An intimate meeting of three was taking place in one of Rhode Island's luxurious hotels.
Serge Hasselfeld was enjoying physical exercises. Nearing forty, he still paid significant attention to physical activity, even though his relationship with his wife had long cooled at home. With age, disagreements became more frequent, and physical intimacy even less so. Each lived their own life, and this arrangement suited them, avoiding conflicts.
In the midst of his enjoyment, the phone rang. Serge frowned; who could be calling in the middle of the night? He irritably looked at the screen and, seeing who it was, immediately pushed everyone away and grabbed the phone.
"Uncle, what happened so late?"
On the other end of the line, the elderly voice of Alan Hassenfeld, CEO of Hasbro, responded:
"Serge, what the hell is this? Explain to me what's going on?"
"What are you talking about, Uncle?"
"MGM just announced the director for 'Transformers'!"
"Huh? Wasn't that supposed to be announced long ago? They clearly found a major director. Steven Spielberg? George Lucas? Or Ridley Scott?"
"Fool, what the hell are you talking about? It's Eric Cooper!"
Serge froze:
"Who? I've never heard of such a director. Wait, you mean that Eric Cooper?"
"Who else?"
"Uncle, this must be a mistake. He's not a director. We talked about this; he studied at the University of California, Los Angeles, but not in the film department, in finance."
Alan's patience was wearing thin:
"Serge, do you think I would call you in the middle of the night to joke?"
Serge immediately broke into a sweat:
"Uncle, don't worry. I'll contact MGM immediately and tell them this is a terrible decision."
"It's too late. You won't be able to reach the Coopers, just like me. You must fly to Los Angeles immediately. Change this decision at any cost, or Hasbro's stock will collapse."
"Don't worry, Uncle. I'm already on my way."
"I hope this is just a misunderstanding."
Alan's concern was not unfounded. The stock market is unpredictable: news can make stocks soar or plummet from a single message. This is especially true in the film industry. Hasbro's stocks can rise thanks to "Transformers" or crash because of it.
The quality of the film will be the decisive factor, and appointing a 22-year-old youngster known as a rich kid with no experience in film as the director looks absurd.
Geniuses among directors do exist, but even they hone their craft for years before becoming famous. And what does Eric Cooper have? Only an influential father!
In the aftermath of the recently burst internet bubble, when the market just started to stabilize, any fluctuation can lead to investor panic.
After announcing this "news," the Coopers calmly dispersed to their rooms and turned off their phones, deciding not to worry about any calls, even if it were the President.
...
The next morning, Eric boarded a flight to Park City, Utah, where the Sundance Film Festival was opening today. He decided to visit in search of promising projects and, primarily, to avoid trouble.
His father, a cunning and experienced man, would surely find a way to handle the situation.
At the New York Stock Exchange, which in 2003 ranked first among the world's stock exchanges with a market capitalization of over $10 trillion, the morning work began. At 9:30 AM, with the opening of trading, all eyes were on the S&P 500 index.
The S&P 500 is an index tracking the stocks of the 500 largest public companies in the US, covering various industries and sectors of the economy. Hasbro is included in this list.
Since the recent stock market crash, all stocks have been in a stage of slow recovery. Growth has been slight, but the trend was positive, as the market gradually regained trust.
However, amid the overall growth, several companies showed a decline, and Hasbro had the steepest drop.
Ever since MGM announced the filming of "Transformers," Hasbro's stocks began to soar. Thousands of investors watched the developments, hoping to profit.
But the night message that the director would be 22-year-old Eric Cooper, who had never worked in filmmaking, shocked the market. Many investors, frightened by the recent crash, began panic-selling their shares.
The psychology of these small investors is simple: Hasbro's stocks had already brought them some profit, and now, at the peak, they seek to sell to guarantee their profit. If the market starts to fall rapidly, they could lose everything.
But so far, only the most cautious were selling. Most investors were waiting, believing that MGM had made a mistake and would soon correct it.
...
Meanwhile, in Beverly Hills, an unexpected guest appeared at the Cooper's house – Serge Hasselfeld. Quickly reaching the villa's gate, he breathlessly rang the bell.
After a while, a maid opened the door.
"Is Mr. Cooper home?"
"Sorry, who are you?"
"I am Serge Hasselfeld, CEO of Hasbro. I urgently need to see Charlie Cooper."
The maid shook her head:
"Sorry, sir, Mr. Cooper is ill. He was urgently taken to the hospital last night."
"What?!"
Serge was stunned:
"Which hospital?"
"I don't know. Maybe you should call him."
Bang!
The door slammed shut.
Serge stood in confusion: if he could call, why would he have come here?
At that moment, the phone rang.
Serge answered the call with trembling hands, and a furious voice erupted on the other end:
"Did you find them? How did it go?"
"Sorry, Uncle. Charlie Cooper is ill. Maybe his son upset him. I think it's chaos at MGM right now."
"Eric Cooper conducted all the negotiations. Charlie Cooper only appeared to sign documents. There might be a power struggle between them."
The voice on the other end kept yelling:
"Don't use your stupid head for guessing! I need facts! Find Charlie Cooper within the day and make him change the decision! The stocks have already started to fall!"
"Alright, alright, I'll do everything. Don't worry, Uncle!"
"Damn it!"
Serge angrily threw the phone to the ground. He was exhausted and angry. Over the years, he had brought his uncle a lot of money, so one mistake shouldn't have caused such fury.
Nevertheless, after a few minutes of cursing, Serge started looking for a way out again. His assumptions were based on personal experience: no one wants an old man constantly watching over them.
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