Chapter 238
The explosive success of The Walking Dead grabbed everyone's attention.
Viewers went crazy for the show! On the website IMDb, fans gave it a rating of 9.1 out of 10. That is incredibly high! Even though ratings usually drop a little over time, Zane knew it would stay very popular.
Plus, in just one day, there were over 100,000 comments on the show's official website. That was even more buzz than Prison Break had created!
The next morning, just after Zane woke up, he got a call from Donna Langley, the president of his TV group.
"Sir," Donna said, sounding excited, "since we released the numbers for The Walking Dead this morning, our phones haven't stopped ringing! We've gotten over 20 calls."
"Who is calling?" Zane asked with a smile.
"Everyone!" Donna laughed. "TV stations from other countries, DVD companies... and even the big comic book publishers! Dark Horse, Marvel, and DC Comics all called. They all want to turn The Walking Dead into a comic book series."
A happy smile touched Zane's lips. This was wonderful news.
"Ms. Donna," Zane asked, "what about Prison Break? Are the overseas TV stations still interested in that?"
"Sir, of course!" Donna said. "They haven't given up. Prison Break is a mega-hit with 20 million viewers. They want it bad."
Zane nodded. He had a plan. He hadn't sold Prison Break to other countries yet because he was waiting for this exact moment.
"Ms. Donna," Zane said warmly, "we held onto Prison Break for a long time. We were waiting for The Walking Dead to join the party. Now, I am officially telling you: we can start selling."
"Understood, sir!" Donna said. She was smart, and she understood Zane's strategy perfectly.
Prison Break was already famous. Now, with The Walking Dead also being a hit, Zane could sell both shows at the same time. This package deal would make the company way more money than selling them one by one. It was just smart business.
At 9 a.m. that morning...
Donna Langley started her meetings at the Golden Dawn office.
The first meeting was with Marvel Comics.
"Ms. Donna, hello," said a man named Sal Polmar. "I am an executive at Marvel. We want to buy the rights to make The Walking Dead comic book."
Sal Polmar was a very important person. In the future, he would be a key player in saving Marvel and helping build the Avengers movies.
"Ms. Donna," Sal said earnestly, "please believe in Marvel's strength. We are confident we can make this comic a success."
However... Donna had to say no.
"Mr. Polmar," she said gently but firmly, "I respect your company, but everyone knows Marvel is in trouble right now. You have a lot of debt—almost $300 million. And your bosses are fighting with each other. How can you pay us for the rights if you owe the banks so much money?"
Donna's words were tough, but they were true. Marvel was almost broke. Even Sal, who was a good salesman, felt embarrassed. He couldn't argue with the facts.
Next, Donna met with DC Comics.
DC was huge. They were owned by Time Warner and had famous heroes like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
"Ms. Donna, let's cut to the chase," the DC representative said. "We are willing to pay $1.2 million for the rights. And we will give you 5% of all the profits from the comics."
This was a very good offer! It was a lot of money.
But... Donna said no to them, too.
Why? Because Donna and Zane had one very strict rule: Golden Dawn had to have the final say on the story.
Zane didn't just care about money; he cared about his story. He didn't want a comic book company changing the plot of The Walking Dead and messing it up.
DC Comics wanted total control, and Zane wouldn't allow that. If they messed up the comic, it might hurt the TV show, and the TV show was worth way more money.
"I'm sorry," Donna said, "but we need to protect our story."
Finally, Donna met with Dark Horse Comics.
Dark Horse wasn't as old as Marvel or DC, but they were cool and successful. They made comics like Hellboy and The Mask. They had even worked with Zane before on the 300 comic.
After two days of friendly talks, they made a deal.
Dark Horse paid $1.2 million for the rights.
Golden Dawn got 8% of the profits (which was better than DC's offer!).
Most importantly: Golden Dawn kept the final decision-making power. If they didn't like the story in the comic, they could stop it.
Zane looked over the contract with a satisfied smile.
"The Walking Dead comics won't make as much money as the TV show," he thought to himself, "but we can't ignore them. The comics will help spread the story to even more fans."
Zane knew that owning the whole brand—games, toys, music, and comics—was the best way to build a limitless future.
