In the meeting room on 66th Street in the Upper West Side, Simon, who was increasingly focused on efficiency, was relieved that he hadn't made a hasty decision.
Everyone was freely offering their ideas, and various suggestions helped Simon see things in a new light.
Although they couldn't obtain the online broadcasting rights for the current Olympics, Igret could take advantage of the event's popularity and acquire footage from previous Olympic games. This would allow them to carefully select highlights and create various compilations.
An ABC executive also suggested that Igret's attempt to purchase the online broadcasting rights for this year's Olympics was a mistake.
This went against YouTube's business model, which focused solely on being a platform.
This made Simon reflect as well.
As the discussion on this topic concluded, Simon glanced at a Chinese idiom on a document in front of him: "A wise ruler listens to all sides." He quickly erased it.
The small interruption at the start had prompted Simon to extend the discussion time for subsequent topics. The meeting didn't end until 5 p.m., the normal end of the workday.
With collective brainstorming, the group came up with numerous new ideas for how to capitalize on the Olympic Games, building on the original plans. This prompted Jeff Bezos, who had initially planned to leave the next morning, to change his schedule and stay until the afternoon.
After the meeting, Simon walked out of the red-brick building, which now served as the headquarters for Daenerys Entertainment's East Coast operations, alongside Bezos and Iger.
As they discussed work-related matters, Iger asked, "Simon, we're hosting a reception tonight for both of our teams. Will you be joining us?"
Simon shook his head. "I have dinner plans with Mickey Kantor."
Hearing the name, Bezos, walking on the other side, instinctively responded, "The new Secretary of Commerce?"
"Yes."
Had it not been for this appointment, Simon wouldn't have finished work on time and likely would've scheduled more meetings.
The matter concerned Simon's upcoming trip to China.
The Westeros system was fully prepared, but there were problems on the Washington side. Earlier this month, on April 3rd, Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, leading a U.S. trade and investment delegation to the Balkans, died in a plane crash in Croatia along with 35 others onboard.
The public stories and conspiracy theories surrounding the crash were left unsaid. Regardless, Clinton's administration had seen its share of oddities during his eight years in office. And just last Friday, on April 12th, the president swiftly signed off on the appointment of the new Secretary of Commerce, Mickey Kantor.
Kantor was a close ally of the president. He had served as Clinton's campaign chairman during the 1992 election and was later appointed as U.S. Trade Representative, where he was involved in significant international economic matters like the WTO negotiations and U.S.-Japan automotive trade talks.
Simon had read up on Kantor.
His evaluation: mediocre.
Mickey Kantor, a lawyer by training, was skilled in politics but less so in economics. The U.S.-Japan auto trade negotiations he led were a prime example of this.
In the last 20 years, the U.S. had held two major trade negotiations with Japan. The first, over semiconductors, dealt a severe blow to Japan's semiconductor industry, indirectly leading to the rise of South Korea's industry, though the U.S. didn't gain much as its own semiconductor production moved offshore.
The more recent negotiation was last year's U.S.-Japan auto trade talks.
Although both sides reached an agreement at the last moment, the U.S. essentially lost. Japan preserved its auto industry, which remained strong for years, while the American auto industry continued its decline. The failure of the U.S. negotiating strategy was a significant factor.
Mickey Kantor had been in charge of that negotiation.
Simon found this amusing.
When dealing with the government, Simon preferred to interact with less astute individuals. While anyone who made it to the upper echelons of power wasn't simple-minded, someone more mediocre was preferable to someone too clever.
As the trio continued chatting, along with their assistants, they entered the elevator.
They were on the 10th floor. When the elevator stopped on the 8th, a group of well-dressed women, their makeup flawless, appeared before them. Among them were Cathy Hilton and Kris Jenner, clearly part of the cast of The Real Housewives of New York. The women had been chatting until they noticed Simon in the elevator, and they all stopped to look.
