“So, the rookie director actually succeeded!
CAA is about to gain another major client.”
Within CAA, a strict tier system existed for their clients.
The five founding partners held their positions at the very top because each of them represented at least one top-tier, S-list client.
However, even among clients of the exact same tier, a director’s importance was always ranked a step higher.
Simply put, an A-list director held the same agency status as an S-list movie star.
This dynamic was entirely determined by the director’s central role within CAA’s signature “packaging” system.
In the traditional Hollywood model, when a studio or network wanted to produce a project, they had to independently hunt down talent, actors, producers, screenwriters, and a whole slew of crew members.
Almost all of these individuals had their own agents, which inevitably bottlenecked the studio’s production efficiency.
Michael Ovitz, however, had pioneered a completely revolutionary model for CAA: gathering the screenwriters, producers, and directors in advance, developing a highly promising project internally, and then using that complete package to attract A-list stars.
CAA essentially assembled every necessary component for a project, bundling it together to sell directly to the studios.
This method completely flipped the supply-and-demand dynamic.
The studios were desperate for these pre-packaged, surefire hits, giving CAA absolute pricing power at the negotiating table.
Within these packages, the director was undoubtedly the linchpin that determined a project’s success or failure.
This was the biggest reason CAA treated Kevin so favorably.
They desperately needed immensely talented directors like him; conversely, his reliance on the agency wasn’t nearly as strong.
“Well done, Dawson.
You have successfully secured an A-tier client for CAA,” Ovitz praised.
“If Kevin can deliver three consecutive box office hits, he will be elevated to an S-tier client.
When that happens, you’ll earn the right to move up to this top floor and become CAA’s sixth partner.”
Ovitz was dangling a massive, enticing carrot—one that was theoretically achievable, even if the odds were astronomically difficult.
Dawson nodded, letting the ambitious prospect sink in before shifting to his own strategy.
“I’m hoping we can leverage CAA’s high-end clients to publicly voice their support for Kevin.
This won’t just boost Saw’s box office; it will also deepen Kevin’s goodwill toward the agency.”
“Besides,” Dawson added, “for a young director with such limitless potential, I’m sure our top talents would be more than willing to offer a small favor…”
Ovitz pondered for a moment before nodding.
“Alright, I agree to it.
Since Saw was a CAA-packaged project, a small percentage of its box office revenue would naturally flow straight into the agency’s pockets.
Promoting Saw was essentially printing money for CAA; there was absolutely no reason for Ovitz to refuse.
…
The next day, when Kevin picked up the morning paper, he was stunned to see Tom Cruise publicly endorsing Saw.
“This is easily the best horror film of the year, an absolute must-watch.
The story follows a killer who uses elaborate traps to punish those who take their lives for granted, yet he always gives his victims a fighting chance to survive…
After watching this, I’ve officially become a fan of Director Kevin…”
Kevin scratched his head, completely bewildered as to why Tom Cruise would suddenly speak out on his behalf.
Still, it was undeniably a massive win.
Although Cruise hadn’t yet received the global superstar boost that Mission: Impossible would eventually bring him, his Oscar nomination the previous year had firmly cemented his A-list status.
He was undoubtedly one of the hottest actors in Hollywood right now.
Speaking of which, Kevin suddenly remembered Mission: Impossible.
The film adaptation of the classic TV series was slated for release in 1996.
If he played his cards right, he might actually have a shot at getting his hands on it.
…
Meanwhile, over in Ireland on the set of Far and Away, Tom Cruise was busy filming.
He didn’t give the endorsement much thought; to him, it was just a simple gesture of goodwill.
In Hollywood, the relationship between actors and directors was built on the potential for future collaboration, so tossing a favor to a rising star certainly couldn’t hurt.
No one at Cruise’s level of fame was a fool.
As long as there was no conflict of interest, no one was going to casually ignore a highly promising young director.
Fueled by CAA’s string-pulling and the natural weekend box office surge, Saw’s numbers continued to skyrocket the following day, hitting a staggering $12.13 million.
As the face of the film’s most iconic character, Clark Gregg was sent by New Line Cinema on a massive nationwide promotional tour, with major metropolitan cities serving as their primary targets.
Wherever Gregg went, massive crowds followed.
The chilling name “Jigsaw” had already amassed a legion of hardcore fans, allowing the actor to finally experience the intoxicating rush of true fame.
From this moment on, he was no longer a nobody in Hollywood.
As a director who had definitively proven his commercial value, his status in Hollywood was about to undergo a massive transformation, and his standing within CAA would rise drastically.
Of course, the most important benefit of all was the money.
According to his contract, five percent of the total box office revenue would be paid out to him after the film finished its theatrical run.
It would be a massive payout—more than enough for him to finally buy a house in Los Angeles.
However, for the sake of his long-term career, Kevin planned to reinvest that capital the moment it hit his bank account.
He wanted to snatch up some lucrative film rights in advance or use the funds for direct industry investments.
Above all else, he absolutely wanted a piece of the Mission: Impossible pie.
It was only now dawning on him exactly why Tom Cruise had gone out of his way to praise him—it was undoubtedly CAA flexing its industry muscle.
Thanks to this newfound connection, once Far and Away inevitably flopped at the box office, his chances of successfully recruiting Cruise for a future project would be significantly higher.
Every director dreamed of directing massive blockbusters.
However, a single smash hit like Saw wasn’t quite enough to cement his status.
He needed to deliver one or two more consecutive hits before he possessed the industry influence necessary to attract A-list superstars like Tom Cruise.
Truthfully, when it came to his sophomore project, his hands were tied.
Absolutely no studio in town would support him suddenly jumping to a different genre; he had to prove that Saw wasn’t just a lucky fluke by delivering another highly profitable horror film.
Only by establishing a rock-solid track record could he secure blockbuster funding for a genre pivot on his third film.
By that point, he would be wealthy enough to act as an investor himself, allowing him to claim a direct cut of the box office profits.
This was Kevin’s meticulously crafted career roadmap.
Becoming a legendary director required a grounded approach, taking every single step with calculated precision.
Time flew by, and the film’s opening week quickly drew to a close.
After hearing the explosive opening-day numbers, Kevin completely tuned out the subsequent box office reports.
New Line Cinema and CAA were aggressively handling everything on that front.
As the director, his job was already done; he didn’t need to stress over every little detail.
After all, New Line was taking the lion’s share of the profits, meaning they had every incentive to work themselves to the bone.
Meanwhile, riding the wave of the film’s explosive success, Salma Hayek had also become incredibly busy.