Inside the conference room, Mansour opened the document folder and quickly flipped through it.
The thin aide spoke first. "Ryan Anderson shows a genuine degree of sincerity. The two suggestions he put forward were broad and light on specifics, but if you think them through carefully, they're both highly feasible."
Mansour kept reading through the materials. "Go on."
"Jewish influence in Hollywood is enormous, and we can't reverse that overnight. But as Hollywood films reach further and further into the world, we also can't keep allowing them to damage our image." The thin aide had clearly given this real thought. "Cultivating someone on the inside is the ideal approach."
He lowered his voice slightly. "Let Americans fight Americans."
Mansour slowly tapped the armrest of his chair. "Is it actually possible to break the industry model that Jewish interests have built in Hollywood?"
The fat aide cut in. "It would be very difficult. The six major studios have an almost complete grip on the market. There's very little room for new forces to grow." He paused. "And as for Ryan Anderson himself..."
His view differed from the thin aide's. "It's hard to say there aren't issues there."
Mansour smiled. "Honest and trustworthy Americans are genuinely rare."
The thin aide glanced at his colleague and pushed back. "I think Ryan Anderson is quite reliable. We've all seen the information he put forward, which included not just the successes but also the failures and the risks. Beyond anything else, the simple fact that he thought to point us toward the sports industry as a tool for expanding our influence is enough to demonstrate real sincerity."
The fat aide shook his head. "That was just a few words in passing."
"Just a few words?" The thin aide pressed the point. "You and I have both helped organize major sporting events. We've attended top football matches in Europe. Neither of us ever thought to use professional sports clubs as a vehicle for building influence. If Ryan Anderson hadn't said it, how long would it have taken us to arrive at that idea on our own?"
The fat aide opened his mouth and said nothing. He was a committed football fan. He'd even been involved in preparations for the Gulf Cup. And yet it had never crossed his mind.
The gap in perspective was hard to argue with.
"Acquiring a top professional sports club is an excellent idea," Mansour said, settling the point. "I'll report this to the President personally."
The thin aide smiled. The fat aide still wasn't fully convinced, but he held back.
"On the Hollywood side, I still think we should proceed carefully," he said.
They were both Mansour's most trusted people. Mansour handed each of them the documents he'd been holding. "This is the verified report from the Investment Authority's Chief Affairs Office in the US."
The thin aide flipped through quickly, reading as he went. "Starlight Entertainment was incorporated on August 1, 1987, registered in Delaware with initial capital of $300,000. It holds full membership in the Producers Guild. The original legal representative was John Anderson, now Ryan Anderson. Since incorporation, the company has produced thirty-six films..."
The fat aide was going through his copy at the same time. "These are the tax records for the past ten years. This is the video distribution agreement with Blockbuster. This is a copy of The Purge's official registration with the Producers Guild. Here's the media coverage, including pieces from the Los Angeles Times, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter. This is a photograph from the project launch press conference. And these are the posted recruitment notices for a director and production crew."
The thin aide added quietly, "American media still has active coverage of The Purge. Ryan Anderson has sent formal invitations to several name actors about appearing in the film."
"Did any of them refuse?" the fat aide asked.
"No." The thin aide shook his head. "None of them have responded yet. They're probably waiting to hear from Ryan Anderson directly when he gets back."
The fat aide went quiet.
Point by point, page by page, every detail the investigation had uncovered matched exactly what Ryan Anderson had presented at the fundraising conference.
"Well?" Mansour asked.
The fat aide said nothing. He seemed to have run out of objections.
The thin aide said plainly, "The information from our own investigation is essentially identical to what Ryan Anderson provided. That alone is enough to show his fundraising efforts here in Abu Dhabi are in good faith."
Mansour turned to the fat aide. "And you?"
The fat aide thought for a moment. "Ryan Anderson is sincere about the partnership."
Mansour stood and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out over the city. "We need our own voice in the film industry. Hollywood has the greatest global reach of any entertainment medium, but the entrenched Jewish interests and the companies aligned with them will never cooperate with us willingly."
He seemed to have already made up his mind. "We move on two fronts. First, attempt to acquire a medium-to-large production company. Second, build up forces that are aligned with us."
The fat and thin aides understood immediately. Their boss had probably been thinking along these lines since Starlight Entertainment first arrived in Abu Dhabi.
"The amount going into The Purge is nothing to us," Mansour said, his expression serious. "But if it succeeds, the returns will be significant."
There was risk, naturally. There was no such thing as a risk-free investment. Even oil prices moved. But the investigation had confirmed that Starlight Entertainment, while small, was a legitimate and established production company.
The fat aide suddenly suggested, "Should we simply buy Starlight Entertainment outright?"
"No." The thin aide was immediate. "Investing in the film while keeping Starlight Entertainment as the American front reduces our exposure considerably. If we buy the company directly, it signals to the Jewish establishment that Abu Dhabi is moving into Hollywood. That makes it far harder to acquire a mid-to-large company later on."
Mansour nodded. "That's right. Ryan Anderson made the same point. Jewish influence in Hollywood is real. Tipping our hand too early as outsiders would work against us when we go after a larger acquisition."
He smiled slightly. "If we manage to acquire a mid-to-large company, we fold Starlight Entertainment in afterward. If that acquisition runs into trouble, we can always increase our stake in Starlight at that point."
Both aides nodded. That was the most careful and sensible path.
Mansour said, "Make sure to note this down and remind me to raise the Hollywood and sports club matters when I next meet with the President." He stroked his beard. "As for the investment in The Purge, let's decide it now."
With the boss making the call, the fat aide kept his reservations to himself.
Mansour tapped his fingers on the armrest. "Go find Ryan Anderson. I want to speak with him again."
Out in the conference hall, Ryan had just wrapped up a conversation with another interested investor when a staff member came over with a message.
Mansour wanted to see him again.
Ryan set aside what he was doing immediately and headed upstairs to the conference room. A second meeting at this point almost certainly meant the investment decision had been made.
How much would it be?
He couldn't help running the numbers. A few million dollars would make everything that came next considerably easier. More was always better, of course. But given Mansour's standing, a few hundred thousand would be beneath him.
Accepting a large investment from Mansour also meant the stakes were genuinely high. This couldn't be handled carelessly.
The only real fools in dealing with powerful Arabs were the ones who mistook them for fools.
Fortunately, this wasn't actually a con. He was borrowing money for three years, with every intention of returning it.
"Hello, Ryan."
Mansour greeted him as soon as he walked in. "We meet again."
"The pleasure is mine," Ryan said, keeping his tone warm and straightforward.
Mansour gestured for him to sit, then got straight to it. "This morning you said the project had an eight million dollar funding gap."
"That's right."
"Very well." Having made his decision, Mansour showed the full generosity of an Arab of his standing. "The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority will invest eight million dollars in your project."
Ryan let genuine surprise show on his face. "This... this is..." He paused for a moment, as if the words weren't quite coming. "This is wonderful."
His eyes moved quickly across Mansour's face, and then he said deliberately, "Honestly, that's more than necessary. The fundraising conference should bring in around three million dollars. Another seven million would cover the gap."
Mansour looked even more pleased with him. This young man really was different from the Americans he'd dealt with before. "Put the full amount into the project. Make the film as good as it can possibly be."
Ryan considered it for a moment. "Alright."
Mansour smiled. "I do have a few small requests, by the way."
Ryan stayed relaxed on the outside. Inside, he was immediately on guard.
He'd known it wouldn't be quite that simple.