America 1982-Chapter 261 - 4: The Program Approach of BT Television
"Who can tell me what the dream of a television person is?"
On the rooftop terrace on the third floor of the BT Television headquarters, Tommy turned around, his back against the railing, taking a cup of coffee from Sophia as he warmly gazed at the four Caucasians within his field of vision and posed a question.
The four people looked at each other, some wanting to speak but hesitating, some shrugging their shoulders, but in the end, no one answered his question.
After waiting for several seconds with no one responding, Tommy laughed, "Congratulations to all of you for giving the correct answer. If any of you were just about to talk to me about some bullshit dreams, I would have had Sophia tell him how to process his resignation more quickly."
"I know some of you are graduates from places like the University of Southern California, University of California, majors in media, television production, and so on, so you should realize the kind of great opportunity you’ve stumbled upon." Tommy sighed, spreading his hands feebly towards everyone:
"My black friend, Mr. Wolfe Tuck, spent nearly a year building BT Television from scratch for me, public relations, various approvals, management systems, market analysis, audience surveys, and so on. To put it bluntly, aside from his flaw of having dreams, he was impeccable. Therefore, I traded my dreamy program production ideas for his help in completing the BT Television structure. Now, his valuable legacy will be handed over to you in its entirety; my black friend has done the hardest preliminary work for you."
"I think one-on-one interaction shows more consideration for each of you." He paused, then raised his head again: "Let me introduce myself, Tommy Hawk, the owner of this television station, so, who will go first?"
"Rick, Rick Russo, Mr. Mark Warren told me I would be the Senior Vice President in charge of program scheduling at this station." A Caucasian man in his thirties with auburn curly hair spoke up when he saw that no one else was eager to start the conversation: "I was previously the Production Director at Vivid Adult Entertainment."
"Sophia, go and chat with the other three about the weather or something, and give Mr. Russo and me some space for a private conversation," Tommy instructed Sophia before turning to Rick Russo:
"On the flight back to California, I went over all your information, which struck me as memorable. USC School of Cinematic Arts, film and television production major, you are naturally talented in television program scheduling, it’s just that your former dumb*ss boss and alumnus couldn’t recognize it."
...
"The days when men and women merely performing in front of the camera were enough to make customers pay for our movies are over; the industry has begun another period of survival of the fittest," Rick Russo spoke to Steve Hill, the boss of Vivid:
"The golden age of adult films is past. A few simple scenes, a few actors, are no longer enough to make customers impulsively purchase the movies to take home. The advent of home video recorders is shaking this fragile industry. Look at how cheap Japanese VCRs are selling for? Almost everyone can afford one, and with a VCR set up at home, they can make their own adult movies. What’s the difference? The same simple scenes, the same positions and actions, why buy ours?"
Steve Hill glanced at the annual project plan handed to him by Rick Russo: "So, you’re planning to persuade me to make our company increase its costs like Hollywood Movie Company, and make real movies with storylines?"
"Exactly, we need to attract customers with more than just the physical aspect. We reduce production but improve quality. We used to release seven films a week, but now I think we can slow down, finish one film a month, and prove with a high-quality adult film the difference between Vivid and those other small-time companies without ambition," Rick sat opposite Steve, speaking earnestly.
Steve took a look at the text on the project plan: "’This is Not the Terminator,’ the label above says sci-fi? An adult film with a science fiction theme? Have you lost your mind? Why can’t you keep your team shooting on beaches and in villas?"
"Terminator is a great movie, three years after its first release, many second-run theaters are still screening it, and its videotape is still a hot rental item in video rental stores. When I watched the movie, I had a question: what would it be like if a robot used his metal rod to f*ck a woman? I bet I’m not the only one curious; others must also be full of curiosity," Rick replied confidently when asked by his boss.
He believed his idea would definitely make the company’s new film a huge hit—how could anyone resist an adult version of ’The Terminator’?
"’Snow White and the Seven Blacks,’ ’The Last Man of the World,’ ’1VS100 Physical Challenge’..." The boss’s face twisted in agony as he read through the plan Rick handed him, then looked straight at Rick and said:
"You’re not proving the company, you’re planning to bury it. Snow White might not cause us problems, but rights holders for ’The Terminator’ and ’1VS100’ could force us to spit out all the money we’ve struggled to earn over the years, and we might even go bankrupt and close down."
