America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz-Chapter 801 - 794: Taking a Hard Hit for a Brother

After spending Christmas back in Atlanta, Martin had just arrived in Los Angeles when he got a call from David Fincher. He dropped his luggage off at his Beverly Hills home and rushed to the Disney Studio workshop.

Louise, Graham, and David Fincher were already waiting for him.

On the table in the small conference room lay the latest newspapers, its entertainment pages flipped open to the most recent reports on "Escape from Tehran."

Especially conspicuous were photos of Ron Stern and other hostages who had been rescued.

Martin had already read these newspapers on the plane. Shaking his head with a sigh as he sat at the conference table, he said, "These bastards, lowering the standard of Oscar PR campaigns every year."

Louise smiled at him.

Martin thought to himself, every award I've won has been fair and square. The first time I got the Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars, it was earned through sheer determination.

Last year, when I won the Best Actor, it was because my competitors were too incompetent. I conquered without a fight.

David Fincher was somewhat anxious as he said, "The survivors who were there have come forward to criticize us, causing a lot of negative coverage in the media and putting us on the back foot."

Martin glanced at the photo in the newspaper. "Ron Stern, I remember him; I met him at the premiere."

Graham said, "Ron Stern was a Marine Corps personnel stationed at the embassy during the rescue, later retired and moved to Seattle, and is working as a security officer at a bank."

Martin asked, "Have we made contact with him?"

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"We have," Louise had already taken the lead, "but his reply was that he only told the truth during media interviews."

Martin frowned slightly, "Is that so?"

Louise continued, "Obviously, someone has gotten to him, and we are still working on it."

David Fincher interjected, "All movies based on true events, apart from the main plot, who reproduces them one-to-one as they actually happened? If that were the case, would it still be a movie? Might as well just make a documentary."

Louise then said, "I just had a thorough investigation done. Ron Stern's income is average, his wife is unemployed at home, children lack self-care ability, the economic burden is heavy, and his drug-addicted son has recently entered a costly rehab facility."

This was all very normal, and Martin wasn't surprised, so he asked, "What has the crew done in response to this?"

"I have been in touch with Tony Mendez," Graham said, "and Tony will be giving interviews these next few days to rebut Ron Stern's statements."

This matter directly affected Tony Mendez's interests. The old man not only personally called Ron Stern but was also actively cooperating with the crew.

The Tehran rescue was one of the most noteworthy events of Tony Mendez's life. He wouldn't let anyone negate his pivotal role.

Graham went on, "We have also contacted Mark Hanson and Michael Cohen who still work in the diplomatic sector and were also rescued by Tony back then. They're willing to come forward and support us in interviews."

Louise added, "I've been in contact with the CIA, which has been supportive of the film. To undermine 'Escape from Tehran' is to undermine the CIA's achievements, and they will soon issue a statement."

Martin put down the newspaper he was flipping through and said, "These are all standard responses, capable of diluting this series of negative impacts."

He pointed to the reports of secret government dealings and asked, "Are there really any backroom deals?"

"There definitely were negotiations behind the scenes for the rescue of the 65 hostages," Graham said simplistically. "Thawing the other side's assets, F-14 Tomcat parts as well, those things definitely happened. But whether it involves this rescue by Tony, only CIA high-ups or the decision-makers of the time would really know."

Martin wasn't actually interested in the actual facts of the event, because his standards for judging the veracity of events related to the "Escape from Tehran" film were particularly simple.

Everything favorable to the film was true; everything that could have a negative impact on the film was false.

At this point, Louise said, "These series of measures are just passive defense." She had been through the Best Actor struggle at last year's Oscars, "To gain an advantage, we need to do more than just defend, we have to counter-attack."

David Fincher asked, "Who are the opponents who came up with these schemes? Did you find out?"

"No," Graham had investigated but without clear results, "The target range is not large, the crews that intend to compete for the Oscars this year and are in conflict with us over several major awards."

"Escape from Tehran" clearly aimed for Best Director and Best Picture, as was evident by a series of preliminary awards already given.

Anyone with a minimal understanding of the Hollywood awards season could figure that out.

Martin asked directly, "In a few days, the Academy will mail out the Oscar ballots to all members, the awards season situation is becoming clear, who are our main competitors?"

Graham replied, "I've been in touch with Spielberg, and I've carefully studied the current situation. 'Lincoln' is aiming for Best Actor. Other films like 'Les Misérables' and 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' are less of a threat to us. Our only serious competitor is Ang Lee's 'Life of Pi'."

