I grab my phone and text Shaun.Me: I’m pissed about yesterday.
Shaun: Yeah, me too. I’m surprised you haven’t gone to your dad and killed him yet.
Me: Don’t think that’s off the menu.
Me: But I wanted to give you a heads-up. I’m making a move.
Shaun: What kind of move?
Me: Just… a move. Trust me. Okay?
Shaun: Mysterious. I guess I have no other choice.I slip my phone back into my bag and take a deep breath. “No, you don’t,” I say, and nod to myself before heading out.The rented conference room in a business park on the outskirts of the city is almost drab and depressing. I get there early, spruce it up, make sure it’s clean, and put out some water and snacks.
They don’t start arriving until a few minutes after the designated start time. I expected this and greet everyone as they drift into the room.
David Ernez, Si Apex, Bradford Gaup, Willie Rocklittle, Ash Knap, Simo Machdo, and other men file into the room. They’re directors, grips, actors, scriptwriters, and every other job imaginable in Hollywood, including more than a few producers. Once everyone’s seated and settled, I stand up in front of the most powerful men I know and stare them down.
“Thank you all for coming,” I say.
“For a pretty girl like you, anything,” Si says.
A few men chuckle but I notice more than a few give him some sideways looks. I appreciate that and continue.
“I don’t want to waste anyone’s time,” I say. “The message I sent you all is real, and I’m serious about it. My father is ready to step down from Truth Hurts, and it’s time that someone else takes it over. I’m offering you all the opportunity to get involved.”
“How?” Bradford calls out. “And why don’t I just buy it myself?”
“You can’t afford it,” Si says and get a few more laughs with that one.
I smile and put my hands up. “Gentlemen. If I thought any one of you could buy it, I wouldn’t have invited you all here. It isn’t a matter of having the money. I know that more than a few of you do. It’s about having my father’s approval.”
I get a few grumbles. “How involved is he?” David asks. “I mean, we’ve all worked with Aldo. Excuse me for saying, Klara, but your dad’s kind of an asshole these days.”
Everyone laughs, everyone agrees. Even I smile at him, and shrug. “I can’t argue that,” I say. “He’s a total dick lately. Truth is, David, he won’t be very involved at all, not if I can help it.” I clear my throat and begin my presentation.
My pitch is simple. The Divas franchise is poised to take off big time in the coming months. By the time anyone else gets around to buying my dad out, it’ll be way too late, and the production company will be worth way too much. But if we move now, while he’s thinking about selling already and Divas isn’t worth too much, we can all profit.
“Gentlemen, Divas is going to grow,” I say. “You’ve all seen the ratings. What you haven’t seen is the behind-the-scenes interactions. The website gets huge clicks and views. The Facebook page is active. There are at least two podcasts about the show already, and one of them has thousands of active listeners. Divas is going to be big, bigger than the Bachelor franchise. And now’s the time to invest.”
More grumbling. I can tell a few of them aren’t interested, but more are definitely considering.
So I go in for the kill. I lay it all out, I tell them about the contest, about my dad’s reluctance to sell to Shaun, but his willingness to go with me. I dazzle them with the story, and even drop Shaun’s name in the process. That gets a few more heads turned.
If a Lofthouse is interested, then this business might be for real.
“To finish off, gentlemen, I ask that you put your faith in me. We can buy Truth Hurts together and turn it into something great. Not only will Divas make us all stupidly rich, but we’ll make some great programming for years to come. Divas is just the start. It’s my baby, my idea, and I have more where that came from. I’m young and I’m ready to do big things. Put your faith in me. I won’t let you down.” I smile as they clap. “Thank you.”
Afterward, I give out water, and talk. I meet with each of them, listen to their ideas, hear their uncertainties. I do my best to make them feel better, and as they begin to filter out and leave, only a few are left.
But it’s the few I need. Three big producers and two directors with real money. I get agreements from all of them that if I can make a deal move forward, their money is going to back me. I’ll be the new head of Truth Hurts, and they’ll be the board.