12 Toys and Movie Deals
It had been a year since 'Toy Story' was published, and the huge success of the book had changed my life drastically. It was almost Christmas, and it would be the first one in the new apartment that Mom and I had moved in to a few months ago.
Lucy, even though our relationship had been rocky at first, had become a mentor of sorts for me. She eventually left her job at the publishing company to work for me, becoming my agent, and she was pretty good at it too. She had been a great help for me in navigating the unfamiliar waters that I found myself in. My mom even quit her job as a hairdresser and began working with Lucy. She embraced the opportunity to learn more about the world I was getting into, and together they formed a formidable team.
School had been boring; I had never been much of a social person at this age. It was only in high school that I came out of my shell and became more social. When I went back to school, I didn't have any friends, and I didn't bother finding any. I just blended with the crowd.
But all that changed when, after publishing the book, my name became more known. Whispers and stares followed me through the school hallways; people started approaching me, and suddenly I found myself at the center of attention. Thankfully, I didn't have to spend much time at school, as after the book was published as I had other responsibilities.
I found myself participating in several events like book signings and other literary events. I even got to meet some famous authors, and as the book's popularity increased nationwide, so did the demands on my time. I got to travel all over the country; it was quite an experience but also very exhausting. Lucy played a pivotal role in managing everything, ensuring that all my commitments were met, and Mom was always there. She became a supportive anchor, understanding the demands of my newfound fame.
Another significant event that happened was the deal with Hasbro. Seeing the success of the book and the topic of the book literally being about toys, they reached out to me about making a line of toys based on the characters in the book.
Merchandising was something that slipped my mind entirely. Lucy had been able to secure a good deal with them, and within a few months, I got the first prototypes of the action figures. The toy line was released in November and was selling very well, with Buzz being one of the best sellers.
All this had left me a bit burned out. I found myself yearning for a break. The holiday season provided much-needed respite. I spent time with Mom and enjoyed Christmas together decorating the tree, baking cookies. We had more time to spend together now. I was also able to resume working on the sequel to Toy Story.
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"Danny, Lucy is here," I heard my mom say. It was a week after the new year, and I was relaxing in my room playing video games I did miss this part of my life and I was glad some of my favorite games still existed here.
"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute," I replied.
Lucy and I have been at odds about the offers from movie studios to adapt Toy Story. So far, I didn't like any of it. As I stepped into the living room, Lucy was seated on the couch with a stack of papers in her hands.
"Hey Lucy, how was Missouri?" I asked, taking a seat across from her. Lucy was from Missouri and had left to spend Christmas with her family there.
"Oh, it was great!" Lucy smiled, setting the papers aside. "It was just what I needed, a nice break from everything."
I smiled. "So, you're here about the studio offers then?" I asked.
"Yes, I know you didn't like the ones we got before, but I got two more offers," she said with a wide smile.
"You look excited," I observed, seeing her reaction.
"Yes, one of them is from DreamWorks," she said with a gleam of excitement in her eyes.
"Whoa, that's a big one," I remarked.
"It is. This is a game-changer, Danny," she replied.
"What about the other one?" I inquired, remembering her saying there were two offers.
"The other one… Oh, it's from a fairly new studio called Stardust."
"Alright, let's hear both out. It can't be worse than the previous ones." I replied last few offers were a bit weird one even suggesting a live action version but then again there was that one offer to make a children's TV show.
"Great, I'll let them know. Also, how is the writing going?" she asked, changing the subject.
"It's almost done," I replied. "I've made some good progress during the break. I think you will love it."
We spent the next hour discussing the studios that we were going to meet with. DreamWorks was a well-established studio, known for its success in both animation and live-action films. Stardust, on the other hand came with the uncertainty of being a newer player in the industry.In the end I had choose the one which would give me the biggest benefit
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The team gathered in the conference room, the atmosphere charged with a mix of excitement and nerves. Chris, as the studio head, sat at the head of the table, flanked by his creative team. The door opened, and in walked Daniel, Lucy, and Mary, each greeted by warm smiles from the Stardust team. Chris stood to welcome them.
"Welcome, welcome! We're thrilled to have you here," Chris exclaimed, gesturing towards the seats at the conference table. "Please, make yourselves comfortable."
Once everyone had settled, Chris initiated the conversation. "Firstly, Mr. Adler, congratulations on the success of 'Toy Story.' It's truly a remarkable story. My son is a great fan; I read him your story every night."
"Also, Miss. Adler, your son is very talented; you must be very proud," he added.
"Thank you, Mr. Henderson. Please call me Daniel," Daniel replied. Mary smiled at the compliment.
"Well… only if you call me Chris," he said with a friendly smile. The room chuckled at the exchange, breaking the initial tension.
"So, Mr. Henderson, what do you have for us?" Lucy asked, diverting the meeting to its topic.
"Well, Mrs. Wallace, I will get to the point. What we are looking for is a partnership. We believe the best way to bring this story to the big screen is to stay true to the author's work. We want young Daniel here to be involved in every step of the way, from script development to character design."
"But we do have something for you before we move on to more serious discussions," he continued.
"Oh, what do you have for us?" Mary said, chiming in to the conversation.
"We have put together a small presentation of sorts to showcase our vision," Chris said as he motioned for the lights to dim.
The lights dimmed, and the room focused on the screen as a projector displayed the animated snippet from the book. The animation was 3D, Lucy noted, much more advanced than what she had seen previously; it was more refined. Mary looked at Daniel, whose eyes were fixed on the screen; she knew from looking at her son that he had already made his decision.
The lights came back on as the presentation ended.
"We wanted to give you a glimpse of how we envision bringing 'Toy Story' to life on the big screen. This is just a sample, but it reflects our commitment to maintaining the heart and soul of your story," Chris said, breaking the silence.
"Very impressive, Mr. Henderson. We appreciate the effort your team has put in."Lucy said
"Much better than the previous ones" Mary added
Chris nodded."Thank you Mrs Wallace, Miss.Adler"
He looked at Daniel, looking for his reaction. As he was about to ask the young man, he spoke up.
"Let's talk business, Chris."
