American History 1988
Chapter 351 - 340 They Can

Chapter 351: Chapter 340 They Can

San Francisco to Los Angeles is only about 400 miles, and normally it takes roughly five hours to drive there.

If it’s by private jet, it’s even faster, enough within an hour.

Since Dean was in a vacation mood, he decided to take the water route this time.

Though it was considerably slower, a day’s time was more than enough.

As a result, the short journey of less than four hundred miles took the Sapphire nearly four to five days drifting on the sea.

Spielberg, who had arranged to meet him, ended up having to call repeatedly to urge him on.

The carefree Dean, after a deep conversation with Winona Ryder, reluctantly ordered the captain to head for the port of Los Angeles.

"I almost thought you weren’t going to come," Spielberg, who was waiting at the dock, couldn’t help but complain.

"Sorry, Steve, the sea view was too spectacular~!" Dean said with a smile as he walked over and gave him a hug.

"I heard you bought a super-luxury yacht; I guess that’s it," Spielberg said, his gaze drawn to the charming figure at the dock.

"The Sapphire," Dean said proudly, folding his arms and turning towards it, "it has a very nice pool on the top deck."

"Cool~" Spielberg nodded in admiration, everyone in California dreamed of owning a boat to sail out to sea.

"I’m planning to throw a party on it, are you interested?" Dean had some business matters to attend to during his trip to Los Angeles.

Facing Dean’s invitation, Spielberg nodded without hesitation, "Of course, I’m looking forward to the party on the sea."

While they were talking, several beauties from the Sapphire came over and greeted Spielberg.

After all, he was one of the top directors in Hollywood; it always helped to be familiar with him.

And seeing that these ladies were all casting coquettish glances at Dean, Spielberg knowingly nodded.

"I guess you had a pleasant voyage with them?"

"Yeah~" Dean winked at Liv Tyler, "They are some of the best actresses in Hollywood."

"Wow, I didn’t realize you knew how to judge actors?" Spielberg said as if he had discovered a new continent.

"As a director, you have your professional insights. But as a male viewer, I also have my standards of beauty."

The shameless Dean didn’t mind Spielberg’s sarcasm at all; he even took pride in it.

"What the papers said was indeed correct."

"What?"

"Dean Price only likes Hollywood girls; he wouldn’t refuse any opportunity to sleep with them."

Dean shrugged, "It turns out these papers aren’t entirely spouting nonsense."

Spielberg paused, then burst out laughing.

"That line should be on ’The Los Angeles Times’; I think it would make the headlines,"

"That’s not very gentlemanly~" Dean slapped his shoulder, "Shall we go have a drink first?"

"Of course." Spielberg had some things he needed to discuss with Dean anyway.

...

Los Angeles was Spielberg’s turf; he had a villa near Sunset Boulevard.

He claimed to have the richest wine cellar in California there.

Dean, who liked to have a drink or two occasionally, didn’t stand on ceremony at all.

Curious, he tried every wine he hadn’t had before.

As they drank and chatted, they soon came around to the main theme of Dean’s visit to Los Angeles.

"Dean, are you really not interested in DreamWorks?"

In October, just like last time, Spielberg and his two partners announced the establishment of DreamWorks Animation Studio as planned.

This move created a big stir in the entertainment circle because the three of them wielded enormous influence within the industry.

Opinions concerning DreamWorks were varied. Some said it was just Katzenberg trying to heal his wounds from Disney with some psychological comfort.

Others said it was just Spielberg trying to surpass the achievements of ’Schindler’s List’ with a new career direction.

There were even people who thought DreamWorks was just an empty shell, a tool Spielberg used to press Panasonic on behalf of his friend Geffen.

As for David Geffen, he just wanted something to do. Ever since he sold Geffen Records, he had been idle.

In any case, there was a lot of press about DreamWorks, but only Spielberg knew that although DreamWorks had been set up, it had not reached expectations.

Because they hadn’t raised enough funds, their targeted primary investors, including Dean, had constantly deferred.

It’s well known that producing 3D animated movies is extremely expensive, often calculated in the hundreds of millions of US dollars.

They had finally managed to secure $300 million from South Korea’s CJ Group, on the condition that CJ Group would get the distribution rights for DreamWorks films in Asia, excluding Japan.

But this was still far from the $1 billion they needed to raise to make a mark with at least two or three animated films.

$1 billion might just be the minimum target, so with just over $400 million, they still needed to seek investments elsewhere.

Obviously, as the third richest man on the Forbes list, Dean was the prime target, especially since they had discussed this matter long ago.

