Chapter 30: Chapter 30

It's been a while since I really began thinking about making my company into something bigger than what it was now. There were films, games, and social media platforms under my belt. But how could I expand that?

There were a ton of video game developers in the world, but only a few notable ones that made a name for themselves. At least for being a well managed company.

The film industry was something else entirely, but it was similar to video game companies. I knew more about the actors and actresses than the company that produced the film.

That's why I was thinking of starting an agency that would manage these stars. They could work on these projects and increase the amount of potential voices that could be used for animation projects. Except a lot of the actors and actresses from my time were really young now.

As for social media, I essentially had that on lock. Facebook was my only contender, but it was not really that big of an issue. I was dominating the social media space.

I sat down with the investors last month to discuss expansion. Creating more offices and hiring more employees to focus on the future of the specific platform. YouTube itself would have locations in California, Michigan, Texas, and Florida. These four would be the central office with the one in Michigan being the main headquarters.

We planned on opening more locations in Europe and Asia, primarily in Japan and South Korea. China was a bit iffy to me as there was a lot of demand to follow their rules. Which is why I was debating on having another location in Taiwan instead. YouTube Live, which was where people went to stream would also have a designated team that would focus on improving the platform. I was kind of disheartened that everyone liked the name Twitch, but did not want to move away from the YouTube name. They wanted everyone to know that it was still owned by us to give it more traction.

Someone knocked on my office door, breaking my train of thought.

"Come in." I told them as I already knew who it was.

It was Victoria, the writer that worked under Artur as his second. She had a great storytelling ability that captivated you, and I thought her job was harder than Arturs. As she needed to explain the lore through the side quests.

"Morning sir." She said as she entered the room.

"How are you feeling? Is everything alright?" I asked her.

She smiled and took a seat.

"I'm OK, thanks for asking."

"I just want to be sure. Artur is away right now and you have a lot on your plate. Let me know if there is anything you need and I'll try to make it happen."

"There's nothing in particular that I need. But here is the progress report." She said as she handed me a USB drive.

"Thanks. Besides this, I wanted to ask you if you've given any thought to taking on a larger role? I mean, you're a talented writer and although there were a few bumps when you first joined, things have been sailing smooth." I asked her.

"It feels like I joined ages ago. I think it would have been hard to be in this position without Artur and you helping. In this line of work usually the men are given the best jobs and pay, but I was given a chance. Many disliked me at first but now." She laughed and so did I.

"I think they still dislike you." I joked.

"Well, I'm a bit of a hard ass, so it's to be expected. But I'm glad to be in the management position I'm in now, but above that would be the lead role. You want me to take over for Artur?" Victoria asked me.

"No, no, not that. I was just curious if you want to go overseas to gain some experience."

"Overseas? Huh?"

"I haven't made a formal announcement as of yet, but I'm opening up more branches in Europe and Asia. It will be some time before they are finished, but I was curious if you wanted to take up a lead position there?"

Victoria was silent for a moment.

"Am I off Project K?" She asked me.

Ahh. I should have chosen my words more carefully. I could see where she was thinking.

"Not at all. It's just that I want someone with experience working on Project K located there. You'll still be working on it, but also manage the game in that region. It's fine if you don't want to do it, and it does not have to be a permanent position if you don't want it. I just wanted to ask you first, since you'll have the chance to be exposed to more people with different writing experiences. Also the culture is different as well, so it may even help." I assured her.

Victoria was silent for a moment again.

"Can I think this over?" She asked me.

"Yes. This won't actually happen until next year around March, so there is time. Just don't take too long as I'll have to find someone else to take up the task if you aren't interested."

She nodded and left.

I plugged in the USB she gave me preparing to read the progress report. But I just couldn't get my mind off the expansion.

I had already acquired a great location in Seoul, Korea to build the branches of both YouTube and Raven Games. But, that was only a small step in my plan.

It was early right now, but I was already researching game companies in South Korea. My plan was to buy them, and have them produce certain games. While also establishing my companies name there and stepping into the entertainment industry.

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K-pop would dominate the world for a while and I wanted to get in on that. But I needed a foothold there first. At least I thought so. 

Someone else knocked on my door, and I told them to enter. This time it was Wada, the artist that came from Japan.

"Hello, sir." She greeted me.

Her English improved dramatically since her arrival, and that delighted me.

"I wanted to talk to you about your previous employer. They made the Fire Emblem series correct?" I asked her.

Wada sat down and nodded her head. "Yes sir, I worked on it for a few years. It's a pretty successful game series."

I had to agree with her. The series was wildly popular in the future.

"Are you still I touch with any of your old coworkers?"

"I am with a few."

"Are they looking for employment elsewhere? I would not mind adding a few more hands to the company." I told her.

"I'm not sure sir, we didn't discuss that." She replied.

"Oh, I see. Do you miss working on the Fire Emblem series?" I asked her.

"At times yes, but this is just as fun. The models are larger and the style is a bit different but I've learned a lot since starting."

"That's great, but I called you hear today to discuss a future project. It will be a tactical RPG similar to the Fire Emblem series and wanted to know if you could assist in developing it."

"Can I ask what it is about?" 

"Well, I have two ideas. One will take place during the three kingdom era back in ancient China. The other will be based on the Mistborn series by Branden Sanderson. I'm leaning more towards the latter if I'm being honest."

"I don't know anything about either of those two. And how would we do this? Are we going to divide the team again?" Wada asked me.

I shook my head.

"No, this will be an entirely new project. With a new team to handle it. Although it will be released after Project K and the Malazan game series. "

Wada talked with me for an hour before agreeing to help develop the new project. It would only happen after she was finished with her work on Project K, but that was fine.

I also told her that this game would have a mixture of Japanese developers and those from the west. The same idea I had for the branch company in South Korea.

She seemed a bit excited to go back to Japan. But I informed her she could also work remotely if she wanted to return.

As for my expansion into Japan, it was simply to obtain more animation studios. Which I would slowly fill with Americans looking to work in animation. That way they could gain experience faster and in return create films for me.

Not that every single person in those companies would be American, but I wanted at least ten to twenty percent to be. I felt it would add something to the final product having two types of cultures there.

As for what they would make, I wanted them to focus on animating mangas. Then it would develop into adapting comics and novels.

What mattered was the prospects of those companies, not what they've done so far. I had to put in the time to look at them, but that was fine with me. I could rewatch some old animes that were currently new now.

I laughed a bit to myself. It was strange knowing the ending to so many great shows before anyone else. But also kind of sad at the same time.

A part of me was tempted to spoil the end of One Piecd. But another part was screaming at me not to. The joy of having a favorite series and following it was coming up with an ending yourself. Theory crafting ehat would happen next and sharing it with others. That was something I couldn't take away from everyone else.

I looked at the report I received and continued to read it. But, before I got to the third page my phone started to buzz. It was Dwayne and I had an oh moment when I realized why he was calling.

My comic character should be finished now. Which was perfect for me, as it meant I could hold off on reading this progress report a bit longer.

Who told Victoria to write a thirty page report? I didn't have the energy to look at lines and lines of words for an extended period of time. I mean, it was different if it was entertaining me. But this was dry and boring.

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