acclamations.

Among all the responsibilities Billy had to fulfill for Lux Animation, creativity was his forte. Billy's creative flight involved creating, organizing, and directing the creative processes. The current vision of the company is based on creating series that are viewed by some outside the animation group. From the goals and objectives they had to fulfill, the team leaders, and the hurdles in the creation process, many animators have a good hand, but the real test will be when Lux Animation's channel goes on air.

After the unexpected arrival, many people were eager to showcase their series, to the point that a long line of ten animators made certain requests throughout the day.

-Billy, it's better if you solve that immediately. Many want to create their television series, and, well, my judgment is not as relevant as yours on these matters. - Anne said imperatively, ordering Billy to comply.

Interrupting Billy's drawing, which was in chapter 12 of the One Piece series, set to premiere on June 15, 1994.

-All right, I can't refuse. - Billy said, getting up from his desk.

Raimon was reviewing the accounts. In a series of 15 days, they had invested 60 million dollars in The Lion King campaign—advertising, marketing, and global distribution. The next 20 million were distributed among the companies, going back and forth, paying off debts.

The following 15 million, at Billy's request, bought AOL, Cisco, Oracle, and Apple shares. Raimon, in his semblance, talked to some people who managed investment funds and began building some relationships. The purchase of Oracle shares, priced at less than a dollar, earned Billy a seat on the company's board with 12% ownership, and Apple, while not as significant yet, with 7.65% ownership, was a notable asset in Billy's portfolio.

Lastly, the 14.49% ownership of Microsoft represented Billy's most valuable asset to date.

In Raimon's reading, he was awakened by Billy's presence. A blushing Rachel lowered her head before the shining gaze of Billy. -She's four years younger, - he thought.

-She doesn't seem like it, - Rachel repeated over and over, seeing Billy smile. The girl envisioned a life with Billy, their wedding, a beach stroll, their children, and the house they would share.

-Great, let me go get some Pepsi. Being part of the jury is a job I've been waiting for a long time.- Raimon said regarding Billy's proposal to be part of the jury to review the series and assess new proposals.

-Bring me a can. I'll go up to the third floor; I have to check on the progress of Gargoyles, Cow and Chicken, and Samurai Jack, which are still in production. - Billy said, calming the atmosphere.

For now, these are the three series the company has in order. The Cow and Chicken series, much simpler, has 34 episodes completed and is one of Lux Animation's series, set to premiere on October 1, 1994. The company mourned having eight of its series that would run with the regular schedule, proposed for 24 hours a day. Negotiations were scarce for now, but they would bear fruit for their toy companies, board games, fast food, and, of course, comics.

The evident fruit was the X-Men and Spider-Man series produced by Saban in collaboration with Lux Animation, which would be part of the series repertoire. With ten of its series, along with the licenses for Cosmic Cat, Dragon Ball, Ranma ½, Knights of the Zodiac, Super Shotguns, and Sailor Moon, the pending purchase of Woody Woodpecker had not yet been negotiated but would be added to their repertoire on Saturdays and Sundays.

Billy's entrance to the third floor was like a furious hurricane of requests. People were on high alert because the boss had arrived, and many had work to deliver, other proposals, or were simply busy with future projects as animators.

-Boss. - said Stephen Hillenburg, one of the studio's veterans.

-Nice to meet you, Stephen. Let's go to the audiovisual room; I know we have some important things to discuss. - said Billy.

-Well, they're not very important, but for my new series, I want to conduct a deeper study of animation. Looking at the techniques and processes, I feel inadequate. - said Stephen.

-What is the series about? - Billy asked.

-Marine life, marine life, we're eager to focus on marine life in an animated and tender cartoon. – said Stephen.

-Well, from the company, we're always delighted to have people like you be part of the team. As long as you dedicate yourself to the company, there won't be any issues. – said Billy.

-That was said by Anne Hall, in different words. However, the point is that I want to participate in the study of biology and animation, much more focused on described ideas, through my interaction with marine life. If you can invest in me, that would be good. – said Stephen.

