Behind The Spotlight

[Pujimaki]

Collin East is a talent agent barely scraping by in the tough world of Hollywood. He's average, has average clients, average luck, and an average career that has no clear direction.

Until one morning, everything changes.

Collin wakes up with a bizarre and unbelievable power. He can see floating words above people's heads. Words that reveal true and innate talents. "Romance Box Office Hit Actor," "Master Director Of Comedy," "Talk Show King," "Olympic Gold Sprinter." Suddenly, the nobodies around him shine with potential only he can see.

Armed with this supernatural insight, Collin sets out to transform the entertainment industry from the inside out.

He discovered an aspiring actor flipping pizzas, an unknown director with a vision that could make everyone laugh, a singer on a subway platform who could top the Billboard 100.

 

[Pujimaki]

Behind The Spotlight Chapter 1


"Looks like everything here is done."

"Yeah, thanks for that. You always know how to find the right people."

Collin East gave a weak smile when he received the praise. He knew it was just a simple compliment that didn't mean much. Compliments were hollow in this industry, an industry where people lied all the time. This was the entertainment industry, after all.

He had been working in showbiz for almost three years now. Yes, he could find the "right" people, people with mediocre talent and even more mediocre salaries.

Being a talent agent was not that simple. So far, he only had three real clients he was truly responsible for. As for the "right" people, they were just freelancers hoping to hit it big in the industry. They were drifters and dreamers in Hollywood.

Collin found them while driving and walking around Los Angeles. He sometimes found them in restaurants, sometimes in night bars, and even in alleyways.

The makeup artist he found was just a hairstylist who had been fired from a salon.

The props master he discovered was a geek who was into dolls... adult dolls.

Even the costume designer he brought in was an anime nerd who was deep into cosplay or some other weird obsession.

The year was 1995, and Collin didn't know how his life would turn out. However, he didn't have a choice but to take a step forward, or else he would be left behind. He didn't want that to happen again.

For someone like him, who had been left behind, not taking a step was the most painful thing. Because it meant he remained stagnant.

Collin East had been a model three years ago. He had been the center of the camera lens once. He experienced photoshoots, modeled for clothes and colognes, but he wasn't that well known. Just like the "right" people he found, Collin was also mediocre. His earnings weren't even stable.

After experiencing heartbreak and a harsh wake-up call, Collin realized that modeling wasn't for him.

"Collin, you have talent."

That was what the producer, Henry Greyson, had told him. Henry had been Collin's partner whenever he needed manpower for a movie project.

Henry was a producer, so of course, it was his job to manage the production crew. Whenever there were missing positions to fill, Henry would contact Collin to find someone. So far, Collin hadn't disappointed him.

Even though Collin's people were socially awkward, they got the job done, and they never made trouble. In fact, the "right" people Henry referred to were those who didn't cause problems. These "right" people worked at a lower pay grade, which made them perfect for production crews looking to cut corners and save money.

Hollywood could be considered the City of Sin, even though Las Vegas already had that title. Technically, Hollywood wasn't even a city, it was just a part of Los Angeles.

But symbolically, Hollywood represented both the dreams and the dirtiness of the entertainment industry.

Many people in the business used drugs. Some were sex addicts. Others had disturbing fetishes.

So, hiring socially awkward workers instead of drug addicts was a much better choice in any situation.

In Henry's last project, one of the casting directors recommended to him had almost raped a small-time actress.

That incident nearly cost them the entire production. Thankfully, the actress didn't press charges and settled for money instead. It was a nightmare Henry didn't want to relive.

It was fortunate that one of the talent agents he knew, Collin East, was someone he could trust. The two had been working together for three years, and Collin had never failed to provide the "right" people.

At the very least, the people Colin recommended had never caused any problems for Henry. For this particular deal, Collin earned around three thousand dollars. Not bad for a small-time agent like him.

"By the way, thanks for hiring my client."

"You shouldn't thank me. Wyatt has a promising future, so Director Esteban hired him."

One of Collin's clients was Wyatt Bray. He was a new graduate, fresh from UCLA's Department of Film, Television, and Digital Media.

Wyatt had been assigned to Collin after the new graduates signed contracts with his agency.

For this project, Wyatt was hired as Esteban's assistant director. That position was hard to come by for a fresh graduate like him.

The assistant director was responsible for scheduling and planning, coordinating the crew, managing the set, and handling many more tasks. It was a heavy responsibility, but also a promising one.

