july 4.

  ales at Lux ics are gradually increasing, thanks to the pnned use of prihat work tirelessly. The pany's statistics show the most signifit potential sales o be around 475,000 ics per month, a quite rounded figure sidering the ic prices.

  This is good news for the ipany. Sie June, various individuals have been ing and going due to the extensive animator recruitment campaign ducted by the pany. Since Juh, multiple figures have visited in the past two days to learn about the terms and ditions of employment. It's uood that there might be some infiltrators trying to gain insight into the pany's terms and ditions to potentially use against Lux ics. Ithroat world of business, it's not unon for petition to use any advahey get.

  Moreover, Terry Semel has already spread the word about Billy's iion to start his animated el. This petition is something they ot ignore, and there will be fri along the path Billy Carson has chosen for the pany.

  Today is a day of anticipation, with the ued arrival McCra. He started his career as an animator but has faced many hardships. After being unemployed for a year, it was thanks to his friend Genndy Tartakovsky that he mao survive pursuing his seemingly unreal dream, which his parents criticized. However, it appears that things aren't as straightforward as he initially thought.

  Craig McCra adjusted his tie, which felt a bit strig around his neck, as he climbed the stairs. He couldn't help but feel ridiculous when he saw an ht man in Spider-Man slippers, matg his shirt, mung on a jar of cookies. Craig loosened his tie; the stress was getting to him.

  The line of animators waiting for a job interview wasn't reassuring for anyone in the room. He reized a few faces from previous enters. All he could do was wait for his interview, just like everyone else in the room. The relentless clo the wall was fraying everyone's nerves as they waited.

  The waiting time felt excruciatingly long as if time itself had slowed down in sync with Craig's growing impatience. Each member who went in for their interview came out with a cold aionless expression, further adding t's ay.

  Curiously, as he entered, Craig saw Joe Murray sitting in a chair o a young man who was talking and ughing with Joe.

  -Craig, it's good to see you, - Joe said.

  -o see you too, Joe. I didn't expect you to be my interviewer today, - Craig replied, feeling his ease. If Joe was so rexed, it must mean that the people here were friendly.

  -Oh no, I'm not. They just hired me, Craig. But let's get started with the interview, - Joe said, looking at Billy, who simply gave him the go-ahead. - You have three mio draw a story on this bnk sheet, whatever you want. Just make it impactful -

  -Draw? - Craig excimed.

  Well, he could replicate some of his ret work. He had been thinking about an image of a boy with superpowers. A boy who was short and very smart but had many social problems. He had the superpower to create things with his thoughts, which he typically used to bat threats to the peaceful coexistence of his life. He had a sister who was usually at the ter of his problems because she was a mag for bad luck.

  It was better to use more sheets. One sheet was divided into two panels. The first panel showed the boy thinking, and in a quick sequence, you could see the creation of a battle robot. The sed panel showed the boy flying with the battle robot. The oed a water monster emerging from a river near a bridge.

  Craig did his best to breathe life into the drawings in the best ossible.

  -Time's up, - Joe announced.

  Craig handed over the drawings as instructed, and the young Billy reviewed them, smiling. The drawings were good and had that animated '90s vibe that Billy found so intriguing. He exged a few words with Joe Murray in a low voice, which Craig couldn't quite make out.

  -You're hired, Mr. Craig, -- Billy decred. -- Now, exit through the door with an angry face, ao the third floor at the end of the corridor. Before anything else, you'll find some tracts ohird-floor table. Once all the interviews are done, I'll e up to provide instrus. In the meantime, feel free to read the tract terms and ask any questions you have about its tent. -

  Craig couldn't help but release the breath he had been holding for the past two weeks. Debts had been suffog him. He even sidered sleeping in his car, but his pride wouldn't allow him to sleep oreet. Now, all that was left was to move to San Jose.

  He left the studio with the serious expression Billy had instructed him to wear. He uood why he had to do it; the nervous gnces from everyone present were palpable. What had Joe Murray doo bee part of this team without needing to gh the interview process, or perhaps he had gohrough it and passed with flying colors?

  He climbed the stairs and saw various figures here and there. He felt relieved to have secured a job. The hours might be long, but the pay was good—very good for a novice like him. 1000 per week was something he urgently needed.

  -Good afternoon, I'm Craig. What a pleasant day, - he said aloud, attempting to break the ice with his potential future colleagues.

  -Paul Rudish, o meet you, - the square gsses-wearing man replied.

  Another man approached, gave his name quickly, auro his seat. - Jeff Lomz. -

  A few minutes passed, and a young man with the st name Savino, an English-speaking Spaniard named Jose Iturbe, who mentioned he had e to take a ce at being an animator, awo more animators, Paul German, and Roy Graham, joihe group.