Martin stroked his chin and said, "We don't need to worry about who is behind the issue; we just need to know who our key competition is and focus our efforts on hitting them hard."

Louise agreed, "Our goal is the Oscars, not to find out who's behind all this, because these kinds of PR campaigns are becoming more and more common each awards season. It's been like this for the last few years and it's expected to get more intense in the future."

At this point, she glanced at Martin. Harvey Weinstein, with his own efforts, had trampled the Oscar PR campaigns into the ground.

Over the past few years, Martin's Oscar campaigns, oscillating between promoting hardship and a scandalous mudsling, essentially threw Oscar public relations into a pit.

The bar kept lowering, and the esteemed Oscars nearly turned into Washington's Joker election race.

Martin said, "Our next offensive move is to focus on our competitor 'Life of Pi' and hit them hard!"

Louise asked, "Continue to play dirty?"

David Finch, though not entirely clear on the meaning, guessed from the context and cautioned, "Graham and I watched 'Life of Pi,' and it's a good film, far from terrible."

Graham agreed, "Judging by the quality of the film alone, it's a strong competitor, and their PR efforts have not been lacking."

Martin nodded, "Apart from the normal publicity and lobbying, there are some award campaign tactics that can only be used once; they don't work well a second time."

David Finch asked, "Smearing the competition?"

Martin replied, "Smearing competitors in media reporting and public opinion was considered normal publicity and public relations back in the days of Harvey Weinstein, more than a decade ago."

Louise clearly understood that Martin was planning to employ unconventional methods.

After some thought, Martin said, "Get in touch with Tony and the other two parties involved to clarify and support 'Escape from Tehran' in the media. You're in charge of that; I'll figure out how to handle the offensive."

David Finch, going for his last shot at the Oscar for Best Director and wanting to give it his all, said, "Let me know what you need me to do."

Graham also spoke up, "GK Film Company can put a lot of resources into this."

Louise naturally didn't need to say much.

Martin continued, "On the flight back from Atlanta to Los Angeles, I've been pondering this matter and I've sketched out a rough plan. I want to hear your suggestions too..."

Specifically, his plan originated from his past life and was also related to Megan Ellison.

In his past life, Megan Ellison became the biggest Oscar winner after Harvey Weinstein, not just because the movies she invested in and produced were high-quality, but also due to a series of PR tactics.

The Oscar race could be thought of as an alternative form of the American election.

Thinking of the shenanigans in the elections, one could appreciate how messy things could get in the Oscars, from publicity and PR to the judging process.

Martin's proposal was approved by Louise, Graham, and David Finch.

Campaigning... no, winning awards... using a few tricks wasn't a disgrace.

Besides, winning came with countless small fortunes.

The meeting ended, and Martin was the first to leave Disney Studio. After getting into the Escalade with Bruce, he said, "Go find Jody."

Bruce, who had been in the corner of the conference room, knew Martin's plan and replied, "Jody's traveling on business. I'll see her as soon as she gets back."

Martin pointed to the back seat, "Don't forget to bring the gift."

Bruce nodded silently; for his good brother Martin, he really had taken quite a beating, enough to shatter his bones one of these days.

There was no helping it, who would do this if not for a brother through life and death?

After dropping Martin off at the set of 'La La Land,' which was still shooting on location, Bruce called Jody to arrange a meeting for the following afternoon.

Meanwhile, Louise and Graham had also coordinated with the media, resulting in Tony Mendez, Mark Hanson, and Michael Cohen being interviewed on the same day.

Louise also made a call to the CIA liaison office.

The next morning, at a press conference, a CIA spokesperson specifically mentioned 'Escape from Tehran,' praising the film for realistically depicting the agency's rescue mission from that year and stating that it was rare for the CIA to be portrayed positively in a Hollywood film; David Finch's direction made the film a masterpiece.

Subsequently, 'Entertainment Weekly' published an interview with Tony Mendez, who naturally praised the adaptation, claiming at least eighty percent of it to be accurate. The fictionalized elements served to highlight the urgency of the situation and the need for a swift rescue, and did no harm overall.

Like Ron Stern, both Mark Hanson and Michael Cohen, who had gone through the entire ordeal, said something completely different in their 'People' interview, claiming the film to be very authentic, nearly a true re-enactment of their experience.

Yet dispelling negative impressions was not easy.

It takes nothing to spread a rumor and a marathon to refute it.

Moreover, this was not about spreading rumors.

In this magical world, those who spread rumors are perceived as telling the truth, while those who refute them can seem to be filled with lies.

And the public opinion more often than not sides with the latter.