It meant that Wyatt would experience firsthand what it was like to manage a production crew. Wyatt's dream was to direct his own movie, so becoming an assistant director was a blessing for him.

This was also a good thing for Collin. That was why he felt thankful to Henry. At last, Collin had a promising client, a prospect worth cultivating.

His two other clients, a struggling actor and actress, had failed their auditions for Director Esteban's project. They were currently working part-time as a waiter and waitress just to get by.

"Please take care of Wyatt."

Collin bid farewell after introducing the workers to Henry. He wasn't needed anymore. His responsibility was only to find people to fill the jobs.

He left the studio and hailed a taxi. He didn't have a car, he had sold it because he needed money.

The taxi brought him to the apartment complex where he lived with his sister and mother. It was a small apartment with a single bedroom. He slept on the couch while his sister and mother shared the room.

He paid the driver and thanked him.

As he walked into the complex, he suddenly realized his surroundings had turned golden. No, his vision turned golden. It was a unique sensation, but a terrible one.

"Huh... What is happening?"

A wave of nausea hit him hard. He felt dizzy, and his stomach churned violently. The golden vision became more intense. It was blinding. His eyes began to throb with pain.

He instinctively touched his nose and found that it was bleeding. Blood was gushing out.

"...Ugh."

After that, Collin East lost consciousness and collapsed.

Fortunately, a few people witnessed what had happened.

The people who saw him faint and fall to the ground immediately called for help and requested an ambulance.

The golden vision dimmed, until everything went black.


++++++++++++


[Author's Note:]

-- This is an experimental novel. I plan to write at least 100 chapters before deciding if I'll continue it or not.

-- This is a serious mockumentary and parody of the entertainment industry. That means I'll show some dark side of Hollywood, not all the time though.

-- I like using funny names or pun names. That's one of the rare times I can have fun writing.

-- Just to be clear, this is not a harem or smut. I'm tired of writing harem and smut…

-- Please support this novel if you want me to keep writing it.

 

[Pujimaki]

Behind The Spotlight Chapter 2


Collin East weakly opened his eyes and groaned. He felt like his head was going to pop. The pain had lessened, but it was still uncomfortable. The white lights stirred his vision, it didn't help his situation at all.

"Ugh."

"Doctor, my son is awake!"

A female voice frantically raised her tone. It was someone Collin recognized. He heard his mother's voice, full of worry about his condition.

"Mom…" A single word escaped from Collin's mouth. His lips were dry and cracked.

"Son, thank God you're alive. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you too," she cried as tears streamed down her face. She cupped Collin's cheeks as her emotions unraveled.

Then, Collin fell asleep again. His body was still weak and needed more rest. His vision returned to darkness. His mother's voice slowly faded as he lost consciousness.

.........
......
...

When Collin woke up for the second time, the first thing he saw was the white ceiling. He blinked slowly. A familiar scent lingered in the air. It was the sterile and pungent scent of medicine.

He weakly raised his head and found his mother sitting next to his hospital bed, sleeping in an uncomfortable position. Her head had fallen to the side, her arms across her chest.

"This is the second time you woke up. Hopefully, you won't fall asleep again."

Collin turned to his right and found his younger sister glaring at him. Even though she wore makeup, it was obvious from her swollen eyes that she had cried a lot.

Collin gave a weak laugh and apologized. His throat was dry and sore.

"Yeah, sorry about that, Aida."

"Dummy, you don't have to apologize. Just… just take care of yourself."

She sighed with emotion, a mixture of relief and worry that her brother was awake and alive. She knew how much Collin had been working these past few months. They were in debt after their father died.

Their father had cancer, and the family made sure that he received treatment. Unfortunately, after years of battling the illness, going through treatments and surgeries, Tony East, their father, still died. It had been a heavy blow to the family.

In the process, they lost their money, their father's saving, insurance, and their house. But the most painful loss was their father. That was the hardest part.

They were already in debt when Tony died.

Being the man in the family, Collin stepped up and worked hard to provide for them. He was the eldest, and he knew he had to do something for the family. If they gave up on life, their father would be sad in the afterlife.

Collin made sure that his sister would get into college no matter what. He also made sure that his aging mother would never work again. He took all the responsibility on his shoulders.

"The doctor said you overworked yourself. You need to stay in the hospital for three days."

