The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 18: Don't Be a Freeloader]

Inside a rustic-style bar, country music played softly in the background.

"What are you having? Whiskey?" Eric extended his hand, revealing his flashy Rolex watch. He poured Hawke a drink and said, "D.C. Heights isn't making it to theaters."

Hawke raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Didn't Castle Rock Entertainment buy the rights?"

Eric shook his head. "They're going to push it straight to DVD and VHS. If all goes well, it could hit the shelves after the Oscars."

"Well, at least it'll get seen by thousands."

"Compared to most directors, I'm lucky," Eric toasted with Hawke. "With Katherine investing in me and meeting you in Park City, without you, this film wouldn't sell. I'd be tossed aside by Katherine, and it'd be hard to find another chance..."

Hawke mumbled, "Katherine treats you well."

Eric scoffed, shaking his head. "A director without a successful project can't elevate the status of a wealthy woman. What good is he to keep around?" He pointed at Hawke. "But you, my friend, gave me the chance to keep making films."

Hawke poured another drink for both of them. "I am looking forward to your next project hitting the market soon."

Eric had a clear idea in mind. "When that happens, I'd love for you to be in charge of the film operations. You're the best I've seen at that."

"Thanks." Hawke felt a bit pleased.

But then Eric hit him with a reality check: "Of course, I haven't met many film operators."

Hawke quickly rectified his demeanor. "Not a film operator -- I'm great at media management."

After several drinks, Eric, feeling the effects of the alcohol, indicated that besides wealth, power, and beautiful women, men had another great pastime: bragging. He slapped the table, declaring, "When I open my own film company, I'm hiring you as the media operations director."

Hawke, a bit tipsy, spoke without much caution. "Will Katherine approve?"

"I'll have enough money to start my own company; who needs Katherine!" Eric blurted out, "If I can manage to finance films normally, who would want to lick?"

Hawke continued pouring drinks. "Help me out a bit at that time."

Eric responded, "As long as I don't have to lick, everything else is negotiable."

Hawke doubted that this guy would leave behind anything but a shadow of regrets for life. He said, "Help me spread some good word about my work. You don't need to do anything; if someone calls you asking about my operations, can you tell them the truth?"

Eric was taken aback. "Haven't you had many successes?"

Hawke reiterated, "The crews I've worked with believed themselves to be the winning ticket in film art, while my contributions were insignificant."

"Bullshit!" Eric lifted his glass, clinking it with Hawke's. "If anyone doubts it, let them call me."

Starting anything was tough. Hawke made a name for himself at the film festival, and he planned to keep going and earn more.

As the two of them hadn't finished the bottle yet, Eric received a call from Katherine, having to leave early to go back to the hotel with his girlfriend.

"Money makes the world go round, right?" He raised his glass and downed it in one go, warning Hawke, "Don't be a freeloader!"

Hawke replied, "Don't worry; if there is licking to be done, I'll do it my way."

Eric, not quite catching the joke, waved his hand. "I'm heading to Los Angeles next. If you find yourself there, do get in touch."

Hawke clinked glasses with him again. "I'll reach out when I need you."

Eric staggered off.

Hawke glanced at the remaining liquor in the bottle and opted to pour himself another drink.

...

The stage music transitioned from country to jazz. Hawke hummed along for a bit until someone suddenly yanked out the chair next to him and sat down.

Journalist Jenna Ingram waved her fingers, requesting the waiter to bring a new glass, and asked Hawke, "Drinking alone?"

When the waiter delivered the glass, Hawke poured her a drink, saying, "Now there are two of us."

Jenna had her reasons for joining him. "Is there any big news?"

Hawke didn't respond right away and instead inquired, "How did the morning news go over?"

"Explosive reactions." Jenna was in high spirits, taking a sip of her drink. "This is the first time in Sundance history that all of Hollywood has taken notice, and what's crazier is, George Hansen actually suffered a ruptured intestine..."

Hawke was a bit shocked. "That serious?"

Jenna had been following the story closely. "What they extracted was nearly seven inches long. Too insane."

She leaned closer. "This George Hansen opened Pandora's box, making a really bad precedent. There could be copyright rivalry between two film teams, possibly leading to sabotage, one shutting off the other's power -- imagine that!"

Hawke raised his glass with her. "Aren't you all fans of this type of corporate warfare? This news is particularly enticing."

Jenna returned to her earlier point. "If you have any similar big stories, come to me; money isn't a problem."

Hawke shook his head. "If such stories were in abundance, I'd have gotten rich by now. Why would I be stuck here drowning my sorrows? I could just hire a couple of Hollywood starlets to keep me company."

Jenna appraised Hawke, seeing he clearly wasn't rich. She pulled out a business card, handing it to him. "If you come across news, call me. If the news has value, I'll pay you a finder's fee."

Recalling the $1,000 he made earlier, Hawke asked, "Do bigger events pay more?"

"Basically, yes. But some industries are exceptions," Jenna explained. "I primarily cover entertainment. The news from a celebrity holds far more value than if the same thing happened to an average Joe."

She made a comparison: "Take the Salt Lake Cinemas incident; if Spielberg had been behind it, you could bet a video wouldn't sell for less than $100,000."

Hawke nodded slightly.

Jenna continued, "Speaking of Hollywood, there are rumors about Tom Cruise being a closet case. US Weekly and World News allegedly offered millions for photos or videos of him; if anyone captured something, they'd be instant millionaires..."

Hawke just chuckled. "Or maybe he'll get blasted off to meet their supreme deity by the Scientologists."

Jenna agreed. "So, if you want longevity in this line of work, you really need to know when to cash out and avoid attracting unwanted attention."

Hawke learned a bit from this journalist and ordered another bottle of drinks.

As a phony media figure, he took the opportunity to extract quite a bit from Jenna.

Jenna got tipsy and suggested taking Hawke home to study cameras.

Hawke wouldn't take advantage of someone heavily intoxicated; no need to risk anything if she stumbled or vomited.

Driving Jenna back to her place, he walked home afterward.

He gathered what could be a useful lead from Jenna about a Brazilian film crew working on a project called The Trespasser. They were preparing a media screening to gain some buzz and attention in North America.

Hawke rested up that night. The next day, he started digging for information about this crew.

This time, not just Brandt, but Larson and several deputy captains stepped in to help.

With one successful case under his belt, securing a second deal proved much simpler.

Hawke went to meet with the crew's director and producer, Beto Brant and Renata Magalhães, who after making a call to Eric about Castle Rock Entertainment, signed the agreement without too much hesitation.

*****

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