-Invest in you. – replied Billy. – Come with me, take notes, anything you need. I'll set the conditions; we'll treat this like a contract. – said Billy, leading Stephen to the audiovisual room, just as Raimon entered with a large bag of junk food, including sodas, gummies, chips, marshmallows, and chocolates.

-What are you doing here? – Mark McCorkle asked, a part of Billy and Mandy's team, and a friend of Raimon. Mark was similar in style to Raimon, both big and chubby, with a simple and geeky appearance. Their culture was enjoying animated shows.

-We're going to review the series with Billy, and then I'll review the new projects. I have to be ready to give my best judgment. – said Raimon, opening the gummy jar and taking out a handful. Mark followed Raimon, both eating gummies until Raimon ended up sharing all the information Billy had told him about the approval requirements.

-See you. – said Raimon walking to the audiovisual room. The evident disorder arose the moment Raimon closed the door; people were moving back and forth.

On one side, Jozz Stokman and his newly acquired trio conducted some analyses. Andréi Guerrero, the production manager for scenarios, had a metallic and strong style, similar to what would be Goliath's videos, but more lively for a series that was going to throw the house out the window like Gargoyles.

Anna Szymanska, on the other hand, with her series "Train Souls," was under the guidance of Craig McCracken and Paul Ruddish, great scriptwriters and creators of Lux Animation.

Sara Kino, on another front, with "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle," a quick 20-episode series she had made entirely on her own, was the one that already had more approval from the company due to its short episodes of 14 minutes, much in the style of the series already under the auspices of Lux Comics.

-We'll have many interesting things to do, but this series is undoubtedly rewarding for people's eyes. – said Billy, watching the videos of Samurai Jack. The magnificent series didn't disappoint, everything as he had requested. Even the muteness was a great aspect in the production of Samurai Jack's first season, just as he had envisioned.

-The guys have used all kinds of knowledge and innovations, from improving transitions, the use of 2D animated production, acetate copies, and other skills that are the result of what you're seeing now. – said Stephen.

-There's no doubt it's a great series. – said Billy, responding to Raimon's entrance. Stephen jotted down on a piece of paper the list of requests he wanted for the animated series. Meanwhile, Raimon organized the table with food and fizzy products.

Hillenburg noted down the marine course from the California reserve for $12,000, the animation master's degree from CalArts for $73,000, as well as the downtime for the first four months and his subsequent work count since college.

Passing the paper to Billy, who read the terms along with the main reasons, such as improving his script process, character creation process, and technological innovation.

Billy took the pen and rounded the total to $95,000, highlighted in a black circle. He wrote down the first condition: a job for three original series with the company and two animated movies as an animator and team leader for the three original series. The Lux Comics scholarship would cover all education costs and provide a $5,000 fund for three months, but the grantee would be obliged to complete the courses.

The piece of paper was handed to Raimon, who reviewed it and noted the new structure that Lux Animation would see in the reorganization, salary increases, and occasional bonuses for work after three years of employment. After signing the contract for the three series, each with a duration of 15 years and a non-compliance clause, he handed the paper to Stephen, who read it and nodded seriously.

His signature was neatly folded at the bottom.

-Take it to Anne. – said Billy.

Stephen left the room as the contract was sealed, a long period of work, but it's not like the company didn't pay well. Unlike other companies that paid bonuses at the end of the series and not a stable salary with percentage-based bonuses, Lux Animation avoided risks for animators. While the money earned might not be as high as in other companies, job security was a positive point for those in the animation world who didn't have a good job.

-Is it an advisable tactic? – asked Raimon.

-Doesn't matter. – said Billy downplaying it.

-We have tight budgets. – responded Raimon.

-It's an investment when the channel starts running, and when the series of the people we've invested in take off, that's when we'll capitalize. But tell me, what do you think of the shows? We need to do some ratings and critiques in the next three hours. It has to be enjoyable. – said Billy.

-Yes, sure. – said Raimon, focusing on episode 3 of Gargoyles.

...