confidential
Jim Gianopulus had been in office for less than six months, but the company trusted him as if he had years of experience. The way he hired his colleagues, who had been reprimanded after the alleged betrayal by Jim, hired by Anne based solely on the trust they placed in him, and how he allowed himself to lead the film projects, it was clear that his bet was not in vain. To win a position as director and to have some say in casting decisions is a great favor in itself. Along with Jim Wait and others, they can leverage this through requests for favors, agreements, and other industry niceties.
Billy took the early morning route, arriving at the office before the sun rose, noting that spring was approaching, and he devoted himself to sketching some ideas he had in mind, to pay attention to the meeting he had later in the morning with his entertainment director.
The purchasing system was straightforward, and the availability of series he had lost. But he still had time to pitch a movie and cause trouble in the Disney and Warner boardrooms.
"Mulan – 25 points."
"Osmosis John – 15 points."
Through an operational idea, he would launch some teasers ahead of schedule, sponsored in a familiar manner, resources after time, and credits after the movie. Using Mulan immediately is just hitting Disney, and Osmosis John is hitting Warner. But if he can take away Harry Potter and Matrix from them, it's enough to ease his grudges against Warner.
-Mr. President, I'm glad we could meet. Congratulations on your film 'Before Dawn'; it won an award for Best Picture, and the reviews were assertive, mostly positive. It has a good outcome, - Jim commented, shaking hands with Billy as he entered.
-Jim, I see you've been very active - Billy responded, reading the brief report Jim handed him.
-I'm just doing my job. By the way, the success of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' is considerable. The revenues received have been substantial, and we have promotions to license the program in other countries, -Jim replied, revising only the advertising margin, which was at least three or four million in the last three months, as well as licenses valued at $700,000 in England, $400,000 in India, and $380,000 in Russia, along with smaller percentages in advertising.
-Let's accept all the country-by-country licenses, - Billy replied, surprising Jim! The last time he spoke with Billy, he mentioned wanting to make money, exploit the market, call in favors, and invest more money, and now, he only accepts some less relevant offers.
-What's your reasoning? Don't get me wrong, I thought you'd squeeze people, or perhaps have a public offering, ask for favors, or go against people, - said Jim Gianopulus.
-Reasoning, reasoning, this and that... you can give out all the licenses you want. Remember that the use of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' is a profit not only from the programs but also from games. If millions of people worldwide know our brand Lux Animation, ID Software, it's enough for me. I'm establishing a lasting brand, something that invites many to think... I've seen this somewhere before. That's why I want to make money; from a simple idea, we've made connections. You approached CBS, and I assume we paid for seasons of 'Friends' and 'ER,' two series we wanted, and now we can keep buying other series, like 'CSI' or other new series, perhaps independent films to add to your lineup, - Billy commented, still doubtful.
-Well, we only have a tentative offer for three seasons, - added Jim Gianopulus.
-It's true; we have a significant offer for both series... if you can increase the budget and improve the offer to buy them, do it. I can make some money acting and invest it in those series, perhaps bid for 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'; it's a perfect series for our company, - Billy replied.
Jim sighed internally; Billy's ambition and greed were refreshing and always made him question things. Accumulating and accumulating is bad; there's no market to publish all the series, and it's illogical to do so. Therefore, two series are more than enough, while he continues to buy movies and collect.
A new program, a reality show, a reality show containing its drama, the idea is risky, and money is being thrown series after series. With at least six fixed series and 20 movies, it's possible to launch a TV channel, with five to six movies per year and one good series, the channel can sustain itself for two or three more years.
-I'll do what you ask, as long as it's logical. Our previous conversation gave me an idea to buy channels from the competition, - Jim Gianopulus replied with some wisdom, still having two ideas he didn't want to discuss yet, but the questioning gesture, hand on chin, furrowed brow, along with the tic, clearly signaled his distrust of Billy.
He took a long sheet, jotting down a short paragraph, then signed it broadly and took his pen. Handing the sheet to Jim Gianopulus, it read as follows:
"On the contrary, Billy Carson, President of Jim Gianopulus, offers to share information about Netflix and disclose Netflix's secrets under a confidentiality agreement. The penalty for breaching this agreement is the value of the Netflix company, which in Billy Carson's eyes is five billion dollars.