Before they could greet him, Kris Jenner was the first to react. The elevator, which already held Simon, Iger, Bezos, and a few others, had room for only one or two more. Kris Jenner quickly secured a spot, and Cathy Hilton, after a brief hesitation, followed.
Standing beside one of the men, Kris smiled back at the women outside the elevator. "Sorry, ladies. You'll have to wait for the next one."
As the elevator began its descent, Kris turned to Simon and said, "Mr. Westeros, so nice to see you again."
Simon smiled. "Yes, it is. What are you all up to today?"
Kris replied, "We're here to record an interview for this season of The Real Housewives of New York, which is about to wrap up."
"Oh, I've seen the ratings report. It's been a great season."
"Thank you."
Seeing Kris chatting so comfortably with Simon, Cathy Hilton, who had been in subtle competition with her since joining the show, quickly got over her earlier hesitation and jumped into the conversation. "Simon, I heard you're going to China soon?"
"Ha, even you've heard?"
Simon had hoped to keep his trip low-profile, but word had clearly spread.
Kris immediately jumped back into the conversation. "I've heard China is amazing. I'd love to visit someday. Simon, where do you think I should go first if I ever make the trip?"
Simon, catching the scent of perfume mixed with something else as he stood beside the women, glanced briefly at Kris' chest and casually replied, "I don't know much myself, but you definitely can't miss the Great Wall."
Noticing his glance, Kris' smile became even more flirtatious. Just as she was about to continue the conversation, the elevator doors opened.
They had reached the basement level.
Iger, Bezos, and the others quickly left. Simon, accompanied by two bodyguards, A-girl, Kris Jenner, and Cathy Hilton, followed.
Noticing the two women looking hesitant, Simon asked, "Did you drive here?"
Kris responded without hesitation, "No, parking is tough here. We took a cab. Simon, can we hitch a ride?"
"Of course." Simon gestured toward two identical black Mercedes. A bodyguard opened one of the doors for him. "You can take the other car. The driver will take you home."
For safety reasons, Simon always had a team of four bodyguards, so there were at least two cars.
But Kris followed him. "Simon, can I ride with you? We could chat some more."
"We might not be headed in the same direction."
"We definitely are."
With that, seeing that Simon didn't object, Kris Jenner quickly climbed into the car. Cathy Hilton, who had initially intended to take the other car, was provoked by Kris' final glance and, despite her reservations, decided to join them. Seeing Cathy approaching, Kris smugly tapped the center armrest of the luxury car's back seat. "If you're getting in, you'll have to sit up front."
Just as she spoke, A-girl had already taken the front seat.
Feeling even more pleased, Kris raised her eyebrows at Cathy. But soon, Simon's voice cut in, "You're both women. Squeezing in together shouldn't be a problem."
Cathy, no slouch when it came to maneuvering her way into elite circles, was initially hesitant. However, stung by Kris' provocation, she quickly squeezed in.
As the car started, Simon glanced at the two women crammed next to each other in the back seat and raised the partition between the front and rear. "I've got an important dinner at six, and it wouldn't be appropriate for you to join. But I can arrange for you to dine at the same venue—it's a private club."
The two women exchanged glances. Kris was the first to speak, her voice teasing as she subtly glanced at Simon, "Simon, I'm in no rush to head home after dinner."
Simon chuckled, looking at the woman beside him, who was just over 40 and still maintaining her fair skin, unmarred by the over-tanning trend. "By the way, didn't you just have a baby last year?"
"A girl," Kris replied. "Though it was more Bruce who wanted the child."
Simon's gaze unconsciously drifted lower. "What's her name?"
"Kendall. Bruce picked it out. It means 'Valley of Light.' It's a bit obscure, though. I thought a name like Kelly would've been better, but he's the father, after all."
"Actually, it's not bad. I prefer unique names myself."
As Simon said this, his expression turned a bit strange. Kendall Jenner.
Since his arrival, many things had changed. And given the probabilities involved, this Kendall was definitely not the same person she would have been. After the summer of 1986, it was clear that even with just the name in common, the rest would likely be different. But then again, considering that Kris Jenner was an ex-stewardess and Bruce Jenner had the physique of an Olympic champion, their children were bound to be good-looking.
