Zane watched John Lasseter's passionate speech. He was cool and calm, like an analyst. The man's belief in Toy Story was strong, and you could feel it. But under all that big talk, Zane sensed the man was actually very scared. It was the forced confidence of someone who had been losing for a long, long time.
And why wouldn't he feel that way? For over ten years, Pixar had been a place where money just disappeared.
The company started when George Lucas got divorced. He sold it for only $5 million to Steve Jobs, who had just been forced to leave his own company, Apple. Over the next ten years, Jobs put another $55 million of his own money into Pixar. But it just lost money, year after year. All these failures made everyone lose hope. Jobs himself had tried to sell Pixar many times, but no one wanted to buy it.
If only I'd gotten here a few years earlier, Zane thought, feeling a little sad. I could have bought the whole company for almost nothing. But he knew it was too late. With Toy Story almost finished, this was their last chance. Jobs would never sell now.
"No," Zane decided, focusing his mind. "I can't get the company. But the merchandise rights... I will take those. And I'll pay the lowest price possible."
He walked into the meeting room. He expected to sit across from Lasseter, the passionate artist. He was wrong.
"Mr. Blackwood, good morning. My name is Max Lee," said a sharp, middle-aged man in a very nice, expensive suit. "I'm with the Dabel Negotiation Company."
Zane paused. A slow smile spread across his face. Dabel was one of the most respected—and toughest—business negotiation companies in California.
Well played, Jobs, Zane thought. He felt a little respect, even though he didn't want to. First, you show me the struggling artist in the messy studio to make me feel sorry for you. Then, you send in the shark. It was a classic bait-and-switch trick.
"A pleasure, Mr. Lee," Zane said. He was totally calm as he took his seat. "Let's get started."
He slid a paper across the table. "My offer is this: $500,000 for a ten-year special license for all Toy Story merchandise rights. This means toys, clothes, posters, keychains, school supplies, everything. The license would be for six states: California, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Utah, and Idaho."
Max Lee didn't even blink. He just smiled. "Mr. Blackwood, that's a very... small offer. Last year, the merchandise rights for Disney's The Lion King in California alone went for almost a million dollars. And that was for only five years."
"You said it yourself, Mr. Lee," Zane replied smoothly. "That was Disney's The Lion King. That was a sure hit from the masters of 2D animation. This is Toy Story, the world's first-ever 3D animated movie. No one knows if people will love it or hate it. I'm the one taking all the risk here."
The negotiation was a clean, professional tie. Pixar's asking price, which Lee told him, was a huge $4 million. The gap between their prices was too big to fix.
"Too bad," Zane said. He stood up and gathered his papers without waiting. "It seems we're too far apart. Maybe we can talk about this another time."
He walked out, confident and calm. Time was his best friend. Toy Story wouldn't be in theaters for months. Right now, no other big company was taking 3D animation seriously. They were all still enjoying their success with 2D animation. He was the only buyer at the table, and he knew it.
In an office down the hall, Steve Jobs was waiting. He had been there the whole time. This was a clear sign of how important this deal was to him.
"Boss, four million might have been too much to ask," John Lasseter said nervously. "What if we scared him off for good?"
Jobs's eyelid twitched. He was a man who saw the future, but years of failure since leaving Apple had hurt him. His famous confidence was now a thin, breakable shell. Underneath, he was very afraid of making another mistake. He desperately needed a win.
"Half a million dollars? For six states? Please," Jobs scoffed. His pride kicked in to protect him. "If he's not serious, we don't need him." Even as he said it, a part of him knew they did need him.
"Okay, Steve. You're the boss," Lasseter gave in. He knew it was better not to argue when Jobs was in this mood.
"It was just the first round," Jobs said. He was trying to convince himself just as much as he was trying to convince Lasseter. "He'll be back. A guy like that doesn't walk away so easily."
That night, Zane was at home letting out his frustration. Across from him, James Sean was listening with a sneaky grin.
"So, the negotiation got stuck," James said. "You're a smart guy, Zane, but maybe you're not the one who should be talking to them."
"Oh yeah?" Zane snapped back, annoyed. "And who do you think I should send? You?"
"I didn't say me," James said. He leaned forward like he was sharing a secret. "I'm talking about someone else. A real pro."
Zane was suddenly interested. "Go on."
"A few months ago, a guy tried to sell me some health pills door-to-door. We got to talking. Turns out his name is Condy. He used to be the best negotiator at that same company, Dabel. The guy you met, Max Lee? They worked together."
"The best negotiator? What's the catch?"
"The catch," James said, clearly enjoying the story, "is that another worker framed him during a huge deal. He got kicked out of the company. He even spent three months in prison for it. Now, nobody will hire him. He can't get a job in the business to save his life."
Zane's first thought was, as always, practical. "A 'best' negotiator sounds expensive."
James burst out laughing. "That's the best part! He's not expensive, he's desperate! I bet you could get him for two thousand dollars, maybe even less. He has the skills. He has inside knowledge of the company you're fighting. And he's angry and wants revenge. He's exactly the kind of surprise player you need."
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