Chapter 29 The First Employee
The first order of business is a good start. There is no conflict between making money and making people.
Robert Downey Jr.’s career suffered a setback, but he was far from ruined.
Hoke had no success in Brentwood. There were many peers there and he couldn't get an exclusive.
Wing Chun Gym He developed several informants, only Tracy Gym was still blank.
Not only Downey is there, it is also the first choice for some Hollywood stars and sports stars to keep fit.
Hoke has only been in Los Angeles for a short time and has no personal connections.
He thought for a while and thought of director Eric Eason, whom he met at the Sundance Film Festival. At that time, the other person said that he would come to Los Angeles to develop.
Hoke found Eric's phone number and called him.
Eric was very surprised: "You came to Los Angeles?"
"There are more opportunities here." Hawke said it truthfully: "So I came to Los Angeles to develop."
Eric said: "Do you have time? Let's meet and chat."
< br>Hoke said directly: "That's right, I want to ask you for a little help."
The two made an appointment to meet in Century City.
Twenty minutes later, Hawke came to Starbucks. After waiting for a while, Eric arrived on time.
Compared to the Sundance Film Festival, the young director is high-spirited.
Hoke asked for coffee first and asked Eric: "It seems that you are developing very smoothly."
Eric smiled happily: "It's not bad." He looked at Hawke up and down. : "It's you, your appearance has changed drastically. If you hadn't taken the initiative to greet me, I would have suspected that you had changed your body. "
Hoke said with a smile: "I also want to change. It would be better to become a handsome guy with a handsome celebrity face, so that I can make a living based on my face. "
Eric joked: "It's not just their faces they rely on, but their butts and mouths as well."
His face straightened: "If you want to hug your thighs, you have to kneel down and move your mouth."
Hoke discovered that Eric, an artist, was also a philosopher.
Park City's cooperation made Eric particularly confident in Hawke, and asked: "Have you found a job? Come and help me?"
"You have a job." Hawke declined politely , asked: "Is everything going well on your side?"
E Rick said: "In the middle of next month, "D.C. Heights" will fully enter the DVD and video market. This project has made a profit, and Catherine agreed to help me raise a million dollars for the next project to make a real theatrical feature film. Working on a script.”
Hawke knew nothing about script writing and film production, so he just asked: "Is the script finished?"
Eric waved his hand: "Not so fast, it will take at least half a year." He looked sad: "So , I will have to eat for a long time..."
< br>Hoke found that his mentality was unstable and said with relief: "Compared to people like George, you are very lucky. Catherine is at least a woman."
This statement worked. Eric thought about it for a moment, especially the comparison. The archenemy George Hansen suddenly felt cheerful.
Hoke added: "I just came to Los Angeles, and I don't know many people here. I ran into a little trouble, so I had to ask you for help."
Eric accepted the offer: "Just say it."
"Since the end of the Sundance Film Festival, I have been maintaining high-intensity fitness, and you have seen the results." Hawke said half-truthfully : "There is a Tracy Fitness Club in Westwood District. I heard that the facilities are relatively complete and the coaches are very professional. I gain weight easily and want to go to the gym. It is a membership system. To apply for membership, you need to be introduced by old members."
Eric recalled: "I have heard of this gym. It is very famous in the industry. Catherine seemed to have mentioned it. I will ask her later."
Hoke said: " Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Eric suddenly thought of George and the sudden power outage in the Crystal Cinema, and asked, “You’re not going to cause trouble in the gym, are you?”
Hawke made a pose to show off his muscles and said: "Of course not, I am just for fitness."
Eric felt relieved: "You are waiting for my good news."
Two We chatted for a while about Eric's new work. Hawke was self-aware and only listened to but not talked about content creation.
At noon, Hawke treated Eric to a meal and received a call from the owner of the convenience store in North Hollywood, saying that Robert Downey Jr. had gone to the Wing Chun gym.
He drove over immediately.
In front of the convenience store, the white proprietress Bree looked leisurely at the Oulang Boxing Gym opposite.
Inside the store, Edward, a mixed-race black man, was busy moving goods.
Seeing Hawke get out of the car, Bree waved and waited for Hawke to come over, then pointed to the other side of the road: "The man has been in for a while, and his wife just chased him. I know his wife Deb. "La, it was in the newspaper today."
Hoke also read the news in the newspaper. Deborah moved out of Brentwood with her children and separated from Downey. Hawke nodded slightly, followed the rules of his colleagues, took out 20 dollars and gave it to Bree, and said: "Thank you."
After a phone call and $20 in free money, Bree returned to the store happily.
This all fell into Edward's eyes, and he complained to Bree: "I obviously discovered it."
