Contracting creators

july 4.

ales at Lux Comics are gradually increasing, thanks to the planned use of printers that work tirelessly. The company's statistics show the most significant potential sales number to be around 475,000 comics per month, a quite rounded figure considering the comic prices.

This is good news for the comic company. Since late June, various individuals have been coming and going due to the extensive animator recruitment campaign conducted by the company. Since June 17th, multiple figures have visited in the past two days to learn about the terms and conditions of employment. It's understood that there might be some infiltrators trying to gain insight into the company's terms and conditions to potentially use against Lux Comics. In the cutthroat world of business, it's not uncommon for competition to use any advantage they can get.

Moreover, Terry Semel has already spread the word about Billy's intention to start his animated channel. This competition is something they cannot ignore, and there will be friction along the path Billy Carson has chosen for the company.

Today is a day of anticipation, with the unexpected arrival of Craig McCracken. He started his career as an animator but has faced many hardships. After being unemployed for a year, it was thanks to his friend Genndy Tartakovsky that he managed to survive pursuing his seemingly unreal dream, which his parents criticized. However, it appears that things aren't as straightforward as he initially thought.

Craig McCracken adjusted his tie, which felt a bit constricting around his neck, as he climbed the stairs. He couldn't help but feel ridiculous when he saw an overweight man in Spider-Man slippers, matching his shirt, munching on a jar of cookies. Craig loosened his tie; the stress was getting to him.

The line of animators waiting for a job interview wasn't reassuring for anyone in the room. He recognized a few faces from previous encounters. All he could do was wait for his interview, just like everyone else in the room. The relentless clock on the wall was fraying everyone's nerves as they waited.

The waiting time felt excruciatingly long as if time itself had slowed down in sync with Craig's growing impatience. Each member who went in for their interview came out with a cold and emotionless expression, further adding to Craig's anxiety.

Curiously, as he entered, Craig saw Joe Murray sitting in a chair next to a young man who was talking and laughing with Joe.

-Craig, it's good to see you, - Joe said.

-Nice to see you too, Joe. I didn't expect you to be my interviewer today, - Craig replied, feeling his nerves at ease. If Joe was so relaxed, it must mean that the people here were friendly.

-Oh no, I'm not. They just hired me, Craig. But let's get started with the interview, - Joe said, looking at Billy, who simply gave him the go-ahead. - You have three minutes to draw a story on this blank sheet, whatever you want. Just make it impactful -

-Draw? - Craig exclaimed.

Well, he could replicate some of his recent work. He had been thinking about an image of a boy with superpowers. A boy who was short and very smart but had many social problems. He had the superpower to create things with his thoughts, which he typically used to combat threats to the peaceful coexistence of his life. He had a sister who was usually at the center of his problems because she was a magnet for bad luck.

It was better to use more sheets. One sheet was divided into two panels. The first panel showed the boy thinking, and in a quick sequence, you could see the creation of a battle robot. The second panel showed the boy flying with the battle robot. The next one depicted a water monster emerging from a river near a bridge.

Craig did his best to breathe life into the drawings in the best way possible.

-Time's up, - Joe announced.

Craig handed over the drawings as instructed, and the young Billy reviewed them, smiling. The drawings were good and had that animated '90s vibe that Billy found so intriguing. He exchanged a few words with Joe Murray in a low voice, which Craig couldn't quite make out.

-You're hired, Mr. Craig, -- Billy declared. -- Now, exit through the door with an angry face, and head to the third floor at the end of the corridor. Before anything else, you'll find some contracts on the third-floor table. Once all the interviews are done, I'll come up to provide instructions. In the meantime, feel free to read the contract terms and ask any questions you have about its content. -

Craig couldn't help but release the breath he had been holding for the past two weeks. Debts had been suffocating him. He even considered sleeping in his car, but his pride wouldn't allow him to sleep on the street. Now, all that was left was to move to San Jose.

He left the studio with the serious expression Billy had instructed him to wear. He understood why he had to do it; the nervous glances from everyone present were palpable. What had Joe Murray done to become part of this team without needing to go through the interview process, or perhaps he had gone through it and passed with flying colors?

He climbed the stairs and saw various figures here and there. He felt relieved to have secured a job. The hours might be long, but the pay was good—very good for a novice like him. $1000 per week was something he urgently needed.

-Good afternoon, I'm Craig. What a pleasant day, - he said aloud, attempting to break the ice with his potential future colleagues.

-Paul Rudish, nice to meet you, - the square glasses-wearing man replied.

Another man approached, gave his name quickly, and returned to his seat. - Jeff Lomz. -

A few minutes passed, and a young man with the last name Savino, an English-speaking Spaniard named Jose Iturbe, who mentioned he had come to take a chance at being an animator, and later, two more animators, Paul German, and Roy Graham, joined the group.