Accept. X----------------------------------""
The sheet was clear, the information was top-secret, even more so than secret. The conversation continued, and Billy called Erwin, who brought a device capable of identifying recording errors, a large gadget that scanned the entire room, and even the technology equipment. Along with it, he took a vinyl record, and Elvis's music started playing in the room.
-Are you willing to sign it? - Billy commented, giving a nod to Erwin, who then left the room.
Jim pondered everything, but there was something more, a fear creeping through his body in the face of the wonderful contract; it was undoubtedly a confirmed fear. His boss continued to act mysteriously. Jim took a pen and signed, as Elvis's song drowned out the noise. In a minute, a woman arrived, Anne the CEO, entered the room with some fury. Seeing Jim's serious gaze as he signed something, she feared the worst but remained silent, entering with her usual calmness, though with some fear, as Erwin ushered her in and stood at the door.
-Close the door securely, Anne, and come closer, - Billy commented, writing another announcement, taking the pen, and quickly dialing a number for Anne.
"On the contrary, Billy Carson, President of Anne Hall, offers to share information about Netflix and disclose Netflix's secrets under a confidentiality agreement. The penalty for breaching this agreement is the value of the Netflix company, which in Billy Carson's eyes is five billion dollars.
Accept. X----------------------------------"
-Take a seat, dear. You once said you wanted to know the future of the company; now I can tell you, as long as you sign the contract, a mere formality for someone like you. But it never hurts to be cautious, - Billy commented, opening the window as the wind picked up and Elvis's song filled the room. He disconnected the technology equipment, as Erwin explained, and continued with an attitude that caused distrust in both Anne and Jim.
-I have a feeling someone is listening to my conversations, or at least has some idea that something strange is happening, - Billy commented, that after someone investigated his email company, the information could be relevant and gave him logical ideas about possible corporate fraud or a competitor's ruse. He added cameras and tightened security with Erwin.
-I'll sign, but I have doubts, you're scaring me with all this, - Anne replied, quickly signing.
-Now that we're here, let's take a closer look. For a long time, I've realized that the internet will develop in the next twenty years in a way you would doubt, but it's true and we shouldn't deny it, - Billy said, taking a sheet and creating a Netflix homepage from memory.
-Before you know it, you should know that according to my analysis in the last year, I didn't expect technology companies to start growing so evenly. Investments have skyrocketed, so I believe that by 1999 or 2000, the performance of stocks will be at 4000% or more. Where there's money, there's a will. And the development, with Microsoft, Netscape, AOL, and Next, it's clear that in a short time, web pages, and virtual domains will be as important as many other domains. The internet will become an essential service; anyone who has the internet in their pockets will gain a service that will make them rich. Therefore, I'm aware that the more these services are delivered, the cheaper they will become, and it's likely that in ten years, most households will have internet. People will start accepting different methods of delivering or receiving services. I want to create a website that contains a digital library with all kinds of digital content, at least 3000 to 4000 movies, great series, movies, and series, - Billy paused, letting the silence extend.
-How many people are in the United States, China, Russia, India, and Spain? No... How many people are in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa? How many people are in the middle class worldwide who can afford $15 for a service? Don't answer; I have the calculation. 100 million people can afford the service; we can get thousands of people to join with some modifications. Multiply $15 by 100 million people; now, if we multiply that monthly expense by 12 months, we'll make a fortune of at least fifteen billion a month, and over twelve months, that's 180 billion. But if we add to that the fact that the movies we release first go through the cinema, through the sale of derivatives, we have the largest round business in the world, - Billy said, pounding the table.
-I have some questions, - Anne questioned.
***
Jim Gianopulus walked to Sony's production; there, the producers from CBS were also waiting, or at least a team of many. After the meeting with Billy, he went to a meeting in New York to present the next program, both for CBS and for Sony, and a tentative one for Comedy Central.
Billy believes in a new reality show program; it's an example of "Survivor," a television series dedicated to having 40 people stranded on an island for a set period, where they must perform various tasks that push people to their limits, with a presentation and groups competing in different challenges.
For now, the idea was heading for its presentation. A logo was created, and there were already different ideas about the tests they would perform. The program is revealing, and innovative, and doesn't propose the classic idea of games of chance.
But the conversation with Billy was different. Many of his ideas and his vision of the world were almost like that of a magician who sees the future. He showed signs and signals that he observed... in his mind, he could see a glimpse of the success of true geniuses, who see something no one else does.
...
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