The Hollywood Playbook

Just a few days after Zane announced the Spider-Man movie, his office was flooded with calls. Now that Blade was a hit, every investor wanted a piece of the next big superhero movie.

After looking at all the offers, Zane's company, Wald Pictures, carefully selected four new partners:

The Carlos Foundation (from Mexico's richest family).

Cinemanke (one of America's three biggest movie theater chains).

Daimler Automotive Group (the German company that makes Mercedes-Benz).

Mountain Capital (a giant investment company from India).

Zane's assistant, Alexander, was bursting with excitement.

"Boss, this is amazing!" he cheered. "With these four giant companies on our team, we won't just get the money to make the movie. We'll also get help putting our other movies in theaters all over the world!"

He was right. This was a huge win.

The Carlos Foundation promised to help get Zane's movies into theaters all over South America.

Cinemanke would make sure Spider-Man got a ton of screens in America. This was super important since Zane wasn't partners with Paramount anymore.

The Daimler car company was so excited. "Don't you worry about cars!" their boss said. "We will give you all the cars for the movie for free! And you want help in Europe? We can help with that, too! We'll even put it in the contract!"

...

The last partner, Mountain Capital from India, was a bit tricky.

Just a few weeks ago, they had refused to work with Zane. They had been badly cheated by another Hollywood company (DreamWorks) and were angry. They said, "We don't trust any of you Hollywood people!"

But now that Blade was a hit, they came running back, asking to invest.

Zane, honestly, was a little annoyed. He didn't want to just let them in after they had been so rude. But his CEO, Victor, calmed him down.

"Boss, please, you can't be willful about this," Victor had argued. "I know they were rude. But they are huge in Asia. We need them if we want to get our movies into theaters over there. Please, for the good of the company, let's set our personal feelings aside."

Zane knew Victor was right. A good leader had to do what was best for the company. He agreed.

...

On the 3rd, Victor held a big press conference. In front of all the reporters, he signed the contracts with all four new partners.

The total money raised was $140 million!

$30 million from the Carlos Foundation

$20 million from Cinemanke

$40 million from Daimler

$40 million from Mountain Capital

Zane's company, Wald Pictures, only had to put in $10 million of its own money!

To make everyone feel safe (especially after what DreamWorks did), Zane hired a giant American insurance company to watch over all the money. This showed all his new partners that he was an honest and trustworthy businessman.

As the producer, Zane's company got 5% of the final profits, plus a fee for distributing the movie. He made sure his fee was much fairer than what the "Big Six" giant studios usually charged.

"Compared to the other big studios," Zane thought to himself with a smile, "I'm definitely a 'conscientious' (good and honest) entrepreneur."

Of course, he did make sure that his company kept most of the other profits, like from toys and DVDs. But that was just standard, smart business in Hollywood!

...

With Spider-Man's money all sorted out, Zane decided to wait on Harry Potter.

He knew the Harry Potter book had just come out. He would let the book get more and more popular. Then, when it was a giant, worldwide hit, he would look for investors. He knew he'd be able to make an even better deal for his company.

Zane smiled. He was a very smart, and very patient, businessman.

Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, two months had gone by.

On the busy movie set of 300 Spartans, the director, Zack Snyder, shouted the magic word:

"Cut!"

He stood up and announced loudly, "I now declare that filming for 300 is complete. The film is officially wrapped!"

Cheers and applause exploded all over the set! Everyone—from the actors in their Spartan costumes to the camera crew—was hugging and high-fiving.

"Awesome!" someone shouted.

"We started this in December," one crew member said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "We picked actors in March, trained for 100 days... and now, four months of filming is finally done."

"It really wasn't easy!"

"Hey, it's not over yet," another reminded them. "The special effects will take another three or four months."

"Don't worry about that now!" Zane said, stepping forward with a big, charming smile. "Right now, we have to have the wrap party!"