  With the addition of Joe Murray, there were eight animators in total. Then, two more animators, Bob Schooley and Anna Szymańska, arrived.

  Craig thought, Wow, this project must be something big to hire so many animators, as he looked around at the and new surroundings, from the equipment to the chairs.

  Everyone was getting to know each other. Anna was a cheerful person, ae her somewhat unusual name, she spoke English fluently.

  Craig watched the young man climb the stairs alongside Joe Murray. The third floor of Lux ics had been transformed and now resembled an animation studio, with fifteen stations equipped for hand-drawn and 2D puter animation.

  The young man who walked fidently to the front was the typical handsome guy you'd see in high school, the type who could steal anyone's girlfriend with a smile.

  -Good m. Before we begin this meeting, you all o sign the employment tract. From this point on, you will be a part of my animation pany, 'Lux Animation,' and you must adhere to the fidentiality cuse regarding the work we are doing here. Is everyone in agreement with the terms of the tract? - he said, holding up a copy of the tract, emphasizing the bottom of the sed page.

  There were no objes from the animators; the terms were astonishingly favorable, and some who had worked in the industry had received less for their work. Again, Craig decided to wait for an expnation before asking any questions.

  -Very well, I will collect your tracts. From now on, as an employee of Lux ics, I have some ideas in mind that we start w on. This pany will sist of two divisions: animated series and film produ. I have many series in mind that roduce over the ing years, - he tinued, revealing several rge poster boards.

  The poster boards dispyed cartoon characters from "Dexter's Laboratory" with the title promily dispyed, followed by "Recess," and finally, a rather rudimentary design of Billy and Mandy.

  -These are the main series for this studio. However, I admire proactivity, and if any of you want to create your series, you . But first, you'll o present a storyboard, a script, and a short animated clip. For those who have an approved series idea, you assemble your team as the pany progresses. My goal is to unch my animated el by June 1994 - mid-1995, - said Billy.

  -Any questions? -

  -I have a few. What criteria will be used for evaluating series ideas? - asked Paul Rudish.

  -Well, genius, a good script, inal or uwork, and most importantly, that quality of beiertaining. If there's disagreement with my idea, we create a pilot and duct surveys with kids or experts to rate the series. And if there's still disagreement, roduce a 10-episode series and unch it to the public to gauge the response from children, - Billy expined.

  Paul Rudish nodded in agreement; it seemed more than fair.

  -On another note, I believe you all know that with these three series, we'll have a lot on our pte. Furthermore, our sed project is the sed division, 'Lux-Nation 2D,' which will be responsible for produg movies. We will all work together as a solidated group. Some will focus on series produ, while others will work oing the films with me, - Billy said.

  He then pulled out a thick cardboard and a small television. The three-minute Hercules movie began to py. On the s, you could see the various backgrounds used by the young man for the 3-minute short film. The bination of Caps teology was quite powerful, and creating characters through an animation system gave it a fresh touch that few animated features had achieved by this date.

  Craig was amazed to see such work.

  -For this teique, we will use a hybrid of 2D animation and traditional animation. Fortunately, we have the test teology at our disposal. Even Disarted using this teique for its films not too long ago, - Billy expined.

  -I have no idea how to use puter teology, - Anna Szymańska admitted.

  -Does anyone else not know how to use puter teology? - Billy asked.

  Almost everyone in the room raised their hands, except for Paul German, Craig McCra, and Joe Murray.

  -No worries; we will provide training. I'll ask them to create a small manual on how to use the Caps program, c all the aspects of puter animation. Additionally, I have a manual on the creation of each of the showcased series, taining everything you o know about each series and how I expect them to be portrayed. You'll o be profit in both these teiques, - Billy said.

  -Does anyone want to be part of the movie? - he asked.

  Jose Iturbe raised his hand, as did Paul German, Roy Graham, Bob Schooley, Anna Szymańska, and Greff Lomz.

  -Great, with all of you, the movie may progress as much as I hope it will, - Billy replied.

  -The first approved series we have is Joe Murray's. His interview was a book with the requirements mentioned earlier. He wo volunteers for his animated series. Although the requirement is to use this hybrid for your animated programs, the idea is to produce good products, even if we have to hire other animators. I hope that in two years, we'll have four series and the Hercules movie finished, - Billy said.

  -Will you be hiring more staff? -- Paul German asked. -- I think we need a rger team if we want to distribute all the work in the ing months. -

  -Of course, I've hired three more people, and there are two who haven't respoo my call yet, - Billy replied.

  -I'm in! When do we start? - Anna Szymańska chimed in.

  -Well, I wao give you all a period of two days to a week to settle in and start w formally from there, - Billy said.

  Anna nodded, and Craig could see the enthusiasm in everyohey were part of signifit animation projects—movies, series, and el creation. It's the dream of every budding animator to be involved in such substantial endeavors.

  ...