Hollywood:Starting out as an MV director

"For me? You bought me a gift?" Ethan looked at Taylor Swift curiously.

Taylor took out a small box. "Guess what I got for you?"

Seeing the size of the box, several things flashed through Ethan's mind, so he asked, "A tie? Or a belt?"

"No, neither. You guessed wrong." Taylor opened the box. "Ta-da! It's a phone."

Displayed before Ethan was Motorola's latest flip phone.

"I noticed you've been using your old phone for a long time without replacing it," Taylor pointed at the Nokia on his desk.

Ethan had little interest in electronic products of this era, so he never bothered to upgrade his phone. He didn't expect Taylor to notice.

"Thank you." He picked up the phone and tested it out. Both the feel and appearance were much better than his old one.

"No need to thank me, Ethan. Just consider it a gift for signing me," Taylor said with a smile.

Her appearance had gradually matured. In her every expression, the future Taylor Swift was already emerging.

After accepting her gift, Ethan had dinner with her and then drove her home.

Two days later, Ethan led Supreme Creative's team into Ford Motor Company's headquarters.

The building was located in the suburbs, right next to their factory, making it incredibly spacious.

As they walked down the hallway, the sound of their footsteps echoed continuously.

Supreme Creative was the second company to present their pitch; the first was Crown Creative.

As Ethan and Jimmy ascended the stairs, Crown Creative's Seig was leading his team down the stairs.

The two teams met face-to-face.

"Well, well, look who it is! Ethan! The famous Hollywood director," Seig greeted with a look of surprise before extending his hand. "I've even watched your movies."

"Hope you didn't leave a bad review," Ethan replied with a smile, shaking his hand.

"Of course not! I really enjoy your films. Though I thought Saw was awful, but that's only because I don't like horror movies,Seig joked before adding, "But why are you personally attending this pitch? Has Supreme Creative run out of people?"

Hearing this, the members of Ethan's team immediately frowned.

"Oh, no." Ethan shook his finger. "I was simply invited by Ford to check out their latest cars. Weren't you?"

Seig's face darkened. He hadn't received any invitation from Ford; he was only here as the creative director.

Clearly, Ethan's status had already set him apart.

This made Sig uncomfortable, but he was powerless to change it.

Just as Ethan finished speaking, Ford's senior executive appeared at the staircase. He was the highest-ranking official in charge of reviewing the ad proposals.

However, the same executive who had maintained a cold demeanor during the presentations suddenly put on a warm smile.

"Oh! Ethan, welcome to our automotive plant! I'm Laurent." He stepped forward to embrace Ethan while completely ignoring Seig's team, then led Ethan toward his office.

"When we heard you were coming, we were thrilled. In fact, we're considering this year's brand ambassador. Would you be interested?"

"Of course, I love Ford cars," Ethan replied with a professional smile, exchanging pleasantries with the Ford executive.

The Supreme Creative team followed closely behind as they walked away.

Watching Ethan's back, Seig felt, for the first time, the sting of being completely ignored.

For the first time, he realized the deep chasm in status between himself and Ethan.

No matter how well he ran Crown Creative, even if he crushed Supreme Creative, it wouldn't affect Ethan's personal standing or wealth in the slightest.

This sense of powerlessness filled him with resentment.

But there was nothing he could do.

"FXXK!" He muttered under his breath before turning to leave.

Meanwhile, Ethan and his team had entered Ford's office.

"Ethan, I had no idea Supreme Creative was your company. If we had known earlier, we would've given you some preferential treatment," Laurent admitted. It was the first time he'd learned about this connection.

Although Ford and Ethan seemed unrelated, product placement deals in movies were common.

Ethan's production company had a track record of producing box-office hits, which was well known. So, to foster a relationship for future collaborations, Ford's executives believed they should establish goodwill with him.

But this goodwill was limited. Ethan's status in Hollywood had not yet reached the level of Spielberg or Cameron. If he were at that level, Ford wouldn't even require a pitch; they would have directly announced their partnership with Supreme Creative.

"No worries. I believe in the advertising industry, creativity is king," Ethan said, raising his champagne glass. "Just listen to our proposal. I promise it won't disappoint."

"That sounds great."

Soon, they entered the presentation phase.

The person leading the pitch was Supreme Creative's top advertising strategist, Noy Mansour. Standing in front of the group, he began explaining the concept.

"First, let's take a look at the cover." He reached out and pulled away the fabric covering the ad board, revealing a photograph.

It showed an SUV without any visible branding. The vehicle was facing the camera, positioned in the middle of towering mountains, clearly driving through a rugged terrain.

But what stood out was that the SUV's path was completely blocked by a herd of sheep. The cute animals had crowded the road, making it impossible for the vehicle to move.

At first glance, Laurent felt that this advertisement didn't seem to be promoting Ford's cars at all.

On the contrary, it almost felt like it was tarnishing the brand's image.

After all, who likes being stuck in traffic?

This didn't showcase the SUV's superior performance in mountainous terrain at all.

Just as he was frowning, Noy smiled and said, "Traffic jams are a common frustration. People think traffic congestion only happens in cities, but it happens in the wild too. You might encounter sheep, cows, or horses—they gather on the road and block your way."

"So?" Laurent couldn't hold back his curiosity. After asking, he glanced apologetically at Ethan.

Ethan took a sip of his drink, remaining calm.

"Don't worry. It might not seem like a good advertisement right now, but that's because our slogan hasn't appeared yet," Noy said as he lifted the fabric covering another board, revealing the tagline.

"Choose Your Traffic Jam."

Laurent muttered the words under his breath, and for a moment, he had an epiphany—but he still wasn't entirely sure.