Brie was furious and shouted: "Quickly move this pile of cotton products Go into the warehouse and I will order a fried chicken and watermelon juice set for you at noon!"
"You! You treat me like a slave? You don’t get paid for working every day!” Edward was really angry and took off his apron and threw it away: “I want to break up with you!”
Hoke heard faintly from the convenience store. There was a quarrel, and when he wanted to look back, Downey and his wife Deborah came out arguing at the door of the boxing gym opposite.
The two had a heated argument, with Deborah yelling at Downey that he was a scumbag and unworthy of being the father of her child.
Donnie seemed to know that he was in the wrong, so he got in the car and ran away.
Deborah then got into the car.
Hoke put down the camera, the convenience store door behind him opened, and Edward walked out.
Behind the convenience store, Bree's shout sounded: "Leave me and wait to live on the streets!"
Edward yelled: "I would rather live on the streets than let you squeeze me anymore. I'm almost being sucked dry by you!"
Hoke looked at the convenience store curiously.
"Hey, man, we meet again." Edward opened his thick lips, smiled with a row of white teeth, pointed at the camera and asked: "Have you gained anything else?"
Without waiting for Hawke to answer, he said: "You see, you have good luck every time you meet me. I saw the headline you took last time. Are you going to make another fortune this time?"
Hoke put away the camera and said casually: "Earn some hard-earned money."
Edward thought of that night and the newspaper headlines he saw afterwards, and blinked: "Man, are you hiring me? I'm very capable, and we cooperate very well. I took the last headline with you! I can drive." , I know how to use a camera, and I never complain when I work. My bosses who have used it all praise me..."
Hoke smiled without saying anything and pointed at the convenience store.
"No, no, this is different." Edward quickly explained: "I saw that she was divorced and had a child, so she was very pitiful, so I pursued her as my girlfriend. Unexpectedly, I regarded her as my girlfriend, but she Treat me as free labor, no, as a slave! Here, I am better than a cotton picker! The ancestors are pitiful."
Hoke got to the point: "Why are you chasing her? Tell the truth."
Edward put his hands in his overalls pockets and said, "It must be possible to get divorced and raise children. I just thought I could get a little bit of alimony.”
Hawke asked: "Isn't this the first time you have done this?"
Edward scratched his head and said: "When I came out of Compton, I didn't live on the streets. I was taken in by divorced single women with children. , they got at least half of their property when they divorced, as well as a lot of alimony. Most of them had houses, but they were empty and lonely. They lacked a man to do the rough work..."
Hoke found that Lao Hei was a bit interesting. It’s also a unique survival skill Yes, he asked again: "Who taught you this?"
Edward said: "I observed it myself." He looked back at the convenience store: "But I didn't get any advantage this time. During the day Being squeezed by her to work, being squeezed by her at night Squeeze the juice, I can't stand it anymore."
Hoke really needs a helper and someone to walk in front of him. Edward's skin color is an obvious advantage in the dark night, and he greeted: "Get in the car first."< br>
He gave the key to Edward and asked Lao Hei to drive. He took out his mobile phone and called Jack from the Inquirer. The two parties agreed to meet at the place where the last transaction was made.
Edward is a native of Los Angeles and is very familiar with this city. Hawke reported the location and he quickly arrived at his destination.
After waiting for a moment, Bearded Jack rushed over.
Hoke sent Edward far away and began to negotiate a deal, and the deal was settled for $200.
The quarrel between Downey and his wife is not big news. If it were not a continuation of the previous hot headlines, it would not even be worth $200.
Seeing the bearded man leaving, Edward came back: "Is the deal done?"
Hoke nodded slightly and said seriously: "Let's talk about your work for me. Show me your driver's license or other documents. And the social security number."
"Isn't it true? It's just work." Edward had no choice but to take out his driver's license and apply for his social security number.
Hoke took a photo of his driver's license, wrote down his social security number, and said: "One month internship, California's minimum hourly wage, working hours are not fixed, meals are provided during work, and you have to keep your phone open 24 hours a day. , available on call.”
Edward was going crazy: “Man, my ancestors were treated better than this in the plantation back then!”
Hawke said: "Whatever you want, you can leave if you don't want to do it." He said: "My studio has just started and I am starting a business. Once it succeeds, you will be my entrepreneurial partner."
Edward wanted to refuse, but suddenly remembered the fireworks that night, and replied: "I can leave at any time if it doesn't suit me."
Hoke said: "Man, you spoke too early. If you want to get this job, you must pass my test."
Paying money to work or asking employees to give the company loans It's something Hawke doesn't despise, but if he wants to become an employee of West Coast Entertainment Studios, he must pass the test.
Sunk costs are incurred.
(End of this chapter)