Zane, who was known for being careful with his money, didn't disappoint his team today. He announced right there that he was throwing a huge, fancy party for everyone that very evening.

"Long live the boss!"

"Thank you, Mr. Blackwood!"

Zane smiled, soaking in the happiness of his team. He loved seeing them happy. In Hollywood, a wrap party is a tradition, and Zane was happy to keep it going.

That evening, the party was held at a five-star hotel. It was a private celebration just for the movie family.

At the dinner table, Zane sat with his top executives, Bill McNick and Kevin Fitch.

"Boss," Kevin said, "we have chosen the team to do the special effects for 300. We want to work with Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). But... they aren't cheap."

"Is that George Lucas's company?" Zane asked.

"Yes, boss."

Zane nodded with respect. Industrial Light & Magic was legendary. They were the ones who made the liquid-metal robot in Terminator 2. They were the ones who made the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park look so real you wanted to run away!

They were the best in the world. But... being the best meant they were expensive.

"Kevin, what is their price?" Zane asked.

"$15 million," Kevin replied. "And it will take them 4 months."

Zane frowned a little. That was a high price! 300 didn't need special effects in every scene. If it were any other company, Zane would have said no. But because it was ILM, he knew the quality would be perfect.

"Kevin," Zane said, his eyes lighting up with a smart idea. "Go talk to them again. Try to get the price under $10 million."

Kevin looked worried. "Boss, they are the best. They might not lower the price."

"They might," Zane said with a confident smile. "Don't forget, we have a bargaining chip. We haven't hired anyone to do the special effects for our giant $140 million movie, Spider-Man, yet."

Kevin's eyes went wide. Spider-Man would need at least $40 million in special effects work!

"If they give us a deal on 300," Zane explained, "they have a better chance of getting the huge Spider-Man contract later. It's a package deal."

It was a brilliant, fair move. Zane knew that George Lucas and his team would be very interested in Spider-Man.

...

"Oh, right," Zane asked, changing the subject. "I remember My Big Fat Greek Wedding finished filming. How is that going?"

"Yes, boss," Kevin nodded. "We are editing it now. It should be done by November. Since it's a romantic comedy, Bill and I plan to release it on Valentine's Day next year."

Zane smiled. That was smart. Romantic movies always make the most money on Valentine's Day!

"That's a great plan," Zane said. "But I have one more idea. While we release it in America, I want you to ask our new partners—the Carlos Foundation and Mountain Capital—to help us release it in other countries at the same time."

"Are you planning to test them?" Kevin asked. "To see if our new distribution network really works?"

"Exactly!" Zane said honestly. "We need to see what these big companies can really do for us. I don't want to wait until Spider-Man comes out to find any problems. Let's use this movie as a test run."

Zane was a very smart businessman. He never missed a chance to make his company stronger.

The next day, Zane woke up early. He knew it would be a busy day.

He wasn't the kind of boss who just sat on a beach. He cared about his work.

He needed updates from everyone:

The Golden Dawn Entertainment Group

The TV networks

The publishing company

The music company

The animation studio

Under Armour Sports

LinkedIn

The Manchester City soccer team

His bank

He had to check on everything. He trusted his managers, but he knew that a good owner always keeps his eyes open.

"The life of a wealthy man isn't easy!" Zane laughed to himself as he picked up the first report. But looking at all he had built, he couldn't help but smile.

Zane Blackwood arrived at Wald Pictures with a huge splash.

His team arrived in eleven cars. He had twelve security guards, all armed and ready. The lead car even carried some very heavy-duty protection equipment—Zane wanted to make sure everyone was safe.

He also brought his personal team: his lawyers, his accountants, and his assistants from the main Golden Dawn company. There were 18 people in total!

"My gosh!" a new employee gasped, looking out the window. "Where did this army come from?"

Even in Los Angeles, where rich people were everywhere, a team this big was rare.

"That's Mr. Blackwood's team," a veteran employee said, used to Zane's style. "He takes his work seriously."

