Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 112: Pick up from a Stranger

As Renly's feet touched the ground of New York's Kennedy International Airport once again, breathing in the particles floating in the air, feeling the weak sunlight, he couldn't help but admit that the familiarity always gave him a sense of coming home.

Actually, Renly didn't like New York because it was rainy, snowy, and windy here. A hurricane could cause a city-wide blackout, and a blizzard could paralyze the entire city, not to mention the usual traffic congestion that made people sick. But strangely enough, after spending nearly twenty years in London and less than a year in New York, he found a long-lost sense of belonging in this city. It felt like coming home only when he returned here.

Looking at the congested airport road outside the window, Renly couldn't help but smile. Even if things were bad, this was still his home.

This time leaving New York, he originally thought it would be very short. "Live Burial" was just a small independent film, and the shooting period couldn't be too long. Unexpectedly, two months had passed in the blink of an eye, and summer was already coming to an end. As he walked out of Kennedy International Airport, he could already faintly smell the autumn air carried by the chilly sea breeze.

Dragging his small suitcase, mingling with the crowd, Renly walked out leisurely, contemplating whether to take the subway or the bus back to the city. The crowd was bustling, with many people holding signs, obviously airport staff here to pick up passengers. However, in the surging crowd, finding his pick-up person was not an easy task, and he could only pray that the passengers would be sharp enough to spot him.

"Renly!"

Amidst the noisy crowd, someone called out his name. Renly's steps paused for a moment, thinking that perhaps it was a fan recognizing him from "Pacific War" - on the flight back from Paris to New York, a flight attendant had recognized him and asked for a photo during a break in service, marking Renly's first encounter with a fan requesting a photo, which felt quite strange.

But after exploring the crowd, he didn't find the target. "Renly!" The call came again, and then he saw a man under thirty waving his right hand high, vigorously trying to get Renly's attention. In his left hand, he held a wooden board for picking up, with printed standard fonts clearly stating, "Renly - Hall."

Sensing Renly's gaze, the man smiled with joy. "Renly, over here!"

This is... a pick-up?

Renly was filled with question marks. Who would come to pick him up? Could it be that Stanley sent a car to pick him up? Unreasonably, images of gangster movies came to mind, where the protagonist was kidnapped under the guise of being picked up. Thinking of this, Renly couldn't help but chuckle, then stepped forward towards the direction where the man was.

"Renly, welcome back." The man actively approached. "Was the flight smooth? I heard Paris has been hit by heavy rain these days. Did it affect takeoff?"

Things were getting stranger. How did the other person know he was coming back from Paris? And how did he know which flight he was on?

Suddenly, a flash of insight came to Renly: George Hall. If it was his father, then everything could be explained. If Andre casually mentioned their encounter during a chat, George could easily figure out his whereabouts by inquiring. As for the Paris side, it wouldn't be difficult to investigate his flight movements using some private connections.

But why did George come to the airport to intercept him at this time? Wouldn't it be more convenient to do it in Paris?

Renly felt that something was still not right. He decided not to beat around the bush and asked directly, "You haven't introduced yourself yet? I don't recall booking a pick-up service."

The other party's expression froze for a moment before he realized, patting his head. "Sorry, forgot to introduce myself. I'm Nathan Pryce, Fisher's assistant." He showed a apologetic smile, seeming a bit flustered, indicating that he was not very familiar with his job yet. "Let's walk and talk. It's even more crowded outside now, and parking is not convenient."

The unexpected answer made Renly smile wryly. Obviously, his guess was wrong. Nathan took a few steps forward, but Renly stayed in place. "Remind me, which Fisher?"

Realizing that Renly didn't follow, Nathan became anxious and hurried back. "Fisher! Fisher?" He repeated the name several times, trying to jog Renly's memory. After saying it four or five times, he finally realized and said the full name, "Fisher Morgan."

Interesting.

It turned out to be Fisher Morgan, the top broker who had been making waves in the past two years.

It was well known that the Innovative Artists Brokerage was currently dominant in the industry. They pioneered the current industry policy: all resources of the entire company are shared.

