After the investment meeting began, Ronan steadied his mindset and didn’t rush to talk about money; for the first two days, he introduced the basic situation of Hollywood, the history of Sand Sea Entertainment and the films it produced, the generally negative image of Arabs in Hollywood movies, and so on.
Information on Sand Sea Entertainment and materials related to “the purge” were distributed to every attendee.
The people of Abu Dhabi didn’t take money too seriously, but they couldn’t be treated like fools either; to get people to invest, one must first earn their trust.
Ronan had made a special effort to understand them; most of the attendees were genuine businessmen, not just uncultured hicks living off their wealth.
Compared to those closed Middle Eastern countries, the UAE’s policies were relatively open; many people had contact with the Western world, and many wealthy individuals were involved in the North American import-export business.
Leaving some time allowed potential investors to learn about Sand Sea Entertainment’s situation in Los Angeles through their own channels.
Desperately soliciting investment as soon as the meeting started might have the opposite effect.
Arabs have plenty of money, but they aren’t fools.
If you want to swindle money…
no, seek investment, the highest level is to ensure everything prepared can withstand verification and is completely true.
On that basis, one can then appropriately paint a grand vision.
All the information Ronan provided was completely authentic and credible, except for the budget cost of “the purge.”
In this era, the room for maneuvering the budget of a Hollywood film was very large; many insiders couldn’t even figure it out, let alone outsiders.
During the first two days, Ronan was also observing closely; among the more than one hundred people who had come, quite a few were interested.
Even some members of the Abu Dhabi royal family had come to see the venue.
Even though humans have a natural fear and rejection of things they don’t understand well, under Ronan’s careful calculations, there were quite a few people interested in investing.
“Hassan, how is the inquiry from your friend in Los Angeles going?”
Two Arabs in white robes walked into the venue, and the slightly younger one asked the bearded man in a low voice, “Is there any problem with this project?”
The bearded man glared at him and cautioned, “Don’t talk nonsense, Hussein! This is a project brought in by the Investment Bureau.”
“It’s not that I don’t trust the Investment Bureau,” Hussein said as he came to the exhibition area hanging with numerous posters.
“We can’t compare to the Investment Bureau; our money is earned through hard work in business.”
Hassan took a copy of the “Los Angeles Times” from the display case and handed it to Hussein.
“This is one of the three major newspapers in the United States.”
Hussein looked at the report about “the purge” in the newspaper and said, “I’ve seen it all.” He put down the newspaper, picked up several posters and sketches, and handed them to the attendant behind him.
“They are beautifully made; the children will like them.”
Hassan also had his attendant take a few copies before saying, “My trade partner helped me check; this company is located in Burbank, Los Angeles, and has been established for over ten years. Not long ago, this film held a press conference at the Hilton Hotel, and reports can still be seen in American newspapers and magazines… Well, Ronan Anderson’s capital chain has run into problems, otherwise, he wouldn’t be seeking external financing.”
Hussein lowered his voice.
“The project is fine?”
Hassan stroked his beard.
“From the information obtained, this company is even more reliable than the American export company I work with.”
“True.” Hussein put down his luggage, took a copy of Sand Sea Entertainment’s introduction, and said while flipping through it, “That young man wearing glasses looks honest. In the first two days, he specifically introduced the basic situation of Hollywood and the risks of investing in the film industry. Would someone trying to swindle money mention that the film industry is risky? They would have made random promises long ago.”
Hassan pointed to a spot in the conference hall.
“I’m going to talk to him. Are you coming?”
Hussein asked, “Have you decided to invest?”
Hassan said as he walked, “I’ll invest a small amount first to see. Didn’t he say? He wants to establish a long-term partnership with the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority in the future,” Find the original chapter at novelping.com.
“to avoid Sand Sea Entertainment’s films being influenced by that damn Jewish capital!”
Hussein followed.
“The American Jews have been blackening our names!” He thought of the script summary he had read and said, “Not everyone in Hollywood is a bastard; there are good people.”
Ronan had just seen off someone inquiring about investment when he saw two people in white robes and headscarves approaching.
“Good morning,” Ronan greeted in a sentence of Arabic he had just learned.
Hassan and Hussein both knew English; they greeted him and introduced themselves.
Ronan adjusted his plain glasses, his face full of a sincere smile.
“Gentlemen, please sit.”
“I want to ask about the investment,” Hassan said directly without wasting words.
“What is the minimum investment limit you accept?”
Ronan took several contract templates and placed them in front of Hassan and Hussein respectively, saying, “You can take a look at the sample contract. This has been reviewed by Lawyer Ibrahim of the Abu Dhabi Royal Law Firm, and the contract will also be filed with the Investment Bureau.”
