Chapter 248

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In North America, it seems that the laws and regulations are perfect. The government, the judiciary and various industry associations are all doing things according to law. However, society is made up of people after all. Just like Bill Rossi and Carla Firth can reach a cooperation agreement that actually violates the rules in private, there are certain grey areas in any industry.

As Robert Downey Jr. said, even in North America, many rules are dead, but people who operate are alive.

"In fact, the reason why Michael owitz came to you is very simple. You have shown enough potential now. If you can invest in his manager company, he will try to attract you."

It seems that Robert Downey, Jr. knows a lot about this. He takes a napkin and wipes his mouth. He says, "when you have a liking for the artist management group and become dependent on it, they will encourage you to leave CAA and not use an agent in the future."

"No broker?" Murphy asked suspiciously, "do you mean that as managers, they can represent the brokerage business?"

"It's not allowed by law and industry regulations," Robert Downey Jr. said in the affirmative, "but it's possible in practice."

Murphy looks at little Robert Downey, waiting for him to give a more detailed answer.

As we all know, managers other than brokers can engage in work without a license, but relevant laws and regulations stipulate that managers should not engage in activities to obtain work for customers and should not have conflicts of interest with brokers.

Similarly, there is no strict contract term and commission cap for managers.

"Managers have more power space than agents."

it's rare to show off in front of Murphy. Robert Downey, Jr. stinks and says, "managers can enjoy or partially enjoy the work of clients, including being a producer. Traditionally, because managers' responsibility is not to get jobs for clients, but to plan their careers, there is no conflict with brokers. "

Murphy put her arms around her chest and waited for little Robert Downey to say it himself.

The best way to deal with a chatterbox who wants to pour his words out is to try not to answer his words. He can't hold his mouth, and he will soon pour out his inventory.

Seeing that Murphy didn't ask any more questions, little Robert Downey pinched his nose, lifted his glass and drank.

"You know what, Murphy? The current Hollywood agent industry is facing a huge challenge! "

Sure enough, Robert Downey, Jr. can't help but start to fall out. "Today's agents are more to represent those well-known and attractive clients, and they want to look for someone like you no matter how hard it is..."

He pointed to himself, "or a client that I've shown enough potential for."

It's very realistic, but it's also the actual situation. If it wasn't for the great progress made in shooting hard candy, would bill rosis sign Murphy? If it wasn't for the big sale of electric saw? Will CAA renew the brokerage contract with Murphy?

Murphy understood what little Robert Downey meant. Seeing that he was no longer such a stink, Murphy also said, "so, those new people who are not famous, who seem to have little potential and need to develop will not be favored by brokers, and managers will become the just needs of this part of the market?"

"That's right." Robert Downey, Jr. nodded his head, but Murphy shook his head and asked, "do you want managers to get jobs for clients who don't have agents?"

Previously, Robert Downey Jr. said that for managers, they usually take over a lot of so-called "problematic" customers, either new comers or customers with no market power. Managers need to invest a considerable amount of time and money to incubate and develop these customers, so that these customers can gradually attract employers power.

Therefore, managers usually need an extendable contract term and a high commission ratio to encourage managers to develop "problematic" customers for a long time, continuously and with risks.

That's why Murphy's invitation to Michael owitz is not so popular. No one wants to be exploited again.

"Yes, the manager!" "That's the basic conflict between managers and brokers," Robert Downey Jr. If a manager goes to obtain a license, he will be limited by the validity period of the contract and the upper limit of the Commission, and his development of customers will face great risks. If a manager does not hold a license but "gets a job" for his customers, he will have to take the risk that the Labor Commissioner will cancel the contract and forfeit his income for violating the regulations. "

But he shook his head, "the fact is far from that, as long as the customer does not report, generally no one will pay attention to these. Even if someone reports it, it's not a problem now. Before I was arrested, the California Labor Court dealt with a lawsuit against the manager. The result of the penalty not only failed to deal with the defendant's manager, but also expanded the boundary of the manager's "getting a job."

