Sharkbait Ch. 66-70

"How can I do that?"

"Let me handle everything related to the crew as an assistant producer. I'll hire the crew, deal with the red tape, and direct and edit the show. In return, I get twenty-five-percent of the net income from the project."

"No salary, just like me. I remain the producer, and I have full control over the final cut," I replied. "Pay for the staff?"

"Director's Guild scale during the shoot, taken out of my percentage at the end," Linda replied. "I have confidence this is a winner, so I'd rather have the shot of a big payoff. The staff gets paid union scale, and your security people will have to get their union cards and enter the apprentice program for camera operators. We don't want labor issues."

It was so much I hadn't considered. "Let me run it past my lawyer and accountant, and I'll let you know tonight," I said. She handed me a proposal which included the people she wanted, and the costs, for both land and sea portions of the filming.

"I think this could make us both rich," she said. "Let's go enjoy the ride. It's a pity having a boat like this and not enjoying it." She was right; we were nearly out of San Diego Bay when we got up to the flying bridge. It was a lively conversation, as we talked about what things we could get on film and turn into a good show.

After we docked and hooked up to power, water, and sewer, we shifted to what the yacht would need. Thomas brought us down to the salon to talk about modifications. "The list you sent out would have fifteen people on board for a week to two weeks at a time. Linda tells me that twenty is a more realistic number." Damn. That was a LOT. "You four of were going to share the master stateroom. Three boat crew plus one in the forward stateroom, and two each in the other two staterooms, means you still need bunks for eight elsewhere."

"What do you suggest?"

"A little remodeling. Three of your staterooms have queen beds; remove them, and put two sets of bunks in. Now you have room for sixteen in the four staterooms, all of which have bathrooms and showers attached. That leaves four spots elsewhere." He pointed at the rear corner of the salon, across from the television. "Two of these chairs fold out into sleepers. Replace the couch with two more, and install a curtain around the area to keep the light down."

It made sense. "What happens when we finish filming?"

"Keep the beds in storage, then hire people to change it back. Eventually, you'll want a purpose-built boat, but I understand you're trying to kill two birds with one stone here."

I felt a lot better as they left, but I needed to meet with my legal and financial people, and I wanted Leo to sit in the meeting by phone as an adviser. In the end, we agreed it was the best path forward.

Sharkbait Productions, Inc. formed the next day, and its first employee was Linda Cartwright. I also solicited bids for a ship's crew from Patricia McNeil.

Things had to move fast because we were starting filming in just over a month.