The soothing sound of piano music echoed through the café, making the atmosphere even quieter. Duke sat by the window, slowly putting down his coffee cup, calmly looking at Lovett sitting across from him.
Duke hadn’t expected his forr agent to be so persistent. He had politely declined Lovett’s proposal over the phone just yesterday, yet today, Lovett had tracked him all the way to New York, exuding sincerity. There wasn’t the slightest hint of the man who, just a year ago, had declared that Duke had no future in Hollywood.
Though a sense of satisfaction flickered in his heart, Duke didn’t show it on his face. He observed Lovett, who, in turn, was also watching him.
From Lovett’s perspective, the person sitting across from him was a mystery. They had worked together for five years, but Duke Rosenberg had never shown any potential, no matter how he looked at it. As for his so-called directing talent, Lovett had seen two experintal films Duke had made, which were chaotic and utterly incomprehensible.
It wasn’t just Lovett’s opinion. At CAA, there was a strict review process for giving up a client, and dropping Duke Rosenberg had been the consensus of the entire agency. But now, it was clear they had all misjudged him.
Now, Lovett had to correct the mistake CAA had made.
Although Lovett’s trip to New York was partly due to orders from Michael Ovitz, he was also here willingly.
This week was halfway over, and after just three days, the box office of *Speed*, which had been hovering around $66 million last weekend, was now on the verge of reaching $80 million in North Arica!
And this was only the third week of the film’s wide release. Even with the fierce competition of the sumr movie season, *Speed* would surely stay in theaters for a while longer. There was even a chance that its North Arican box office could break the $100 million mark.
A fresh new director, just 22 years old, whose first feature film could gross over $100 million?
Just the thought of it was enough for Lovett to swallow his pride. He would even slap himself in the face if necessary, as long as he could re-sign Duke under his agency.
"Duke, I earnestly ask you to seriously reconsider my offer."
The professional façade Lovett usually wore had vanished, replaced by pure sincerity. His gaze, fixed on Duke, was almost fervent. "CAA is the biggest agency in Hollywood, controlling half of the talent market. We can plan your future, and I can promise that the resources at my disposal will be prioritized for you."
These were tempting conditions. Lovett then pulled out CAA’s trump card: "Most importantly, CAA can provide package deals for your projects. You’ll only need to focus on directing, and CAA will handle everything else."
"That sounds less like a director and more like a puppet of CAA, doesn’t it?" Duke interjected.
Lovett hesitated, suddenly realizing that there was so truth to what Duke said.
"Lovett, I’m just a small-ti director."
Duke picked up his coffee cup, took another sip, and then, under Lovett’s earnest gaze, said, "I’m only just starting out."
"That’s why you need to join CAA even more!" Lovett quickly responded.
Duke slowly shook his head. "What CAA is best at is exactly what I dislike the most."
"The package deals?" Lovett quickly caught on.
"Yes." Duke nodded, his voice calm. "As the leader in entertainnt agencies, it’s only natural for CAA to want control over everything, to manage their actors, directors, producers, and even their projects. But I, too, have a strong desire for control. I won’t hand over my work for others to manipulate."
He had once sought out CAA, but his purpose had been clear: CAA was a tool and stepping stone for him to achieve his directorial dreams. Once he had the ans, he would discard CAA. As a director, Duke had a strong aversion to CAA’s package services.
Spielberg, with his relatively mild temperant, could join CAA, but a director as domineering as Jas Caron never had, and never would. Caron had always resisted their package deals. While Duke’s personality and accomplishnts were far from Caron’s, he had taken a crucial first step and didn’t want his future film sets to be under CAA’s control.
In fact, all directors with strong control tendencies were naturally at odds with CAA.
"Duke, please give it so more thought."
Lovett wouldn’t make any promises about giving up the package deal, as it was a core strategy for CAA. Moreover, Duke’s current status didn’t warrant CAA making such concessions. "Joining CAA can only help your future developnt."
"No need to think it over." Duke gave a firm answer. "CAA won’t change for , so I refuse."
At this point, there was no need to continue the conversation. After exchanging a few polite words, Lovett left the café first.
