On Sunday morning, a black sedan drove into a quiet road in Beverly Hills. Not long after, it slowly stopped in front of a private club.
"This is the place," said Donadoni, who was driving, glancing at the club entrance. He turned to Giovanni-Salvatore in the passenger seat. "Helen Herman set the meeting here."
Giovanni-Salvatore nodded, unbuckled his seatbelt, and said, "Let's go."
He was the first to get out of the car and approached the club entrance. After Donadoni exchanged a few words with the club's security, they both walked inside.
"Has the Milan headquarters decided?" Donadoni asked.
"Yes," Giovanni-Salvatore replied without hesitation. "'300 Spartans' is premiering in Italy on Thursday. Mr. Giorgio Armani watched the film and called the board. He wants Matthew Horner."
Donadoni led the way, speaking as he walked. "Judging by the recent reactions, having Matthew Horner as the spokesperson should greatly benefit our promotion."
Giovanni-Salvatore nodded. "Milan headquarters intends to contact the copyright holders to sign Matthew Horner as soon as possible. They aim to release the Armani Spartan commemorative collection in North America and Europe before '300 Spartans' is out of theaters."
"Good idea!" Donadoni clapped his hands. "The sooner, the better."
He slowed down slightly and added, "Judging from the North American box office results of the past few days, '300 Spartans' is likely to be this year's Hollywood blockbuster worldwide. Matthew Horner's Leonidas look might become a cinematic classic."
Giovanni-Salvatore agreed. "If that happens, Matthew Horner will be well-received by the public and maintain a high level of sophistication."
"Yes," Donadoni replied, reminding him, "Matthew Horner's sophistication isn't an issue. Remember, he's also the spokesperson for Mercedes-Benz and Rolex, and he's never endorsed lower-tier products."
Giovanni-Salvatore was aware of this, which was one reason Armani considered Matthew Horner a potential spokesperson.
Choosing a sophisticated yet widely accepted star was part of Armani's strategy, especially since this was for Armani's underwear line. If successful, the next step would involve men's ready-to-wear, not high fashion.
High fashion doesn't need a spokesperson.
Giovanni-Salvatore had enough awareness of Matthew Horner's broad appeal from '300 Spartans.' In just two days, the film grossed $38.5 million and $34.6 million, respectively. That was telling.
Donadoni added, "In just two days, '300 Spartans' grossed $73.1 million in North America, set to become the first R-rated film to exceed $100 million in its opening week."
Giovanni-Salvatore pondered and said, "Mr. Giorgio Armani gave a comment about Matthew Horner."
"Oh?" Donadoni was intrigued. Giorgio Armani seldom commented on company affairs. He couldn't help but ask, "What did Mr. Armani say?"
"Matthew Horner is very impressive," Giovanni-Salvatore explained. "That's what Mr. Armani said after reviewing Matthew Horner's credentials."
Donadoni nodded, saying no more. Giorgio Armani's high praise indicated Matthew Horner's exceptional qualities.
Soon, they arrived at a small building where a waiter was already waiting to lead them to a reception room.
Matthew and Helen Herman had arrived five minutes earlier. After a brief introduction by Donadoni, they got straight to the point.
Matthew glanced at Giovanni-Salvatore, recognizing him as the key figure from Armani.
It was Giovanni-Salvatore's first time meeting Matthew in person. He found him to be just as he appeared in promotional posters: tall, determined, a blend of wildness and maturity, exuding a distinct masculine charm.
Perhaps due to preconceived notions, Giovanni-Salvatore immediately felt that this Hollywood star was a perfect fit for the Armani brand.
Of course, he didn't say this outright.
Giovanni-Salvatore smiled and said, "Mr. Horner, as you might know, Armani is interested in inviting you to be our brand ambassador."
For negotiation purposes, he mentioned it as an intention rather than a decision.
"I'm honored," Matthew replied politely, smiling. "Armani is a high-end brand I greatly admire. If you've noticed, all the red carpet outfits I've worn in recent years have been from Armani."
His glance briefly flicked to Helen Herman beside him, understanding why she had always suggested he wear Armani on red carpets since reaching the A-list. Clearly, the Armani endorsement deal had been in the works for a long time.
