Chapter 12: Making Money is Hard, and Troubles are Plenty

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The community theater group Brand belonged to was a highly professional team, with Hawk being no exception.

Upon arriving at the community, Hawk confirmed again, "As long as there's sponsorship, the group can bring about a hundred people. No problem, right?"

Brand kicked the snow piled on the roadside. "It's winter now, and there are plenty of people with nothing to do around here. If it were you, would you turn down a party with free food and drinks? Trust me, they’ll bring their whole families."

The idea of getting a cut to impress his crush had him highly motivated. "Come on, I'll take you to meet Larson, our group's most influential leader."

Ten minutes later, Hawk found himself in the living room of a log cabin, meeting the theater group's leader.

Larson was almost fifty but still energetic. After hearing Brand explain their purpose, he asked Hawk directly, "Outsider, you're willing to sponsor us? I don't get it. Are you doing charity work?"

Hawk selectively responded, "A friend of mine is a director who shot an independent film. It's showing at the Great Salt Lake Cinema the day after tomorrow, and he’s worried there won't be enough viewers, so he asked me to help. I happened to be friends with Brand, and he mentioned your gatherings."

Larson eyed Hawk with a smile, "I bet you stand to gain quite a bit from this."

Hawk remained indifferent, "Just a little something for my troubles."

Larson's smile slowly faded, and he was blunt, "I want half of it."

"Boss, I..." Brand started, but Hawk stopped him.

Hawk always considered the worst-case scenario first, and Larson's reaction was clearly on the negative side.

Hawk pulled out a wooden chair, sat across from Larson, and said slowly, "The production team paid $5,000 for this job."

Hearing that figure, Larson's eyes lit up.

Hawk wasn't afraid of his greed; he was only worried if Larson wasn't interested. "Sundae Film Festival happens every year, and every year there are production teams like this one, more than twenty or thirty of them. This could be a steady business."

He pointed at himself, "I'm just an outsider. Once I’m done with this, I won't be back next year. This market will soon be all yours."

Larson understood, and probed further, "It’s not just about finding an audience, is it?"

Hawk replied, "It’s not that simple. Brand, even you, could shadow me for this year’s festival, watching and learning the entire process. I won’t charge for the lessons."

Larson couldn’t help but curse, "You’re damn generous!"

"Thanks for the compliment," Hawk said. In reality, there wasn't much skill involved here—just repackaging old tricks. Once the box was opened at any festival, it was bound to spread rapidly.

The thought of earning $5,000 from just one production crew made Larson itch for it. With over 1,000 teams attending each festival, there was plenty to choose from.

After considering for half a minute, Larson turned to Brand, "Call the other deputy leaders and have them come over now."

Brand quickly made the calls.

About ten minutes later, four deputies showed up—all middle-aged men around Larson's age.

Larson explained the situation to them.

One of the deputies, who appeared more mature, said, "Every year during our gatherings, people complain about paying out of pocket. We only hold a few events each year, and canceling the biggest one would lead to everyone drifting away."

With a serious expression, Larson said, "If we do this well, the theater group will have a stable source of income each year. With money, we could hire professional instructors, giving those with talent in the group better opportunities."

This was not what Hawk had in mind, and he looked at Larson anew—people were, indeed, complex.

After some discussion, Larson turned to Hawk, "Tonight, I’ll try to gather everyone. You come by around eight. Just know one thing in advance—I can get them here, but to get them motivated, you'll need to think of something."

Hawk was prepared, asking, "About a hundred people, no problem?"

After checking with the four deputies, Larson said, "With families included, that’ll be enough."

"Alright, I'll be back tonight." Hawk called Brand along, ready to leave.

The mature deputy suddenly grabbed Hawk, "Hey, you in media—I gotta ask, is it true Winona Ryder stole money on Capitol Hill and still hasn’t been caught?"

Without a word, Hawk lowered his head and walked out.

Once outside, Brand avoided any mention of the "theft incident" and instead said, "The boss isn't quite what I expected. I’ll cover the party costs."