Duke finished his coffee and left the café, walking along the crowded streets of Brooklyn toward his hotel.
He wasn’t worried about any retaliation from CAA. Many in Hollywood chose to sign with CAA, but just as many rejected the agency. If CAA took revenge on everyone who refused them, they wouldn’t be able to conduct regular business.
As Duke reached the hotel entrance, he noticed a crowd gathered outside. They held up posters of *Speed* and occasionally shouted out the nas of Keanu Reeves or Uma Thurman. But as the film’s director, Duke walked right past them and into the hotel unnoticed.
At this ti, directors—especially those like him, with only one film under their belt—rarely drew attention. Duke didn’t mind. It wasn’t sothing worth getting upset over.
Inside the hotel lobby, Naomi Watts was sitting with Nancy Josephson. Naomi’s blue-green eyes glanced through the glass doors at the crowd outside, a hint of envy and jealousy flickering in them. She had also appeared in *Speed*, yet her treatnt compared to the lead actors was worlds apart.
Fa was sothing every actor who ca to Hollywood dread of, and Naomi was no exception. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been struggling to make it in Los Angeles.
"He’s back." Naomi stood up and waved when she saw Duke. "Duke!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Duke turned his head. "Hello, Naomi."
"Do you have a mont?"
Seeing Duke’s puzzled expression, Naomi continued, "My agent, Nancy— you’ve t her—wants to talk to you."
"Your agent?"
Duke quickly guessed her intentions. Hollywood was indeed a place that only chased after success.
Five minutes later, Duke and Nancy Josephson were seated in a booth in the hotel’s second-floor café. Naomi had been sent away by her agent, having served her role as the introducer.
"You want to be my agent?" Duke asked, looking seriously at Nancy.
It was just as he suspected. She got straight to the point.
"ICM can offer you the best services. And I am the future head of ICM..."
Before Nancy could finish, Duke raised a hand to interrupt. "I know a lot about ICM and its standing in the industry. To be frank, Nancy, I just t with soone from CAA."
"I won’t deny that CAA holds more resources," Nancy said, clearly prepared for this. "But don’t forget, they also have far more well-known directors and actors. Even within CAA, you would face fierce competition."
"That’s true!"
It was a well-known fact, and Duke didn’t deny it. After thinking for a while, he slowly said, "I also have a few conditions. These are non-negotiable if I’m to work with any agent. Otherwise, I’d rather go without one."
Nancy gestured for him to continue.
"First, I strongly dislike agency package deals. I don’t want my film sets interfered with by the agency. Second, the agency should not interfere with my private life. I’m not interested in being anyone’s puppet. Third, I might sotis make decisions that the agency won’t understand. Fourth..."
As Duke continued listing his conditions, Nancy’s face grew darker. According to Duke, the agency would be relegated to the role of a basic service provider.
Many of these conditions were just for show. Negotiating with an agency was like bargaining—ask for the moon and settle for less. But, just as with CAA, Duke wasn’t going to let an agency ddle too much in his work or life. He wanted clear boundaries. He wasn’t a star painstakingly cultivated by an agency; he paid them a commission, and they were to provide necessary services in return.
At the mont, he didn’t have much leverage, so if Nancy didn’t want to negotiate, he could simply walk away. After all, he wasn’t competing with other directors for scripts or projects. What he needed most was a competent negotiator.
"I need so ti to think..." Nancy said after a long pause.
"I need ti as well..." Duke didn’t hide his thoughts. "And I need to learn more about ICM and you personally."
Both agents and directors took ti to evaluate each other. Just as studios rigorously assessed every film before greenlighting it, signing an agent also required careful consideration.
Duke wasn’t interested in CAA, and Nancy Josephson from ICM could be a potential option. After returning to his room, Duke called Robin Grand to gather more information about her.
One particular detail confird that Nancy was a capable agent: she was currently packaging a sitcom for Warner Bros. The tentative title? *Friends*.
Duke now held Nancy in higher regard.
However, with those extre conditions he had laid out, it was uncertain whether she would still be interested in him. Duke simply believed that she could indeed be placed in the category of highly capable agents.
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