The following day.
Upon waking up, Kyle appeared quite disheartened. He felt a deep sense of revulsion!
Hundreds of millions of dollars lost in international box office revenue!
It's gone!
As soon as he entered the Page Pictures building, he headed straight for CEO Victor's office.
"Victor, how is the establishment of our distribution network progressing?" Kyle asked directly.
In response, Victor pulled out a pile of documents from the cabinet behind his desk and replied, "Boss, we recently acquired a small film distribution company based in Utah and have increased our manpower to enhance the distribution network in California. We can now handle the distribution of films of average size in these two states."
Kyle nodded in agreement.
It is quite impressive that Victor managed to develop a distribution network across two states with just $3 million in funding in such a short time frame.
Creating a distribution network is incredibly costly.
Kyle continued, "Victor, withdraw $10 million from the company's account and continue expanding the distribution network. You must establish it across three states before the release of Hard Candy. Is that manageable?"
"I can handle that," Victor confirmed.
It is indeed frustrating to lack an own distribution network!
At this moment, Kyle lacks sufficient funds for an overseas distribution network, so he isn't considering that right now. However, he has set a personal goal to complete the establishment of the North American distribution network within three years.
"Additionally, please inform the Human Resources Department to recruit about a dozen people soon—actually, let's make it twenty. Primarily, we are looking for talent in computer animation."
Kyle added, "If possible, try to recruit individuals from Pixar. They have a wealth of talent there."
That's correct; Kyle is planning to establish his animation studio.
Kyle has a good rapport with John Lasseter, but is it feasible to poach talent from him? It's not that Kyle is unwilling to recruit from other companies, but the people at Pixar often demand too much. If he can entice one or two talented individuals away, his animation studio would surely flourish.
Two more days went by.
Kyle and the company's president, Martha, flew out to New York.
This trip to New York was not for stock investments, but specifically to seek a certain talent, known as the "Father of SpongeBob SquarePants."
—Stephen Hillenburg!
At 35, Stephen Hillenburg is a marine biologist and educator, but he had just resigned from his graduate program last week to pursue a career in animation. To achieve this goal, he has spent several years studying experimental animation at the California Institute of the Arts, earning a master's degree.
He was filled with scepticism about Kyle and Martha's visit this time.
Just days prior, Sister Martha had reached out to him first.
The proposition seemed too incredible!
"Mr. Page, Ms. Hopkins, you're asking me to lead your company's animation department?"
"I apologise; I was just a bit too excited and caught off guard."
"After all, I haven't formally begun my career in the animation field yet."
For a brief moment, Stephen Hillenburg was somewhat speechless. Despite having earned a master's degree in experimental animation, he still had not officially embarked on his professional journey.
Kyle's visit took him by surprise.
Moreover, he is in charge of an animation department!
Kyle quickly chuckled and said, "Stephen, may I call you that? A few years back, I had the privilege of viewing the marine life animation short film you produced for the Ocean Museum. It was truly fantastic. Not only was it highly comprehensible, but it was also filled with fun. It succeeded in making people laugh while educating them about marine life. I thought at that moment that I had to track down the creator of this short film and collaborate on a remarkable animation series. And here I am today~!"
A little sponge?!
Stephen, courtesy of Sister Martha, had taken on the planning project for "SpongeBob SquarePants."
As he observed, he couldn't help but exclaim.
"Oh~!"
"Yes! This is precisely the outcome I desire!"
"Oh my goodness, there's a little sponge in a white shirt and red tie, along with a pink Patrick, a bald Squidward, Mr. Krabs who treasures money above all else, and a one-eyed villain named Plankton..."
"Fantastic! This is incredible!"
"This is the animation I want~!"
....
There's no doubt that "SpongeBob SquarePants" has thoroughly captivated Stephen Hillenburg!
"Mr. Page, I apologise for my lack of composure." Stephen felt a flush of embarrassment.
"It's quite right. I was similarly thrilled when I watched the animated short film you created." Kyle fabricated without batting an eye.
Stephen continued: "I feel fantastic today. SpongeBob SquarePants is undoubtedly a tremendous surprise for me, and I am eager to create it. I can't wait!"
Kyle and the others spent the entire day discussing "SpongeBob SquarePants," and ultimately Kyle realised his goal of bringing a new talent into the company's animation department!
In light of this, Kyle decided to earmark $2 million for the animation department initially, with the potential to increase the funding later based on circumstances.
Although the sum is a bit modest, it is adequate.
After all, SpongeBob SquarePants is not on the level of Toy Story. It doesn't necessitate advanced animation technology and visual effects; it primarily relies on storyline and humour.
With Stephen on board, Kyle felt optimistic about the success of "SpongeBob SquarePants."
Kyle had relevant data provided by the system, yet he wasn't well-versed in animation production, especially concerning finer details. Stephen's contribution was crucial. He was indeed the true creator of "SpongeBob SquarePants."
.....
A few days later.
Page Pictures' animation department was officially launched.
All 20 animation creators hired had arrived.
To commemorate this, Kyle arranged for them to be situated in Silicon Valley. This was intended to establish future independence for the animation studio. After all, Kyle's ambitions extended beyond merely "SpongeBob SquarePants." With its success, Kyle could seamlessly introduce "Finding Nemo." Besides similarities in graphics quality and animation technology, they shared much in terms of entertainment value.
When developing "Finding Nemo," the team at Pixar acknowledged that they drew inspiration and some ideas from "SpongeBob SquarePants."
Man, that's Finding Nemo!
Not to mention its second film, "Where's Dory?", the first film, "Finding Nemo", alone had a production cost of more than 63 million US dollars and reaped nearly 900 million US dollars at the box office worldwide. Its DVD sales were the highest in the Pixar animation field.
"Huh?"
"David Meisel, the talent poached from Pixar?"
"Shit, it can't be him."
Kyle looked at the list of personnel of the animation studio and saw the name David Messer, which immediately moved his mind.
There is no doubt that David Meisel is indeed a talent!
Not only was he one of the screenwriters for Toy Story, but he later served as a producer for Angry Birds.
At the same time, the conception of the Marvel Universe also came from him.
To be precise, without David Messer, there would be no crazy performances in Marvel's later period.