The cars stopped. The twelve guards got out first, looking around carefully. Zane spent $3 million a year on safety, and these guys were the best.

Then, the legal and money teams got out. Finally, Alexander, the chief assistant, opened the door for Zane.

"Chairman!" "Mr. Blackwood!"

The staff outside the building waved and welcomed him. Inside, the bosses—President Bill McNick, Vice President Kevin Fitch, and all the department heads—stopped their work to come greet him.

"Boss!" they all said together.

Zane smiled a big, warm smile and waved his hand. "Everyone, I'm so sorry to disturb you! Today is just a routine check-up. Please, pretend I'm not here and keep doing your great work."

They all nodded and smiled back. But inside, they thought, Pretend you're not here? With an entrance like that? Impossible!

But they liked him, so they played along.

"David," Zane said to his lawyer, "please take your team and check all the new contracts with the legal department."

"And Martha," he said to his money expert, "you know the books here better than anyone. I'll leave the finances to you."

Contracts, money, and people. Zane knew that if he took care of these three things, his company would always run smoothly. He wanted to make sure everyone was connected and safe.

While his team went to work, Zane sat down with Bill and Kevin to drink some tea and catch up.

"Let's talk about the movies we've released lately," Zane said, taking a sip.

"Yes, boss!" Kevin Fitch reported eagerly. "Since late June, we have distributed six movies. Five of them were from other filmmakers. In North America, they made $45 million total. After paying for everything, we made a profit of $6.2 million."

"And," Kevin added, "our own movie, Memories, made $42 million in North America! We are still counting the final profit."

Kevin showed Zane the detailed report.

"Excellent!" Zane beamed, looking at the paper. "See? As long as you work hard, you get results. Don't be afraid to take risks. Be bold!"

Kevin nodded happily. He understood what Zane meant.

Earlier that year, Wald Pictures had been too scared to release movies. They had only released two in six months! That had upset Zane, because a company can't grow if it's scared. That was why he had hired Bill McNick to help guide them.

But now, under Bill's guidance, they had released six movies in less than half a year. That was huge progress!

Next, they talked about their plan to sell movies in other countries. Zane knew this was hard. It wouldn't happen overnight.

"Don't rush," Zane advised them kindly. "Be patient. Wald Pictures is famous in America, but we are still new overseas. We need to build a strong foundation."

He leaned forward. "We will use our giant movies—300, Spider-Man, and Harry Potter—to kick down the doors. Once those big hits open the market, our other movies can follow."

"Slow and steady groundwork, combined with giant blockbusters. That is our path."

Zane had learned from watching others fail. He knew that companies like DreamWorks had tried to go too fast and had made a lot of mistakes. He didn't want his team to suffer like that.

"I can give you time," Zane said, looking seriously at Bill and Kevin. "If three years isn't enough, take five. If five isn't enough, take ten! The most important thing is to stay calm and do it right."

Even though his team was smart, Zane always wanted to remind them not to be impatient.

...

At sunset, Zane and his team were getting ready to leave.

As they walked through the lobby of the Wald Building, a man with glasses stopped them. He looked a little nervous but determined.

"Excuse me," the man said. "I'm a director. My name is James Warren."

"I've only directed TV shows so far," James explained, "but I know I can make a great movie. This is my script. It's called... 'Final Destination.'"

Zane stopped. Final Destination?

"It's a horror movie," James continued quickly. "It mixes special ideas about fate with American style. Your company made Wrong Turn, The Human Purge Project, and The Sixth Sense. You guys are the masters of horror. I believe your company is the best choice for my movie."

Zane looked at the man, and then at the script. A slow, happy smile spread across his face.

Zane Blackwood, in his office, quickly received the information on James (who Zane now knew as James Warren).

James was born in Hong Kong but had moved to America when he was 10. He was a very talented director and writer.

In 1985, he wrote the funny movie The Boy Next Door.

