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Seeing that Simon was still staring at everyone, obviously waiting for the next answer, Amy had no choice but to say: "It should be the overall business strategy advantage. From commodity procurement to warehousing and logistics to terminal sales management, Wal-Mart is better than competitors in the same industry." Better than that. Nancy’s Blockbuster is learning from Wal-Mart in many ways.”

"As long as these studies are thorough, competitors can also follow suit," Simon shook his head again, and said, "Like what you said about Blockbuster, even the video chain can learn from Wal-Mart, there's no reason other retail companies of the same type won't." Do it."

Simon chased after him, and everyone had to express their opinions.

After everyone expressed their opinions, Simon said: "Actually, what you said is correct, but it is not correct. The article I saw was about a small operating detail of Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is in the sales process. , found that there is a positive correlation between the sales of beer and diapers. After careful investigation, it was found that many consumers often pick up beer when they buy diapers. Inspired by this phenomenon, Wal-Mart placed the shelves of beer and diapers in the at a closer distance, and as a result, sales of both items increased.”

The meeting room is full of smart people. When Simon said this, Amy said: "Simon, what do you mean, the details determine success or failure."

"Yes, details determine success or failure."

Simon nodded and said: "Wal-mart's advantage over other retailers is that they have been sparing no effort to continuously adjust their business strategies through almost inconspicuous business details. Huge advantages leave competitors in the same industry far behind. I hope you will remember this, Daenerys Entertainment has indeed grown very rapidly in recent years, but I definitely don't want to see you because of what you have achieved in front of you. Instead of being aggressive and turning a blind eye to some of the problems in the company that you think might not be serious."

Several people around nodded their heads.

Simon glanced around, and said: "I hope that you will really do this, instead of just nodding in front of me. I can tell everyone very clearly that Daenerys Entertainment can give you far more than other peers in the same industry." Executive compensation package, but at the same time, if I feel that you are slacking off because you are satisfied with your current achievements, even if you have not made any mistakes, I will fire you without hesitation. Daenerys Entertainment does not need to be content Current employees. And, not just you, but Daenerys Entertainment as a whole, you can pass on my words to your respective departments."

Hearing Simon's serious words, several people in the meeting room were stunned.

In the top ten list of the box office list in the past year, films related to Daenerys Entertainment accounted for more than half. At the same time, most of the businesses involved in Daenerys Entertainment are thriving. That's impossible without complacency.

Simon's words sounded like a warning to everyone.

Moreover, with the strength that Simon has always shown in Hollywood, they are very clear that their boss will follow his word.

Daenerys Entertainment is already big enough, unlike some second-tier and third-tier studios that would be in chaos without core executives, Daenerys Entertainment now, without any one person, at least in the short term, the operating conditions will not be good. There will be too many problems.

Because it is strong enough and the salary is high enough, any executive in any position leaves, and Hollywood also has enough candidates to replace them.

Therefore, Simon also has the confidence to say this.

After finishing the meeting and continuing to finish the day's work, Simon quietly flew to San Francisco with his female assistant after get off work.

The next morning.

After breakfast, Simon rushed from his villa in the Woodside Mountains to the Eaglet company headquarters down the mountain.

After a regular meeting about Amazon's online store and cloud computing development progress, Simon also met with Nancy Brill in San Francisco.

Nancy came to San Francisco yesterday for the development of Blockbuster's online rental platform.

A few days ago, the Amazon online store opened, and because of the chaos caused by the boom in book sales, Simon asked Nancy to come over to provide some advice on warehousing and logistics for the online store.

The executives of the little children were very interested in this job, and were inspired by it, and planned to develop Blockbuster's online rental platform as soon as possible.

Of course, at this stage, it is definitely impossible to achieve the non-store model of Netflix that rents completely through the Internet, but an online rental solution combined with physical chain stores.

According to the plan, after the launch of the online platform, users can directly rent or purchase the video tapes they want through the online platform, and then rush to the designated physical store to pick up the goods.

This mode of confirming the order through the online platform and then going to the physical store to pick up the goods seems to be superfluous, but of course it is not the case.

There will inevitably be a selection process for users to rent or purchase video tapes.

