“You wouldn’t happen to know any agents in the Detriot area, would you?” I asked Sandra after Dwayne left feeling pumped up about the future movie that I would release based on characters in a universe he created. Sandra took a sip of her coffee as she seemed to think about it.

“I know someone in the area, but they are not located in Detriot. Why?”

“I was looking to buy land.”

She eyed me for a moment and took another sip of her drink.

“May I ask what for? Depending on what you need it for, you might be able to get it quick for a cheap price.”

“To build a studio.”

Sandra almost choked on her coffee when she heard that. I passed her a napkin which she took and wiped her mouth.

“I thought you already had one? Raven Studios?”

“Well, yes, but the facility is not built yet. I’m still looking for a decent place to build it. It needs to be large enough to hold multiple facilities as I plan on expanding quite a bit in the future.”

“I see. I’ll send a message to my contacts and have them get with you. Do you have a number they can contact you at, or should I use the one you called our firm with?”

“No, i’ll give you my new number later today. Just use that to get in touch with me in the future. Speaking of the future, will I be solely working with you or will there be others?”

“What do you mean? You need more work done?”

I nodded. “Yes. I’ll need contracts drafted, a legal team and much more. If your firm is up for it, i’m more than willing to partner with you guys.”

“I can’t speak for the firm on this matter, you’ll have to talk to one of the higher ups. But, given your status i’m not too sure if they will take you on as an exclusive client. I do have a friend in a reliable firm that is looking for work. I’m sure they are more than willing to take you on.”

“Maybe, i’ll think about it. Just let me know what your firm says. I don’t want to give them hope when i’m not too sure about it yet. What time is your flight?”

“At 7:00 pm, so I still have time to spare. But, since my work is done right now i’m off for the day. I just have to make a few copies of this then fax it over to both of you.”

My conversation with Sandra continued for thirty more minutes before I left. I ended up catching a taxi to the airport and took the first flight back to Michigan not minding the cost. I did not realize the time it would take to travel from one place to another when I told Sandra I would give her my new number tonight. The phone stores were closed at this time so i’d have to reach out to her in the morning.

Now that I was back home I took out my notepad and reviewed some of the notes I wrote down. Dwayne mentioned a bit of the timeline in the Dakotaverse, causing my idea for a cinematic universe to change slightly. Originally I wanted to begin with a movie about Hardware, but I had to go to the beginning and make one about Static. His story essentially tied together everyone elses as it would give background to bang babies and how they came to be.

There were a couple of other points we talked about, namely being the writers of the other comic series. While Dwayne had the rights to Icon and Hardware, he actually shared the creation of Static with the people he founded the company with. There were also the writers of the other series that had to be spoken to before I could fully use their characters in the universe I was creating.

After reviewing what I wrote down for the next fiffteen minutes I flipped the page and grabbed my pen. Now that I had the rights to produce a film, I wanted to jot down all that I had left to do. Which was to buy land to build on, hire an architect to create the building plan, hire a construction crew to work on it, and obtain whatever licenses and permits I needed by the city or state. From that point, I needed a dedicated crew to help me produce these films, and a staff to take care of the everyday work. I’d also have to find a scriptwriter to create the story and this was something I was debating on choosing an experienced person or an unknown one for this role. Someone with a vision for the future would be excellent, but I did not want someone who would run wild and completely reenvision the world.

Once the first script was made, revised and edited, I could move on to hiring actors and scouting locations. From that point on the entire thing was in the hands of those I hired.

As I finished writing down my plans for my studio, I flipped the page of my notepad and started scribbling again. This time I juggled names down of what I should call my gaming company. If I should build it on the same lot, and what type of game I wanted to create. I knew that my movie business would take years to complete, but so would my game.

Why could I not start them both at the same time? That way three or four years down the line they could both be up and running. I figured a gaming company would be easier to create than a film studio. As long as I had the equipment, I could run it out of my home. But, that would be cramped depending on the number of employees I hired.

I knew that World of Warcraft would be released this year and it would redefine what players knew to be MMORPG’s. While I would love to be that person to dethrone the king, I just wanted to create a good game. Something players could enjoy but not have to worry about the daily grind.

Being a gamer had its perks, and while there were many games I could recreate, I chose not to. Simply because they were not mine, and the vision those creators had would be different. I got lost in my thoughts writing down various ideas for a game and after one hour I called it quits. I left my home to go grab something to eat, when I returned I took a shower and headed to bed.

Even as I laid in bed, there were many ideas racing through my mind. So many that I found it hard to go to sleep. I was in 2004, I couldn’t believe it. And now I was on my way to starting a film company. In 2025 I would have never dreamed of entering the world of entertainment, but now that I was stepping foot into that world I got excited. My journey was only beginning, I wondered how far I would go.