In 1987, he made a TV show called Dragon and Tiger Boys (which was the show that made Johnny Depp famous!).

He also worked on the huge sci-fi show, The X-Files.

He was a real director, but mostly, people knew him as a writer.

In America, it was hard to become a movie director. You had to convince a studio to give you millions of dollars for your dream. Even the great James Cameron had struggled to get The Terminator made until a female director helped him out.

For James Warren, it was even harder because he wasn't white, and Hollywood could be unfair.

"Kevin," Zane said calmly, "I think the Final Destination script is actually quite good. Talk to him. If it works out, we might as well give him a chance."

Zane was a businessman. If someone could make him money, they were his friend!

"Yes, boss."

Zane knew that Final Destination was going to be a huge horror franchise, just like Texas Chainsaw Massacre or his own Wrong Turn. In the future, there would be six movies!

"I actually thought about stealing this idea myself a while ago," Zane thought. "But then I found out the script was already written way back in 1993! It was supposed to be an episode of The X-Files."

"But fate works in mysterious ways! I missed it back then because I didn't have the money. But today, it just walked right through my door. I'd be a fool to miss it again!"

Zane laughed to himself.

...

The Next Morning...

"Hello?" James Warren answered his phone.

"This is Kevin Fitch, Vice President of Wald Pictures."

"Oh! Mr. Fitch!" James said, suddenly very excited. "Yes! I have time! Of course! I'll come over right now!"

James went from shocked to smiling in a second. Getting a big movie studio to say "yes" was a dream come true.

That same afternoon, James signed the contract.

He sold the Final Destination script to Wald Pictures for $70,000. (He had bought the idea from the original writer for $55,000, so he made a nice profit!)

More importantly, he got the job as the director!

The budget for the movie was $20 million.

"Mr. Warren," Kevin promised, "please be patient. We expect to get the official 'green light' in December. If all goes well, we start shooting early next year."

"Thank you!" James said.

James was a "rookie" director now, but he would become famous. In 2001, he would make the cool sci-fi movie The One with Jet Li.

(Of course, Zane also knew that later, James would make the terrible Dragonball movie that flopped and almost ruined his career. Hollywood is tough! One bad movie can ruin everything.)

...

Soon, Zane got the news that the deal was done.

"Wrong Turn, The Human Purge Project, and now Final Destination..." Zane realized. "I'm becoming the king of horror movies! I'm following the same path as Lionsgate Pictures!"

"Wait!" he thought. "I'm actually stealing from New Line Cinema!"

In his old life, New Line was the studio that made Final Destination (and Lord of the Rings). They were doing great right now with Blade and Rush Hour.

(They were also known as "Hollywood's Darkest" company because they were famous for not paying their actors properly!)

...

Golden Dawn Music

Zane's next stop was his music company.

"Boss, welcome!"

Domino, the head of the music company, gave Zane a giant bear hug.

Zane felt a little stiff. Everyone knew Domino was gay, and Zane just wasn't a hugger!

But he smiled. Eminem, Beyoncé, and the other singers were also there, and they were very happy to see him. They all became stars because of Zane's "Got Talent" show, so they were very grateful.

Eminem was now the biggest star at the company. His first album sold 35 million copies! His second album, which came out in June, had already sold 18 million copies in just four months. He was a giant.

Beyoncé and her group, "Destiny's Child," were doing great, too. Their first album sold 8 million copies, and their second one was ready to go.

"Boss," Domino said, "let me introduce you to a new talent I just stole from another company. This is Britney Spears."

Zane nodded politely. He was always happy to meet new talent.

But when he saw the young, beautiful girl standing in front of him, he was shocked.

Darn! Domino is amazing!

Britney Spears! The famous Britney! The most famous female pop singer in the world!

Zane knew that in the future, she would be even bigger than Taylor Swift. She was the number one record-seller of the 21st century!

Zane was astonished.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Blackwood," Britney said with a sweet smile.