Compared with going to a physical store to select videotapes in person, placing an order directly through the online rental platform can not only save a lot of time, but also allow you to view the information of each movie and even the recommendation of similar movies on the online rental platform more intuitively.

Of course, this is just one of them.

The most critical point is that the online rental platform, like the Amazon online shopping mall, can provide users with richer film and television content resources.

The internal space of Blockbuster's physical chain stores is usually only a few hundred square meters, and it can provide up to a thousand kinds of video tapes for users to choose from.

The Blockbuster online rental platform planned to be developed can provide tens of thousands of film and television drama content.

Of course, except for a batch of hot-selling movie and TV resources, most of the content will not appear in physical stores, because there is simply no room for it.Nancy plans to build more large storage centers in major cities in North America to store these video tape resources while developing an online rental platform, and also plans to expand Blockbuster's logistics team.

When the user places an order online, a dedicated logistics team will deliver the video to the designated physical store, and then the user will go to the store to pick up the goods in person.

Compared with Netflix's direct-to-home mail order model, this can save a large part of the budget.

For Blockbuster, the development of an online leasing system, on the one hand, can set foot in the Internet field in advance, so as not to be taken advantage of by other competitors, and lay the foundation for future transformation.On the other hand, the online rental model that can provide richer content can also be used to promote Blockbuster's membership system.

Simon had discussed Blockbuster's membership system with Nancy a long time ago.

Over the past few years, although some value-added services have been launched, in the final analysis, we still cannot escape the simple discount model. This model is often more suitable for high-frequency consumption users, and is not very attractive to most ordinary users.

Next, the launch of an online rental platform will greatly increase the content that can be selected, which will undoubtedly increase the attractiveness of Blockbuster members to a large extent.

Even for the most basic sales performance, after establishing an online rental platform, Blockbuster can guide users to consume more content through page recommendations, email advertisements, etc., which is definitely more effective than clumsy advertising and promotions in physical stores.

The threshold of the video rental industry is too low, and the competition has become increasingly fierce in recent years.

Relying on the advantages of the online rental platform, the larger the number of members Blockbuster accumulates, the more stable its position in the industry will be.

Of course, the early stage of the planned online rental platform must be very expensive.However, once a sufficient scale effect is formed, the average cost will naturally decrease.

By establishing an online rental platform and locking in the concept of the Internet in advance, Blockbuster's own stock price will also benefit greatly in the next wave of the Internet.

All in all, in addition to the possibility of burning money in the early stage of operation, the development of Blockbuster's online rental platform will definitely benefit the video chain company a lot.

Of course, Nancy Brill does not intend to do it overnight. Blockbuster’s online rental platform will only promote its services in the relatively prosperous core urban areas of the east and west coasts of the United States in the short term, just like Amazon’s online shopping mall.After accumulating enough experience, we will gradually expand to other regions.

Chapter 468 Character Selection (Revised)

As a project proposed by Simon himself, "Desperate Housewives" does not need to go through complicated and bumpy operational processes such as trial broadcasting and sales promotion, and is directly set in the golden schedule of the USA TV network this fall.

However, although the production time is very loose, the preparation of the project is still fast.

After Simon set it up, the Wisteria Street set plan planned to be built in Universal Studios was quickly released. After returning to Los Angeles from San Francisco, the TV department sent a shortlist of main actors to Simon.

The status of TV dramas in Hollywood in this era is still very low, and the same is true for TV drama actors, basically at the bottom of Hollywood's contempt chain.

If it is a project of an ordinary TV network, it is usually difficult to arouse too much repercussions in the circle, especially for a project of a cable TV network with a small audience base.

However, when "Desperate Housewives" was associated with Simon Westeros, this TV series immediately attracted many eligible Hollywood actresses, and even actresses who had originally been in the movie circle began to try to win roles in it.

After all, this is Simon Westeros.

Simon launched several hit reality shows during the Hollywood screenwriter strike in 1988, directly ushering in an era of reality TV.Now, although it is a cable TV network, although it is a TV series, who knows if it will create a trend?

As a key project of Daenerys Entertainment's TV department, the leading actors of the series will not conduct large-scale casting, but will directly select actors with suitable images and qualified qualifications from the artist profiles submitted by major brokerage companies for small-scale casting. audition.

