Although I'd been in Los Angeles a lot, I'd never set foot on the 20th Century Fox lot. But this was gonna be easy! I had no idea the meeting was in a tall glass building on Pico Blvd, just west of the 20th Century Fox studios. When Harry Jackson walked into the conference room at Fox Entertainment Group, he could have fainted away! Sitting opposite him at the long, sleek, mahogany table were some of the biggest names in American television:
Peter Chernin, President and COO of News Corporation.
Sandy Grushow, Chairman of Fox Television Entertainment Group.
Gail Berman, brand new President of Entertainment at Fox Broadcasting Company!
Harry, looking sharp in a charcoal gray suit, belonged at the table—young, cool as hell, and carrying the ineffable confidence of someone who had just made over a billion dollars in about three months.
Peter Chernin leaned in.
"So let me clarify. The heir to Jackson Multimedia wants to buy into Fox TV?"
Sandy Grushow raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean, buy in—a majority interest?"
Harry said, "Yes, I want to buy a 51% interest in Fox Television Studios and maintain creative control in the production of original programming."
Gail Berman looked back to Peter. "Why?"
Harry smirked. "Because JTV is no longer mine. And because I have witnessed what happens when television decides to stop changing. You're wrestling with a lot right now--the ad pullbacks post 9/11, the halted productions, and lack of new content.
"And you think you can fix that?"
"I made JTV the number one cable network the last two years, even beating HBO in prime in select target demos. Power Rangers. The zombie show. Sirs, animated. I create brands, not shows.
Peter sat back. "And you want to do that for us?"
"No," Harry said. "I want to do it with you. On my terms."
The room paused in silence. Then Peter pointed at a suited man at the end of the table.
"You'll need to show us your financial position."
Harry motioned to the man that was next to him--his lawyer.
"This is Daniel Keane, my legal counsel. He will provide the portfolio documents, the statements, and the proposal."
Daniel Keane, a ruthless negotiator and Harvard lawyer, pushed the folder forward.
Chernin flipped to the front. An audited statement showed Harry's net worth of $1.1 billion in cash and assets, with another $500 million in existing ventures that could be liquidated.
And his offer?
A $600 million direct investment for a controlling position in Fox Television Studios, plus a contract to develop projects over three years.
"Jesus," Sandy mumbled.
"Where does someone get that kind of liquidity in this market?" Gail asked.
Harry leaned in."I shorted the airlines on September 10. I longed defense and cable news."
That managed to shock Peter momentarily, too.
"You really gambled the market before 9/11?"
"I recalled what was seen in history that followed," Harry said flatly. "I didn't gamble. Unavoidably, regulate it."
_____
Later that same evening, Harry found himself seated across a well-known table from his mother in the family penthouse in New York.
The documents to cash out his entire stake in Jackson Multimedia—his father's empire—were side by side on a coffee table.
Rachel Jackson, regal and cold in a cream shawl and wine red dress, glared at the papers with her lips pressed tight.
"So you're really doing it," she said, finally breaking the silence.
Harry nodded. "Yes. I'm selling off my father's legacy."
"To fund your rebellion."
"To fund mine."
Rachel picked up one of the documents, looking over the fine print. "And you are ok being known as the boy who quit the family name?"
Harry remained quiet at first.
Then he said, "I didn't quit. I evolved."
Rachel choked up slightly. "Your father built this company brick by brick. You could have inherited it. You could have taken it into the next century."
Harry stiffened, "He tried to have me killed, remember?"
Rachel looked away, showing a flicker of guilt in her stony demeanor.
Harry said, "That plane crash was no accident. You know it. And you want me to honor him?"
She stood and visually cringed away from him as if he offended her, fixating on the skyline.
"You could've at least talked to Mason before declaring war on the board."
Harry stood up, too. "Mason chose the company over me. I won't beg for his protection. I'm done being someone's shadow."
Rachel turned back. "So what are you?"
"I'm Harry Jackson," he said, "not Jackson Multimedia, not my father's puppet. I'm me. And I'm building something bigger."
She was silent for a long time.
Then she walked over and surprisingly hugged him. Tight.
"You're still my son," she whispered, " Even though you're an idiot."
Harry hugged her back, eyes closed. "Thanks, mom."
By the end of the week, the Fox executives responded.
They accepted.
Harry Jackson—once the exile of a media empire—was now the majority owner of Fox Television Studios, and executive head of its new content division.