Behind The Spotlight Chapter 87
"S- Sir, give me one more chance! Give me one more chance!" Taylor's voice trembled as he knelt on the floor, desperation lacing every word.
He was kneeling in front of Wash Dismay Studio's Chairman, Greg Marinero.
"Taylor, I gave you one chance, but you failed me. I could understand if you failed while doing your best, but I'm disappointed to know that you didn't even do a damn thing while Wyatt was pitching his new project to Uni-versus Pictures. You should have at least tried to sabotage the negotiation, or made some attempt to delay or distract their side."
"Uni-versus Pictures and Wyatt's side reached an agreement on the same day. I didn't even have the time to butt in."
"So whose fault was it?" Greg asked coldly, his glare sharp as a dagger.
"... Sir, please, I beg of you. I can't afford to lose this job. My family needs this income."
"You're fired. Get your severance pay from HR and take your belongings before I change my mind and call the police instead. How can I entrust you with other projects if you can't even interfere in a business deal with a new director? You don't deserve your position as one of the executives of the acquisition department."
The guards dragged the desperate Taylor out of the office by force, ignoring his pleas.
"Ah, it felt really good to destroy someone's life," Greg sighed in pleasure.
That was the last time Taylor showed up in this building, in this story, in this industry. His purpose was now complete as a background character. As for his housing loan, he failed to complete the payments, and the bank had already started sending notices to seize the property.
"Sir, you called me."
A Black man in his early thirties arrived with calm confidence just after Taylor was thrown out.
"Jeremiah, I called you for a reason. You're the one who's going to take the producer's position for Director Nelson's romance movie, right?"
"That's right, sir. And I'm honored to do so."
Jeremiah was one of the best producers at Wash Dismay Studio, with a reputation for pulling off miracles on impossible projects. He was also one of the executives in the acquisition department.
In fact, it was Jeremiah who successfully closed the deal to acquire Speedy Bus With A Bomb, a box office hit from a few years ago that remains a cult classic among action fans.
This time, Jeremiah convinced Director Nelson to collaborate with Wash Dismay Studio for a romance film for the third time, despite heavy interest from other major studios.
Director Nelson was one of the most respected romance filmmakers in the industry, known for his rare gift in emotional storytelling. However, he only directed once every three years due to his perfectionist approach.
Nelson was the director behind Gorgeous Lady, Diary of the Princess, and Diary of the Princess 2. All of which are considered cinematic gems. Even with only three movies under his name, all were massive box office successes.
If Wyatt had collaborated with Uni-versus Pictures twice, then Director Nelson had a long-standing partnership with Walt Disney, and their relationship was excellent.
Greg nodded with approval and interest.
"Have you heard of Passionate Island?"
"Of course, sir. I recall the movie grossed $581 million at the North American box office and it's still climbing."
Almost everyone in Hollywood had heard of that movie, whether they worked in the industry or not. Passionate Island was the biggest film released last year. It captured the hearts of millions. It was emotional, intense, and unforgettable.
"Indeed. But its worldwide box office is even better. The movie has grossed over $827 million as of this morning's report."
Many thought Independence Day would be the highest-grossing movie of 1996 because of its massive opening and aggressive marketing. But just last week, Sonya-Collapse stunned the industry with a report showing Passionate Island had reached over $817 million and was still going strong.
Now, the current top three highest-grossing movies of 1996 were:
1.) Passionate Island – $827 million.
2.) Independence Day – $817 million.
3.) Twister Tornado – $499 million.
And unlike Independence Day, which had already ended its run months ago, Passionate Island was still going strong.
People kept watching it religiously, as if it had become part of their weekly routine. The longevity of this romance-tragedy was terrifying for its competitors.
Even the idea of it crossing the $1 billion mark now seemed possible.
The second $1 billion movie in history, next to Dinosaur Park!
No wonder Jeremiah and Greg were discussing it with such interest.
"Since Director Nelson is going to direct a new movie, The Bride Runaway, I think we should invite that new actor, Lawrence, to star in it. He's quite popular these days. I even see his face on billboards and bus ads all over the city," Greg said.
"Sir, as a matter of fact, I already contacted his agent a few weeks ago and sent the actor a full copy of the script. If Lawrence Terrence is interested, he will skip to the second round of auditions and be eligible for the third."
"As expected of you, Jeremiah! Wonderful!" Greg clapped and praised him with delight.
Jeremiah bowed his head slightly with graceful confidence.
"Well then, do your best. Also, try contacting Wyatt's agent and ask if he's interested in working with Wash Dismay Studio."
"About that, sir. Wyatt Bray and Lawrence Terrence share the same agent, which makes things more convenient."
"You don't say? That's quite a surprise, but also a useful coincidence," Greg raised an eyebrow.
"Their agent's name is Collin East. I already asked him about Wyatt's future plans, and he said the director intends to rest until next year to recharge."
"I see. Then try to meet this Collin in person. An agent representing both a talented director and a rising actor may not be rare, but it's still worth serious attention."
Greg was interested in Collin East but not enough to fully focus on him. Still, he admitted the agent was fortunate to have such promising clients.
"Yes, sir."
"You can leave now."
Jeremiah excused himself politely and left the room in silence.
......
...
...
Now, Collin was sitting across from Lawrence, with a large mahogany desk between them. Coffee cups and folders lay on the surface of the desk.
Now that Collin had his own office, he could invite clients freely without disturbance and manage meetings with privacy and professionalism... although the room wasn't entirely soundproof. As long as they kept their voices low, no one could overhear them, so it was fine for now.
"Here's what I got for you. Three scripts. I personally filtered them down to three based on the quality of writing and the potential of the director."
Collin didn't explain that he had to personally meet and converse with the directors to evaluate their talent. Being shameless was part of what made a good talent agent, especially in an industry where face value meant everything.
All three directors had Yellow Talent, which passed Collin's minimum standard for quality. As he expected, very few people possessed Golden Talent, the true game-changers in the industry.
As for Thomas Summerbelt, the director had chosen to take a six-month break due to burnout and personal reasons, so Collin couldn't count on him for Lawrence's next project.
Besides, Lawrence needed to stay active. Constant exposure was necessary to maintain his fame and keep the public's attention. At the very least, he had to star in one movie a year. Otherwise, he risked being forgotten or replaced.