It took two long weeks of discussion, rewrites, and yelling (mostly about tone and budget); blah blah blah, whatever, and we turned in the first draft of the Power Rangers script - and created, under Harry's direct supervision, six characters that were not generic characters (but were gagged out as broad archetypes that appealed to a spectrum of demographics of children).
It was a deliberate move:
Red Ranger: The bumbling and unwilling captain who didn't mind being redeemed by the code of ethics.
Pink Ranger: The sunny and sweet heart of the group.
Yellow Ranger: Tough, confident and agile; tons of fearless jumps, the show's risk-taker.
Green Ranger: Loyal but insecure; comic relief, he provided the drama.
Black Ranger: The connoisseur of quiet; cool and aloof.
Blue Ranger: The smart one; the voice of reason.
It was an assembly-line endeavor. But formulas weren't so bad; formulas worked when you punched them at the right time.
After the scripts were locked, the casting part went quickly. They cast talented young actors on low salaries with backend incentive clauses—Harry's way of minimizing overall costs and allowing for upside if the exponentials in the popularity of the show sprung up. The production team was mixed; some new hires and others had been lured from other networks/systems with promises of creative freedom.
At the same time, over at Mr. Bean's humble little sound stage they were finishing up Episode 5.
Harry arrived at the set wearing his customary tone jacket, clipboard in hand. He made his way to Richard Curtis, who was seated next to the director, while staring wide-eyed at the monitor because Rowan Atkinson was in the middle of flailing about with all the exaggerated motions it only could be described as a demented victory dance after he'd beat a parking meter.
Harry found this hilarious. Rowan was a rare breed; he did not act, he talked without the need for phrasing. Communicating with language in the body, the look of the eyes, the eyes rolling, the pauses—he had elevated physical comedy to a precision applied art.
"How's it going?" he asked, coming up from behind.
Richard turned barely at all, but still did not take his eyes off the monitor. "Brilliant. We finish episode five today. Editing will take a week, max."
"Is there still budget available?" Harry asked.
"Sort of," Richard answered, finally looking at him.
Harry grinned. "Let's throw a wrap party! Small, of course. Just something to show them we appreciated their work."
Richard hesitated. "Maybe after we know if people even like it. It's been a dream of mine for years, Harry. But dreams don't pay dividends."
Harry nodded his understanding. "That's true. But momentum is important as well. Even the perception of success will attract real success."
Richard half-smiled. "Sponsors coming next week?"
"Yep. They're a bit skeptical so we need to blow them out of their chairs."
"Not everyone shares your enthusiasm," Richard said dryly.
Harry chuckled. "They will."
_____
Ross Norland, a mid-forties man with salt-and-pepper hair and a permanent scowl on his face, emerged from the black car and stared at the newly-painted JTV logo on the outside of the building.
This was supposed to be punishment, his supervisor told him 'take a look at their kids content, come back with a report, and just don't get in trouble.' Ross had gotten in to a disagreement with the marketing VP at Hasbo Toys and been quietly reassigned to the lowest considered portfolio. JTV was at the bottom of the porfolio by the way, they had been a joke in the toys industry, and now that was where Ross was going.
Ross would be lying if he said he was not surprised that the place did not look like a relic anymore. New carpeting. Polished glass. The staff seemed to be... motivated?
"Mr. Norland?" the receptionist greeted him as he entered. "We have a private screening room prepared for you and some of our future partners. Right this way, please."
In the small screening room, there were three others seated - lice workers from local toy and cereal distribution firms. They made eye-contact and nodded politely. Small talk was exchanged. Ross said nothing.
Inside the small theater, there were three others seated—representatives of local cereal and toy distribution businesses. They smiled politely and murmured small talk. Ross sat silently.
"For your auditions today, we have two pilots," the receptionist said. "Both for youth and family entertainment. Would you prefer to start with Mr. Bean or Power Rangers?"
Retreating to the small list, Ross thought Power Rangers sounded juvenile. Then again, everything else on the trip had sounded juvenile.
"Let's go with Power Rangers." Ross sighed and shrugged his shoulders.
____
One Episode Later
When the lights came back on, Ross was frowning. Ross was intrigued, not disappointed.
"How many episodes did you say are finished?" he asked.
"Five," the receptionist said. "Would you like to see the rest?"
Ross thought about it. He hated to admit he was wrong—but this was different. The fight choreography was clean, the costumes were colorful, but not sloppy, and the character arcs—even though they were limited—had real structure. The effects were not Cinematic, but were not cheap either.
Three Episodes Later
Ross was the last person in his seat. While the other guests were already talking about ad spots and cross-promotions, Ross had other business to attend to.
Ross strode out into the hall and beckoned the receptionist.
"I need to see your head of content. Today."
"About what?"
"About a licensing and co-branding deal. Figures, lunchboxes, maybe even a motion comic. This show is not just good, it's a merchandising bonanza."
"I understand," she said with an air of professionalism. "Mr. Jackson is available, please come with me."
-----
Ross was now sat across from Harry—someone who he expected to be a desperate executive hawking whatever crumbs he could get. Instead, he found an intelligent young man with a charming level of confidence.
"I will be brief," Ross said. "You have something exceptional here, and I'm not often heard say that. The character design, themes, and even colours are marketable. We can and will work with you to create a licensing deal on figures, helmets, maybe even ride-on toys, but we will want exclusivity for primary products."
Harry steepled his fingers. "Exclusivity comes with a price."
Ross raised an eyebrow. "We're prepared to negotiate."
"Then let's do this properly," Harry said. "You send me your terms. I'll have my legal team draft ours. But one thing: this isn't just a toy show. It's a brand. We're building something that'll outlast one good season."
Ross smirked. "I like the ambition."
"And I like a partner who sees long-term potential."
They shook hands. The deal wasn't signed yet—but the seed was planted.