In the following days, Zane Blackwood was extremely busy. He spent his time running between the movie set for 300 and his office, where he was trying to finish the scripts for four new TV shows!
Usually, a boss at his level would just let other people do the work for him. But he couldn't. His big partner, Paramount, was no longer on his team. This meant he had to be extra careful.
He felt like he was walking on a tightrope. One little mistake, and his whole new media empire, the Golden Dawn Group, could fall apart!
He had worked so hard to build this company from nothing. It was his passion. He loved making movies and TV shows. He would never let anyone take it away from him. He would not give up. He would fight for it.
...
On this day, Zane wasn't on the 300 movie set. Instead, he had been invited to a special preview screening of the new animated movie, A Bug's Life, hosted by his friends at Pixar.
"Hi, Old Bill!"
"Hi, Kevin!"
As Zane got out of his car, he spotted two of his top bosses at the entrance. It was Bill McNick (the new president of Wald Pictures) and Kevin Fitch (the vice president).
The three of them said hello and walked into the theater together. Zane also saw his friend, John Lasseter (the boss of Pixar), but the party was super crowded, so he didn't get a chance to chat.
Once they were seated, Zane asked, "Old Bill, Kevin, has Wald Pictures had any trouble lately?" (He was worried about Paramount.)
"Not yet," Kevin said.
Old Bill, who was much older and had seen it all, just smiled a wise, calm smile. "Boss, don't you worry," he said. "Kevin and I understand why you're concerned. It's Paramount. They're one of the 'Big Six' giants. We have to be smart about this."
Zane gave him a look. "You know how serious this is, and you're still so calm?"
Zane's two bosses were very different. Kevin was young and always respectful. But Old Bill... he was different. He was older and had so much experience. He didn't really need this job; he was just doing it because he loved it. Because of this, he often talked to Zane less like a boss and more like a... well, like a student!
Zane didn't mind at all. He knew the old man's wisdom was like gold.
"Boss," Bill said, "you have to understand, the 'Big Six' Hollywood studios are not a big, happy family. They compete with each other way more than they cooperate."
"We just stopped working with Paramount," he explained. "That doesn't mean we're enemies forever. And it doesn't mean the other five giants—Warner, Fox, Columbia, Disney, and Universal—are mad at us. In fact, they might even try to win us over to their side. They might want to be our new partner. That will give us plenty of time to grow."
Bill leaned in a little. "Also... it's not impossible for us to 'take the initiative' and make the first move."
"What do you mean?" Zane asked.
Bill just said one word: "DreamWorks!"
Zane and Kevin both understood instantly. They couldn't help but smile.
DreamWorks was the other new company in town, run by the famous Steven Spielberg. And all the "Big Six" studios hated them. DreamWorks was their real enemy.
"Yes," Zane said, "DreamWorks is the one all the big studios are fighting with. If they're busy drawing all the fire, we'll be under less pressure."
Kevin added, "We could even partner with DreamWorks on some things. That would make them fight the big studios even harder, and that would give us more time to grow!"
Zane, Bill, and Kevin all shared a smart, secret smile. They were all on the same page. It was a brilliant, simple plan.
...
ZANE turned his attention to the theater. A Bug's Life was a huge deal.
Pixar's first movie, Toy Story, had made over $1 billion in total, from tickets, toys, and everything else. It had made Pixar the most-watched animation company in the world.
So, everyone was here to see their second movie.
Zane saw Spielberg. He saw the CEOs of Fox, Warner, and Sony. This screening was a bigger deal than the Oscars! All the real giants of Hollywood were in this one room.
During this time, Zane also chatted with some of the other big bosses, like Mr. Murdoch (the head of Fox).
"Mr. Blackwood," Mr. Murdoch said in his light, powerful voice, "I see you hired Bill McNick, a man we... let go. That has made things a bit... awkward for us at Fox."
He was politely telling Zane that he wasn't happy about it.
Zane just put on his most humble, respectful, and charming smile.
"Mr. Murdoch," he said, his voice full of respect, "Old Bill is just a wonderful, retired gentleman who wanted to help our little company out. He's just enjoying his last few years in the business. If I've done anything wrong, sir, as my senior, you must tell me. I'm always looking for good advice."
Mr. Murdoch just stared at him. "..."
Zane's answer was so polite and so humble that Mr. Murdoch didn't know what to say! He couldn't yell at a young man who was being that nice and respectful.
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