My Life in Hollywood C20 Making a deal (Patreon)

Alden and Maxwell walked out of the studio after getting the copy of Paranormal Activity from Nathan on a USB drive.

They both felt disappointed that things hadn't gone the way they'd expected. They'd thought they could easily deceive the foolish, inexperienced kid.

They never would've expected him to come out with those demands so abruptly, so confidently.

"Seriously, that kid even knows the difference between gross and net," Alden said, shaking his head. "You think Nathan coached him? Is that why he was so confident letting his son handle it?"

Maxwell shrugged. "I don't know. But whatever the case, it was smart as hell." He paused. "Think about it—most filmmakers get screwed on net profit deals because studios can claim almost anything as an expense. Even blockbusters end up showing 'losses' on paper. But gross? That's actual ticket sales. The kid's asking for a percentage of real money, not Hollywood accounting bullshit."

"And that 2x recoupment multiplier?" Alden added. "That stops us from inflating marketing costs to delay when he starts seeing money. The kid thought of everything."

"Yeah," Maxwell agreed. "His deal's completely in his favor. We take all the risk—marketing costs, distribution, everything—and he gets guaranteed money up front plus a cut of the real earnings. It's actually brilliant."

"Gotta agree with you there."

Alden and Maxwell knew each other well. They'd run into each other plenty of times at low-budget horror screenings over the years. It came with the territory—they both worked acquisitions for their studios' genre divisions.

They'd dealt with inexperienced filmmakers countless times, and they were usually thrilled about it. Easy pickings.

But this was the first time they'd met their match.

Marcus hadn't even given them a chance to negotiate or suggest they discuss it over coffee at the café nearby. He'd just laid out his terms and walked away.

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