Behind The Spotlight Chapter 295
"Wait, I thought you resigned from ANT? What are you even doing here?" Balthazar Harper looked slightly confused.
"Balthazar, let's talk in a moment. I need to speak with them privately first."
"But—"
"Don't worry, you'll get first priority to negotiate with us. Just give me a few minutes."
"... Fine, I'll wait right here."
Collin nodded and led Dong and Forest over to a quiet corner of the tent.
Dong and Forest were thoroughly bewildered by the whole exchange, though they decided to play along and see what was happening.
"I'm Collin East, CEO of GSG. Here are my business cards." He handed each of them a card, though the tent was too dim for either of them to actually read the text.
"First off, the man who just approached you is Balthazar Harper. He runs a production studio with its own film distribution channel."
"T-That's...!" Dong gasped in surprise.
"Does that mean he wants to distribute our movie?" Forest asked, looking both shocked and ecstatic.
"Yes, he does, but hear me out first. I'm certain Balthazar is planning to offer $2 to $3 million to buy out your movie's full copyrights."
"That much?!" Both men were completely dumbfounded.
The entire production budget for Sawed had come straight out of Dong and Forest's own pockets, costing them $1 million to shoot. Selling it for $2 or $3 million would already represent a massive profit.
"Don't get overly excited just yet. In my opinion, your film is worth at least $6 million," Collin chuckled, immediately confirming how green they were to the business side of Hollywood.
"Huh?"
"Here is my proposition: I can sell your movie for $7 million, provided you agree to hear out my business pitch afterward. I'm not even forcing you to sign with my agency, I just want you to listen to what I have to offer. Do we have a deal?"
He grinned smoothly. The golden rule of recruiting talent was never to corner or intimidate prospective clients.
Given Sawed's breakout potential, Collin knew he could easily push the price to $10 million and Balthazar would still bite. Both Collin and Balthazar clearly recognized the franchise potential sitting right in front of them.
"... Why should we believe you?"
"You don't have to."
"What if you and this Balthazar guy are running some kind of scam together?" Dong asked suspiciously.
"Pfft—you're seriously overthinking this. Look, Balthazar and I have zero connection to each other. Besides, even if we were working together to buy your film, shouldn't you still be thrilled? With your current resources, are you really confident you could distribute this movie across North America on your own? You guys are from Australia, right? Could you even get a wide theatrical release back in your own country?"
"..."
Both Dong and Forest fell silent. They were complete newcomers to the industry and knew next to nothing about global film distribution. All they truly possessed was raw passion for filmmaking.
In fact, their primary goal in flying out to the Toronto Film Festival had been to showcase the film in hopes of landing any distribution deal at all.
"Why should we trust you?" Dong remained guarded around Collin... Ever since his ex-girlfriend had cheated on him with a handsome frat guy in college, he carried a deep-seated distrust of good-looking men.
"Because I can change your lives for the better."
"... Make it $8 million. If you can pull that off, you've got a deal."
"All right. Leave it to me," Collin grinned. Negotiation was his home turf.
Dong and Forest watched intently as Collin strode back over to confront Balthazar Harper, diving straight into negotiations.
"Should we go listen in on what they're saying?" Forest whispered to Dong.
"Let's listen, I want to hear how this plays out. Just don't interrupt..." Dong admitted he was terrified of accidentally sabotaging a deal that could net them millions.
The two quietly stepped closer to Collin and Balthazar, who were already locked in a heated debate.
"What the fuck did you just say?! $10 million plus 10% of the entire backend profit, including box office, DVD sales, and licensing?! Collin, you're out of your damn mind!" Balthazar shouted angrily, glaring daggers at Collin. Just as he had feared, a shark like Collin was demanding an exorbitant fortune.
"This project is nothing more than a rough indie flick! The production quality is downright horrendous! And yet you're demanding $10 million and a 10% cut of the profits?" Balthazar scoffed.
Dong and Forest frowned deeply, angry at the way Balthazar casually trashed their work. They had poured an entire year of blood and sweat into filming Sawed.
Judging by the sharp hostility flying between them, it was crystal clear Balthazar and Collin were not on friendly terms. Dong and Forest finally let go of any lingering suspicion that this was a setup.
"Balthazar, if you genuinely believe the movie is that terrible, you're free to walk away right now. I'll gladly pitch it to the Big Six instead," Collin replied calmly, maintaining a cool, confident smile. He knew he held all the cards, he understood the exact commercial appeal and profitability of the film.
"..." Balthazar gritted his teeth, his sweaty, round face flushing crimson with frustration.
Collin wasn't bluffing. Sawed possessed more than enough commercial hook to convince any of the Big Six studios to snatch it up at that exact asking price.
"The only reason we're even having this conversation is because you happened to catch the screening first. First-come, first-served, though that hardly obligates me to negotiate with you exclusively. If I'm not mistaken, acquisition executives from both Sonya-Collapse and Uni-Versus Pictures are currently roaming the grounds here at the Toronto Film Festival. I can give them a call whenever I please."
Dong and Forest watched in amazement as Balthazar's face twisted into an ugly grimace.
"... $7 million," Balthazar grumbled, throwing out a counteroffer. As much as he hated admitting it, Collin had him backed into a corner, forcing him to put real money on the table.
Now that Harper Studio operated its own distribution network, the Big Six viewed Balthazar as a direct competitor.
At present, only the Big Six controlled worldwide distribution channels, and they ruthlessly crushed smaller studios that dared encroach on their turf in order to protect their monopolies. If those major studios caught wind that Harper Studio was trying to acquire Sawed, they would immediately swoop in and outbid him just to sabotage his business.
"You're not even trying to negotiate in good faith," Collin replied smoothly.
"You conniving bastard..." Balthazar silently acknowledged that Collin was dangerously good at his job. He was completely trapped.
Much like Balthazar, Dong and Forest were now thoroughly convinced of Collin's talent as well.
[Thank you for reading this novel.]