Zane Blackwood was feeling very proud of his company, Golden Dawn Music.

His show, America's Got Talent, was a huge hit! While there were magicians and comedians, most of the contestants were singers.

And Zane was smart. He used the show to find new stars! Besides the big names from the first season (like Eminem and Beyoncé), he had just signed three new singers from the second season. In just over a month, their new albums had already sold over 5 million copies!

This was all money—and fast money! Those three new singers had made $16 million for the company, just like that.

"Wow," Zane marveled. "This money is really good!"

In just one year (from the start of 1998 until now), his music company had made $390 million. After paying all the bills, the profit was $87.5 million. That was enough to make Golden Dawn Music one of the top ten biggest music companies!

"Wait... what?!" Zane said, looking at a report. "Domino, who is this JIVE Records? They are really impressive!"

Zane was surprised. A magazine called American Grammy Weekly had just listed the most profitable music companies. Zane's company was ranked 9th. But JIVE Records was ranked 5th!

JIVE Records was tiny! They had fewer than 50 employees. Zane's company had huge stars like Eminem. How was this tiny company making even more money than him?

"JIVE is small, boss," Domino said, sounding a little jealous. "But they discovered two giant boy bands: the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC. Teenagers in America love them. Any company that owns them is going to be rich."

Backstreet Boys? NSYNC? Zane knew them from his old life. Their songs were huge hits.

"What darn luck!" Zane said, feeling a little jealous himself.

Domino didn't say anything, but he was thinking, Boss, everyone else thinks YOU are the lucky one!

And it was true. Zane had Eminem, Beyoncé, and the new superstar, Britney Spears. Each one of them was going to be famous for years!

"Domino," Zane asked, "are boy bands really that profitable right now?"

"Yes!" Domino said confidently. "Since 1996, bands like that make more money every year. They are growing by 15% every year!"

Zane nodded. This was fast money. In the late 90s, before people could download music online, selling CDs made a staggering amount of money.

Ding Dong!

Suddenly, the familiar sound of the system chimed in Zane's head! It had been quiet for half a year.

[Congratulations, Host! You have a new future tip.]

"Darn!" Zane thought, excited. "Finally!"

[On October 1st, the rock band Linkin Park was dropped by Warner Records. You can buy them now.]

Linkin Park!!!

Zane knew them well. They weren't just a rock band; they were going to be the most popular rock band of the early 2000s. Their songs would be everywhere.

What could Zane say? "Of course I'll invite them to join us!"

...

Somewhere in Los Angeles...

The band was having a meeting.

"Everyone, what do you think?" asked Chester Bennington, the lead singer.

Brad, the guitarist, stood up first. "I think we should say yes to Golden Dawn Records. Warner Records didn't want us, so why should we care about them?"

The other band members agreed. If one place didn't want them, another place would! Rock stars are proud like that.

"Done!" Chester said decisively.

And just like that, the future superstars, Linkin Park, joined Zane's company. Zane had just found another cash cow!

...

Water World Animation Studio

"David, Stephen," Zane asked, looking surprised, "are you sure 'Finding Nemo' will be done early next year?"

"That's right!" said David, the head writer. "We wanted it to be perfect, so we took our time. But it's ready."

Stephen, the studio chief, added, "We spent six months filming the real ocean in Australia to get it right. That's why it took so long."

Zane was so excited! He knew Finding Nemo was going to be a monster hit. In his old life, it made $860 million and won the Oscar for Best Animated Movie. Plus, it sold tons of toys and DVDs.

And best of all, there would be a sequel (a second movie) years later that would make another $730 million!

"Finish it as soon as you can!" Zane said happily. "I'll talk to the theaters. We'll release it in the summer or at Thanksgiving!"

"Okay, boss!" Stephen and David cheered.

They were excited, too. They had been working on Finding Nemo for two and a half years. It was a long, hard road, but with Zane's help, they had done it.

------------------------------

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