"As you know now, this grandpa of yours is serious this time around as I'm quite looking forward to how you make do with those sectors of entertainment."
This was all that Sullivan could say after expounding on his grandson about the progression of things. Keeping to himself about the fact that he used 'building blocks' again to liken with business.
Perhaps only old Creed was toying everything up to help associate himself with the fact that he is leaving things in his grandson's care.
An integrated business model about comic books, animated shows, and toys has 'toys' in it but it was still a serious matter for anyone.
Of course, Sullivan would spoil his business-focused grandson with the responsibility but he was also there to oversee the overseer.
It was an adviser sort of scenario but it took old Creed to an early memory where Cynthia and Oscar were away to buy things at the market.
It was only him and toddler Alex at home and Sullivan could still remember how he guided the little three-year-old to stack the wooden blocks to form a tower.
As he saw nine-year-old Alexander now and how he was studying up on his animation and toy blueprints, Sullivan can't help but feel that it was those good old times once again.
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The weird thoughts of Sullivan aside, the business convention went on.
As the entire multi-industry layout was slowly coming into a theoretical standing, Alexander's long-lasting smile turned to calm after some deep contemplation.
As good and promising these sprung up news was, Alexander still had some worries about it.
"Grandpa, how are we going to pay for everything? Aren't you stumped for cash with all film projects you have going on at this studio?"
Back-to-back filming was cost-efficient that the overall film trilogy budget was chunked off to only about 50 million dollars.
That was way more acceptable compared to the original trilogy's total production cost that bulked up to nearly 100 million dollars.
Even with inflation and all that, Creed Pictures has clearly gotten a great discount and one could only look forward to its box office earnings that should hopefully be hovering in the original's success or even greater.
Still, 50 million dollars was an enormous amount of money and it would be hard to be able to fork up extra millions for the ambitious expansion towards animation and toys.
Of course, the old Creed has a solution to it but it was one that he was not proud of.
Sullivan could only feel ashamed at his solution but he choked it up with a straight and unchanging face that he mirrored from his young and dashing grandson.
"No need to worry about your grandpa's pockets because it's your comic book money we will be using."
"Hm." Alexander hummed in agreement as felt it was only logical to do so.
He had not noticed the inward depression that old Sullivan was having.
Sullivan was proud of his grandson but he was not. He just felt his grandpa points fall down the drain when he knew that he was using his grandson's hard-earned money even though he had helped in growing it.
He was supposed to be the one buying the 'building blocks' but the new reality could not be denied.
It was now his grandson handing him the money to have him buy the building blocks.
Grandfathers were supposed to be the ones handing out pocket money to their grandchildren, not the other way around.
He was essentially pocketing from his grandson's pockets and it was not something his proud British bones could noble-y be proud of.
Among the overarching reach of Creed Entertainment, Creed Comics was supposed to be the most low-earning. How could old Sullivan even imagine that it would be the most profitable Creed trade to date when he started everything out?
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Old Creed's weirdness aside, Alexander was much more preoccupied with the advancement of everything.
If he knew what his grandfather was troubled about, he could just choke things up to logic and not sweat the grandfather pride stuff.
Sullivan's troubles could be left to him but he still made a lot of efforts as he had laid out the possible tracks to take and they just needed to find a strategic route to get to their goal.
Using the amassed money from Creed Comics, it was buying and expanding from there.
Animation was still money-burning, an incredibly slow process, and with uncertain and considerably minimal returns.
So, it was best to start out with toy industry as it was the most easily accessible and transformable to the Creeds at the moment.
Old Sullivan has already scouted many and few engineers and designers that are more attuned to the trade.
These engineers and designers happen to be excess or just looking for a stable position to be part of. They are still cheap in pay and Alexander's pre-prepared toy plans should be enough to lower the toy designing staple.
As of the moment, they are on call until the employment contract is finalized and an office is set up.
They are part of the creative team and the inward and outward business operations could be handled by the same set of expertise that Creed Comics first-floor employees have.
Of course, hiring new Miss Markers, new Mr. Advertisers, and new Mr. Legalities may not be necessary as Creed Entertainment is going for a cohesive structure amongst its branches.
They just need to hire toy-oriented personnel to fill up the job and bulk the existing team to handle toy-related matters.
Those things are easily within acceptable range with Creed Comics money but the next parts could be tricky.
Relegating printing to a printing company was acceptable but there was no way their printing company contacts could make do with toy productions.
Of course, old Sullivan has the most convenient solution for that marked out and it involved a dirt-cheap factory in a distant but mysterious country called China.
"Would this China factory be able to work out everything, grandpa?" Alexander asked. Considering the distance and current state of affairs of the country, how could Creed Entertainment even stabilize everything?
Alexander didn't even know if the cheap Chinese exploitment spree has already started this early in the 1980s.
"I have a friend there that referred me to the place. I'm already set to finalizing the deal." Sullivan had already moved on from his grandpa depression as he talked about the China manufacturing factory deal. "The hired toy creative team could just work on samples here and the good and cheap people of that Chinese factory could work their mysterious craftsman magic after the designs are finalized."
"Oh. Then it's fine then." Alexander didn't expand much on that topic. Judging from his grandfather's unhidden miser happiness, some capitalists have already relegated manufacturing work to the country of mystery.
"As expected of China Numbawan." Alexander whispered at the fact that the underdeveloped future powerhouse called China is still number one in 'exploit' in the 80s.
At least, everything was coming together and his balance mode slowly turned to unbalance as it slowly morphed to toy mode.
Hasbro has been ringing their phones up a lot that Alexander felt it was finally time to ruffle up their toy industry to keep them busy.