Daenerys Studios, a dedicated audition room in Office Building [-] of the Administrative District.

There is no audition here, and Simon's queen casting director Linda Vargas is showing Simon through a projector the information of the main role candidates after the first round of selection.

On the writing board on the wall on one side of the audition room, the staff also made a detailed character map of the episode based on the script provided by Simon.

"There are five candidates for Lynette Scavo: Patricia Wendy, 41 years old, relying on MGM's "Thirty Years", Wendy won the Emmy Award for three consecutive years After the title, this series just ended last year; Sanda Bergman, 41, the actress previously competed for the role of Queen Hippolyta in "Wonder Woman", debuted in the 70s, and participated in too many roles TV series; Katherine Harold..."

One of the things Simon likes most about Linda Vargas is that the casting director never actively tries to sway his decisions.Moreover, the casting results of each project she is in charge of can meet Simon's standards.

Therefore, since "Run Lola Run" was introduced to cooperate with Simon, this shrewd and capable behind-the-scenes female filmmaker in her 30s has been Simon's queen director.

For the projects that Simon personally follows up, the casting matters will be supervised by Linda Vargas himself.

Even if he personally follows up the casting of some projects now, Simon often only pays attention to the last one or two rounds.For this reason, Linda Vargus has a lot of power, even though she doesn't have a very specific role in Daenerys Entertainment.

Obviously, if an actor wants to win the role of Simon personally following up the project, Linda Vargas cannot be avoided at all. If this lady wants to suppress a certain star, unless the other party has enough strength to contact Simon directly , otherwise, don't even think about having a bright future.

After Linda Vargas introduced the five candidates in turn, she turned her head to look at Simon who was casually sitting at the conference table with his legs crossed, looking at the materials projected on the screen.

Starting from the original "Run Lola Run", Linda Vargas still feels a little magical when watching this young man who turned 24 last month soar into the sky.

Speaking of which, Linda Vargas was just a nobody in Hollywood.

At first, I wanted to be an actor, but, although this skin is not bad, but I haven't made any progress for several years, so I decisively chose to marry.

Her husband, Joey Vargas, also belongs to this circle, because his parents have some contacts in Hollywood, and they are better than her.

Of course, only a little better.

He is said to be a producer, but in fact he is only wandering in the circle of low-cost independent films, doing all kinds of errands and miscellaneous work under the title of producer.

It is not easy to maintain a decent living in Los Angeles.

Because the economy is not well-off, she naturally cannot be a full-time housewife after marriage, and uses some contacts in her hands to form a husband and wife team with her husband to do various behind-the-scenes work in the low-cost independent film circle.

Until six years ago, I accidentally got a job as a casting director for a low-budget independent film.

That movie happened to be "Run Lola Run".

When "Run Lola Run" became a blockbuster, she gradually became Simon Westero's queen casting director.

It has been six years in a blink of an eye.

During this period, of course, there was an opportunity to change careers. WMA invited her to the position of vice president. Paramount, Fox and Warner Bros. had all contacted her in private, and department executives and film producers seemed to be at their fingertips.

Finally chose to refuse.

She is very aware of her abilities, and she is not as inflated as Ron McMillan who came out of "Run Lola Run" back then. She has always understood in her heart that following in the footsteps of this young man is the wisest decision.

Now, although she doesn't have a specific position, what she enjoys in Daenerys Entertainment is actually the salary of the vice president, which is actually equivalent to a full-time assistant to Simon's personal film and television casting.

The basic annual salary of 25 US dollars plus generous annual dividends is a good thing that she never thought about when she first took over the job of "Run Lola Run".

Hollywood filmmakers always give outsiders the impression that they are paid tens of millions of dollars, but in fact, these lucky ones are rare in Hollywood.

Hollywood in a broad sense, that is, the entire American film and television entertainment industry, has more than a million practitioners.

Compared with such a huge base of practitioners, most people in the circle are satisfied if they can have a well-paid job.

What's more, Linda Vargas is very aware of the hidden power in her hands.

In recent years, most of the celebrities who have been popularized by Simon can be said to have been handled by her, the casting director.

