Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 38: Two-Way Selection

Andy left, and the whole conversation seemed a bit aimless, as if it had no purpose, leaving people puzzled.

In fact, Andy's visit to Pioneer Village today was just passing by. He came here on a whim to investigate the situation, without even doing any preliminary homework. If he hadn't run into Renly, he wouldn't have had any regrets. He planned to have a whiskey at the bar and then head to the airport. If they did meet, he intended to see the real person and compare it with the rumors.

After all, the current Renly was just an image from hearsay. "The Pacific" hadn't aired yet, and media reputation, audience feedback, acting skills, and so on were all yet to be measured. There was no need to hastily jump to conclusions. Of course, if Renly impressed him immediately, he could sign a management contract on the spot, which was also possible.

But the outcome of the meeting far exceeded expectations.

This young man of only twenty years old showed a calmness and wisdom beyond his age, with clear goals and unwavering determination. He appeared to be an impractical idealist on the surface, but in reality, he had a clear understanding of the future and even ambitious aspirations.

Andy knew that Renly was not the type to be easily manipulated. Working with someone with such a distinct personality was bound to have many ups and downs. But this was a double-edged sword. It could forge a legend or it could lead to ruin. The key was how much ability Renly actually had and whether he understood the boundary between confidence and arrogance.

As for Renly's definition, Andy believed that he was either a superstar or a flop. It was hard to find a vague middle ground. So, he wouldn't easily come to a conclusion. He needed time to judge and also needed more information to evaluate. "The Pacific" was undoubtedly the best platform for this, not only the series itself but also Renly's performance during the promotion of the series, which would all become Andy's basis for judgment.

Of course, Andy also considered the possibility that other agents might seize the opportunity while he waited and observed. However, Andy believed that Renly was not someone who would compromise easily. Just as he invited Renly today, Renly would never agree just like that. Renly needed to assess as well. If Renly recognized his ability, then whether the invitation was today or a year later, the result would be the same. And if Renly judged him out, similarly, the timing wouldn't change the outcome.

That's why Andy chose to leave. He didn't further mention his work as a manager, nor did he mention signing a contract with Renly. He didn't even mention his purpose for today, appearing inexplicably and leaving abruptly. Andy believed that Renly was a smart person who understood his intentions.

Renly indeed understood, even if it wasn't explicitly stated, the clues were enough for him to deduce the truth.

Similarly, Renly wasn't in a rush to make a decision. Just like the other agents who had shown interest in him before, he decided to observe further. Not because Renly was overly confident and wanted to choose a bigger agent, but because Renly understood that in choosing agents, artists should also learn to choose. It was a two-way selection process.

Strictly speaking, the relationship between artists and agents is an employment relationship—artists hire agents, making it a buyer's market.

In Renly's view, compared to abilities, resources, and connections, an agent's vision and values were more important, simply put, the artist's career planning. An agent with a long-term vision, a broad perspective, and an understanding of trade-offs could make an artist soar. Conversely, such an agent could bury an artist's career.

Generally, an agent's influence on an artist can be divided into three parts.

First is the choice of interests. An agent's salary comes from a percentage of the artist's earnings. The top five agencies in the industry take ten percent, while others take eight percent. This means the higher the artist's earnings, the higher the agent's income. So, many agents continuously encourage their artists to take on commercial films, even at the expense of the artist's integrity, in exchange for short-term benefits.

Edward Norton is a typical example. Initially, he was eager to participate in Paramount's "The Score" to pay off gambling debts. This project starred Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro, which excited him immensely. Eventually, his agent struck a deal with Paramount, allowing Edward to join "The Score" on the condition that he would also star in another Paramount film in the future. Under the agent's persuasion, Edward agreed.

The terms of this contract were fulfilled a year later when Edward starred in the commercial film "The Italian Job." However, he was dissatisfied with the script and after failed negotiations with the director and writer, he refused to participate. But Paramount insisted on the contract terms, compelling Edward to finish the film.