With the addition of Joe Murray, there were eight animators in total. Then, two more animators, Bob Schooley and Anna Szymańska, arrived.

Craig thought, Wow, this project must be something big to hire so many animators, as he looked around at the clean and new surroundings, from the equipment to the chairs.

Everyone was getting to know each other. Anna was a cheerful person, and despite her somewhat unusual name, she spoke English fluently.

Craig watched the young man climb the stairs alongside Joe Murray. The third floor of Lux Comics had been transformed and now resembled an animation studio, with fifteen stations equipped for hand-drawn and 2D computer animation.

The young man who walked confidently to the front was the typical handsome guy you'd see in high school, the type who could steal anyone's girlfriend with a smile.

-Good morning. Before we begin this meeting, you all need to sign the employment contract. From this point on, you will be a part of my animation company, 'Lux Animation,' and you must adhere to the confidentiality clause regarding the work we are doing here. Is everyone in agreement with the terms of the contract? - he said, holding up a copy of the contract, emphasizing the bottom of the second page.

There were no objections from the animators; the terms were astonishingly favorable, and some who had worked in the industry had received less for their work. Again, Craig decided to wait for an explanation before asking any questions.

-Very well, I will collect your contracts. From now on, as an employee of Lux Comics, I have some ideas in mind that we can start working on. This company will consist of two divisions: animated series and film production. I have many series in mind that we can produce over the coming years, - he continued, revealing several large poster boards.

The poster boards displayed cartoon characters from "Dexter's Laboratory" with the title prominently displayed, followed by "Recess," and finally, a rather rudimentary design of Billy and Mandy.

-These are the main series for this studio. However, I admire proactivity, and if any of you want to create your series, you can. But first, you'll need to present a storyboard, a script, and a short animated clip. For those who have an approved series idea, you can assemble your team as the company progresses. My goal is to launch my animated channel by June 1994 - mid-1995, - said Billy.

-Any questions? -

-I have a few. What criteria will be used for evaluating series ideas? - asked Paul Rudish.

-Well, genius, a good script, original or unique artwork, and most importantly, that quality of being entertaining. If there's disagreement with my idea, we can create a pilot and conduct surveys with kids or experts to rate the series. And if there's still disagreement, we can produce a 10-episode series and launch it to the public to gauge the response from children, - Billy explained.

Paul Rudish nodded in agreement; it seemed more than fair.

-On another note, I believe you all know that with these three series, we'll have a lot on our plate. Furthermore, our second project is the second division, 'Lux-Nation 2D,' which will be responsible for producing movies. We will all work together as a consolidated group. Some will focus on series production, while others will work on creating the films with me, - Billy said.

He then pulled out a thick cardboard and a small television. The three-minute Hercules movie began to play. On the screen, you could see the various backgrounds used by the young man for the 3-minute short film. The combination of Caps technology was quite powerful, and creating characters through an animation system gave it a fresh touch that few animated features had achieved by this date.

Craig was amazed to see such work.

-For this technique, we will use a hybrid of 2D animation and traditional animation. Fortunately, we have the latest technology at our disposal. Even Disney started using this technique for its films not too long ago, - Billy explained.

-I have no idea how to use computer technology, - Anna Szymańska admitted.

-Does anyone else not know how to use computer technology? - Billy asked.

Almost everyone in the room raised their hands, except for Paul German, Craig McCracken, and Joe Murray.

-No worries; we will provide training. I'll ask them to create a small manual on how to use the Caps program, covering all the aspects of computer animation. Additionally, I have a manual on the creation of each of the showcased series, containing everything you need to know about each series and how I expect them to be portrayed. You'll need to be proficient in both these techniques, - Billy said.

-Does anyone want to be part of the movie? - he asked.

Jose Iturbe raised his hand, as did Paul German, Roy Graham, Bob Schooley, Anna Szymańska, and Greff Lomz.

-Great, with all of you, the movie may progress as much as I hope it will, - Billy replied.

-The first approved series we have is Joe Murray's. His interview was a book with the requirements mentioned earlier. He needs two volunteers for his animated series. Although the requirement is to use this hybrid for your animated programs, the idea is to produce good products, even if we have to hire other animators. I hope that in two years, we'll have four series and the Hercules movie finished, - Billy said.

-Will you be hiring more staff? -- Paul German asked. -- I think we need a larger team if we want to distribute all the work in the coming months. -

-Of course, I've hired three more people, and there are two who haven't responded to my call yet, - Billy replied.

-I'm in! When do we start? - Anna Szymańska chimed in.

-Well, I wanted to give you all a period of two days to a week to settle in and start working formally from there, - Billy said.

Anna nodded, and Craig could see the enthusiasm in everyone. They were part of significant animation projects—movies, series, and channel creation. It's the dream of every budding animator to be involved in such substantial endeavors.

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