The humid, stagnant air of Riverport in late summer felt heavy enough to choke the inspiration out of anyone. For Ethan Gray, however, the heat was merely a background hum compared to the fire of his new project. Having secured the green light for the Young Prodigy Player series, his first and most daunting task was finding a director who didn't look at a cast of toddlers as a career death sentence.
The Riverport Film Studios didn't lack for talent, but the Live-Action Division was in a state of quiet atrophy. The roster of contracted directors was thin, and the few veterans left were either clinging to the fading glory of the Manager Kim sitcom or holding out for "serious" feature films. Ethan had already pitched to two seasoned directors, both of whom had listened with polite, glazed ex