After completing filming, Edward fired his agent, and "The Italian Job" turned out to be a flop.

Secondly, there's the matter of selecting projects. Typically, an artist's project choices are heavily influenced by their agent's recommendations since artists have limited information sources. This means an agent's taste determines the quality of the artist's projects.

People have wondered how Nicolas Cage became the king of bad movies. It started with his agent's poor judgment of scripts, leading to a catastrophe.

Additionally, there's another scenario where an artist expresses interest in a project, but the agent believes it could flop, so they recommend other projects instead.

The most notable example is Sean Connery. At the turn of the century, he expressed interest in fantasy stories like "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Matrix," but his agent believed these projects were too difficult to understand and likely to fail. Consequently, Sean was persuaded to drop these projects and choose 20th Century Fox's "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" instead. The outcome was clear.

Lastly, there are handling crises. The cooperation between agents and PR teams is essential in shaping an artist's image.

Kristen Stewart is a typical example. Coming from low-budget indie films, her talent garnered attention, leading to her global fame with the "Twilight" series. However, Hollywood's academy dislikes actors with an idol movie background, often saying that starring in an idol movie means no chance for an Oscar for the next ten years. Kristen's success in "Twilight" brought her exposure but hindered her progress in indie films, especially due to criticism of her expressionless acting.

Later, while filming "Snow White and the Huntsman," Kristen cheated on her then-boyfriend Robert Pattinson with director Rupert Sanders, betraying both her partner and Rupert's wife. This scandal almost destroyed her career, plunging her into disgrace and public condemnation.

Afterward, she changed her agent, and within a year, she successfully starred in multiple films such as "Still Alice," "Clouds of Sils Maria," "American Ultra," "Personal Shopper," "Café Society," and "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk," collaborating with top names like Lee Ang, Woody Allen, and Julianne Moore.

Her career not only didn't decline but flourished. In contrast, Rupert didn't receive any new projects for three years, demonstrating the stark contrast. Considering the general societal bias that's more lenient towards men, this reversal of roles further underscores the importance of agents.

Of course, Kristen's turnaround wasn't solely due to her agent but also a competent PR team.

Just as agents consider an artist's talent, market value, image, and potential when choosing them, artists must also consider an agent's business capabilities, foresight, communication skills, and potential value when choosing an agent.

Leonardo DiCaprio changed agents five times in two years solely to work with Martin Scorsese. However, ideally, no one wants to change agents frequently.

Nevertheless, these scenarios assume a position of choice. Most newcomers don't have that luxury; they wait passively for agents' discovery, climbing step by step. Renly is no different.

However, Renly has an advantage that others don't—rebirth. He understands which projects will succeed and which will fail. Even without an agent's guidance, he can rely on his efforts to carve out a niche. Though within Hollywood's grand framework, independent individuals struggle without agent support, Renly has other possibilities, explaining why he's not rushing to sign with an agent.

In conclusion, Andy and Renly's brief encounter gave Renly a preliminary impression. Andy appeared friendly and easy to get along with, yet Renly sensed his calmness and wisdom beneath the surface. However, this was just the tip of the iceberg, not enough to see the full picture. Moreover, being a senior agent at Innovative Artists Management, Andy's capabilities were not to be underestimated.

Renly was scrutinizing Andy, and Andy was likely doing the same. Renly believed their next meeting wouldn't be long in coming.

"Who was that just now?" After seeing Andy off, Renly turned to join the party and Neil asked casually.

"An old friend," Renly smiled and replied, then draped his arm around Neil's shoulder, heading to the dining table cheerfully, saying, "Party time!" Everyone chimed in with their own voices, welcoming Renly into the first wave of St. Patrick's Day revelry.

.....

A/N: Hey, I've changed my mind about the bonus Chapters. Instead of ranking, I'll post them based on how many powerstones you give me. So, for every 500 powerstones, you'll get 2 extra Chapters.

Lol, this book only has about 550 collections, so there's no way we'll reach that target, right? That means I can relax and not write more Chapters...