Noy began explaining, "This image, combined with the slogan, tells you that you get to choose your kind of traffic jam. We want to transform the frustration of congestion into something desirable. The joy of off-roading lies in encountering an unknown and exciting world. The bumps along the way make the journey meaningful."

"Clever!" Laurent suddenly understood and became excited.

The correct interpretation of this advertisement was that choosing a Ford SUV meant experiencing traffic jams in the wild—surrounded by animals.

This was undoubtedly a unique and engaging concept that perfectly captured Ford's adventurous spirit.

Laurent was highly impressed.

"What a brilliant idea!" He started clapping, and soon, others in the room joined in.

As the applause subsided, Laurent picked up his wine glass and clinked it against Ethan's. "Ethan, I believe the board will be very pleased with this campaign."

"Well then, shall we toast in advance to a successful partnership?" Ethan smiled, full of confidence.

"Of course—to our collaboration."

Clink!

A week later, in Durex's pitch office, Ethan was once again chatting and laughing with the company's senior executives.

"Hahaha, Ethan, that joke of yours was hilarious! I almost want to turn it into an ad," Durex's executive, Deison, laughed heartily.

Ethan had merely shared a few risqué jokes from the future internet, and Deison was already intrigued.

"That was just the appetizer, Deison. Our actual ad campaign is even better."

"Great, I can't wait!" Deison wiped his laughter-induced tears and turned to Noy's team.

They had prepared a demo commercial—shot in just half a day—to showcase their concept.

Once everything was set, Noy stepped aside and pressed play on the remote.

The first scene showed a living room from a security camera's perspective, giving it an unusual feel.

A mother was kneading dough at the dining table when her child appeared, holding a remote control.

Just as the audience wondered what was happening, the child pressed the button, and the dough exploded, startling the mother.

"What a mischievous kid," Deison chuckled, recalling his own two little troublemakers at home.

The next scene showed the mother arriving home from work.

Just as she closed the door, a child wearing a creepy mask jumped out from the shadows, making her scream in fright. The child then ran away, laughing.

Deison began to understand the concept and fell into deep thought.

More prank scenes followed—like placing a fake dead rat on the dining table during a family gathering, using superglue on the father's chair, and dressing as a ghost to wander around the house at night.

Throughout the ad, the children reveled in their mischief, never tiring, always stirring up chaos at home.

Until finally, all the prank scenes ended, and Durex's logo and product appeared on-screen.

"Wow! Hahaha, Ethan, this is genius!" Deison exclaimed, completely satisfied with the concept.

This approach—viewing the situation from the perspective of mischievous children—would undoubtedly resonate more with young couples, making them think twice and choose Durex.

"I feel like I don't even need to watch the other pitches," Deison said, clearly impressed, wondering how the remaining agencies could possibly top this.

"Well, that's your decision, Deison. We're just here to provide creative ideas," Ethan said as Noy and his team restored the television to its original state.

"To be honest, if it were solely up to me, I'd send the other agencies home right now," Deison shrugged. "But since I'm at Durex, I'll still give them a fair chance. But I doubt they'll beat this."

"Thank you for your recognition." Ethan shook his hand, then exchanged a few more pleasantries before leaving with the Supreme Creative team.

As soon as they stepped out, they ran into Seig and his team again.

"New York is so small, isn't it?" Ethan stopped beside Seig, glanced at the people behind him, and said, "From now on, Noy will represent me at major pitches… Here, introduce yourself to Crown Creative's president."

"Hello, just call me Mansour," Noy greeted politely.

However, Seig found his expression somewhat irritating.

But he couldn't afford to lose his composure.

"Nice to meet you. Oh, in that case, Milton will be fully representing me in the future. You two should get acquainted."

Hearing this, Milton immediately stepped forward to shake hands with Noy.

Ethan stood to the side, watching Seig's reaction with a teasing smile.

"Well then, we'll be on our way. Apologies for taking up half an hour of your time." Ethan finished speaking, and the Supreme Creative team followed him out.

Seig turned to watch him leave, that sense of powerlessness growing even stronger.

Because he knew that soon, he might only be able to see Ethan on television.

"Let's go. It's our turn to pitch," Seig said, trying to adjust his mindset, but it was clear that their morale had taken a hit after seeing Ethan.

Ultimately, Crown Creative spent only fifteen minutes in the office.

Not long after, while the post-production of Fifty Shades of Grey was halfway through, Ethan received exciting news from Jimmy in the editing room.

"Ethan! Ford and Durex both chose us!" Jimmy was in disbelief. "You must have the goddess of victory on your side—you succeed every time!"

"Maybe. I just see things a little differently from others."

"There's more! The New York Advertising Awards are currently accepting entries. I've already submitted our Ford campaign!"

"The New York Advertising Awards…" Ethan knew it was a prestigious industry award with significant global influence.

Supreme Creative had won several other awards before, but the New York Advertising Awards were annual, and they hadn't claimed one yet.

For an advertising company, these awards mattered. They showcased the company's capabilities and were a major factor in attracting clients.

"Hopefully, we win. We missed out last year."

After discussing the awards, Ethan gave Jimmy further instructions regarding Rachel and Bond.

"For any clients we don't want or find unsatisfactory, pass them over to Crown Creative through Bond."

"Wow, Ethan, you're turning Crown Creative into a dumping ground!" Since joining Ethan's venture, Jimmy had learned quite a few interesting business tactics.

"Exactly. Since they're so eager to learn our secrets, why not grant their wish?"

"Got it! I'll make sure they're swamped with bad clients."

After hanging up, Ethan returned to the editing room. Fifty Shades of Grey would soon be ready for audiences, and it was time to launch a major promotional campaign.

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