The Hollywood Playbook Chapter 94 - 94

Water World Animation Studio.

Zane sat at the head of the long table. The room slled of marker pens and caffeine.

Stephen, the Studio Director, stood up. He looked like a man who hadn't slept in a week, but his eyes were bright.

"Boss," Stephen said, clicking a slide. "We have grown."

The Army:

90 Computer Graphic Artists.

15 Hand-Drawn Artists.

15 Screenwriters.

38 Support Staff.

Total: 158 Employees.

"And the universities?" Zane asked, tapping his pen.

"Locked in," Stephen nodded. "Stanford. Los Angeles Art Institute. If we need 50 artists tomorrow, we get them. No headhunting wars. No bidding wars."

Zane nodded. Victor's strategy was sound.

'Grow your own talent,' Zane thought. 'It's cheaper than stealing it. And they don't co with bad habits.'

The Money Pit.

"The projects?" Zane prompted.

Stephen pulled out a stack of storyboards.

"SpongeBob Season 2," Stephen reported. "Rough animation is done. Full season in three months."

"And Finding Nemo?"

Stephen hesitated. He looked at the budget sheet.

"80 people working on it," Stephen said, his voice dropping slightly. "It will take 3 years. And money... well, it's expensive."

The room went quiet.

Making movies is fun. Paying for them is terrifying. Independent subsidiary ant independent wallet. They couldn't just dip into Wald Pictures' bank account anymore.

'Nemo costs $63 million in the original tiline,' Zane calculated. 'That's cheap compared to the future. But right now? It's a mountain of cash.'

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Zane's finger hit the mahogany table.

"I'll give you $10 million," Zane decided, his voice cutting through the silence. "Seed money. The rest? You earn it from SpongeBob."

Stephen and David sser (Chief Screenwriter) nodded. They knew the score. SpongeBob was the cash cow. Nemo was the gamble.

"And Peppa Pig?" Zane asked, turning to David.

David laughed nervously. "Boss, it's been three months. We barely have a team."

Zane sighed.

'I'm impatient,' Zane admitted to himself. 'But Peppa Pig is a billion-dollar pink bacon slice. I want that money yesterday.'

The Old Friend.

SpongeBob Store. Los Angeles.

This was where it started. The sll of plush toys and plastic wrap brought back mories.

But Jas wasn't there.

"Where is he?" Zane asked Viasim, a clerk.

"You don't know?" Viasim looked surprised. "His mother, Alice. She's in the hospital."

Zane's heart skipped a beat. Alice. The woman who fed him when he had nothing. The woman who believed in him when he was just a kid with a crazy idea.

"Which hospital?"

The Hospital Room.

Zane burst into the room. Jas was sitting by the bed, looking tired.

"You bastard!" Zane whispered-shouted, grabbing Jas by the collar. "Why didn't you call ?!"

"I didn't want to bother you," Jas mumbled, looking at his shoes. "You're a CEO now."

"I'm your brother!" Zane snapped. "If Alice is sick, I am here. Period."

He checked Alice's chart. Osteoporosis flare-up. Painful, but not fatal. Zane let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Money?" Zane asked, pulling out his checkbook.

"I have enough," Jas protested.

"Shut up," Zane said, shoving a check into Jas' pocket. "Take it. Don't make punch you."

Jas looked at Zane. The hesitation in his eyes hurt.

'He thinks we are different now,' Zane realized with a pang of sadness. 'He sees the suit. The watch. He forgot the kid who used to sleep on his couch.'

The Resignation.

That night, they sat on Jas' porch. The city lights flickered in the distance.

"Zane," Jas said quietly, staring at his beer. "I can't do it."

"Can't do what?"

"The General Manager job. The chain stores. It's too big."

Zane looked at his friend. Jas was a good man. Loyal. Hardworking. But he was drowning.

'I tried to pull him up,' Zane thought. 'But I pulled him too high, too fast. He's suffocating.'

"I want to run one store," Jas admitted. "I want to take care of Mom and Lily. I don't want to run an empire."

Zane took a sip of his beer. He felt the weight of leadership. Sotis, being a good friend ans letting soone step down.

"Okay," Zane said softly. "You run the flagship. I'll find soone else for the chain."

Jas let out a long sigh of relief. The tension left his shoulders.

"Thanks, Zane."

The Spotlight.

The Next Day.

Zane adjusted his tie in the mirror.

No more shadows. No more "man behind the curtain."

Today, he was going on TV. UPN Network. Pri Ti Interview.

Zane Blackwood was stepping onto the stage.

'Showti,' Zane thought, flashing a confident smile at his reflection. 'Ti to sell the dream.'

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