Chapter 31: The Packaging Service

Raymond and Yesan had already boarded a plane to another city to promote "Re-Invention."

Ethan's life had finally calmed down a bit, with the noisy and unfriendly stares of the Black neighborhood gone. Walking through the white neighborhoods, he felt more at ease.

Today, Ethan had a simple plan: to resign from *New York Underground Art* magazine.

He no longer lacked job opportunities; instead, he was running short on time.

However, when he arrived at the magazine office, he noticed something was off.

The staff looked at him with strange, sympathetic, and somewhat gleeful expressions.

"Hey, Ethan, you're here," the magazine's editor-in-chief, Hawk, greeted him with enthusiasm, dressed in a green shirt and a red baseball cap, standing straight like a human signpost in front of the photo studio.

"Hawk, what's going on?" Ethan was puzzled. This wasn't Hawk's usual demeanor; he normally sent someone else to call him.

Hawk nodded and, with a hand around Ethan's shoulder, said, "The magazine's been selling like crazy recently. We're planning to put out a special issue."

"That's good news," Ethan agreed.

"So, Ethan, you'll need to shoot some of the internal pages," Hawk said, hesitating.

"What do you mean? Hawk, just be straightforward," Ethan wanted a direct answer.

Hawk took a deep breath. "Well, Ethan, Lisa has been accusing you of verbal abuse, which has made her quite upset and… troubled. She says she might not meet your expectations and feels very anxious in front of your camera. So, I'm thinking of having you shoot other models instead."

Ethan furrowed his brow. "So I'm no longer responsible for the cover shoots?"

"Right, that's the current decision." Hawk patted his shoulder. "But don't worry, I'll make sure to pay you for this period's bonus."

Worry?

The magazine's payment was based on the importance of the pages. The cover and internal pages were priced differently.

"Forget it, Hawk…" Ethan was about to bring up his resignation when the sound of high heels clicking approached.

Then, a sarcastic voice followed.

"Oh? Ethan is still here. Hawk, I told you we needed a new photographer, didn't I?" It was Lisa, the model, her tone smug and unpleasant.

Ethan turned his gaze to her and, seeing her purple polka-dot dress and low-cut purple top, couldn't help but click his tongue.

Then he scrutinized Lisa and said, "Are you trying to shock me by looking ridiculous?"

"What?" Lisa was taken aback by Ethan's bluntness.

"Of course ridiculous. You look like a big purple toad croaking in front of me." Ethan shrugged.

"Ethan, how can you be so mean?" Hawk was a bit embarrassed. "I know you're angry…"

"No, in fact, I'm not angry at all," Ethan said nonchalantly. "I came here to resign today, Hawk. I'm done."

"Are you joking?" Hawk was shocked. Although he didn't like Ethan's attitude towards Lisa, Ethan's professional skills were invaluable to the magazine.

"I'm not joking. Make sure my bonus is settled. I'm leaving." Ethan was disinterested in further discussion and felt that talking more was a waste of time.

After Ethan left, the two of them slowly regained their composure. Lisa, fuming, crossed her arms. "He made me so mad. A toad? He really has no taste."

Lisa looked at her chest, her ample white flesh tightly constrained by her outfit.

Hawk was disappointed but, since things were already settled, he took a hard stance. "Don't worry, dear, the sales will prove everything."

"Hmph!" Lisa turned on her high heels and walked into the photo studio with a click-clack sound.

After leaving the magazine, Ethan drove straight to CAA. He didn't let Hawk and Lisa's situation bother him.

He had an important task today: negotiating with CAA.

Today was the date for CAA's evaluation. They invited Ethan to the company to discuss the specific terms of the contract.

Upon arriving at CAA's building, he was guided to meet his assigned agent, Mike Siegel.

A white male with a hooked nose, Mike didn't seem very approachable.

However, upon meeting Ethan, he smiled and extended his hand. "I'm your agent. Just call me Mike."

"Hello." Ethan sat down.

"Here's your contract. Take a look first, and I'll explain it to you shortly."

"Can I take it to my lawyer first?" Kirk, Ethan's lawyer, was undergoing treatment for sleep apnea. Although it didn't affect his daily work, it made it inconvenient for him to travel around.

"Of course." Mike shrugged. "You can sign after you've reviewed it with your lawyer."

"But it's best to do it quickly." Mike hinted, "Because there's a great opportunity coming up."

"What opportunity?" Ethan's curiosity was piqued.

Mike explained, "Do you know Destiny's Child?"

"Destiny's Child? Of course, I know them. They were incredibly popular a couple of years ago."

Ethan remembered clearly how the group's songs topped the charts in America and the UK, with Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland rising from it.

Sure enough, the opportunity Mike mentioned was related to Kelly Rowland.

"Exactly. Although the group is essentially disbanded now, Kelly and Nelly recently collaborated on a single that needs an MV."

Nelly, the hip-hop artist, had just won the American Music Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist this year and was very hot right now, not comparable to Raymond.

Furthermore, if Ethan recalled correctly, Kelly and Nelly's collaboration was "Dilemma," a song from his childhood that was a global hit and became iconic.

The song had won a Grammy this year, making Kelly Rowland famous, and this was an exceptional opportunity! It was not to be missed!

Aside from the MV, the original concept was quite dull, just a simple duet in a Black neighborhood, with unremarkable shots and visuals.

This was exactly Ethan's forte.

However, Mike continued, "Unfortunately, you're a bit late. The director has already been chosen, so I can't help you get that position. You'll only be able to work as a photographer."

CAA defined Ethan as both a senior photographer and MV director.

This allowed Ethan to access different resources and avoid being confined to just the role of photographer.

"Being a photographer is fine. I'll finalize the contract tonight," Ethan said, though he was somewhat disappointed. He hadn't completely given up hope yet and wanted to secure the position first.

"Great, then I need to explain the cooperation model."

Mike flipped open the contract. "Our packaging service currently uses a markup-based commission model."

"Markup-based commission?"

"Yes. Internally, we'll set a base price for you, mainly to help us integrate resources and determine costs, which will be your fixed salary.

"The overall project packaging price is often marked up. For example, if the cost is $500,000, but the final packaging price is $1,000,000, then the $500,000 is the markup. Our commission rate is 10%. So, if there's a $500,000 markup, we'll take $50,000."

"And the rest?"

"The rest will be distributed according to each crew member's share of the total cost. Generally, actors receive the most."

Ethan raised his eyebrows. This plan sounded very attractive, explaining why so many stars were willing to sign with CAA.

In simple terms, it was applying internet thinking to traditional agency services, with clients getting the short end of the stick while everyone else profited.

This model attracted many professionals and stars, enhancing CAA's bargaining power and capturing a significant market share.

Although other companies had started adopting this method, CAA's approach was still more refined.

After discussing with Mike, Ethan went to Kirk, his lawyer, to review the contract. Once everything was confirmed, Ethan officially signed with CAA.

....

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