[Chapter 239: Media Group]
While the two were discussing the details of perfecting the operation of the venture capital fund, Goodman arrived after receiving the notification.
Linton put aside the investment fund matter for the moment and first told Winnie in detail about his plan to recruit a popular writer to help him write a book and his plan to acquire a publishing house.
"The publishing house is similar to Hollywood Gossip Daily. It would be invested in and acquired by a charitable foundation and placed under the foundation's name. You will be in charge of the unified management from now on. You and Goodman will work together to push the acquisition forward as soon as possible."
"Goodman, do you have a target in mind for the publishing house acquisition?" Linton asked after explaining the situation.
"Not yet. I commissioned a consulting firm to help find potential targets and do preliminary background checks. No results yet."
"As soon as possible. Profitability right now is not the most important factor. The key is to have nationwide distribution capability."
"Understood." Google seaʀᴄh Nov3lFɪre.ɴet
"Also, I've recently been studying about the value and marketing of IP."
"IP?" That was new to Winnie and Goodman.
"IP stands for Intellectual Property, encompassing all cultural and creative works -- literature, film and TV, animation, games, etc. -- which are interconnected rather than isolated."
"Yes. Novels can link to movies and TV, games can link to movies and TV, even novels, comics, and games can interconnect to generate greater economic benefits."
"Cross-promoting for greater profits sounds promising."
"Definitely. Take Jurassic Park as an example -- it was a global hit and box office miracle this year, adapted from the novel. I'm sure there will be comics and games later to tap into more revenue streams."
"Makes sense. Readers of the novel become the movie audience, and many moviegoers will buy the novel for more details. The effect is more than the sum of the parts," Winnie quickly got the idea.
"Not only that, a strong IP can extend even further, impacting real industries and creating more value. Jurassic Park didn't just make money at the box office -- the toys and merchandise based on the movie sold even better, making more profit than ticket sales."
"Even more, many companies spent big on licenses for the dinosaurs shown in the film, using those images in various products to boost sales."
"And Universal plans to open a Jurassic Park dinosaur zone in Universal Studios. That will bring even more revenue and impact."
"Successful IPs are truly gold mines of endless wealth."
"Exactly. Disney is the master of IP management. Their classic cartoons have generated vast wealth for decades. On top of that, they built Disneyland and have enduringly popular toys and merchandise worldwide. Their licensed characters are used in countless products in the U.S. and globally."
"So your plan to acquire the publishing house is to better cultivate IP and link it to movies."
"Right. Many of my future films can be adapted into novels connected to the movies, and I'm confident these novels will become bestsellers."
"Good, then we must speed up."
"It's not just publishing houses. Have you noticed how with more PCs in homes, computer games are becoming mainstream?"
"Yeah, my kids used to play Atari on the TV, but now they've moved to PC games," Goodman said from experience.
"Can games link to novels, movies, and TV?"
"Absolutely. Classic games can be adapted into movies and shows, and popular movies and shows can be adapted into games."
Linton thought of huge IPs like Tomb Raider and Resident Evil, initially video games then adapted to films and other industries.
Also, three mega IPs: Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games. The next big one is Underworld. All started as novels, then movies, then games, and finally expanded into many industries.
Each generates billions in revenue -- with Harry Potter alone worth over $20 billion. Could he get a head start?
But a mega IP like Harry Potter wouldn't reach such heights without a strong media group to promote and manage it.
"So you'll also need to help me find a computer game company to acquire. Since gaming is still a relatively new industry, entry barriers aren't too high. If we can't find a suitable company, we'll start our own game company. Stanford is in Silicon Valley, and there are plenty of computer talents there."
"Got it. Will the game company also be under the foundation's name?"
"Yes, from now on, the foundation's industries will have two legs: one is financial capital investment to build a capital group; the other is business, focused around media. I want a media group that includes film production and distribution, novel publishing, newspapers and magazines, game companies, TV stations, Internet media, etc."
"That puts my mind at ease. I noticed your physical businesses are very scattered -- the film company, newspapers, publishing houses, and now a game company. It seems you have a clear plan and aren't getting distracted," Winnie admitted a bit embarrassed.
"But media groups are basically controlled by well-established players. If we rush in, we might face their coordinated resistance," Goodman expressed concern.
"Indeed, building a media group is a long-term goal and must be done step-by-step. You two are my most trusted people. I wanted to be honest because I feared you might worry or misinterpret. We aren't strong enough yet, so we have to develop quietly, avoid being too high-profile to escape the attention and suppression of big media groups. When the time is right, we'll unify and establish the media group."
"Understood. We will keep this confidential," Winnie and Goodman assured quickly.
"For now, focus on acquiring the novel publishing house and the computer game company as a priority. The other ventures don't have to be rushed. But keep an eye on any TV stations that might be for sale. We must not miss any opportunity."
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