Chapter 13: Vivid Entertainment
After lunch, William sat in his office, looking at the slip of paper in his hand.
It was Catherine's phone number.
The message was straightforward—
if there were any opportunities in the future, he could contact them.
Without realizing it, William had become a resource within the circle—
at least to newcomers like them.
He shook his head, tossed the note into a drawer, and went back to work.
Until he secured his first real sum of capital, everything else was just an illusion.
Pushing thoughts of Catherine and Jennifer out of his mind, William quickly slipped back into full work mode.
By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, he had finally completed his first finished work in this world.
The American Soldier's Wife and Her Black Neighbor.
A film that challenged prevailing sensibilities.
By his estimate, the Los Angeles racial riots were only a little over two years away.
This film landed squarely in a period of growing racial tension.
And works that carried controversy were often the ones most likely to explode in popularity.
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A night passed.
The next day, William arrived at the offices of Vivid Entertainment, carrying the master tape he had finished the day before.
Compared to the industry giant it would later become, Vivid was still an obscure Adult Valley company.
Calling it an "office" was generous—it was really just a small room with a dozen or so employees, plus a separate enclosed office.
"Hello—can I help you?"
A woman seated at the desk closest to the door stood up when she saw a stranger enter.
"Hello," William replied calmly.
"I have an appointment with Mr. Hirsch."
The day before, after completing the master cut, William had already decided to approach Vivid Entertainment.
The reason was simple—
Their philosophy aligned with his own:
films of this category shouldn't rely solely on shock value or classification alone.
A film needed a story, and it needed a certain artistic quality, to truly be considered outstanding.
On that point, Vivid Entertainment's philosophy aligned closely with William's.
"Oh—then you must be Mr. Blake," the woman said with a smile.
"Please have a seat for a moment. I'll let Mr. Hirsch know you're here."
She gestured toward a small sofa nearby.
After a short wait, a man about 5'9", of average build with slightly gaunt cheeks, walked out.
"Mr. Blake, welcome," he said warmly.
Hirsch placed great importance on studio owners who actively submitted their own work.
After all, Vivid was still too small to independently handle content production.
To him, William's value lay not only in the master tape—but in the production company behind it.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Hirsch," William replied.
They shook hands, and Hirsch led him into his office.
Calling it an "office" was generous—it was closer to a small screening room.
"Please, have a seat," Hirsch said enthusiastically.
Soon after, the receptionist brought in a cup of coffee and placed it in front of William.
"Mr. Blake," Hirsch said frankly,
"forgive my directness—but may I ask whether your studio currently has the capacity to take on production work?"
He looked at William expectantly.
William wasn't bothered by the bluntness.
He simply shook his head.
"Before we discuss that," he said calmly,
"why don't we take a look at the tape I brought?"
As he spoke, William handed over the master tape of
The American Soldier's Wife and Her Black Neighbor.
Hirsch accepted it, though to be honest, his expectations were low.
William owned a studio, yes—but he'd never heard of any prior work.
Compared to the film itself, Hirsch was far more interested in William's expensive equipment.
Still, since the tape had been offered, it would've been rude not to watch it.
In fact, Hirsch had already planned ahead—
Even if this release lost money, he could later persuade William to cooperate on production.
And once Vivid grew strong enough, perhaps even acquire William's studio as a subsidiary.
After all, in this era of American optimism, everyone had ambition.
The tape slid into the machine.
Hirsch switched on the projector, pulled over a chair, and sat down—
initially watching with thinly veiled skepticism.
But as the film unfolded, the steadily building narrative began to draw him in.
William, seated nearby, noticed the changes in Hirsch's expression—
Confusion.
Anger.
Resentment.
And finally—
A trace of excitement.
Something darker.
Almost twisted.
William knew it then.
The film had landed.
When the screening ended, Hirsch remained seated, staring at the now-blank screen.
He didn't move for several minutes.
Then suddenly, he jumped up and rushed toward William, grabbing both his hands tightly.
"Mr. Blake—no—Director!
This is art!
This is true art!
A treasure like this—
You must let our company handle the distribution!"
Hirsch's eyes gleamed, like a lone wolf spotting prey in the forest.
To be honest, even William was startled by that look.
"Easy," William said dryly.
"Could you let go first, Mr. Hirsch?"
Only then did Hirsch realize his lapse and quickly released him.
William discreetly wiped his hands on his jacket.
"Mr. Hirsch," William continued,
"I came here today precisely because I intend to let Vivid distribute this film."
He decided not to waste time.
"However, I urgently need capital.
So I'd like to structure the deal as an advance plus profit-sharing arrangement."
"My initial proposal is 50% of net profit after costs."
Frankly, it was a fair request.
Not excessive at all.
Hirsch nodded after hearing it.
"In principle, I agree. But the size of the advance—?"
"I think $100,000 is a reasonable number."
In this era, that was an astronomical figure.
But William was confident—
this film was worth it.
At this moment in time, it was entirely unique.
Without access to the original footage, replicating its techniques would be impossible.
Which meant the first sale had to be premium-priced.
"Mr. Blake," Hirsch said carefully,
"that figure exceeds my expectations. I'll need to discuss it with the others."
Before he could finish, William cut in calmly:
"Mr. Hirsch, you should understand—
if you miss this opportunity, there won't be another.
Vivid isn't the only adult entertainment company in Adult Valley."
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