In London, at the BBC Headquarters...
Three men were sitting in a big office. The oldest, a 60-year-old named Klaus Tang, was the Head of the BBC's Variety Show Department.
"Gentlemen," Klaus asked, "what are your thoughts on this new show, 'Got Talent'? Do you think it can get high ratings?"
One of the men, named Cindy, who was about 30, spoke up right away. "Sir, I believe it has the power to be a huge hit. We should buy the rights."
"Oh? Go on," Klaus said.
Cindy nodded, full of passion. "Sir, 'Got Talent' is a show for regular people. It's all about finding ordinary people who have amazing, extraordinary skills. This will pull in a massive audience. I strongly recommend we get this show, even if it costs 20 million pounds!"
As soon as he finished, the other man in the room let out a mean, mocking laugh.
"Cindy, you're being ridiculous!"
"Who are we?" the man said. "We are the historic BBC! And who owns this idea? Just some small Hollywood company. Since when do we need a bunch of amateurs from America to tell us how to make TV? What do they know?"
"Buy 'Got Talent'?" he sneered. "Don't make me laugh! And 20 million pounds? Cindy, have you lost your mind?"
The man speaking was Lawrence Dacorta. He and Cindy were rivals. Lawrence came from a rich, aristocratic family and looked down on Cindy, who had worked his way up from the bottom.
"You—!" Cindy shot an angry look at the smug Lawrence. He turned back to his boss. "Sir, it's true Wald Pictures is a small company, but we shouldn't just ignore their idea. In my opinion, the plan for 'Got Talent' is amazing."
"This..." Klaus, the boss, hesitated. His two best men disagreed, and he didn't know who to listen to. He was also close to retiring and just didn't want any big problems.
Seeing him hesitate, Cindy tried one more time. "Sir, let's not forget Teletubbies. That idea also belonged to Wald Pictures!"
Instantly, Klaus's eyes lit up. That was true. Teletubbies was a giant hit that was making tons of money, and the BBC had missed out on it.
"Well, then, we will—" Klaus started to say.
But Dacorta cut him off. "Sir, let's also not forget that Wald Pictures got that Teletubbies deal right under our noses and made us the laughingstock of the industry! Do you want that to happen again?"
Klaus's face immediately turned sour. He was right. Zane had made a fortune from Teletubbies because the BBC hadn't taken him seriously. Klaus did not want to be seen as a fool right before he retired.
"Very well," Klaus decided. "Dacorta, you will be in charge of the talks for 'Got Talent.'"
"Don't you worry, sir," Dacorta promised with a mean smile. "If the price goes one penny over 3 million pounds, I will quit my job!"
He then looked at Cindy with a "see, I won" expression. "I'll beat you again, Cindy. 20 million? Impossible! Those American kids will be lucky to get 3 million from me!"
Cindy just gritted his teeth, holding in his anger. "Dacorta, this isn't a game. The 'Got Talent' idea is really good. You must not let your pride blind you."
"Hmph! This is my job now," Dacorta said as he walked out of the room, very pleased with himself.
A few days later...
Zane Blackwood, Martha, and two other staff members from his company were in London.
For three straight days, Zane tried to make a deal with the BBC for his "Got Talent" show.
The meetings were terrible.
The negotiator, Dacorta, was incredibly arrogant. He acted like he didn't even want the show. His words were mean, and he kept talking down to Zane. It was almost enough to make Zane lose his cool.
"Three million pounds?!" Zane finally said, his voice full of disbelief and anger. "Go to hell! I'm not selling it to you for that!"
Dacorta just sneered. "What? You think it's my loss? You're the one who can go to hell!"
Zane, furious that his great idea was being treated like trash, stood up. The talks were over. He had no desire to ever speak to the BBC again.
He and his team went back to their hotel. Zane was still fuming when a man came to visit him.
It was Cindy.
When Zane saw he was from the BBC, he was still angry. "I already told you," Zane said, "I would rather let 'Got Talent' sit in a drawer forever than sell it to your company! Why are you here again?"
But Cindy wasn't upset. He just smiled. "Mr. Blackwood, please let me introduce myself. My name is Cindy. And as of two days ago... I resigned from the BBC. I don't work for them anymore. So, I'm not the right person to be yelling at."
"You... resigned?" Zane's anger instantly disappeared, replaced by curiosity. "Oh. Then... come in."
This was interesting.
During their talk, Zane finally understood what had happened.
Cindy, who was often pushed aside at the BBC just because he wasn't from a rich family, had finally had enough. The "Got F" incident was the last straw. He had quit his job in anger.
And... he had immediately gotten a new job at the BBC's rival station, ITV.
"So," Zane said, putting the pieces together, "you're here to make a deal with us... for ITV?"
Cindy nodded. "That's correct. The president of ITV has given me his full permission to take charge of the 'Got Talent' talks."
Two days later, the deal was done.
Cindy, who knew how valuable the show really was, made an offer that Zane simply couldn't refuse.
—20 million pounds!
At such a high, fair price, what else could Zane be but happy?
They signed the deal right away. ITV got the rights to "Got Talent" in the UK and Australia for the next six years.
And Zane Blackwood's net worth had just skyrocketed once again.
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