"This is perfect," he thought happily. He had protected his show and made a great deal.
Chapter 239
The conference hall at the Golden Dawn Television Group was packed with nearly a hundred people. They were representatives from TV stations all over the world, here for one reason: to buy the rights to show Prison Break and The Walking Dead in their countries.
"Cindy," asked Datta, a Vice President from Paris TV, "you and Mr. Blackwood are old friends. Did he tell you anything?"
Cindy smiled. "Datta, even though we're friends, business is business. Do you really think he would just give me secret information?"
"No way?" Datta asked, disbelieving.
A man from Portugal, Fuwell, chimed in. "Cindy, I heard Mr. Blackwood met with you personally yesterday! He didn't say anything?"
Everyone leaned in to listen. Cindy was known for being close to Zane. He had bought "The Talent Show" and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" from Zane before, and they were huge hits.
Cindy sighed. "You guys have no idea what Zane Blackwood is like! Yes, he's young—only 22 now—but he is terribly smart and... well... tricky."
"I had lunch with him," Cindy explained. "We played golf all afternoon, and had dinner. But every time I asked about the shows, he just changed the subject! He talked about the weather, or food... anything but business."
The other representatives looked skeptical.
"Really?" Datta asked.
Another man from Italy scoffed. "A kid like that? No matter how rich he is, he's still young. How could he be that cunning?"
They didn't believe Zane had said nothing. They thought Cindy was keeping the secrets to himself!
"Cindy," Datta whispered, "we're friends. Tell me the truth. Don't hide it. What did Zane say?"
"Damn it!" Cindy wanted to scream. He was telling the truth, but no one believed him!
"Datta," Cindy said, gritting his teeth, "I am not lying. I know nothing!"
"No way," Datta said, stunned. "Zane Blackwood is that cunning?"
Cindy nodded heavily. "Yes. That cunning."
Slap!
Suddenly, Cindy hit his own forehead. "Damn! I've been fooled by Zane!"
His friend Darren realized it, too. "Cindy... you mean Mr. Blackwood wasn't just being friendly yesterday? He was using you as a distraction to confuse everyone else?"
"That's probably it!" Cindy yelled. "That guy! He calls me his friend, and then he uses me as a pawn! Just wait until this is over. I'm going to have a serious talk with him!"
...
In Zane's Office...
Achoo!
Zane sneezed.
"Sir," Alexander laughed, "just as we expected. Everyone is focused on Cindy from ITV."
Zane smiled and nodded, looking a little guilty. "My good friend Cindy... he probably figured it out by now. Alexander, book a table at that nice restaurant later. I have to apologize to him, or he'll definitely curse me out."
"Okay, sir," Alexander said.
Even Alexander thought his boss was a little ruthless sometimes, tricking his own friends! But it was a harmless trick. It just made everyone more anxious to buy the shows, which meant more profit.
...
The Auction Begins
Zane sat to the side of the room. Cindy stared at him with wide, angry eyes, but Zane just pretended not to see him. Zane had thick skin!
The bidding started.
"$15 million!"
"$17 million!"
"$19.5 million!"
The overseas TV stations were fighting hard.
Prison Break had 20 million viewers. The Walking Dead had 7 million paid subscribers. These shows were massive hits. If the TV stations didn't buy them, they would lose out on millions of dollars. It was all about the money!
The auction lasted for 6 hours. It was intense! Representatives from 52 different countries were almost fighting each other.
In the end, 12 TV stations won.
ITV (UK) bought rights.
Paris TV (France) paid the highest price: $32 million for both shows!
Lisbon TV (Portugal), Fuji TV (Japan), and others also won.
When it was all over, the Golden Dawn Television Group had made a total revenue of $240 million!
"Darn!"
Even Zane was speechless. $240 million! Just from selling the rights to 12 countries!
"Sir," Alexander exclaimed, "we have to raise our estimates. With this money, plus the ads and DVDs... these two shows will make at least $500 million in profit!"
Zane wanted to scream with joy! Who cared about being calm? He was rich!
"Zane, you have to calm down," he told himself, taking a deep breath. "This is just Prison Break and The Walking Dead. Next up... The Big Bang Theory and 2 Broke Girls!"
His TV empire was unstoppable.
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