`For Jeff Bewkes, the priority isn't about shaking things up with bold new ideas—it's about keeping HB steady and securing his next promotion.
Does he really not see the benefits of investing in high-quality original dramas for HB?
Of course he does!
It's just that sinking big money into original shows comes with huge risks. If it works, he still gets his smooth promotion. If it flops, the fallout's massive.
That's why he passed on the costly Band of Brothers and has been constantly reining in Chris Albrecht, who's been pushing hard for original content.
But lately, TA Network's been making waves, and Six Feet Under has sparked a ratings boom, giving Jeff Bewkes a twinge of unease.
That's what pushed him to make a move—trying to snatch the rights to Band of Brothers to choke TA Network's momentum.
He never expected Dunn from Hollywood to storm into New York!
This guy's as cocky and petty as they come, even shelling out over 5 million bucks to buy out Chris Albrecht's bonus contract!
Now, HB's buzzing with unrest. Everyone's seen the potential in the up-and-coming TA, and the board's piling on the pressure.
Jeff Bewkes was already stressing, racking his brain for a way out. He'd been carefully plotting against Dunn Walker, only for Dunn to strike first and stab him in the back!
Sure, Jeff's been tough on Chris Albrecht at work, but he knows HB needs this content expert if they're going to stick with the premium drama route.
Dunn's move—poaching Chris with a brash, take-no-prisoners attitude—basically cuts HB off at the knees!
In recent years, HB's original shows have all come from the content team led by Chris Albrecht. Without him, Jeff Bewkes has no shot at kicking off premium drama production anytime soon.
"He's trashed the movie world, and now he's stirring up trouble in TV. This Dunn—he's a total jerk!"
Jeff Bewkes is an early-to-bed, early-to-rise guy, but sleep's off the table now. Chris Albrecht's sudden exit has thrown a wrench into his internal power structure at HB.
He headed to his study, mulling it over for a while, and decided he needed to play defense. He called his boss and biggest backer, Ted Turner, to fill him in.
But by the time the words left his mouth, they'd taken on a whole different flavor.
"Hey? Still up?"
"Mr. Turner, I just got two pieces of good news. Had a couple drinks to celebrate—sleep's the last thing on my mind!" Jeff Bewkes' voice oozed excitement, a stark contrast to his earlier gloom.
Ted Turner perked up. "Good news? Let's hear it."
Jeff Bewkes chuckled. "You know TA, right? That network Dunn Walker scooped up. Heh, they've been on a roll lately, so I pulled a little trick and quietly put them in their place."
Dunn's name carries weight—especially after that Redstone birthday party where the young guy worked the room full of old-timers like a pro, leaving a deep impression on Ted Turner. Hearing Jeff talk like this only piqued his interest more. "Putting Dunn in check? That's no small feat!"
Jeff Bewkes laughed it off. "Young guys like him have tons of drive—you can't go head-to-head. Michael Eisner's the perfect cautionary tale. Heh, you know how Dunn teamed up with DreamWorks for that Band of Brothers series? Just for North American rights, Dunn Films shelled out over 50 million bucks."
Ted Turner's tone turned serious. "Don't underestimate him. His success in movies proves he's got a sharp eye. A TV show he's involved with isn't going to be low-quality."
"I know, but did I really let him just waltz in, grab the Band of Brothers rights, and air it on TARZ to compete with our HB?" Jeff Bewkes dangled a pause, smug as ever. "So I reached out to DreamWorks and offered 80 million for the rights!"
"80 million?"
Even a TV veteran like Ted Turner's voice shifted at that number.
Jeff Bewkes grinned. "Yep, 80 million—jacked it up by 30 million in one go! And guess what? I just got word: Dunn Films sealed the deal with DreamWorks for 80 million! All it took was a little trick, and I made Dunn cough up an extra 30 million."
Ted Turner didn't sound thrilled, though. "That's Dunn for you—spends money like water. It's well-known in the industry. What's the second thing?"
Jeff Bewkes frowned, treading carefully now. "The second thing's still Dunn Walker. He's trying to build up TA Network, so he came after my guy Chris. Heh, like I'd let him get away with it that easily. I locked Chris down with a loyalty bonus worth over 5 million—Dunn fell for it and ended up footing the bill for us!"
Ted Turner raised an eyebrow. "You mean… Dunn spent 5 million to buy out his bonus contract?"
Jeff Bewkes laughed. "Exactly! Just a little trick, and Dunn Films handed us over 5 million in loyalty bonuses for free. Heh, this Dunn—he's still green. Too easy to play."
Ted Turner went quiet for a moment before saying, "This Chris—he's the HB president you've mentioned before?"
"Yep, that's him."
"His leaving won't shake up HB's management, will it?"
Jeff Bewkes' heart skipped a beat, but he quickly brushed it off. "No way! Heh, HB's talent system is rock-solid. If one guy walking out could rattle the company, I'd be a pretty lousy exec. Mr. Turner, don't worry about a thing!"
Ted Turner gave a cautious "Hmm." "Dunn's got a temper—Michael Eisner at Disney's taken hits from him more than once. Watch out for his comeback."
Jeff Bewkes shrugged it off. "What's he gonna do? Running a TV network takes serious cash. He's bled dry in the stock market, burned through Dunn Films' liquid funds—what's he got left to challenge HB with?"
Ted Turner nodded, satisfied, though he added a seasoned warning. "Still, better safe than sorry!"
After hanging up, a smug smirk spread across Jeff Bewkes' face.
Turning a loss into a win!
That's the power of a silver tongue.
Just like every U.S. president—political savvy and business smarts come second; the real key is knowing how to talk.
But the next day at the office, Jeff Bewkes wasn't smiling anymore.
"What did you say? Chris Albrecht's poaching our staff? That jerk—he's just like Dunn, a pair of total jerks!"
Jeff Bewkes was fuming in his office, practically jumping out of his skin!
Chris Albrecht leaving was bad enough, but now he's trying to take HB's people with him? Unbelievable!
"Who's he targeting?"
"Here are the resignation letters."
His secretary handed over a stack of more than ten paper resignations and set them on Jeff Bewkes' desk.
His face darkened even more. "This many? What roles are they from?"
"They're…"
The secretary hesitated, like she didn't want to say it.
"Spit it out!"
"The content production team."
Jeff Bewkes shot to his feet, his face going as pale as a sheet. "Wait… these are all from the content production group?"
"Yes."
The secretary glanced at him nervously, her voice barely a whisper.
Jeff Bewkes' legs buckled, his eyes rolled back, and he staggered backward…
"Boss!"
The secretary yelped, rushing to catch him, only to see his lips trembling as he muttered under his breath, "Dunn, you're ruthless. So ruthless!"
HB's content production team, led by Chris Albrecht, had just 20 people. Now, with Chris gone and over a dozen following him out the door, didn't that mean HB's premium original drama squad was basically toast?
If Jeff Bewkes wanted to push an original content strategy now, he'd have to start from scratch!
…
Meanwhile, Dunn spent two cozy days in New York with a couple of supermodels, living it up. As he left the city, he got more good news.
It was from Chris Albrecht—apparently, HB Network's exec Jeff Bewkes had a meltdown in his office and even passed out for a bit.
Dunn cracked up. "All I did was pull a little trick, and Jeff Bewkes can't handle it? With skills like that, he's got the nerve to fight me for Band of Brothers? Talk about guts!"