[Chapter 202: Tripling the Assets]
Link received the news and arranged for Michael Leeson to negotiate with two investment firms.
Vanguard Capital contributed $60 million to buy 12% of Guess Pictures, while J.P. Morgan put in $50 million for a 10% stake.
Initially, both firms wanted over 40% of the shares to gain some control. However, Link refused to give control of the company to capital, likening it to appointing a puppet master who would meddle in his affairs. Instead, he proposed selling Guess Pictures to both firms for $500 million, walking away entirely.
Of course, the two investment firms rejected this offer. Link was the company's most valuable asset; without him, Guess Pictures would be worth nothing. Considering Link's capabilities and influence, the firms eventually conceded.
...
During the negotiations, other investors tried to get in on Guess Pictures as well, but Link didn't accept any new offers. The first round of funding had already released 42% of the shares; there was no more to allocate until the second round. After Glimmer Capital, Vanguard Capital, and J.P. Morgan became shareholders, Guess Pictures formed a board of directors.
Link became the Chairman and CEO, holding 53% of the company's shares, while Glimmer Capital held 20%, Vanguard Capital 12%, and J.P. Morgan 10%. The remaining 5% was distributed among several company executives, including Mark Amin, James Schamus, Daniel DeVito, Jon Gordon, and Michael Leeson.
...
After making significant profits, Link continued to increase his tech stocks through Glimmer Capital, accumulating 4.02% of Microsoft shares, 1.38% of Cisco, 87% of Marvel Entertainment, and 20% of Guess Pictures. The total value of these holdings was around $1.2 billion.
Microsoft shares were skyrocketing, peaking at a market valuation of $28.5 billion, and it was expected that the release of Windows 95 the following year would trigger another surge.
Cisco Systems, currently valued at $4.5 billion, primarily sold networking equipment and was benefitting from the "Information Superhighway" policy, positioning itself for explosive growth. This too was suggested by their investment managers.
Link also invested $125 million to acquire 87% of Marvel Entertainment, adding the remaining superhero characters to his portfolio, including Spider-Man, Hulk, The Fantastic Four, Blade, Deadpool, and Venom.
He planned to use large sums of money in the next five years to reclaim all previously sold superhero characters like Iron Man, Wolverine, and the X-Men. With these superhero characters, Guess Pictures would have a steady stream of quality film projects for the next thirty years.
...
"Finally done," Link said, putting down his pen after signing the last contract and stretching.
"You've worked hard lately. How about taking a break and resting for a few days?" Lily suggested.
During this time, she had been by Link's side, watching as he negotiated with several investment firms. Sometimes he had pored over documents late into the night, only to rise early for meetings. He was busy for more than 20 days before Guess Pictures stabilized again.
All of this was thanks to Link; if he hadn't remained calm and rational, Guess Pictures would have been steamrolled by Wall Street capital right as it rose.
"No time to rest. After wrapping up company matters, I still need to check on the post-production of Se7en, and the film projects for this year also need approval. There's too much to do," Link replied, shaking his head.
He realized that even after completing the financing, a mountain of internal documents awaited him, all sitting in the office, requiring his attention. He would need to work several more days before he could take a break.
"With so much work, there's never really a finish line. You should still find opportunities to rest; your health is more important than work," Lily said, coming up behind him to gently massage his shoulders.
"Don't worry, I'm in good health," Link replied, patting her hand.
"Want to come over for dinner at my place on Saturday?" Lily asked softly.
"Sure!" It was rare for Lily to extend an invitation, and Link readily agreed, stealing a kiss from her soft hand, pulling her closer, his hand naturally slipping under her skirt, settling in a comfortable spot.
Lily blushed and shot him a look, "Can you be serious? You're a big boss on the Forbes list, and yet you keep joking around."
"What's the big deal about Forbes? It's not my first time on it; honestly, Forbes isn't nearly as alluring as you," Link said, glancing at the new edition of Forbes on the desk while keeping his focus on the woman in his arms.
...
The latest Forbes list had just been released, and Link ranked 472nd globally, with a total asset valuation of $1.45 billion, improving his position by over 500 spots from the previous year.
On the U.S. 400 Rich List, Link was ranked 203rd, making him the youngest billionaire on the list. According to Forbes, his assets primarily consisted of 96% of Glimmer Capital shares and 53% of Guess Pictures shares. Forbes valued Glimmer Capital at $1.2 billion and Guess Pictures at $350 million.
In the Forbes Celebrity Earnings List, Link ranked second with an income of $155 million, trailing only behind director Steven Spielberg, who earned $210 million from Jurassic Park and Schindler's List the previous year.
Link's earnings came from royalties on Interstellar, directing fees from two films, screenwriting from three movies, and other contractual earnings.
After Forbes revealed his fortune, the media coverage of him became less negative. However, those still coveting Guess Pictures remained, as compared to those massive capital conglomerates, even more than a billion dollars still felt like pocket change.
If Link wanted to continue growing and solidifying his position in Hollywood, he needed to keep making films and generate more revenue to control more capital.
...
Knock, knock, knock!
Just as Link was about to indulge a bit with Lily, a knock came at the door, snapping her back to reality. She quickly brushed his hands away, hurriedly straightening her clothes before sitting on the opposite chair.
Her beautiful face regained its serious tone; if it weren't for the remnants of blush and unusual scent lingering in the air, the moment they just shared would seem like a figment of imagination.
"You have a gift for acting," Link remarked, sniffing his fingers with a grin.
"Enough joking; let's get to business," she replied.
"Okay!" Link called out, inviting his assistant Annie inside. She informed him that the post-production of Se7en was completed, and the production department was asking when he would be available to take a look.
Link mentioned he would be free in the afternoon.
...
Later, he visited the company's screening room to watch Se7en. The film had taken over three months to shoot, three weeks for editing, and the team required another month for post-production.
Overall, it looked polished, with great music, sound mixing, and color grading. His demands for the camera and the cast had pushed the crew to perform well, and this version held up brilliantly compared to the original.
[The film production is complete, box office subsidies are being tallied...]
[Host participation rate is 68.1%, film completion is 93.3%, market alignment is 75%]
[Reward: 2.9 times box office subsidy; Director Experience +20%; Director Stamina +20%; Film Quality Increase +15%]
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.