As Spielberg had some rapport with him, he naturally became the mouthpiece.

Dean didn’t respond to Spielberg right away; he slowly swirled the wine glass in his hand.

"DreamWorks is different from any other company I’ve invested in."

"How so?" Spielberg asked.

"In Silicon Valley, we invest in a company and then distribute the shares proportionally.

But at DreamWorks, I needed to pay for most of the funding while only getting a small fraction of the equity.

"This is unreasonable, especially when viewed through the lens of venture capital."

In terms of investment, Silicon Valley is the expert. Dean had become a veteran, and he was skeptical of the equity distribution at DreamWorks.

"But Hollywood and Silicon Valley are different," Spielberg had his reasons, "The key is the producer’s resources.

Without him, even with money, nothing can be accomplished. To some extent, the valuation of DreamWorks is the people!"

"Very well, then how much do you think the name Dean Price is worth?" Dean asked, smiling as he looked up.

Spielberg was taken aback, but he quickly retorted, "Dean, it’s not the same..."

"I think it is," Dean gently set down his glass, "What is DreamWorks lacking right now?

Money, right? Look, your resources can’t solve the money problem."

"But resources come first, money is only supplementary," Spielberg had never expected Dean, who was always gentle, to be so tough.

"Steve, when you are short of money, money comes first," Dean pointedly countered.

"Uh..." Spielberg felt he was not cut out to be a persuasive speaker.

"OK, let’s put this aside for now," Dean took a step back on his own.

"Judging by people, if someone can contribute to DreamWorks, then they should rightfully receive more shares, right?"

"That’s not wrong," Spielberg shrugged.

"How much more funding do you need now? And how much equity can you offer?" Dean pressed on.

"To start DreamWorks, we need at least 400 million US Dollars. As for equity, about 26%—that’s already our biggest concession."

Spielberg had to ensure that the three authorities retained control of DreamWorks.

Dean was noncommittal to this response; he stroked his chin, contemplating for a moment.

"In that case, I can invest 100 million US Dollars in cash into DreamWorks, but I will need 18% of the equity."

"That’s impossible!" Spielberg stood up instinctively, shocked by Dean’s greed.

"Let me finish," Dean remained calm, gesturing for him not to get agitated.

"Besides the investment, I can also help DreamWorks make a friendly call to the banks."

"What do you mean?" Spielberg, who had just been boiling with anger, suddenly calmed down.

"A loan," Dean smiled slightly, "DreamWorks could borrow 500 to 800 million US Dollars from banks."

Spielberg’s eyes showed a flash of realization, yet he remained skeptical.

"Would the banks agree? Our DreamWorks has just been established."

"They will," Dean smiled confidently, "because the shareholder list includes my name."

Spielberg initially furrowed his brow but quickly relaxed, and his smile began to rise again.

Yes, other people’s names might not work, but Dean was the exception.

This wasn’t just because of his 8.7 billion US Dollars fortune, but also because he was known as a "Nasdaq bell-ringer."

Looking through all his investments, nearly every one was a grand slam.

Even the stocks he recommended had tripled or quadrupled in a few years.

Such consistently accurate foresight almost bestowed him with a legendary aura.

Spielberg believed that if he said a stock would rise, it would definitely increase the next day.

With Dean Price backing it, the bank’s review seemed less important.

After all, the companies he personally invested in were also exceptionally favored by him.

"I need to discuss this with Jeffrey and the others," Spielberg could not decide alone.

"Of course," Dean showed understanding, "Just like what we just discussed.

Valuing by the person, I can help DreamWorks mobilize the urgently needed funds, even exceeding expectations.

So, this is what I deserve, right? Steve~"

Spielberg opened his mouth, not knowing how to refute.

...

A week later, Dean held a Christmas Eve party on his Sapphire as scheduled.

Those who came were either famous directors like Spielberg or high-ranking executives and bosses in the media industry.

So there weren’t many people, but each one held significant power.

Of course, some Hollywood ladies wouldn’t miss it—they were Dean’s favorites.

"Dean, I hope DreamWorks secures the urgently needed funds," Katzenberg reached out to him.

After signing the contract, Dean set down the pen with a pleased mood, then shook hands with him.

"It will, Silicon Valley Bank, State Street Bank, I’ve already given them a heads up."

"Good!" Katzenberg and David Geffen exchanged looks, both seeing satisfaction in each other’s eyes.

"Enjoy yourselves~" Dean raised his glass to them.

"Cheers~" After drinking a toast, they tactfully left.

They had already seen media tycoon John Kruger observing them from a distance.

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