"Three days, huh? That's great to hear. I thought I'd have to stay longer in this place… You know how expensive hospital bills are."

He bitterly laughed. They all knew how hospitals worked.

The medical industry in the United States of America was a complete scam. Sometimes, it felt like people would rather die than face their medical bills, because everyone knew how costly treatment could be.

"Don't worry, your medical insurance covered most of the expenses."

"Ah, thank God."

Collin sighed in relief. He was genuinely happy when he heard that.

"Don't scare us like that again… Bro."

Aida, Collin's younger sister, sniffled and couldn't control her emotions. She tried hard not to cry, but she failed. She choked as she wiped her tears. For a moment, she thought she was going to lose her brother too.

"Don't worry. I'll never do it again."

"You better be."

She sniffled, trying to stop her tears, and walked out of the room. She wiped her face as she approached the nurse's station. The nurses were giggling and talking about a patient.

"Excuse me, um, the guy in room 69 is now awake."

"We will examine him later," the nurse replied.

"Thank you."

The doctor and nurse entered the room and checked Collin's condition. His mother woke up and was overwhelmed with joy when she saw her son awake and responsive.

It took a minute for Aida and Collin to calm their mother down. It had been very hard for their family since losing Tony last year. It would've been devastating if they lost Collin too.

The examination ended with a positive result, Collin could leave the hospital in three days. He was suffering from exhaustion and dehydration. He just needed to rest and stay hydrated. Everyone was relieved to hear it.

Their mother, Evelyn East, decided to stay at the hospital to take care of Collin. Aida had to go to school, so she could only visit during her free time.

The siblings tried to convince Evelyn not to push herself too hard, but their mother was adamant. Most likely, it was because she was extremely worried about her son.

In the end, the siblings gave in and agreed.

Just like that, two days passed, and Collin was on his last day in the hospital when one of his clients came to visit. Collin had already regained most of his strength, and he could move around without much trouble. Although his mother was still adamant about him resting.

The visitor was Wyatt Bray. The young, chubby assistant director wanted to see if his agent was doing alright after hearing about Collin fainting.

Wyatt was sincerely thankful to Collin, who had helped him land a big opportunity, his first real job in the film industry. Yes, his current role on Director Esteban's movie was still as a freelance assistant director. There was no official confirmation that the job was permanent. He was more or less in an internship.

"Wyatt, how's your day?"

The agent joyfully greeted his client, the one who had the most potential to make it big in the industry. Collin didn't forget to wear his usual bright smile, the most used expression in his entire career.

"Good morning, Collin. I brought some fruits for you."

Wyatt still wasn't used to seeing his agent in person. He was honestly confused as to why someone as handsome as Collin East had chosen to become an agent instead of an actor. Collin definitely had the face for the big screen.

In fact, Wyatt had overheard a group of nurses outside talking about how incredibly handsome and hot Collin was.

 

[Pujimaki]

Nah... Wrong post.

 

[Pujimaki]

Another wrong post

 

[Pujimaki]

Behind The Spotlight Chapter 3


Wyatt sat down. Evelyn gave her seat to the Assistant Director. There was only one chair in the room for some reason. Probably because the room they were in was the cheapest one in the hospital. The kind that barely met the minimum standard.

Wyatt thanked her with a polite nod and a grateful smile. He then passed the fruits he brought to Evelyn.

"I'll cut fruits for you guys," she said and picked up the fruits.

Wyatt and Collin started talking, mainly about Director Esteban's project. Wyatt said that the filming only needed another month to complete before the post-production.

After that, Wyatt was not sure if he would keep his position or be let go the moment the project was done.

Collin and Wyatt were both silent after that. Collin knew how hard it was to find jobs in Hollywood, especially a position strongly related to movie direction. Collin was not sure if he could find another directorial job for Wyatt.

As for Wyatt, he was stressed because his future was still unknown. He worked hard as an Assistant Director, but he knew that it was still an internship.

"Thanks for helping me find a job, Collin. I know that I'm still a newbie in Hollywood and I don't know how this place works with all its politics and unspoken rules."

"It's fine, really."

Collin couldn't say that he worked hard just so Wyatt would secure the position in Director Esteban's project. A role that dozens of other hungry dreamers would have killed for.

He contacted his friends, the producer, and even Director Esteban himself. It was fortunate that Collin was their go-to agent whenever they needed people for missing jobs or someone they could call last-minute.

