Mr. Gibson's Offer

Andrew Gibson, or Andy as Steven said, was a man who gave of a hard taskmaster vibe. When Rob had arrived at LWC with ten minutes to spare, he was guided to Andrew Gibson's office directly.

Towering at over six feet, with a large body that heavyweight wrestlers usually had, Andrew Gibson spoke in a no-nonsense manner the moment he stepped into the room.

"So, you are the kid that impressed Steve, huh?" Andrew Gibson asked in the way of an introduction stumping Rob for a moment.

He had never seen someone so informal at the start of an interview like this. His experiences with interviews were more corporate-oriented in style, where people exchanged perfunctory greetings and talking highly of themselves or the opposite party. Such a change right off the bat, caught Rob off-guard.

"Yeah," Rob replied lamely.

"Well, you look like I smacked your head with a club, boy. Anyways, I don't have much time to waste with you. I am very busy right now. So, I will get straight to the point," Mr. Gibson spoke brashly.

Rob noticed that his eyes kept darting towards the mountain of paperwork on the side. He knew that this was telling the truth from those sideways glances.

"I heard that you have some bold ideas, boy. They were so good that they even intrigued that picky Steven. He called me to give you a chance," Mr. Gibson paused slightly as he leaned back on his chair and began surveying Rob.

"Frankly, I am short-staffed right now. I welcome any help. But," Mr. Gibson's eyes narrowed slightly, "I am not running a charity either. So, if I think you won't fit here, I will kick you out of that door, just like Roger did. I hope you understand that."

Rob merely nodded to express his understanding.

"So, tell me, what kind of crazy stuff did you speak for Roger to lose his cool and kick you out?"

"Well," Rob began nervously, "I told them that booking wrestlers as they are booking currently is not interesting and proposed an alternative type of booking to draw viewer's attention."

"Oh," Mr. Gibson leaned forward with interest.

"You see, the way we are booking wrestlers now is stale and uninteresting. We have been doing the same thing for years now. It is getting repetitive and boring, to be frank."

"Wait a minute, I don't think any promoter worth their boots will do something like a repetitive booking, so what you are saying is already wrong," Mr. Gibson pursed his lips.

"I am not talking about the wrestlers that are booked. I am talking about the way in which they are booked. You see, the storyline of a Special Event match can be summed up pretty easily. One guy challenges the other. The other guy accepts. They fight and a winner emerges."

"No matter what the match is, or who the wrestlers are, in the end, everything can be summed up as I said previously. What I am telling is to change the way we tell their story."

Rob waited patiently after saying that. He had learned his lesson after how his pitch turned out in front of AWF interviewers. He knew he had to wait and let the other party digest his statements before continuing on. He saw Mr. Gibson contemplate as his fingers drummed on the table.

"I admit, what you said is true. We do go about things that way. But, it works. It always works. Why fix something, if it isn't broken?" Mr. Gibson asked inquisitively.

"I think that the meaning of pro-wrestling is to entertain fans. In simpler terms, it is a performance art performed by a specialized performer akin to stunt choreography. We tell a story of a conflict between two individuals and draw the audience to be interested in it."

"If it is pure sport, we have amateur wrestling and boxing for it. Their results aren't pre-determined. The one with the most skills wins. Here, we already fix the result and create an atmosphere where the result we want to is achieved with the combined expertise of professionals. We give the audience what they want. Do you agree with my views?" Rob asked Mr. Gibson.

"Well, you can put it that way," Mr. Gibson grumbled.

Rob knew full well that calling pro-wrestling a performance art would rankle true pro-wrestling fans. He remembered fights breaking out over the internet due to such statements on earth. But, he needed to draw in Mr. Gibson slowly if he wants to successfully pitch his idea. So, he took a risk in stating such a thing. Fortunately, it paid off.

While Mr. Gibson looked as if he was irritated, Rob could see that there was curiosity over where he was taking this topic in Mr. Gibson's eyes.

"In that sense, people that we entertain are the backbone of the business. We are similar to a film in that aspect. We tell a story to the audience. Whether the audience likes it or not determines our success."

"However, like in a film, we can't use the same plot repetitively. While the actors change, the script remains the same. So, sooner or later, people will get tired. We need to avoid that if we want to be successful."

Mr. Gibson looked thoughtful after Rob said his piece. His eyebrows furrowed and it looked as if he was seriously thinking over something. Rob remained silent, not daring to interrupt the man. He prayed to every god he knew that his angle of attack worked.

In the end, Mr. Gibson merely motioned to continue. Rob took a deep breath and spoke again.

"Currently, we book two men like they are competitors in a boxing match or a wrestling man. What I propose is to add a bit of storytelling element into the mix to make fans invest more into the matches that are booked."

Mr. Gibson considered the suggestion seriously for some time before he replied in a somber tone.

"Wouldn't that shift the focus away from wrestling? Then, what is the difference between us and film companies?"

"You are wrong," Rob shook his head. "No matter how good the plot is, if the actors can't act, then the film will flop. Likewise, no matter how good of a story we concoct, if the wrestlers can't wrestle, it is no use."

"What we are trying to do is to make more people invest in the match. That way, the wrestlers are under even more pressure. While we can create the stage for them and draw in the audience, it is their ability that will keep the audience there."

"In short, we are trying to fill seats and make more eyes turn towards the match. Whether the interest is retained or not will entirely depend on the wrestlers' ability to put out a great match."

Mr. Gibson nodded thoughtfully.

"So, this way, we are only creating more interest in the match without taking anything away from the wrestling aspect of the industry."

"Yes," Rob nodded.