Hawk wouldn’t allow that; it’d only lead to issues later on. "Stick to what we agreed on. Don't forget, your goddess is still waiting at the State University."

Brand immediately perked up. "What’s next?" He urged, "Buddy, this isn’t the time to slow down. We don’t have much time!"

"Let's get the food sorted for the party," Hawk said as they headed out of the community. "You know Bill well, right? How much does Alpine Pizza's midday sales come to? If we wanted to book it for a time slot, what would it cost?"

Brand knew Alpine Pizza inside out, mumbling calculations as they walked.

American restaurant fare was reasonably cheap, and with Brand being halfway in with them, Hawk negotiated a $1,000 deal to book the place for the lunch period the day after tomorrow. The restaurant would provide pizzas, steaks, barbecue, fried chicken, and salads, with unlimited beer and soda.

Additionally, the pizzeria would prepare 100 cups of instant American black coffee for the next morning.

Each holding a cup of coffee, Brand took a big sip and thought about everything that had happened over the past two days. "I realize that except for Lewis and Damien, you’ve used almost every resource you've come across."

Hawk tossed his empty cup into the trash. "If I hadn’t run into you, it would've been a completely different plan."

At 8:00 p.m., Hawk arrived at Larson’s house as planned.

Around 80 to 90 people were gathered in the yard enclosed by wooden planks.

Larson announced the movie and party, and the crowd cheered.

Everyone loved the idea of a free, lavish lunch.

A man with a scruffy beard, holding a beer bottle, raised it to Hawk. "Man, I gotta toast you—you’re a damn good guy!"

"We'll definitely drink at the party!" Hawk had to mention the movie before the party. "Before the party, there’s a screening of a movie about Mexican Americans."

He had Brand distribute the movie flyers.

After glancing through the movie's synopsis and photos, the excitement in the crowd quickly died.

The bearded man shouted, "Who cares about a movie about Mexicans?"

The crowd grew restless.

"This movie sounds boring."

"How about another one?"

"We'll go to the party, but not the movie."

With a large crowd, order was hard to maintain, and organizing large gatherings was always challenging.

Hawk opened his bag, took out a small electronic amplifier, and said, "Folks, listen up!"

The crowd quieted a bit, and Hawk used the simplest tactic to get their cooperation. "There’s a $10 reward for everyone! Ten dollars!"

Hearing the money, the crowd quickly calmed down.

Hawk continued, "Everyone who attends the movie and enjoys the feast will also get another $10! There's a catch: the production crew will have people checking, and if anyone isn’t watching attentively, not only will they lose their money, but their spot at the party too."

"Doesn't seem too hard," someone murmured.

"Just over an hour."

"It could be interesting to see how Mexicans live."

People are the same everywhere, like retirees willing to spend hours for ten free eggs, or shoppers doing anything for discounts. All they had to do was sit in a warm theater for over an hour.

Hawk added, "To keep you all awake, I’ve also prepared coffee for everyone."

The bearded man suddenly raised his bottle, "Can I get two cups?"

Feigning reluctance, Hawk replied after a moment, "Alright, I’ll give you my cup."

The crowd burst into laughter, and the atmosphere instantly became more relaxed.

With things finally in shape, Hawk went over some reminders before everyone dispersed.

Managing nearly a hundred people smoothly was tough with just one or two organizers.

The next day, Hawk met with Eric and Katherine first, and then arranged with Larson and the four deputies for the next day’s schedule.

In the afternoon, he and the other two went to the Great Salt Lake Theater to discuss screening arrangements.

Overall, Hawk aimed to show the client he was always working.

No one could guarantee whether the movie would sell, but either way, the remaining $5,000 had to be paid.

After dinner, Hawk finally had some time to rest. Borrowing Brand’s computer, he posted a blog entry with some photos.

Around ten, Katherine called suddenly.

"Rob Reiner changed his plans and isn’t coming to our screening tomorrow. Eric lost it and ran off to confront him. I couldn't stop him. You need to come help."