They did business in Asia and Southern Europe, but he was dumbfounded when nobody at HBO or Showtime would return his calls. It gnawed at his self-esteem.
That was the moment we found each other. He'd just concluded he needed somebody with a quality reputation to give
Applecore an image makeover, and I'd realized I needed somebody who knew more than I did about the mechanics of making and distributing independent films.
We were an odd couple. I finally shook hands on the partnership after he caved in and agreed I could do anything I wanted, so long as it looked mainstream enough to get picked up by Time-Warner or somebody else legit. Well, quasi-legit. We both agreed on no more bikinis and no more films about places that required cholera shots. It was something of a compromise on both our parts.
Thus far, though, we were getting along. Maybe luck was part of it, but Baby Love was still on schedule and on budget. And I already had a deal nearly in the bag with Lifetime, the women's channel, that would just about cover the costs. Everything after that would be gravy. Again, hope hope. Maybe not the theatrical release I'd been praying for, but good enough—so he had to smile and not give me a hard time about the money I'd just spent. Had to, right?
I took a deep breath.
"David, I did a little extra shooting this morning that's kind of. . . outside the plan. But it's really important. Want to hear about it?"
"What! I thought you were finished with principal photography." He looked disoriented, the deer in the headlights. Hints of extra crew time always had that effect on him. "You're saying this wasn't in the budget?"
"Just listen first, okay?" Like a politician, I avoided giving him a direct answer. I told him about the interview with Carly and the reason for it.
"Nice of you to share the news with me." His eyes narrowed. "I think we've got some big-time communication issues here."