Episode 134. One hit double skin.
end of April.
I found the Mobile Comics headquarters in New York, USA.
VP (Executive) Blake Campbell in charge of external publishing welcomed me.
The moment he saw his face for the first time, Blake held out his hand with a polite smile.
“hello. This is Blake Campbell.”
“Nice to meet you. I am Kang Jae-woon, the representative of Damoyeo.”
After sitting at the meeting table, the conversation continued.
I opened my mouth first.
“I am impressed with the manga published by your company. Especially the Iron Man series is a masterpiece.”
At those words, Blake’s face changed in favor.
“Because it’s Iron Man… I hear that kind of thing a lot, but when Mr. Kang, a foreigner, says so, it feels even more special.”
“haha. In front of masterpieces, borders mean nothing. Because your work is so good, I even thought that it would be good for more people to see this good manga.”
“Thank you for appreciating our work.”
“For letting me see this work, I should be more grateful. But how should I do that? Yes, it could be if the price of the book is lower than it is now. This is because the cost of materials and printing can be saved and the price can be lowered. That’s why I’m here to offer you an e-book publication for your cartoon content.”
Hearing my words, Blake answered with a troubled face.
“Hmm… I’m sorry to say this to those who have come this far, but internal discussions have already been made not to publish e-books.”
“What is the reason? As I just said, the price is competitive, so I think more people will see it.”
“At first glance, it is. However, even if a comic book is made into an e-book, the number of publications will not increase much. When people read comics, they usually read it in the most comfortable position possible, but e-books don’t do that. Few people read comic books with their necks stiff in front of a computer, so sales won’t increase that much. In addition, considering the risk of piracy, the number of copies sold may actually decrease. So we made that decision.”
“If that’s the case, then you don’t need to worry.”
‘What does that mean?’ He continued after placing the D-Tab in front of Blake, who was looking at me with his eyes.
“This is a product called D-Tab made by our company.”
“ah. I’ve seen this carried around by some of our younger employees. This is your product.”
“yes. What if you view e-books as this D-Tab rather than a regular PC? Whether lying down or lying down, you can view e-books in any comfortable position. It’s actually more convenient than reading a paper book. You can flip the screen just by touching it with your finger like this.”
Blake’s eyes lit up with surprise as I touched the picture with my finger and showed him to turn to the next page.
“..really… it must be.”
“Besides, we don’t have to worry about the threat of piracy. It can be completely prevented with DRM (Digital rights management) technology developed by us. This technology is already widely used for MP3 sound files. There has been no piracy problem so far, so you can rest assured.”
Blake thought about my words for a long time.
He shook his head again.
“I don’t think it’s a bad offer. However, there are still not many cases of books that are written as e-books. That’s because I’m worried about the side effects. We are not in such a desperate situation that we have to increase sales even by using unusual methods. If market conditions change, how about we talk again?”
I couldn’t wait for the market conditions to change like that.
It is because I can make money when I lead the market, and it is hard to see much fun when I enter a market led by others.
“I don’t have much patience. Would it be possible for me to meet with the President of Mobile Comics?”
Blake furrowed his eyebrows slightly as if offended by those words.
“Why the president? I also have the right to make any decisions. If I say no, the president will also say no, so there is no need to visit the president.”
“You have misunderstood. It’s not about ignoring Mr. Campbell. I said this because I wanted to make a new proposal to the president.”
“A new offer..?”
“yes. It’s like an offer to invest 150 million dollars in your company.”
Perhaps my words were too sudden, Campbell understood the meaning of my words only too late and gave a look of great surprise.
“..why are you paying such a huge amount to our company..?”
“That’s because we appreciate your potential. In any case, wouldn’t this be enough reason to see the president?”
Blake nodded politely.
“okay. I will talk to the president and make an appointment.”
“yes. I will be staying at a hotel near here, so please contact me.”
#After the fortunes of that day returned.
Blake went to see Tyler Reed, the president of Mobile Comics.
“Mr. Reed!”
Tyler, who was looking at the documents, raised his head.
“Blake. Did anything happen in the meeting with the young CEO from Damoyeo? Why is your expression so urgent?”
“He has made an offer to invest $150 million in our company.”
“..150 million dollars?”
“I don’t understand. Even if it was a few years ago, when the stock price plummeted, the total value of our company is less than $200 million… What was the reason?”
