The next day. Hardy, along with Sean and the real estate sales representative, arrived at the Los Angeles City Bank.
Entering the luxurious bank lobby, the receptionist asked, "Who are you gentlen here to see?"
"We’re looking for Mr. Kevin Madden, the manager," Sean replied.
"Do you have an appointnt?"
"Just tell him we’re here to discuss the purchase of a toy factory. He should know."
The receptionist glanced at them and picked up the phone to call Kevin’s office. "Manager Madden, there are three gentlen downstairs asking to discuss the purchase of a toy factory. Do you have ti to et with them?"
"Great, please have them go to the reception room on the third floor. Daisy, could you show them there? I’m afraid they might not find it."
After hanging up the phone, the receptionist smiled at Hardy and the others. "Mr. Madden asks you to go to the third floor. Please follow ."
Leading the way, the receptionist guided them to an elegantly decorated eting room on the third floor and offered to make coffee for them.
The sales representative, who was not new to visiting banks, had never been treated this well before. He wondered why they were being so accommodating this ti. Could Mr. Hardy be a significant figure?
Thinking about this, the sales representative looked at Hardy seriously.
Soon, Kevin entered the eting room with another middle aged man. Seeing Hardy and the others, they greeted each other with smiles.
"Hello, I’m Kevin Madden, head of the credit departnt. This is Dave, head of the credit departnt’s distressed asset managent."
This was Hardy’s first ti eting Kevin Madden. Ah, last ti this guy had his head covered; he didn’t see his face.
"Mr. Madden, hello, I’m Sean. This is my boss, Mr. Hardy, and this is the real estate sales representative. We’re here to discuss the toy factory with the bank," Sean explained.
Kevin glanced at Hardy, thinking this must be the friend of the gang leader that the robber ntioned. As long as this deal goes through, the gang promised not to ask him for ransom again.
"Hello, Mr. Hardy," Kevin said warmly, extending his hand.
"Hello, Mr. Madden," Hardy replied, shaking hands.
Both sides sat down and entered negotiation mode. Dave smiled at Hardy and said, "Mr. Hardy, I believe you’ve received information about the toy factory from the sales company. The bank’s offer is $98,500, which is actually a very reasonable price."
Dave continued, "The factory is one of the largest plastic toy factories in Los Angeles. The machinery is also newly replaced, with the initial cost of the batch of machines exceeding $40,000."
Dave then looked at Hardy and said, "To be frank, Mr. Hardy, this toy factory is in high demand. Many people have shown interest in purchasing it. If you’re interested, it’s best to decide quickly before it’s taken by other buyers."
"I visited the site myself. The 18-acre land is correct, but it’s far from Hollywood. The price can’t possibly reach $1,800 per acre. I think $1,300 per acre is a reasonable price," Hardy countered.
Dave was sowhat annoyed. How could the price be so low? After discussing for a while, Hardy stuck to the $1,300 price.
Dave was about to argue when Kevin intervened, "The location of that toy factory isn’t ideal, and Mr. Hardy’s $1,300 per acre price is fair."
Dave was stunned.
Kevin’s agreent left Dave puzzled. How could he agree to that price? but Kevin Madden was his direct superior, and Dave didn’t want to argue against him.
The real estate sales representative was also puzzled. A bank isn’t charitable. They actually agreed to such a significant price reduction.
Glancing at Hardy, he recalled that Mr. Hardy had instructed him to negotiate with the bank the day before. He was surprised that the bank agreed to such a significant discount, indicating the involvent of soone influential.
After settling the land, Hardy continued, "I’ve seen the factory. It’s old and in disrepair. Many parts are ruined. If I buy it, I’ll have to renovate and rebuild. So pricing the building at $20,000 is unreasonable. I think $5,000 is the maximum."
"The factory buildings, warehouses, and dormitories, although built four or five years ago, have no structural problems. With a little renovation, they’ll be as good as new," Dave argued.
"It’s still too expensive," Hardy said, shaking his head.
Dave was prepared to argue when Kevin intervened again, smiling at Hardy and saying, "I’ve reviewed the information. Those buildings are wooden fra and board constructions. Last year’s report ntioned termite issues in the vicinity. How about we settle at $6,000?"
The sales representative was even more surprised. From $20,000 down to $6,000, Mr. Hardy sure knows how to negotiate.
Hardy continued, "As for the machines, they’re three years old, idle for three years, and many are rusted and corroded."
"Machinery becos outdated quickly nowadays. Besides, I’m mainly interested in the location. I don’t intend to produce toys," Hardy explained.
"If those machines are sold out, they would only fetch scrap prices. It is estimated that they wouldn’t even sell for $3,000."
Dave was almost furious. "Even if they’re second hand, those machines can still fetch $10,000," he argued.
"Then you can sell them, I have no objections," Hardy shrugged.
Dave was speechless. Banks don’t sell assets individually. Who would sell these machines? Themselves?