"Well, boy, I admit. You got me intrigued. Now, tell me how you will accomplish this. It is easy to say that we are going to do this, but it is whole another ball game to actually accomplish it."

"I have thought about this a lot," Rob said leaning forward a little. Mr. Gibson too leaned forward a little. "Now, we are booking wrestlers as competitors. They have a single identity. Sure, fans have their favorite wrestlers and they want them to win. But, that interest is only on the surface level."

"I mean, their investment in the win or loss isn't big. My intention is to increase their investment in the match. One of the ways I thought about accomplishing this is to create characters, or say another individual identity for wrestlers."

"Say, we book one of the wrestlers to always act as an evil guy in the buildup. Like, for example, he always disrespects the other guy and looks down on him. Make him act superior and stuff. Or even worse, make him act like a coward or something like that. Fans aren't going to want him to win. They are invested in seeing such an evil guy lose."

"On the other hand, we book the other wrestler to be upstanding and be a good guy overall. When these two guys clash, fans want the good guy to win and the bad guy to lose. It's simple as that. We give them what they want. And they go home happy with bright smiles. We also profit from their investment to see the good guy beat the bad guy."

Mr. Gibson looked thunderstruck for a moment. Rob knew that he had got Mr. Gibson's attention. It seemed simple when one thought about it. It was a no-brainer. Good guy versus bad guy. The good guy wins. Everyone's happy.

Mr. Gibson began shaking his head in disbelief.

"Damn, I didn't think Roger was so stubborn to not see such a thing. If this is executed properly, I am sure we can capitalize on this. No wonder Steve was excited," Mr. Gibson began laughing hysterically.

"To be honest, I didn't explain to them so much," Rob said sheepishly.

Mr. Gibson looked at him curiously.

"Well, at that time, I was way too eager and wanted to impress them. All I thought was to get my idea out. When they asked what I wanted to change, I started rambling about booking the good guys versus the bad guys and such stuff. I didn't explain properly," Rob said with a tinge of shame.

"Now, you have thought through it," Mr. Gibson nodded.

"Actually, I started thinking about it after Mr. Steven told me that I was a nobody and no one is going to listen to me even if I have good ideas. That's when I calmed down and started analyzing how to present my idea in a proper way."

"Good, that is the most important thing in the business boy. You learn stuff every day. The day you stop thinking is when you stop progressing," Mr. Gibson nodded in approval.

Rob smiled back accepting the words of wisdom. Silence engulfed the duo after that as Mr. Gibson immersed himself in his own mind. Rob waited patiently for him to ask the next question. In the end, Mr. Gibson let out a deep breath and shook his head sadly.

"Boy, I will be frank," Mr. Gibson said with a complicated emotion that made Rob uncomfortable. "I am intrigued by your idea. If you have brought this idea to me half a year ago, I would have immediately tested this out. Unfortunately, this is not the right time."

Rob's face fell hearing that.

"Did Steve tell you why we are short-staffed all of a sudden?" Mr. Gibson asked.

Rob shook his head.

"Damn!!!" Mr. Gibson cursed under his breath, "Anyway, this not much of a secret. Everyone will know about it within the week. No harm in telling you. You see, LWC has just signed a one-year contract with Breeze TV for telecasting our program on their channel."

"What you proposed is interesting, but it is also risky. Are you sure the fans will react according to how we want them to? This will need a lot of trial and error. Nobody could guarantee that it won't negatively affect the viewership. In short, your idea is a gamble."

"Currently, I am not in a place where I can gamble," Mr. Gibson said regretfully. "This is not just about me. This TV deal is important to LWC both as a company and the individuals in it. If it is six months ago, I can gamble on your idea and fine-tune it to make it a success. But, with a TV telecast right around the corner, I can't do stuff like that. It will harm both LWC and the wrestlers signed with the company."

Rob closed his eyes in disappointment. As much as he wanted to rage and call Mr. Gibson names, he knew that Mr. Gibson was telling the truth. His words made sense. Even he did not have full confidence in saying that his ideas would be received warmly.

"But," Mr. Gibson paused and looked at Rob with a meaningful look, "I am not willing to give up this idea either. I see potential in it, just like Steve did. Do you know why I said Steve was crazy? It is because he always had bizarre ideas that seemed crazy first but worked wonders when given a chance."

"He was the one who introduced women's wrestling. At that time, the industry was filled only with males. When Steven proposed his idea, everyone called him crazy. But, he persisted and got approval. In the end, his idea became a success and now women's wrestling is a common thing."

"That is just one example. He had many such bizarre ideas that worked wonders even when no one had confidence in them. So, I always trust his vision. He thinks your idea has merit. After hearing you out, I too think that it will be doable. But, just not now."

Rob listened carefully as to what Mr. Gibson said.

"So," Mr. Gibson continued leaning back into his chair. "This is my proposal to you. You are still wet behind the ears. As Steve said, no one will take you seriously as you are now. You need experience in the industry."

"I will hire you and you will start from the bottom learning the craft. After one year, I will give your idea a go. Don't worry, I won't steal it. If I am doing it, I want to do it right and the best way to ensure is to have you on the project."

"After one year, when you have experience. No one will question why you are included in the program. You can also use this one year to polish your skills and get to know the proper way this business works. What do you say? I won't stop you if you want to leave and take this idea somewhere else. But, I advise you to take this. One year later, we will have adapted to the TV deal and you will have experience. That way, things could be implemented more smoothly."

Rob didn't reply immediately. The offer indeed sounded good. But, if he wanted instant success, it was not a possibility. But, if he wanted stability, then this was the way to go.

Consequently, Mr. Gibson didn't rush Rob either. He quietly sat and watched Rob contemplate his proposal.