In 1917, he threw his hat into the ever-expanding ring of movie production. By 1918, he was in Los Angeles promoting his films, through his company Louis B. Mayer Pictures, with his sole leading lady, Anita Stewart. For five years, with Miss Stewart as his prominent attraction, Mayer learned the business and the lay of the Hollywoodland. These early days of hustle and bustle were a simpler, happier time. Since Louis had made a fortune with his theater chain, he bankrolled his own productions.
Moviemaking is an expensive venture, and compelled the producer to work in modest conditions.
B.P. Schulberg , who was a expatriate of Adolph Zukor 's Paramount. Schulberg's quest for creative independence inspired him to form his Preferred Pictures. In those simpler, happier times, according to Budd Schulberg, B.P.'s son, both families enjoyed a mutual affection for one another and thrived in their work. The baby moguls were growing up into insatiable power mongers. 1924 was a fateful year for Louis B. Mayer and the motion picture industry.