In the traditional broker industry, resources are undoubtedly the most important bargaining chip for brokers. Actor connections, director connections, producer connections, major film company connections, etc., are like a spider web, spread throughout Hollywood, and the top brokers in the pyramid can truly control the situation.

Generally speaking, top brokers can be divided into two types: one can have a dozen or twenty artists under their management, including different types of work and different levels of artists; the other type has top artists, such as having a Johnny Depp, which gives them the upper hand in negotiations.

However, the Innovative Artists Brokerage broke this industry rule by making all resources open internally and shared. An actor may have four to five agents at the same time, with one agent in charge and all other agents providing suitable resources to the actor. Similarly, an agent may be in charge of multiple artists at the same time, as long as one artist has suitable resources, it can lead to other artists finding work.

This model not only maximizes the benefits of resources but also achieves the overall rise of the artists under its banner. The most famous example is the "Frat Pack".

Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Owen Wilson, and more than a dozen comedy actors united, dubbed the Frat Pack by Hollywood. Because if one actor receives a new project, the Innovative Artists Brokerage will request that one or two members of the Frat Pack be signed together, such as signing with Ben, bringing along Luke Wilson and Jonah Hill.

They have brought up a large number of comedy actors in this way and created successful comedy works such as "Wedding Crashers," "Meet the Parents," "Tropic Thunder," and "Night at the Museum."

In the face of the dominance of the Innovative Artists Brokerage, neither the old powerhouse William Morris Agency nor the up-and-coming International Innovative Management nor the upstarts Endeavor Elite Management and United Elite Management can form a direct confrontation. Although there are now five major brokerage companies in the industry, the Innovative Artists Brokerage is far ahead.

Under such circumstances, Fisher Morgan forcefully entered people's sight. Three years ago, he packaged and sold the "True Blood" project to HBO, ushering in the spring of vampire themes; subsequently, he successfully marketed Kristen Stewart to the "Twilight" crew, creating a box office miracle for idol movies; Bradley Cooper, who had been struggling in Hollywood for ten years, starred in "The Hangover" under his operation, becoming popular overnight; this year, behind the most anticipated new drama "The Walking Dead," his figure could also be seen, at least promoting four actors to join the crew.

It is not an exaggeration to say that Fisher, with his own strength, has cut out a bloody path under the siege of the Innovative Artists Brokerage and is undoubtedly able to occupy a place in the top twenty on the power list of Hollywood brokers.

The reason Renly knew about Fisher was because after the broadcast of "The Pacific," he received a phone call from Fisher. However, that call was very brief, less than two minutes. Fisher straightforwardly asked about Renly's intentions, indicating that he wanted to meet Renly and have a detailed conversation to assess the possibility of cooperation between the two.

Decisive and concise.

This was Renly's initial impression of Fisher, and later, after chatting with Roy Lockley, he understood how amazing Fisher was. However, after that, Fisher never contacted him again. Obviously, Renly's value was not enough to make him mobilize again.

The reconnection was today.

"Please convey my thanks to Mr. Morgan. I think I can go back on my own," Renly smiled politely and declined the kindness. He had no ties with Fisher, and the other party's sudden effort to pick him up, and even figuring out his flight, made him uncomfortable with his personal privacy being exposed.

Nathan suddenly became flustered. "Renly, I mean, Mr. Hall, Mr. Hall." He followed behind Renly, walking in a hurry. "Please, you must get in the car. Mr. Morgan sincerely wants to invite you for a conversation and hopes you can give him a chance."

At this sudden change, Renly couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Sure."

Nathan reacted. "Sorry, I've only been here for less than a week, and I'm not very proficient in the business yet." Then, he hurriedly said, "Morgan flew all the way from Los Angeles to New York specifically for you. He's set aside an entire day for you. His sincerity is absolutely genuine, without any discounts. He just hopes to have a face-to-face conversation with you..."

At this moment, a car pulled over by the side of the road, and the rear door opened. A voice came from inside, "Mr. Hall, please get in the car."

Renly looked up, observing a middle-aged man in a suit sitting in the back seat. Shadows obscured his features, but Renly could make out a pair of steady, unsharp eyes that exuded unwavering determination and confidence that brooked no refusal.