Because of this kind of power, the treatment she receives in this circle is definitely no less than that of the head of any studio. The high-end parties, receptions and clubs at the top of the Hollywood pyramid are all open to her, and her husband also because of her Owning the power, he became a truly powerful filmmaker who has worked on a number of film projects in recent years, including those under Daenerys Entertainment.

Last year, when her youngest son reached elementary school age, Michael Ovitz from C called before the couple made a move, asking if they were interested in sending their child to one of the top private schools in Beverly Hills.

The couple knew about the school, and the recruiters were usually only for a small number of real rich and powerful children on the west coast, and ordinary wealthy people might not be able to send their children to it.

Although she politely rejected Ovitz's somewhat unrepayable favor, Linda Vargas once again resolutely insisted on holding on to the job.

If you want to keep this job, the first thing you need to do is stick to the professional standards that a casting director should have.

After working for Simon for so many years, Linda Vargas has gradually realized the personality of this young man.My boss seems to be very talkative most of the time, however, once some red lines of the other party are touched, there is no room for maneuver at all.

Therefore, in the past six years, although she has received countless requests, Linda Vargas has rarely mixed her own selfishness in the casting process.

However, by inadvertently disclosing her boss's irrelevant personal tendencies to some stars, or informing the casting results of some projects in advance, or even through some verbal hints that she actually "contributed", she unconsciously She has gained countless favors, and the circle has no doubt that she can influence the results of the casting.

The higher the position, the more Simon understands the truth that when the water is clear, there will be no fish. As long as it does not affect the work that should be done, he doesn't care what kind of private jokes his subordinates will have.

Ron McMillan, who participated in the production of "Run Lola Run", was kicked out of Daenerys Entertainment. On the one hand, the filmmaker's actions have affected his own job. Warning to other execs complacent and lethargic due to the rapid growth of Daenerys Entertainment.

Ignoring what Linda Vargas was thinking when he looked at him, Simon just motioned to the staff next to him to play the audition videos of the five candidates one after another, and then asked Linda Vargas who was sitting on the other side of the conference table Gus said, "How tall is Sundar Bergman?"

The last time I met during the casting process of "Wonder Woman", this time the casting of "Desperate Housewives" also received a call from Sanda Bergman.

Of course, Linda Vargas still hasn't released the water. The candidate list is selected by the entire casting team based on the comprehensive conditions of the actors.

In Linda's view, Sanda Bergman's height is a "mishap", not too short, but too tall.

The dancer-turned-actress measures a dry six feet tall.The six-foot height is actually very suitable for the role of Queen Hippolyta, and the requirement for the Amazon female warrior is to be tall.

However, this time, for a housewife who is physically and mentally exhausted by the burden of the family's children, the height of six feet is somewhat inappropriate.

Linda Vargas thought so, but said without any hesitation: "Six feet."

Six feet, equivalent to 182CM.

A woman of 1.8 meters is too tall.

Even though the audition video just played is good, and the appearance and temperament are more suitable for Lynette, but when playing with other characters, the composition of the screen is often very inconsistent.

After making up his mind, Simon shook his head and said, "Forget about Sanda Bergman. For the other four, Patricia Wendy is the first candidate. When other roles are released, we are arranging a group audition. If there is no problem, she gone."

She has won three consecutive Emmy Awards, and her acting reputation is enough. This actress is not beautiful in appearance, but with a little make-up, she completely fits the image of Lynette who is exhausted physically and mentally under the ravages of family life.

Linda Vargas lowered her head and recorded Simon's decision in the memo, confirmed that her boss had no other problems, and continued: "Next is 'Perfect Housewife' Bree Van Dikan."

Having said that, the actor's information appeared on the screen of the projector.

When Simon saw the photo of Linda Carter on the first page, he said directly: "Linda Carter can't do it, she lacks a sufficiently strong and tough temperament."

and.

Large breasts can easily distract the audience.

Linda Vargas was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously asked: "Boss, don't you need to watch the audition video?"

Since it is a selected candidate, the audition effect must be guaranteed.

However, the image difference between Linda Carter and Marcia Cross in memory is too great. Even if they had a one-night affair, Simon ruthlessly chose PASS.