The original Kendall and Kylie were both top-tier beauties as children, as seen in Keeping Up with the Kardashians
. Kendall later became the only truly attractive member of the Kardashian family, while Kylie, on the other hand, transformed herself into a Kim Kardashian look-alike through surgery.
Kris noticed the slight change in Simon's expression but didn't dwell on it. Instead, his words gave her another idea. "Simon, I've heard that you named Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith's daughter, Dakota Johnson. People say you're her godfather?"
Simon recalled the widely circulated Hollywood gossip.
Just like how Spielberg had a long list of goddaughters, Simon had given the name to a certain little girl and attended her baptism, which led to the rumor that he was Dakota Johnson's godfather. Thinking about how the little girl was now seven and how they hadn't met more than a few times, Simon didn't bother to clarify.
Besides... well, someone did enjoy playing the father figure.
Seeing Simon only smile without refuting it, Kris shifted slightly closer to him. "Simon, you've been on the East Coast a lot lately. How about tomorrow? I'm hosting a party at my place, and you could come by and meet Kendall—she's a really cute little girl."
Simon shook his head. "I'm heading back to the West Coast tomorrow morning."
Kris thought it was an excuse. "If I remember correctly, Melisandre premieres on the 19th. You'll be attending, right?"
"Yes, but I'll fly back in time for it."
Lately, Simon had been extremely busy. He needed to fly to San Francisco tomorrow, then return to Los Angeles, and on Friday, he would fly back to New York for the Melisandre premiere. On Saturday, he'd leave for China, arriving on Sunday local time, and after a packed schedule on Monday and Tuesday, he could finally take a brief rest.
Many elite figures led lives like this, constantly traveling. Simon still had it relatively easy.
Of course, he had considered slowing down, but some things couldn't simply be ignored. The Westeros system had grown too large. Even if Simon didn't care about monetary losses, being a hands-off leader could lead to unexpected crises and a potential domino effect.
Many large companies had collapsed due to a lack of attention from their leaders.
However, things wouldn't always be this way. The Westeros system was highly visible right now, with its business interests still relatively concentrated, particularly in technology and entertainment. Letting go of the financial side, though, would be like sitting on a ticking time bomb. But once the Westeros system's strategy of integrating with the U.S. economy progressed smoothly, the more it advanced, the more Simon could step away from the complex day-to-day operations.
At that point, the risks faced by the Westeros system would be the same as those faced by the U.S. economy. And since the dollar held sway over the world, it would, in turn, become a global risk. To avoid being affected by these risks, countless people would, willingly or unwillingly, protect the interests of the Westeros system.
Kris hadn't expected Simon to accept her invitation, so she quickly gave up and shifted the topic. "By the way, Simon, I've been uploading some videos to YouTube recently using the iRec-10 that Tingkobel released. The views are pretty good. Do you really think this could be something worth developing?"
The iRec-10 digital camera had only been on sale since April 5th, just ten days ago.
But in that time, the initial stock of two million units sold out immediately, and Tingkobel's supply chain was working overtime to meet demand. Global sales had already surpassed 2.5 million units.
This camera, as a piece of internet-connected hardware, combined with Igret's collaboration, meant that millions of new content creators had sprung up overnight. Even though regular users on YouTube faced storage limits, they could always delete old content or create new accounts. As a result, the platform saw a significant surge in content creation, as well as in users who just browsed videos.
Many had spotted the opportunity.
At Elite, under Simon's guidance, Grace had already launched a new media operations department over a year ago, starting a plan to nurture internet celebrities.
Unlike Instagram, where monetization primarily came through marketing partnerships, YouTube allowed creators to earn direct ad revenue, though sponsorships were still a major source of income. Now was the perfect time to jump in and grab more resources before others even realized the potential.
In the original timeline, the internet celebrity economy didn't take off until the mobile internet era. Before that, influencers existed, but they struggled to make money.
