-The stories ing up are incredible. I think in the five years, our pany won’t falter at all, - Billy eo Jim Gianopulus. It was nearly six in the evening, and his promise to meet Monica was about to be fulfilled.

  You’re right. Your animators are fantasti a way, I believe the spirit of Lux Animation is within your team, which has started to embrace your creative ideas, Jim replied.

  -It’s not just us. Many studios are on the verge of creating their animation branches. Fox is about to unch its studio, Universal is sidering doing the same with Amblin, and Warner is pting the idea but hasn’t taken the risk yet. However, a udio in the UK seems to have a good iment range. In two years, we might face direpetition from these panies, - Jim Gianopulus noted.

  Billy felt that in the ing years, he o redouble his efforts to tinue duplig Pixar’s output, whiow enpassed two groups and more, to drive the pany’s overall development.

  -It doesn’t matter. I feel that all the money ied will be recouped with the release of Ice Age and Lilo & Stitch, as well as Jerry Maguire. These will be successful enough to support Pixar’s growth as we pn for the ing years, - Billy said.

  -That’s all for now. I’ll tact the team to initiate the tentative steps for lising Narnia. Seg the rights for seven animated movies is a wonderful idea, - Jim said.

  -It’s a pleasure. For now, that’s enough, - Billy cluded, bidding farewell to Jim with relief. ic sales remaiable, and although the Van Helsing series was new, it had found a pce among fans, tributing to the pany’s overall sales. It was even surpassing Shaman King, which had average sales for the pany. Meanwhile, Samurai X led the pack, followed by Hunter x Hunter, and stly, One Piece, which hadn’t created the sensation Billy expected for two simple reasons: marketing and the series itself. Without a show to captivate audiences, sales couldn’t reach the desired levels. The same principle applies to books. Game of Thrones, published by Billy, only sold thousands, not millions, but it had a dedicated fan base.

  Book 1 ublished in 1991, Book 2 in 1993, and Book 3 was expected in 1995.

  -You were right about Miramax having problems with Dishere are general issues due to disagreements, and the merger with ABC presents an administrative problem we exploit in two years if we pn our moves well, - Jim ented.

  -We’ll buy it. We have many moves in mind, - Billy said, bidding Jim farewell. - They’ve attacked the pany for three years, both Disney and Warner. From legal issues and cable pany problems to blog distribution aspirations aiating with panies beforehand, closiionships, and worse, pying politics… It’s nonsense! But for someone like you, who has been with the Giants for a long time, that kind of pressure is disappointing. I’m sure if Disney released my movies, each would earn at least 100 million, but I have to scrape by, fighting agonizing schedules, monthly battles against new products from film panies, and issues with exhibitors to get my advertising out. Do you think it’s a ce that The Lion King received bad reviews, emas didn’t use marketing in some states, and its iional release had multiple sequels in quick succession? We’ll start by cutti. I want Miramax or ESPN, I want Hanna-Barbera, DC, or New Line ema, - Billy asserted.

  -We need money… a lot of money, - Jim Gianopulus said.

  -What does it matter? I’ll handle bringing the moo the table. You just focus on fusing our rivals. The Artisan strategy erfect for buying Discovery. Now they’ll be stumbling, w why we bought Discovery, - Billy ughed, but Jim blushed and coughed, uo look Billy in the eye.

  -Wait, you don’t knoe bought Discovery? - Billy asked.

  Jim couldn’t be offehe truth was that he hadn’t uood Billy’s moves for a long time. Billy might be a business genius, but to Jim, he seemed more like a business madman.

  -I don’t know! I’ve tried to piece everything together, but nothing es to mind, - Jim admitted, breathing deeply. -Well, the first thing is that I think it’s useful for animated els, and having programming for kids is profitable. Kids’ toys sell like camels is. But… what else? It’s too much money for such a purchase, - Jim pondered.

  -I see. I’m sorry… I think I fused you too. It’s simple. Stifientaries will be in high demand in the ing years. I’m talking about dotaries with movie-like features, c space, history, animals, the o, activities, sports, and anything that be quantified stifically. If we replicate at least 10 fields perfectly, the Discovery subscription el will gain a lot of strength. You saw the charts; they have 500,000 subscriptions, bringing in 25 million a year. If we maintaiings, we’ll recover all our money i years. But what happens if we triple, quadruple, or quintuple that pertage? I think it’ll be easy to do in three years when our new dotaries air, - Billy expined.

  Serving a gss of whiskey, it to Jim, who shook his head. Billy dow in one gulp.

  -Now, the animated el is uimated. We just need one good series, and we'll make a ton of money. I want to use the Pokémon franchise to create a show for younger children, more childish, a sweet series with pleasant cartoons. When those kids turn seven, they’ll love Pokémon. But… wheurn seven, they'll find the series being made in Japan, and they'll love it even more. Along with the games, we have a market for at least 20 years. It's a win-win situation, - Billy ented.

  He had another reason, to win over stifiunities, and expand Discovery’s els to include ses like stories, miniseries, and something simir to History el... followed by winning over different uo improve his enviroal image and goodwill as a businessman.

  -You have a lot of faith in Pokémon! I think I uand a bit. You're betting on yourself, not on Discovery, - Jim ented. Billy was betting on what he believed Discovery could bee, not on anything else, without data, without market studies, just a leap into the void for something he observed and was sure would yield the desired results.

  -I do, Jim. That's why we then our friendship with Fox. You have them oable. We have Universal tentatively. I don’t need anyone else, - Billy ented, finishing his drink with o necessary sip.

  He was oep away. If he could recover the money ied this year, he could be mgressive in the Hollywood market.

  ***

  -I thought you’d never get here,- Moniented. She had a script on her p and had spent the whole day actively studying English, reading the scripts Jim Wait sent her as a way to improve her nguage skills. She wore a bck mask and some ditioner in her hair. Beauty had its costs.

  -I had to sit down and read new ideas. We hope the animated el keeps running at the same pace as always,- Billy ented, knowing he now had a challeo face: having an adult el, ohat would allow more openness with series for a certaior, like Evangelion, which did not admit a rating below 15.

  Moniodded as she massaged her scalp with some fatigue, letting out a deep yawn.

  -e on, I'll show you the first branches of T-Box Pizza and T-Box Burgers. It's a mandatory outing,- Billy ented as he took two strides to the sed floor. He o ge into more sporty clothes and maybe a fisherman's hat for more privacy. However, with Monica, privacy skipped the trols. Her figure and presence could make aurn their head.

  -We 't go out now, I o shower,- Monica shouted from behind Billy. He stopped her, not without first lifting her in his arms aing her down at the bottom of the stairs. The small spark of fantasy covered the atmosphere again as he gazed at Monica’s beauty. She was a fantasy woman, with a symmetrical fad a luxurious body that could melt a her reign. She was more sensual in person than on camera. Ag took away all that charm, and perhaps that was the main problem in her not-so-coveted fame.

  She should be highlighted for her work and nothing else, something modeling would provide, Billy was sure of that.

  -ge quickly, - Billy said.

  -You don't rush a woman, - she ented, walking dignifiedly to the bathroom while her clothes fell to the floor. It was another detail; she was not ashamed of nudity. Were European women like this? Brave women who did not bow doiring to sensuality siime immemorial. Success sisted of it. Seeing her buttocks, not very suggestive but suffitly fleshy to invite desire, or her breasts, oval, perfectly pced, rge, falling slightly due to gravity, firm from her youth still ging to her body, were extremely desirable, disappearing through the bathroom door.

  ...