That night, Zane wasn't in a cheap motel. He was in the Presidential Suite of the New York Hilton.
The city sparkled below him. It looked like a universe of lights, matching the exciting potential he felt crackling inside him. A half-empty bottle of fancy champagne sat beside him. Its taste was a world away from the instant coffee of his old life. Getting rich overnight was a dizzying, exciting feeling. He loved it. He enjoyed the special service and the pure, unapologetic luxury of it all.
In his life as a business analyst, he'd seen this world from the outside. He watched powerful bosses and celebrities live a life full of expensive things. Now, it was his. The urge to just dive in and spend all his new money on fun and pleasure was huge.
But as he stared out at the city, a calmer, smarter part of his mind took over. Fun was temporary. True power lasted. This $2.6 million wasn't the end goal; it was just the ammunition. To waste it on quick pleasures would be a huge failure. He needed to build something that would last.
He had to decide on his next move.
"Keep playing the stock market?"
That thought came first, naturally. It was how he'd made his money. He knew, for the most part, which companies would become trillion-dollar giants—Microsoft, Apple, Amazon. Investing in them was a sure win for the long run. But what about right now? Amazon was a brand-new company, barely a month old. It was years away from being on the stock market. Getting his hands on its original shares was a pipe dream. Jeff Bezos was far too smart to let a stranger with a couple of million dollars in on the ground floor.
The market could wait. The real boom of the internet bubble was still a few years away. He could come back then, with a lot more money.
So, what now?
"Stick to what you know," he murmured. Entertainment.
His home was in Los Angeles. The heart of the movie business was right at his doorstep. But how to get in? Starting a movie company from scratch was very risky. He knew from his old job how closed-off the business was. He knew how hard the big companies protected their territory. It was known for being very difficult for new investors. He remembered stories: even the super-rich American kids of Oracle's CEO, Larry Ellison, had wasted hundreds of millions on failed movies before they learned the rules of the game.
The business being a closed club was one thing. The real danger was something worse: Hollywood Accounting.
It was a brilliant, but mean, art form—a maze of legal tricks made to help studios make the most money by cheating their partners. He knew how studios could take a super successful film and, by using tricky bookkeeping, make it look like it lost money.
The Harry Potter movies were a perfect future example. They would make tens of billions of dollars. Yet the official books for the production company would show a huge loss. The trick was simple: have one part of the main company—the distribution company—charge crazy high fees to another part—the production company. The money never left the main company. But the "loss" on the production side meant the studio could legally avoid paying profit bonuses to its partners. It didn't matter if the partner was an investor from another country or an All-American movie star; they used the same trick on everyone.
"It's a closed system," Zane thought. "They write the contracts, they own the lawyers, and they control the flow of money."
Fighting that system was a long, costly battle. He remembered reading about Peter Jackson, the famous director, spending six years in court fighting for his money. He also knew how powerful people who owned valuable things, like Michael Jackson with his music, could face huge public attacks if they refused to play by the industry's rules.
Hollywood didn't hate outsiders; it just welcomed their foolish money. It loved hopeful investors who didn't understand the unwritten rules.
"I have to be smarter," Zane decided, his plan becoming clear. "I can't play their game by their rules. I need to create my own way in."
The answer was simple, smart, and safe. He wouldn't make the movies; he would make money from them. He would open a chain of high-end stores that only sold movie merchandise.
His first target was obvious: Toy Story.
The film was set to be released in a few months. His system had confirmed it would be the highest-earning film of 1995. The demand for toys of Sheriff Woody and Buzz Lightyear would be huge. If he could get the rights to sell the merchandise, he could make a fortune. At the same time, he would be building a real, respected business on the edge of the movie industry. It was the perfect first step.
The decision was made. Zane moved fast. He called the airline overnight and booked the first flight out.
The next morning, he was back in Los Angeles. After dropping his bags at home, he immediately began calling real estate agencies. He settled on one with a perfect reputation.
"My needs are very specific," Zane told the agent, a sharp middle-aged man. He pointed to locations on a map of the city. "I need main stores in the Beverly Center, South Coast Plaza, the Hollywood & Highland mall, and on Montana Avenue. They must be in places with lots of foot traffic. I want the best storefronts."
The agent's professional look didn't change. "Understood. Our team is the best in the business. You can rest assured we will find what you're looking for."
"Good," Zane nodded. "That's what I'm paying for. How long?"
"Three days," the agent replied confidently. "We'll have a list of properties ready for you to view in three days."
After the agent left, Zane sat alone in the quiet house. His mind was already racing ahead.
"Once the stores are secured," he thought, a thrill of excitement running through him, "it's time to pay a visit to a little company called Pixar Animation. And maybe, just maybe, have a chat with a man named Steve Jobs."
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