Chapter 22: Meeting With the Paper & Ramifications

Thursday is when I had the meeting with the Colonist editors. I wanted to do it sooner so Kevin could get started, but my schedule was just too busy. We meet at the Keg. There is no Mr. Mike’s in town. The Keg is as close as there is. It is more expensive, and the food isn’t as good. It does tend to have a slightly classier feel. Gran is interested in how I am going to do this, so she drives me and stays for the meeting.

We get there, and they are already seated. The business editor, Mr. Zang, Introduces us to the editor, Mr. Muller. I introduce Gran as my guardian.

As soon as we have ordered, Mr. Muller tries to start things off, “So what is this all about?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Muller, I have a policy never to talk business during meal time. I was hoping we could enjoy each other’s company and then discuss business afterwards, over drinks.”

Mr. Zang interrupts, “I’m not sure my colleague is used to being pushed around like that. Perhaps you would make an exception?”

I could understand not wanting to grant a kid his wish, but there is no need for him to be rude.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think a reasonable request was being pushy. Perhaps I made a mistake. Maybe you don’t want a direct line to one of Steve Job’s consultants.”

I get up as if to leave when Mr. Muller speaks up, “Perhaps we were a bit too hasty.”

Gran hasn’t gotten up yet. I’m not sure if she is stunned that I would end this meeting before we got down to business or if she understands what is going on and is just sitting there amused. She has a good poker face, so it is difficult to tell. I don’t sit before I address them.

“I fired my patent lawyer, despite being the best patent lawyer in the province, simply because he couldn’t show me respect. He underestimated me because in his eyes I am just a boy. I caution you not to make the same mistake.”

Mr. Zang replies, “I’m sorry, Mr. Brown. I meant no offence.”

I sit down, satisfied. We had arrived early. They had arrived even before us so that they could try and catch me off guard. Their demand that I talk now was even more of a play to establish dominance. Be assured they orchestrated this entire exchange just to establish dominance, and they just lost to a kid, or so it appeared. It isn’t a game I want to play, but they started it, and I don’t back down from a challenge. I want to tell them off, but that would serve nobody. For now, I decide to hold it in and see if it was only a momentary lapse of judgement on their part.

Having the upper hand, I lead the conversation so we are talking about them, their families and what they like about their jobs. They ask some of the same things about me. I’m sure they already know most of the answers, given how much I have been in the news, and they do work for the island’s largest newspaper.

Mr. Zang is the last of us to finish eating, and when he does, I ask, “Aside from being the kid from Fort Grand, being a consultant for NeXT and being a child genius, what all do you know about me and my plans?”

Mr. Muller tries being tactful but fails, “I wasn’t expecting to be interviewed. I was under the impression you have some kind of business arrangement to discuss.”

“Am I to gather that you don’t know what this is about?”

Mr. Zang replies, “As you mentioned, I told Mr. Muller that you were offering to help keep us informed about Steve Jobs and NeXT.”

“I dropped those names to get this meeting but am willing to take that off the table. You are supposed to work for a newspaper and as such I expect a certain amount of insight that I am not seeing. Mr. Muller, did your advertising manager not inform you what this meeting would be about?”

Mr. Muller is a bit confused but tries to hide it. He declares, “The only thing out of the ordinary that she brought to my attention was that somebody would approach me about hiring an intern.”

I don’t hide the look of disgust. Gran is doing an excellent job of hiding her emotion, but I can tell she is amused.

“It looks like she dropped the ball. You were to be informed that I was looking to get one of my employees some experience in exchange for some exclusivity that a small paper such as yours normally couldn’t obtain.”

Mr. Muller is offended, exclaiming, “We aren’t exactly a small paper.”

“You are not exactly The Vancouver Sun, The Province, Calgary Harold or Edmonton Journal. Even they don’t have an inside track to Steve Jobs, Motorola, or me. Your business section could be the best in western Canada if you would start showing a bit more respect.”

Mr. Zang asks, “What does Motorola have to do with anything?”

“I think next time we have a meeting, you should come a little more prepared. Let me help you out a little. Motorola is one of the major customers of my patent-holding company. I currently own 3 companies in Colwood. I have plans to break a few major word records that your sports department will be interested in, and I am having a book written. My intent with all of this is to make the world a better place and inspire people. Doing favours for a newspaper can help me achieve my goals. Given how this meeting is going, I’m starting to think, The Globe and Mail would have been a much better choice, even though what I offer wouldn’t be as big a deal to them as it would be to you.”

Mr. Muller responds, “Now that we have established your opinion of us, what is it that you propose?”

“As it is now, your advertising salesmen have to do all their own groundwork. You are paying them a salesman’s wage when a good part of their job is that of a minimum wage flunky. I am offering to give Mr. Murphy, one of your salesmen, an assistant. In exchange he teaches my man all he knows about sales. He would spend less time training Kevin than he would have spent doing all the groundwork Kevin take care of. I will pay Kevin’s wage since he is my employee. This is just a work exchange so that my guy gains knowledge and experience that I can’t give him.

“I understand that you wouldn’t want somebody else’s employee running around your office, and so, as an incentive, my executive secretary will give you exclusive interviews as soon as my partner companies allow it. Off the record, I can tell you, some of the things NeXT has in the works will blow your mind. Such as networks so inclusive nobody will believe it is possible, portable computers that will make a Compaq look like it is from the stone age and uses for servers that will blow your mind. All of these are projects I am directly involved with and have as much information about as NeXT. If you learn to start treating me with a little more respect, even after Kevin is done his internship, I will continue to hand you gifts like this. I was hoping to have a good and long-lasting relationship with you.”