The Wolf of Los Angeles

Chapter 11: We Are the Best in the Industry

Hawk handed another document to Eric. “Last year, excluding works from Hollywood film studios, only 14 independent films were sold during the Sundance Film Festival, despite a staggering 1,488 entries.”

He went straight to the point: “Without necessary measures, what are the chances of selling such a niche film?”

Eric felt an urge to agree immediately. However, glancing at the Rolex gold watch his girlfriend had bought him, his heated mind quickly cooled. “I’ll need to discuss this with someone,” he said.

Hawk didn’t rush him. “Feel free. Call me anytime after you’ve talked it over.”

Eric signaled the waiter to charge the coffee to his room.

His voice caught the attention of a group seated some distance away.

Among them, a handsome man wearing gold-rimmed glasses turned his head. Upon seeing Eric, his face lit up as if he’d just taken a stimulant. He strode over enthusiastically. “Eric, my friend, what a coincidence!”

Hawk glanced at the man with gold-rimmed glasses, then at Eric.

The man with gold-rimmed glasses reached their table, beaming. “I heard your screening isn’t going too well. I told you long ago, don’t make films like this, but you wouldn’t listen.”

Eric replied, “None of your business.”

Gold-rimmed glasses smirked. “You seem confident. Is it because of Castle Rock Entertainment?”

Eric’s expression shifted subtly.

The man turned to Hawk and asked, “Do you work for him? Take my advice—leave early. His film won’t sell, and he won’t be able to pay you.”

Hawk found the man bizarre.

“Good luck to you,” the man said, patting the back of Eric’s chair before heading back to his seat.

Hawk looked at Eric inquisitively.

Eric explained in a low voice, “That’s George Hanson. When I made my first short film, he was the assistant director. Later, he also pursued Katherine, but he failed. We had creative differences on District Heights, and he left to secure funding for his own film, a feature called Lemon Street, which is also at this year’s festival.”

Hawk remarked, “A former subordinate rising up, eager to take down his old boss?”

“Possibly.” Eric went to discuss with his girlfriend.

Meanwhile, George Hanson dropped his smug façade and returned to his group. Fixing his gaze on the bald man across from him, George said seriously, “It’s confirmed—our intermediary’s information is accurate. Robert from Castle Rock Entertainment will attend Eric’s screening.”@@novelbin@@

The bald man stirred his coffee slowly. “I’ve looked into it. If we’re willing to pay, the intermediary can influence Robert’s assistant and steer him to watch Lemon Street instead.”

George, desperate to step on his former boss, asked, “See if the intermediary can arrange for Robert to only watch our film and skip Eric’s entirely.”

The bald man picked up his phone and made a call. After a long conversation, he hung up and said, “The intermediary suggests scheduling our screening at the same time as Eric’s. Robert’s schedule is tight; he’ll only be in Park City for one day. The intermediary will try to bring him to our screening.”

He looked at George with a cryptic smile. “This will cost extra—on top of the intermediary’s quoted price.”

George caught the implication and shifted uncomfortably. “Can you help with the extra cost?”

The bald man, who was financing the project, invited George with a sly grin, “Let’s go back to the room. You have five minutes to figure out how to make me happy.”

The two left the café and headed to the elevator.

Hawk stepped out of the restroom, heading toward the stairs. The sound of the elevator arriving made him turn instinctively, just in time to see the bald man squeeze George’s behind.

George noticed Hawk and flipped him off angrily. “Shut your eyes, idiot!”

He stepped into the elevator and jabbed the close button.

Missing his chance to grovel before Katherine and reaping the joys of ENT and proctology treatments—that’s the real reason George despises Eric.

Hawk had just reached the ground floor when Eric called him back.

Minutes later, they met again on the second floor. This time, Eric brought someone else along—a square-faced, statuesque woman, Katherine.

Katherine asked Hawk about creating an atmosphere for the screening. Then she inquired, “How confident are you?”

Hawk replied straightforwardly, “We have never failed!”

Katherine scrutinized him closely.

Hawk’s demeanor was calm and self-assured, without the slightest hint of insecurity. He wasn’t exaggerating; he had every reason to be confident.

Katherine shifted her focus. “What’s your price?”

The festival committee’s documents listed the production cost as $200,000. Hawk based his quote on that. “$20,000.”

“That’s too much,” Katherine said, shaking her head. “When the crew hires extras, they only pay the local minimum wage. The film’s runtime is less than two hours, so let’s calculate based on that. Even if we double the hourly rate to $10…”

Hawk raised a hand to interrupt. “The extras you’re talking about are just background fillers. My team? They start preparing today. They’ll study the film, learn the preferences of the screening panel, rehearse on-the-spot reactions, and put in over 30 hours of work. Utah’s minimum wage is $5.15 an hour, and for a team of over 100 people, labor costs alone will exceed $15,000.”

He lifted his head with a hint of pride. “You won’t find a team more professional in the film industry. We are, without question, the best in the business!”

Katherine, though wealthy, wasn’t one to spend frivolously, especially since Hawk wasn’t groveling for her favor. “$5,000, tops,” she countered.

“There are over a thousand crews at this festival. You’re not the only option,” Hawk said, spotting the leverage point. He reached out for the documents in front of Eric. “Please, give those back to me.”

Eric, desperate to see his hard work hit the big screen, gently nudged Katherine with his foot. He could hardly hold back.

Reluctantly, Katherine conceded. “I’ll pay you a $5,000 deposit and another $5,000 after the screening ends.”

Hawk shook his head. “That won’t do. I don’t take on losing deals.”

Unwilling to bear all the risk herself, Katherine proposed, “If District Heights sells its rights, I’ll give you 1% of the sale as a commission.”

Hawk placed his hand firmly on the documents. “Make it 2%.”

Eric nudged Katherine again.

“Fine,” Katherine agreed.

She added a condition. “I want all 200 seats in the theater filled, and no one leaving midway.”

Hawk’s makeshift team hadn’t even been assembled yet—where would he find 200 people?

He responded with utter seriousness, “More viewers in a theater doesn’t necessarily mean better results. You might not realize this, but during the festival, there are so many films being screened. Except for those by stars or renowned directors, most showings rarely get a full house. Achieving 50% occupancy is considered good. For a film like District Heights, a packed theater might seem suspiciously unnatural.”

Eric nodded. “That makes sense.”

“Trust our expertise,” Hawk reassured them.

Katherine stopped quibbling. “Get your lawyer. Let’s sign the contract.”

Hawk was prepared. He called Brandt, who soon arrived at the hotel with a local attorney.

The parties drafted terms and signed a cooperation agreement.

Katherine promptly wrote Hawk a $5,000 check.

After depositing the money, Hawk paid the lawyer’s fee and left with Brandt.

While this deal was settled, Hawk’s so-called “team” didn’t even have a framework yet.

Brandt was amazed. “You signed a contract and pocketed $5,000 without having anything ready!”

“Because I have you,” Hawk said, grabbing Brandt by the shoulder. “Remember the community theater gathering we talked about last night? Didn’t they complain about splitting costs? Didn’t they say they lacked sponsorship? Well, I’ll sponsor them!”

Hawk added, “I’ll treat the troupe to a free movie screening and even fund a party afterward!”