The core issue was the lack of a mature business model.
Simon had now directly pointed Grace in the right direction—how to train internet celebrities, how to monetize their following, how to engage in product placement, and how to manage different platforms like social media and video channels. In the future, Elite could likely produce a string of top-tier influencers who would earn millions annually, just from the YouTube platform.
That's about the same income as the highest-paid models currently earn.
This shift toward becoming a more diversified company was a smart move for Elite. The film and sports industries were already dominated by entrenched players, but the internet, still a relatively untapped market, offered vast potential for growth.
And once Elite succeeded, others would surely follow.
These content creators could earn money from the internet while also enriching the broader ecosystem.
In the car.
Hearing Kris' question, Simon thought of how omnipresent the Kardashians had once been. That too was content, so he didn't mind giving her a few tips. "Of course, it's a huge opportunity. Unlike TV, which is limited by region, the internet is global. There are already 500 million internet users worldwide—almost twice the U.S. population—and they're mainly middle to upper-class consumers with high spending power. Just look at Igret's market value, and you'll see how much potential there is in this field."
Kris' eyes lit up as Simon spoke, and even Cathy Hilton, who had been quiet, perked up.
"But Simon, I have no idea where to start. Can you explain it to me?"
"Just take a closer look at YouTube's channel categories. It's already pretty clear. Fashion, food, fitness, travel—you just need to focus on one thing, understand what your audience wants, and make content that appeals to them. Once you build up a subscriber base of a few million, you'll be making more than you are from reality TV."
Cathy Hilton finally jumped in with a question. "Simon, what do you think I should do?"
"Simple. Stick with reality TV. You're already quite familiar with it. Of course, it might conflict with the show you're currently on, but you can get around that by being creative," Simon said, pointing to Cathy. "For example, didn't you start an interior design studio? You could create a reality show around that. It would fall under the home improvement category. But remember, it can't be too technical or professional. Viewers won't like that."
Cathy seemed to be catching on.
Kris quickly chimed in, "Simon, what about me?"
Simon gave her a quick glance, feeling a bit mischievous. "You've got four daughters now, right?"
"Uh… yes."
"Then you should do a reality show centered around them. And since it's an online platform, you have a lot of creative freedom, and the costs are low. You could shoot everything at home with just a handheld camera. At most, you'd need to hire a video editor. Each episode doesn't need to be too long either. In fact, too long, and people won't watch. Ten minutes or so is perfect."
Kris still didn't quite get it. "But Simon, I'm not sure how to make it happen. Can you give me a more specific example?"
Simon didn't hesitate. "Get a camera, pull your daughter in front of it, and say, 'Hi, everyone, I'm Kim Kardashian, and my dog just had puppies. Let me show you!'"
"…"
"…"
The two women stared at him, utterly perplexed.
What was that?
Simon sighed and tried again. "Alright, here's another one. Get a camera, pull your daughter in front of it, and say, 'Hi, everyone, I'm Paris Hilton, and today I'm sharing a delicious recipe for grilled chicken wings.'"
"…"
"…"
Sigh. Such hopeless cases.
Feeling that such good ideas were being wasted on them, Simon ignored the two dazed women and pulled out his phone. After a moment, Grace answered in a hushed but happy tone, "Simon, what made you think of calling me?"
"I had an idea. Listen carefully."
He repeated the suggestions he'd just given.
Grace, clearly more in tune with his thinking, laughed and agreed to quickly put together a prototype and send it to Simon for feedback.
Although the two women couldn't tell who Simon was talking to, his seriousness made them pay closer attention.
After all, this was advice from Simon Westeros.
Even if it seemed a bit outlandish, what if it worked? Besides, as he had pointed out, the costs were low. Even if they failed, it wouldn't be a big loss.
Coincidentally, The Real Housewives of New York was about to wrap for the season, leaving the summer free. With a few months of downtime, both women, who were ambitious and smart enough, also had plenty of daughters to put in front of the camera and give it a shot.
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