"Mr. Hardy, banks always sell assets as a package; there’s no retailing," Dave grumbled.
"In that case, reduce the price. I’ll consider it as paying extra for the land," Hardy suggested.
Dave thought, even the land price you’re buying isn’t expensive. In fact, it’s super cheap. Are you planning to buy without spending a cent? We’re practically giving this away.
After a mont of silence, Kevin Madden spoke again, "Mr. Hardy, you make valid points. However, we always sell assets as a package. If you want to purchase the land, you’ll need to take the machines too."
He paused briefly before continuing, "How about this? We’ll lower the price a bit, selling them to you at a second hand price. Total price of $8,000. What do you think?"
Kevin looked at Hardy, clearly seeking approval.
Next to him, Dave blinked vigorously, still trying to grasp why they sold it at such a low price.
Hardy quickly calculated the figures ntally.
He valued the land at $23,400 for 18 acres, the building at $6,000, and the production equipnt at $8,000. The total price ca to $37,400, which was slightly over half the original price. Kevin Madion seed hesitant about lowering the price more, So Hardy accepted the offer,
"Well, I agree to this price. Let’s sign the contract."
Kevin Madion felt a wave of relief when Hardy agreed. It was finally settled, and Kevin felt like he had saved himself $5,000.
The real estate salesman was visibly surprised. He had expected Hardy to negotiate for a slightly lower price, but the drop from 98,000$ to 37,000$was beyond his imagination a discount of over 60,000 $.
The most astonished person was Dave. Even after signing over the toy factory to Mr. Hardy, he was still trying to comprehend why it had been sold at such a remarkably low price.
----
Chapter 46 Making A Low-budget Movie
After leaving the bank, the salesperson with a joyful expression congratulated Hardy, saying, "Mr. Hardy, you’re amazing! You bought that toy factory for less than forty thousand dollars. Even if you were to sell it right away, you could make a profit of ten to twenty thousand dollars."
"Mr. Hardy, if you need anything related to real estate in the future, feel free to contact anyti. My na is Edward," he said, handing over a business card.
"Didn’t you give one before?" Hardy took the card, looking puzzled.
Edward smiled, "I always give a business card when eting with clients, for easy contact. If a deal is struck, I give another card to leave a lasting impression and ensure the client rembers my na."
"Dealing with old clients often yields success rates several tis higher than with new ones," he added.
Hardy felt that this guy’s analysis was correct. If he didn’t hand over his business card a second ti, he would have forgotten about him.
Returning to the toy factory once again, now fully owned by Hardy, he instructed, "Sean, find people to renovate the factory’s office building and dormitory. The yard also needs attention. Then, have soone create a sign that says ’HD Security Company’. This will be the headquarters of the security company from now on."
"Okay boss."
After walking around the office building, there was a large basent below, and Hardy had an idea and said: "Sean, let soone clean and Transform this place into a warehouse."
"What are we planning to store in the warehouse, boss?"
"Turn it into a gun warehouse, How can a security company not have its own gun warehouse?" Hardy said it with a smile.
He pictured the 200 square ter basent filled with guns and ammunition, imagining it must be quite shocking.
In the United States, adults are eligible to purchase firearms and ammunition. Guns are rampant, and gunfights can occur at any ti. Security companies must apply for legal docunts to carry firearms. Now that the business license for HD Security Company has been issued, the procedures for legally holding weapons are still being reviewed. But this did not prevent Hardy from building his weapons arsenal.
Although Sean was average in combat, he had a sharp mind. Entrusting him with the renovation of the security company was no issue.
Now that he has acquired a good base, its ti to get more subordinates and train them, but recruiting more people would take so ti.
Hardy realized it had been days since he visited the film company. Despite not getting paid, he couldn’t neglect his role as Noah Film Company’s assistant chairman.
Driving to the film company, the receptionist Susan smiled flirtatiously at Hardy. "Good afternoon, Assistant Hardy."
"Good afternoon, Susan, I haven’t seen you for a few days, and your skin has beco more delicate." Hardy said it with a smile.
Susan blushed, her big eyes twinkling as she looked at Hardy.
If Hardy invited her to dinner now, she would surely accept, perhaps they could play house again tonight.
But now he has Ava Gardner, whom he can eat at any ti. That woman is considered the best in all of Hollywood, keeping Hardy content and focused on his current priorities, with little distraction or interest in other won at the mont.
Just as he entered his office, the film company’s general manager, Cohen, walked in. "Hardy, I was actually going to call you, but here you are."
"What’s up, General Manager Cohen?" Hardy asked.
"Warner Bros. reviewed the script we discussed in the eting earlier. They think it’s decent and are willing to collaborate on the film. We’re having a eting this afternoon to finalize things and prepare to sign with Warner Bros.," Cohen explained.
"Good, I’ll be there on ti."
After sipping the coffee Susan brought him, Hardy entered the eting room. General Manager Cohen and the heads of several departnts were already present.
