Chapter 316: Guarding Against Talent Poaching
Houston, Texas — a villa in the prestigious Oak River neighborhood.
Inside the study, Aaron was speaking with Jack Wells over the phone.
"It's all been taken care of," Jack said. "But the real issue is still Hearst. They've never abandoned their goal of monopolizing Houston's newspaper market."
"They've always wanted the Houston Chronicle to be the only major paper in the city."
Aaron tapped his fingers against the desk thoughtfully.
"That's obvious enough."
"As the circulation of the Houston Post continues to grow, advertising rates naturally rise along with it."
"And the company feeling that pressure the most…"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"...is definitely the Houston Chronicle."
"Aaron, Karen McKee met with the head of the Houston Chronicle. Both sides agreed to compete fairly from here on out."
He paused before asking,
"So... are we really just letting it go?"
Aaron chuckled.
"Don't underestimate the Hearst Corporation. Their newspapers, magazines, and television stations are still a formidable force."
"At the moment, though, we hold the stronger position in Texas. The Houston Post can continue squeezing the Chronicle's market share."
"We'll take it one step at a time. And when the opportunity comes, we might even acquire the Houston Chronicle outright. A lot of Hearst's newspapers are losing money these days."
After ending the call, Aaron leaned back in his chair and picked up a copy of Hakeem Olajuwon's contract.
The Rockets superstar had signed a four-year, $21.31 million extension the previous year, a deal that would expire in the summer of 1997.
And Hakeem was already thirty-one years old.
By the time the contract ended, he would be thirty-six.
Aaron tapped the document thoughtfully.
"When the time comes, I'll have to find a way to bring Shaq to Houston."
He muttered the words to himself.
As Hollywood entered awards season, Los Angeles once again became the center of the entertainment world.
In early December, Aaron returned to the city.
One of the biggest headlines was DreamWorks SKG's announcement that Paul Allen had officially become an investor in the new studio.
---
Burbank — Dawnlight Studios.
Inside the recording booth for Toy Story, a cast led by Tom Hanks was busy recording dialogue for the film.
As director John Lasseter's first feature-length animated film—and Pixar's first fully computer-generated 3D animated movie—the project carried enormous significance.
Not only for Pixar.
For Dawnlight as well.
Standing beside Aaron, Lasseter explained the rapidly shifting landscape of the animation industry.
"Jeffrey Katzenberg has reached an agreement with Pacific Data Images. DreamWorks is already preparing its first animated feature."
"And that's not all. Katzenberg has been aggressively recruiting talent from Disney Animation. Between the salaries he's offering and his personal charisma, he's already convinced quite a few people to jump ship."
"The success of Disney's The Lion King this year has been incredible," Lasseter added.
"And a lot of that success can be traced back to Katzenberg."
Aaron smiled faintly.
At this point, DreamWorks SKG's hostility toward Disney was no longer being hidden.
"Toy Story is scheduled for release next April," he said.
"Make sure nothing goes wrong."
Lasseter nodded confidently.
"Don't worry. We'll hit the release date."
After a moment of thought, Aaron added another warning.
"And keep an eye on our own animators."
"DreamWorks may start poaching Pixar talent as well."
"Jeffrey Katzenberg isn't Michael Eisner. He understands the potential of computer animation."
"Even if DreamWorks isn't producing CGI films yet, once Toy Story hits theaters, it's going to attract his attention."
After all, it had been Katzenberg who originally pushed Disney Animation to sign its production agreement with Pixar.
"I understand," Lasseter replied.
"As soon as Toy Story is released, we'll move quickly on our next project."
Aaron glanced through the studio window toward Tom Hanks.
Thanks to Forrest Gump, Hanks had practically locked up the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Combined with last year's Philadelphia and his role in Ron Howard's upcoming Apollo 13, his reputation was soaring like a rocket.
---
That evening, at the Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood, Aaron ran into Kevin Costner.
Costner looked noticeably exhausted.
Perhaps Waterworld was taking its toll.
"How's post-production?" Aaron asked.
"Problems with the film?"
Costner shook his head and forced a smile.
"It's the edit."
"I'm not happy with the version Kevin Reynolds put together."
"And we ended up arguing again."
Kevin Reynolds had originally directed Waterworld, but his relationship with Costner had deteriorated so badly during production that he walked away before filming was complete.
Costner had personally overseen the final stretch of filming.
Now Universal had brought Reynolds back to supervise editing.
And the conflict had erupted all over again.
Aaron blinked in surprise before laughing softly.
He stood up and patted Costner on the shoulder.
"It'll work out."
Though privately, he knew the outlook wasn't encouraging.
With a production budget of $175 million—and marketing costs still to come—the film's total expenditure would easily exceed $200 million.
Massive losses were almost inevitable.
Which was especially unfortunate given that Dawnlight was currently trying to acquire MCA and Universal.
---
Later in the evening, Aaron also crossed paths with Tim Burton and Johnny Depp.
The two had reunited this year for the black-and-white biographical drama Ed Wood.
Their first collaboration since Edward Scissorhands.
Although Ed Wood had flaws in both characterization and detail, it possessed a unique charm that critics appreciated.
Commercially, however, it was a disaster.
Even Columbia had abandoned the project midway through development, leaving Disney's Touchstone Pictures to step in.
"Aaron."
Just as he was preparing to leave the hotel, a familiar voice called out to him.
He turned and saw Winona Ryder.
"Winona."
Aaron stepped forward and gave her a hug.
"I just ran into Johnny Depp inside."
Winona shrugged.
"So did I."
"Want to grab a drink?"
"It's been a long time."
Aaron smiled.
"Sure."
---
A short while later, the two found themselves in an upscale bar on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood.
Inside a private lounge on the second floor, Aaron held Winona close in his arms.
Her clothes were slightly disheveled as she rested against him.
"You're promoting Little Women, right?"
Winona kissed him lightly on the cheek.
"Mhm."
"It comes out at Christmas."
"The reviews have been very positive so far."
Aaron nodded.
Looking at her flushed face, he leaned closer and whispered into her ear.
"Let's head back."
"I'll spend the whole weekend with you."
Winona smiled softly.
"Then let's go to my place."
And with that, the two left together.