I was starting to see where his daughter got her personality.
“You are aware that I’m a minor and can’t make these decisions,” I said, glancing at the contract.
It was the same as they’d offered before. Paul was counting on me panicking and doing something without Saul or Caryn’s support.
“David, don’t try to pull the naïve small-town boy act with me. I know you’re the one who’ll make the decision. I’m just asking that you make the right one now.”
“My decision is to wait and see how the movie does after this weekend,” I said.
“But I have to have you signed by Friday,” Paul said.
“Then you need to do much better than this,” I said, pushing the contract back.
“But that’s more than fair for a new talent. In fact, you’ll be making twice what Craig Wild will,” one of the women said.
“Let’s talk about me being ‘new talent.’ By the time I shoot this next movie, ’I’ll have released this one,
“My publicist tells me I’ve tested very well in this movie. I’m sure we all know that it would be a bad idea to break up the group who made this one a success. If this movie does what I believe it will, you’ll have two more serious moneymakers. What are your current profit projections? Seventy-five to a hundred million on this one?” I asked.
The last part was a wild-ass guess, but I noticed Paul’s people look at each other in alarm. I might be closer than I thought. The room became silent, and Paul smiled.
“See, you aren’t just a good ol’ boy. What would it take to get you to sign today?”
“Give me an hour, and I’ll let you know. Is there somewhere I can make some calls in private?” I asked.
“You can use my office; we have more to go over. You can just come back here when you’re done,” Paul said.
◊◊◊
Saul had made it here in record time. I also had both Frank and Caryn in Paul’s office. I told them about my wild guess about profits and their reaction.
“If they think they’ll make that kind of money, then foreign sales must have done very well. I’d guess they project the movie will make upwards of five-hundred million,” Saul said.
“You do realize they have a board of directors meeting next Wednesday. Someone needs this movie under wraps before that meeting,” Frank said.
Frank had just earned everything I’d ever paid him to this point with that one comment.
“What is crazy money we could ask for?” Caryn asked.
I’ll give Saul credit, he could think of crazy numbers.
“What would we be happy with?” Caryn asked.
When we met with Paul and his people, I let Saul shock them with the crazy numbers first. We were all surprised when Paul and his team came back with a much better counteroffer than we were willing to settle for. The only stipulation was we couldn’t disclose what I’d be paid. Frank took me aside and told me it would be reported in their annual report because they were a publicly held company. So, I needed to be ready to deal with my fellow cast members.
Something Saul insisted on was a signing bonus that would be guaranteed whether the movies were made or not. With a stroke of a pen, I was suddenly a multimillionaire. I’d just signed a contract that would make me more than the number-one pick in this year’s NFL draft. If I managed my money wisely, I was set for life.
◊◊◊
Upon reflection, this trip to LA had complicated my life. Before I arrived, I had almost decided my path in life would lead to football. What I’d discovered was that making movies was a real possibility, and it was something I could do for the rest of my life. I was happy that my first love, baseball, might be possible. If I made the USA Under-18 baseball team, I would play with the best players in my age group. That would give me a better idea if I had a real shot or not.
The good news was that I had options now that I didn’t have before this trip. The downside was that in a lot of ways, it had muddied the waters as to what my future held. I vowed not to rush my decision. Heck, the psychic had said that the obvious choice might not be the best. Not that I held a lot of stock in that, but just like my movie contract had proved, it was better to make an informed decision instead of rushing things.
All I really knew at this point was that I wanted to enjoy what was to come. And that I was ready to get home. In the end, it would all work itself out.
◊◊◊
Junior Year: Spring
Table of Contents:
Interlude
Chapter 1 – It’s Time to Get to Work
Chapter 2 – Unmasked
Chapter 3 – Liars
Chapter 4 – Class Project
Chapter 5 – Amateurism
Chapter 6 – No Need to Suck Up
Chapter 7 – Good Intentions
Chapter 8 – You Eat Pie
