type don't have any advantages, and we might get caught up in the market melee."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "Early December is the best choice."
Ronan nodded slowly, "That makes sense."
Robert also chimed in, "The first weekend?"
"Now, what major productions are scheduled for the first weekend of December?" Ronan asked.
"There are no major productions scheduled for now," Thomas, the head of the theater distribution department, said, "If we choose this weekend, 'Final Destination' will have the highest production budget."
Ronan then asked the professionals, "Shall we choose this weekend?"
Garcia nodded, "Let's go with the first weekend of December."
Ronan continued, "Regarding theater distribution, my request is simple. Ensure that 'Final Destination' is screened in over 2,000 theaters. The more screens and showings, the better."
Thomas, the head of the theater distribution department, responded, "I will formulate a plan."
"For VHS and DVD," Ronan, although he couldn't understand the specific details of distribution, still had a general idea of how things should be done, having studied Hollywood's distribution model in the past and having seen many relevant systems and cases since coming here. Therefore, he acted like a pro, "While the film is being released, start contacting manufacturers to produce VHS and DVD. Distribution should be completed by 2000."
He looked at Garcia, "I remember the company has cooperation agreements with PepsiCo and Walmart, among others, right?"
"Yes," Garcia replied, "These two companies are our main marketing channels for VHS and DVD."
Ronan reminded, "The new media rights are separate. If we can't sell them for a suitable price, we'll hold onto them for now. There will be better returns in the future."
This time it was self-distribution, not subject to as many restrictions as "The Purge". If the film's internet rights were sold now for a long-term contract of five or ten years, the profits would be considerable.
Terry, in charge of peripheral channels, asked, "What about other rights?"
Garcia remained silent, listening and observing more than anything. From the previous discussion, he could tell that Ronan Anderson was not unfamiliar with film distribution.
Ronan thought for a moment and said, "For television rights, we'll adopt two strategies. If the film's box office is a big success, we'll split the television rights into two parts: cable pay-per-view and free-to-air public TV. We'll negotiate separately for the first broadcast, and subsequent broadcasts should preferably be pay-per-view. If the box office fails, we'll sell the rights all at once."
Garcia silently nodded; undoubtedly, maximum profit would be ensured if the film was a success.
"As for merchandise..." Ronan continued, "I'll have the crew design a few special props, and when the time comes, we'll make a few custom ones. If the response is good, we'll distribute them on a large scale."
The horror film merchandise market has always been small, mostly dormant throughout the year and only erupting during Halloween.
The general direction was set, and more implementation details were discussed.
"What about promotion?" Garcia asked.
Ronan had already thought about it, "Let's not rush. Our funds are limited, so we'll start widespread promotion after the film is completed."
The meeting lasted for over an hour, mostly discussing distribution.
Distribution sounds simple. Most North American theaters are controlled by six or seven major theater chains. From the outside, it seems like distributors just make some phone calls to fixed clients, visit them, show them the product, and then advertise it.
Indeed, distribution involves just a few tasks, but without entering this circle and laying out the channels in advance, one can't even get through the doors of the theater chains.
Anyone who has worked in distribution can understand deeply.
The meeting ended, and Ronan and Robert left the conference room first, followed by others gradually leaving.
With no one around, Garcia lowered his voice and asked Thomas, "What do you think?"
This theater distribution manager said, "He's not an amateur. His points are logical and targeted."
Garcia nodded slightly, "I have a feeling that Ronan Anderson's acquisition this time was just for the company's distribution channels."
Thomas smiled, "That's a good thing too. He's more ambitious and aspiring than the previous three. Our income has increased, and we can distribute real big movies."
"What you said makes sense," Garcia seemed confident, "After so many years of accumulation, we also need a film's explosion to prove our capabilities."