“I didn’t ask the detailed reason because it seemed like I wanted to speak directly to the president.”
Tyler nodded at that.
“Okay, tell me we’ll see each other tomorrow.”
#The next day, Moble Comics headquarters.
Following Blake’s guidance, he headed to the president’s office.
Inside, the walls were almost painted with numerous mobile comic books.
A man in his fifties sitting on a chair in front of the conference table looked at me and got up.
“Mr. Kang. hello. I’m Tyler Reed, president of Mobile Comics.”
“Nice to meet you. Mr. Reed.”
“yes. Please sit down.”
I sat down at the conference table and spoke.
“You may have heard from Mr. Campbell, but let me say it again. I want to invest 150 million dollars in your company.”
“Hmm…can I get more details?”
“yes. Mr. Reed, what do you think of the movie based on the mobile manga?”
“It’s very positive. One of our main sources of income is the royalties we received from selling comics rights. Shall we turn our cartoon into a movie?”
“haha. no. The price of buying the rights to make a movie is $15 million, let alone $150 million.”
“Mr. Reed. Aside from selling the rights to others, do you have any plans to make a movie yourself?”
“Our Mobile Comics itself?”
Tyler grinned.
“With or without thinking, our company is not big enough to make a film on its own. There is no parent company with a good cash mobilization ability like TC Comics, so it is difficult to raise funds first.”
“I’m investing to spend it there.”
“..are you saying that we should make a movie with that money?”
“yes. With that kind of money, you can make a movie with all kinds of fancy CG.”
Tyler thought for a moment, then looked up and looked at me.
I sensed the longing in his eyes and smiled.
Originally, Moble Comics received royalties instead of giving the rights to other studios, but at any rate, it was only about 5% of movie sales, so Tyler had to be dissatisfied.
Because he was also very interested in making movies.
Even if I don’t provoke myself like this, a few years later, Tyler created a subsidiary called Moble Entertainment to produce movies based on Moble’s cartoons.
“Mr. Reed. If you make your own movies, 100% of the revenue goes back to Mobble Comics here. Isn’t it a waste to only do good things for others with that great content?”
Finally, Tyler’s mouth opened.
“It’s a word that appeals to you. But what do I have to pay for receiving such a large amount of investment?”
“I want a 60% stake in Mobile Comics.”
It was not just that these conditions were placed on the publication of e-books for comics.
Later, with the success of the films, the stock price of Moble Comics jumped more than 40 times.
It was a proposal because he knew that the $150 million he had now invested would return tenfold or more.
“60%… well…”
Tyler asked after thinking for a while.
“Do you want to take control of Mobile Comics?”
“no. I do not intend to get involved in the management of the company at all. However, the right to publish e-books for mobile comics comics is essential.”
Even if he took over the management, he was thinking of delegating it to Tyler.
He was an excellent manager, and especially when it comes to movies, he was a person who showed unrivaled ability enough to boast an 80% success rate.
“It’s strange. You don’t even want management rights, so why did you ask for a 60% stake? Isn’t the amount too high to simply be the right to publish an e-book?”
“haha. I also told Mr Campbell yesterday, because he saw the potential of Mobile Comics high. It’s a proposal that also includes the right to publish an e-book and an investment in the future of Mobile Comics.”
At my words, Tyler fell into deep trouble again.
Eventually he nodded.
“All right. I accept your offer.”
“You thought well. Mr Reed. Then I look forward to the day when we can see the words Producer Moble on the screen of a movie theater.”
Tyler smiled with enthusiasm.
“yes. I will try to make a movie that can be said to be more interesting than the original.”
“haha. Please do so.”
While #Jaewoon is on a business trip to the United States.
Korean media reported that TM Display completed the world’s first 8th generation LCD line and started production.
Hwansung Group Chairman Yang Ki-moon’s office.
Hwansung Electronics LCD business manager Jeong Ho-man was bowing his head, unable to look ahead.
Cold sweat was forming on the back of his neck.
Yang Ki-moon’s icy voice forced his head to stand up.
“President Jung. What was the operating profit of the LCD division last year?”
It wasn’t a question I didn’t know.
“..530 billion deficit.”
Yang Ki-moon lightly tapped the desk.
tock tock.
“It’s a deficit of 530 billion won… Are you saying that I spent 530 billion of my money on a board that wasn’t enough even to make money?”