Cohen glanced at the docunts in his hand. "Warner Bros. agreed to collaborate on the film, but they want to make significant revisions to the script. The previous plot had so gaps. The film’s title has been decided: ’The Golden Outlaws.’"
Upon hearing the title, Hardy searched his mory.
Hmm... no recollection.
It ant the film had already been lost in the sea of movies.
In later years, film investors summarized the 80/20 rule, where eight out of ten films lose money, leaving only two profitable or break-even. Since the 1940s and 1950s, Hollywood has produced thousands of films annually, accumulating over decades, how many of those movies can people even rember?.
The films that truly left marks and profit imnsely are rare, hence they are considered classics among classics.
Cohen continued, "Warner Bros. is willing to collaborate, but they want to take the lead with their production team. We’ll only be investors."
The ssage was clear: Warner Bros. wanted control over the script and production team, with Noah Films only contributing financially.
In the world of capital, whoever holds the power makes the decisions.
"But what about our actors? Dozens of our actors have been idle for half a year," complained Thomas, head of the acting departnt.
Hans, head of production, was even more dissatisfied. "Directors, writers, cinematographers, lighting technicians, props masters, and musicians—I have more idle staff."
Cohen shrugged helplessly. "I know, but we’re not confident about this film, and we’re short on funds. We have to follow Warner Bros.’s lead, or else our investnt could be a loss. We’re investing 150,000$."
After the eting, Hardy went to Thomas’s office to chat. Thomas grumbled, "Even if we made a low budget film, it’d be better than just sitting around and following others lead. If we keep doing this, the company might really go bankrupt soon."
"Is Cohen not managing the company effectively?"
"The person who needs to get out of this company the most is Cohen. He has no vision, no achievents, no connections. The boss handed the film company to him, and he hasn’t made a di for the boss," Thomas remarked.
Hardy thought, Could this guy be trying to use , the assistant chairman, to relay these thoughts to Sigel?
Heh... interesting.
There’s politics and contradictions everywhere.
Even in such a small film company.
Back in his office, Hardy lit a cigarette.
Originally, he had considered giving Ava Gardner a small role in this film if it went into production. But now that it was going to Warner Bros, that plan seed to be over.
Noah couldn’t continue like this.
An idea flashed through Hardy’s mind—what if he invested in and directed a low budget film himself?
He had seen countless films in later years, any random one was a classic. Finding a low budget film shouldn’t be difficult.
Making money and attracting won it’s a win-win.
But this film couldn’t be handled by Noah.
There were too many issues with Noah, and this wasn’t his company, even though the boss was Sigel, Hardy didn’t have the noble sentint of making a bridal dress for others.
How much money could he put up now?
He earned $170,000 from two robberies, spent $40,000 on the toy factory which could be covered by a mortgage on the factory building, potentially retrieving so money.
Apart from leaving so for expenses, he could likely put up $150,000.
Investing $150,000 in a film, even in 1946, would be considered a small production.
What to film? Hardy had a sudden inspiration. He once played a PS4 ga based on a film a classic Western film.
In later years, it was considered one of the classics of Westerns.
That film, produced in 1964, only cost $200,000 but earned tens of millions at the box office and received nurous accolades.
Hardy picked up a stack of paper and wrote down a title.
"The Wild Bunch."
Summary:
A lone bounty hunter nad John arrives in a small town on the xican border and learns about the ongoing conflict between two factions the Ramon brothers and Sheriff Baxter. Seeing the plight of the townspeople, he decides to eliminate these two forces of evil.
The film features a female character Ramon’s captive—a role with minimal screen ti but high impact. Hardy believed Ava was perfect for this role.
The synopsis was about three to four thousand words long, and Hardy felt it explained the story clearly. He picked up the phone and called the office.
"Mr. Hardy, what can I do for you?" ca the voice on the other end.
"Get the company’s screenwriters for . I need to talk to them," Hardy instructed.
Everyone has their specialty, he couldn’t write a script, so he left it to the professionals who were right here.
---
Two screenwriters arrived.
One is nad David Shaw, and the other is nad Newton.
"What does Assistant Hardy want from us?" the two asked.
"I’ve thought of a story and want you to help turn it into a screenplay. Take a look." Hardy pushed the manuscript over.
Both David and Newton simultaneously had a thought: another ambitious young person who thinks being noticed by the boss and becoming an assistant ans he can do anything.
They took the manuscript with a scrutinizing eye.
But the more they read, the more surprised they beca. They found it to be quite a good story. Most western movies in the past were inseparable from gold, western settlents developnt, and Native Aricans, but this script didn’t have those fixed elents; it told the story of a lone hero.
Just by looking at this brief synopsis of three thousand words, they had already outlined a brilliant story in their minds, including an image of a cowboy who rode the world on horseback, a valiant and unrestrained hero.
"I hope to see the first draft of the screenplay tomorrow. Which one of you can help with that?" Hardy said.
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