The traditional Hollywood industrial area is a suburb south of Los Angeles. As Hollywood's influence grew, more and more film companies moved in. Nowadays, "Hollywood" isn't just a single spot—it's a sprawling American film industry hub that includes Hollywood itself and nearby cities like Burbank.
For example, Disney and Warner Bros. have their shiny new headquarters in Burbank, while Universal Pictures sits at Universal City Plaza, right between Los Angeles and Burbank. Dunn Pictures decided to plant its flag in a spot between the two cities—a 200,000-square-meter patch of empty land, about 50 kilometers from Universal Studios.
Bill McNick reached out to a famous German architecture firm, Schleicher Engineering Design, to design Dunn Pictures' headquarters. They're not as massive as giants like Liya or Aecom, but they're clever and talented. Their initial blueprint? A four-story building spanning 80,000 square meters, shaped like a four-tiered magical cube—think fantasy and power vibes. Budget? $200 million. Construction time? Two years.
Dunn doesn't know much about architecture, so he gave Bill three simple demands: "The company's future is going global, a multinational media empire—so the headquarters has to be sleek, grand, and top-tier! "
"The design needs to be a landmark. Picture this: a plaza out front with statues of Spider-Man, Jedi Knights, or Transformers. Make sure it's built so those icons don't look out of place."
"My office? It's gotta have an assistant's room, a secretary's space, a wife's office, a secondary office, a meeting room, plus a private study, bedroom, bathroom, lounge, dining room, music room, gym, mini theater, trophy display hall, and an art gallery—y'know, the works!"
Bill's face twitched a bit. He ignored the personal wish list but caught something big: "Transformers? Dunn, are you planning to turn *Transformers* into a movie?"
Dunn shrugged casually. "Yeah, it's an idea! But with today's special effects tech, it's tricky. Give it five or six years, and we'll be ready."
Bill nodded. "Transformers is a childhood classic for tons of people. It's got real movie potential. I'll tell the production team to snag the rights ASAP."
"Oh, by the way, how's the TV station thing going?" Dunn asked, leaning in. He's super invested in this.
Bill replied, "The best fit for our strategy is A Network, but the most realistic buy is Tarz Network."
"Tarz Network? Isn't that just basic cable?" Dunn raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "No way. We're pushing premium series— that kind of station won't cut it."
Bill frowned. "But A Network has 42 million subscribers—30 million more than HB Network!"
"So what?" Dunn smirked. "Sure, they've got users, but are they loyal? Does their subscription revenue beat HB's?"
"It does—double HB's, actually!"
"Ahem…" Dunn coughed, embarrassed. He forgot it's 2000—HB's still fumbling around, figuring itself out. "I mean *future* potential! The market's drowning in trash TV right now. Once a premium series channel pops up and builds a brand, it'll flip everything."
Bill didn't buy it. "Premium series? Dunn, I get your ambition, but… premium TV shows are harder to pull off than classic movies."
"That's 'cause the investment's too low!" Dunn fired back. "What's a TV show budget these days? $1 million? $2 million? Sure, that's decent, but when the lead actor's paycheck is $5 million per episode, how much is left for stunning visuals and quality?"
"Visuals? Dunn, we're talking TV here," Bill said, clearly lost.
Dunn grinned. "Bill, imagine a $120 million budget. How's that different from making a movie? My premium series will be shot with a film mindset. I'm building a *brand*!"
Bill's brow furrowed. "You'll never recoup that cost."
Dunn laughed. "Not recoup it? Bill, your vision's stuck in the past. Trust me, you'll be blown away! A Network's trick of slashing subscription fees to grab users? That's not my style. I want quality, not quantity. Picture this: $10 a month, even just 10 million subscribers—that's $ 120 million a year!"
"$10 a month? Dunn, you're nuts!" Bill's eyes widened in shock. "That's insane!"
Dunn shook his head, dead serious. "Bill, Hermes sells way less than Lotica but makes ten times the profit. That's brand power. I'm buying a TV station to *create* a brand!"
Bill was stunned by Dunn's wild vision.
Today's TV market is a mess—cheaply made shows, zero DVD revenue, all propped up by ads. Even HB's a pile of flops, clinging to 7 million subscribers with stuff like sex and violence.
"Tarz Network's only been around six years," Bill explained. "They air popular movies and reruns, no original shows. They've got about 2 million subscribers, $30 a year each."
"That's a huge gap from HB," Dunn said, frowning.
"Yeah. The only premium cable rival to HB is H Network, but that's Viacom's golden child. No way we can buy it—or afford it," Bill said calmly.
Dunn sighed deeply. "This is just making my challenge harder!"
"Huh?"
"Ahem… I mean, taking Tarz and beating HB and H? We've got a long road ahead!"
Bill stared at him. "You're set on Tarz?"
"What choice do I have?" Dunn rolled his eyes. "If I had options, I'd rather spend more and save the hassle. Fine, Tarz it is. How much?"
"Between $200-$300 million."
"What?! That much?" Dunn yelped. A measly 2 million subscribers for that price?
"That's the market rate—$100 per subscriber. Add Tarz's sister channel Vieple, and it's over $200 million," Bill explained.
Dunn waved a hand weakly. "Fine, buy it! Man, no wonder Viacom dropped $37 billion on B. TV stations are crazy expensive!"
Bill chuckled. "B's got solid revenue. Disney snagged AB cheap back in the day, and NB's worth even less."
"How much?"
"$18 billion would do it! What, you wanna buy it?" Bill teased.
Dunn nearly choked at the jab.
…
Jerry Bruckheimer, Hollywood's golden producer, has his own company and the clout to demand a slice of the big studios' pie. This project piqued his interest, and he had two conditions: one, he calls the shots; two, he gets 5% of the movie's profits—box office, merch, everything.
Dunn Pictures jumped at the deal. Out of respect for the legendary producer, Dunn even stepped back from the set.
Meanwhile, Dunn Pictures teamed up with DreamWorks and Tom Hanks' Playtone Productions. With a 5:5:2 investment and profit split, they're pooling $120 million to produce a WWII series about the Normandy landings.
Boom! The U.S. entertainment media lost its mind over the news.