That Saleh was definitely a competent guide; he had helped a lot.
Hassan and Hussein both began to flip through them; the contract was in both English and Arabic.
“Sand Sea Entertainment is being excluded by Jewish capital because of the script, so we are in urgent need of investment.” Ronan laid out the difficulties without hesitation, which greatly increased the credibility of his words.
“Sand Sea Entertainment has introduced three investment amounts: $100,000, $300,000, and $500,000. Of course, we can accept higher investments, but there is one thing I need to state in advance: regardless of the investment amount, no one can rashly interfere in the production of ‘the purge.’ We need professional people to do professional things.”
Hussein nodded.
“Makes sense.”
Hassan also silently agreed.
This young man had a level of honesty rarely seen in Americans, always saying the unpleasant things first.
A project led by such a person would probably be more reliable, right?
“What about the return rate?” A hint of shrewdness flashed in Hassan’s eyes.
Ronan didn’t just bluff blindly; the people opposite him weren’t commoners but shrewd businessmen, so he painted an appropriate vision.
“In addition to the principal, there is also a share of the film’s box office profits equal to the investment proportion.”
“Not a fixed return?” Hussein interjected.
Ronan explained, “The higher the future box office of this film, the higher the share you receive. Regardless of the box office, the original investment principal will be returned in full after three years.”
Hassan stroked his beard without speaking.
Ronan pointed to the sample contract.
“All of this is reflected in the contract. If a dispute arises, Abu Dhabi will be the place of contract performance.”
Hassan raised his eyebrows; this point showed great sincerity.
If anything happened, a lawsuit could be filed directly in Abu Dhabi.
Before coming to Abu Dhabi, Ronan had been learning about the situation in North American society; as long as there was enough capital, three years was enough to do many things.
Especially the stock market; he roughly remembered that the NASDAQ would crash at the beginning of the new millennium, so naturally, the earlier he entered, the higher the returns would be.
Ronan smiled and said, “The impact of a movie cannot be measured solely by monetary gain. The names and photos of the investors in this film will all appear prominently in the end credits; there are corresponding clauses in the contract for this as well. When the film is released in the future, the investors’ names will spread across the entire United States and even wider regions. I believe this will also benefit your businesses.”
“Really?” Hussein was a bit excited.
“My children will be able to see me in the film?”
Ronan said, “There is no doubt about that.”
Hussein looked at Hassan, who nodded slowly.
“I’ll invest $300,000!” Hussein no longer hesitated.
Hassan thought for a moment and said, “I’ll also invest $300,000.” He picked up the contract.
“We need to find a lawyer to review it.”
“Certainly!” The senior lawyer from the royal law firm that Ronan had specifically asked Saleh to find would ensure there were no legal issues; the project was real after all.
He said with a smile, “You can take the contracts back; please leave your contact information.”
Hassan and Hussein took the corresponding $300,000 sample contracts, left their contact information, and discussed some details with Ronan before leaving.
Watching the two of them leave, Ronan let out a small sigh of relief.
Hassan and Hussein were very cautious, but the possibility of them investing was very high.
Only those with an interest in investing would inquire in such detail.
“Ronan!” Saleh suddenly walked over quickly, his face full of smiles.
“I have good news for you.”
“What good news?” Ronan asked.
Saleh came up to him and whispered, “A cousin of mine, Mansour bin Zayed, wants to talk to you privately.”
Mansour bin Zayed?
Why did that name sound a bit familiar?
Ronan quickly asked, “Who is he?”
“A truly powerful figure within the Investment Bureau, currently serving as the Deputy Director of the President’s Office.” Saleh emphasized, “He has the authority to decide on large investments!”
Saleh urged Ronan to go quickly; if this investment could be reached, it would not only open up the situation for Abu Dhabi’s investment in the American cultural and entertainment industry but also earn him a significant political achievement.
He didn’t want to be a royal who just lived off his wealth.
Before going, Ronan found Mary and Robert, gave them a few instructions, and then asked, “Is it going smoothly?”
“It’s going so smoothly!” Robert’s eyes were full of admiration for Ronan.
His voice was very low, but it carried an irrepressible excitement.
“I’ve signed three letters of intent for investment here—two for $100,000 and one for $300,000.”
Mary chimed in, “It’s about the same on my side; the intended investment is close to $500,000.”
“Good!” Ronan cautioned, “Keep calm. These are just intentions; it’ll be good if half of them convert into actual investments.”
He glanced at Saleh waiting nearby.
“You guys continue; I’m going to meet the big shot from the Investment Bureau.”