"Oh?" Murphy came interested, "what kind of penalty is it?""In that case, the labor court set an exception for the manager to" illegally "obtain a job," Robert Downey Jr. immediately gave the answer. "As long as the manager plays an active role in a production project, he can bypass the restriction of licensing and directly employ his clients, that is, he can legally seek a job for his clients!"

Murphy was more or less surprised. "What else can I do?"

Such an exception almost confirms the legitimacy of a manager's "getting a job.".

It's too simple. Even if he is a layman, he can think of a way for the manager to obtain legitimacy. According to the law, the agent can't directly participate in the film production, but the manager can. A manager can first operate himself as the producer of a production group or one of many producers, which is in line with the requirement of "playing an active role in a production project" It's legal and reasonable to ask for a job for your clients.

It has to be said that if people play with such things as law, they will also have quite different effects.

Robert Downey Jr. added, "some managers also invest in and take shares in the projects of production companies, which will have a great influence on the film projects, and even get the leading power. This means that some managers and producers have enough strength to develop the production projects that can work for their clients, and are not interfered by other producers ……”

"Of course, this will affect the interests of brokers, further amplifying the conflict of interests between the two."

He shrugged. "In the past, brokers and managers were complementary, but now they are competitive. Basically, the situation now is that managers can do whatever brokers can do - and even more, more and more managers have the essence of brokers. "

Murphy suddenly remembered, "I've heard bill mention it. It seems that a manager company has approached him."

"That's normal." Robert Downey Jr. is not surprised. "The current trend has led to the outflow of a large number of brokers from brokerage companies to managers' companies, which in turn further blurs the once clear demarcation line between brokers and managers. Many managers and managers' companies are also providing customers with services of" getting jobs "in a practical sense."

"But brokers have their own advantages." Murphy frowned and said, "managers don't get the agency of superstars."

"For the moment, it is, but not forever." From a traditional performing family, Robert Downey Jr. is far more well-informed than Murphy. "In the days when you and Gail gado were hiding at home, Michael owitz's artist management company had already taken care of Robin Williams. Robin Williams fired his brokerage company. In the future, it will completely rely on his manager to complete all kinds of transactions, and he will be a good artist The artist management company is targeting Leonardo DiCaprio

This is CAA's super-a customer.

The times are changing, the environment is changing, an industry is also producing a variety of changes.

Judging from what Robert Downey said, with the blurring of manager boundaries, many entertainment brokerage companies headed by CAA and William Morris are bound to suffer a huge impact, and even lose their dominant position in the industry.

But Murphy clearly remembers that even ten years later, the market size of CAA in Hollywood did not shrink, but continued to grow gradually, only the growth trend became extremely slow.

Although his understanding of the industry is far less than that of Robert Downey Jr., an old man with family tradition, Murphy is not a fool. He just thought about it for a while and then figured it out.

CAA to maintain a strong fundamental or one-stop packaging services and cross management services!

Although the law explicitly stipulates that agents are not allowed to participate in film production, from another perspective, the packaged transaction of agents is actually a producer.

The traditional broker model is becoming more and more passive. Being locked up by the Commission ceiling, their income can not compete with the managers. However, the one-stop packaging service has broken through this limitation. In fact, the packaging transaction is similar to the production. Although the brokers are prohibited from becoming producers by the trade union, they are not prohibited from packaging customers together for trading.

Murphy said what he thought, but Robert Downey, Jr. was not surprised. He took it for granted that "this is another point of conflict of interest between agents and managers. This kind of packaged transaction makes agents actually become producers, which will affect the production mode of managers. Of course, there will be conflicts of interest."

Robert Downey Jr. said that Murphy has fully understood that the one-stop packaging service is highly praised by brokerage companies, which not only can attract customers and earn more profits, but also can continue to maintain its position in the industry in the competition of managers.

Moreover, the cross management service of CAA's multiple brokers to customers not only increases the cost of job hopping, but also the integrated service from work to life and then to special opportunities.

Attracting customers, mastering upstream resources and obtaining higher profits by means of packaged services and integrated services -- being forced to be a manager by a "broker" in the disguise of a manager, this is the real portrayal of the current Hollywood brokerage industry. (to be continued). )