"This meeting is primarily to clarify some preliminary conditions," Giovanni-Salvatore explained with gentlemanly grace. "Armani is a globally renowned brand. Every commercial cooperation aims for mutual benefit. We're interested in a long-term, win-win collaboration with you."
Matthew knew he hadn't finished speaking and remained silent.
Giovanni-Salvatore continued confidently, "For a long-term partnership, we hope you'll maintain your current physique without significant changes; if you get engaged or married, please notify Armani in advance; and when appearing in public, your outfits should primarily be Armani."
These prerequisites weren't excessive, similar to those set by Mercedes-Benz and Rolex. Matthew knew that if he didn't agree to these terms, there would be no formal negotiations.
Exchanging a look with Helen Herman, Matthew said, "Agreed."
Giovanni-Salvatore smiled and stood up. "I hope our subsequent negotiations will yield an ideal outcome."
Matthew was surprised by the brevity of the meeting but stood up and replied, "I hope so too."
Giovanni-Salvatore shook hands with Helen Herman first, then with Matthew, and left without further ado.
After they left, Matthew remarked to Helen Herman, "They brought us here just to say that."
Helen Herman seemed to find it normal. "Better than wasting time during negotiations."
Matthew shrugged. "Time is money," he muttered to himself, then asked, "Helen, how much do you think Armani will offer for the endorsement?"
"Not very high," Helen Herman replied knowledgeably. "It's just an underwear endorsement for now, probably no more than $5 million."
She sat back down on the sofa. "Securing the underwear endorsement is just our first step. Next, we aim for the men's ready-to-wear endorsement."
Matthew paced and said, "Hope it goes as smoothly as with Mercedes."
Helen Herman was silent for a moment, then added, "Slowly, we have many endorsements to pursue."
That was true. Stars like Tom Cruise and George Clooney were almost entirely covered in high-end endorsements.
Compared to them, Matthew felt he had a long way to go.
"By the way, Matthew," Helen Herman suddenly recalled yesterday's matter. "What's going on with Universal and 'Fast and Furious'?"
"I just think the series has lost its way," Matthew had to fabricate. "A different approach might make it a successful brand."
Helen Herman frowned. "Are you sure?"
Matthew shook his head. "How can anyone be completely sure? I talked to David Ellison, and he's interested. We're planning to see if we can buy the rights from Universal."
"Probably very difficult," Helen Herman said frankly. "The major studios rarely sell their film rights separately. It happens maybe two or three times a year."
That was also Matthew's concern. The major studios did occasionally sell film rights, but it was rare and expensive.
"If all else fails, we'll try to tempt them with a high price," Matthew suggested. "Let David Ellison handle it. If '300 Spartans' is a big hit, he'll have more funds."
Helen Herman nodded. "I'll ask around to see what the internal stance at Universal is."
"And one more thing," she added. "Oprah's side has confirmed. You'll be invited to Chicago within the week for the Oprah talk show."
Matthew nodded. Initially, he had hoped to appear on Oprah's show before '300 Spartans' premiered. However, due to scheduling conflicts, it was rescheduled for after the film's release as part of the post-release publicity.
Just as she finished speaking, Matthew's phone rang. He glanced at the screen and saw it was from King Leonidas, Nebula, notorious in Los Angeles. He quickly answered, listened for a few moments, and was left at a loss for words.
In less than half a minute, Matthew ended the call and told Helen Herman, "Contact Elena and Wilson, the lawyer. There's an issue with the Spartans in Los Angeles."
"What happened?" Helen Herman asked, concerned.
"A thief stole something at the Beverly Center and ran into Nebula," Matthew explained. "Nebula was dressed in my on-set gear and used the shield to knock the thief down. Now he's at the Beverly police station. Elena had TMZ paparazzi follow them, and it's all been caught on tape."
Helen Herman understood Matthew's meaning. "I'll call Wilson right away to send him to the police station. It should be fine. As for Elena..." She pondered briefly. "This is excellent publicity material. I'll see if she can hold it until tomorrow. The first-week box office isn't a problem. Releasing it tomorrow could boost weekday publicity."
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