Wyatt Bray was the most promising client that Collin had. A true gem in a sea of mediocre and half-hearted resumes. He wanted to make sure that Wyatt would get a great start in the industry.

Collin was actually happy when the young aspiring director applied to their agency. He had enough credentials, and he also showed the agency his college movie project that he filmed together with his classmates to pass their subjects. A short horror movie.

At that time, Collin only had two remaining clients, both were small-time actor and actress who were barely scraping by with background roles.

They rarely got roles with lines. They were more like extras in the movies. Faces that filled out the scenes.

Well, Collin was still new in this career, so he never had a solid foundation or enough experience.

Thankfully, he had this unique talent that could discern if someone fit the job or not. An odd instinct, but surprisingly accurate.

It was hard to explain, but Collin could predict if someone would do well in their career just by watching them talk for a few minutes.

Unfortunately, he couldn't predict his own career as an agent. A cruel irony.

So when the agency introduced Wyatt to him, Collin decided to work hard and give him a smooth path, one with more opportunities.

After all, directors were the best clients that an agent could have. There were a lot of factors as to why that was.

Directors were the ones who made the movies from start to finish, with the vision that steered the entire ship.

Directors were always above the actors and actresses when it came to control and decision-making. It was a hard fact that no one could deny.

Actors and actresses might be the faces of the movies, the ones on posters and in headlines. But directors were the ones who created, planned, filmed, and sometimes edited the movies from scratch, shaping every frame and every scene.

Directors were the ones who gave life to movies and made them watchable.

Because thousands of pieces of footage without a clear plot and concise editing, dubbing, and sound were garbage. They were fragments with no meaning.

For Collin to have his first aspiring director was already heaven-sent. A hope in his struggling career.

Because honestly, he didn't have any power or connection to make directors interested in signing with him. He was just a nobody.

So when Wyatt and Collin signed the contract of five years, both of them knew that this was a real endeavor that they had to work out together. A real partnership.

'Let's all hope this time I'll make it.'

Collin weakly smiled as he stared at the pale white ceiling of the hospital room, lost in thought.

Despite being handsome, his career in modeling never really shined. It didn't make it better that the last magazine he modeled for tried to force him to have sex with their male photographer...

Yes, Hollywood, not surprising at all. A place where beauty often meant a price.

"I promised you that I'd send you the script that I wrote. I'm wondering if you can help me register for the Writer's Guild."

Wyatt passed a document to Collin, and he started reading it. He flipped through the pages and gradually understood the plot.

"The Accidental Wedding Crashers? If I remembered correctly, the movie you filmed in college was a horror movie, right?"

Collin asked while skimming through the script with a mixture of curiosity. Honestly, he thought the script Wyatt wrote was a horror movie, but this one seemed to be a comedy.

He had watched his experimental film. It was average, but Wyatt had the filming style that veteran directors had, steady and focused. He had a clear goal for the movie.

Basically, Wyatt recognized the introduction, trigger, development of conflict, climax, aftermath, and conclusion of a story. The structure of good storytelling.

This might look simple, but new directors often had a hard time finding direction in their movies. They sometimes made confusing plots and messy shots.

Wyatt had already grown from that stage. It was clear from his experimental film.

"That's right. Don't get me wrong, I still prefer horror movies. I just feel like this script that I wrote can be sold to some studios... Maybe, maybe we can sell it for millions."

He was hesitant about the latter. The idea of selling a script for a million dollars was out of his league.

However, he understood that he needed money, so he tried writing a script with comedy genre.

"Although, if possible, I want to direct it myself." Wyatt smiled.

He wasn't sure if he would even have the chance to do so. It seemed like being a director would be hard. Especially without the right connection or budget to back him up.

Collin nodded and looked at Wyatt.

Suddenly, a golden light glinted in his pupils, and he groaned, feeling a bit of a headache shake up his skull.

"Ugh!"

"Son, I think you need to lie down."

"It's okay, Mom. I'm fine, really."

Collin immediately stopped his mother from forcing him to lie down. Instead, he looked at Wyatt.

He was shocked to the core. He realized that there were golden letters above Wyatt's head! They were floating, surreal, and shining like the stars in the night sky.

Wyatt Bray:

-- Comedy Scriptwriter Genius.

-- Master Director Of Comedy.

Collin was dumbfounded and had no idea what was going on. How could there be words floating above a person's head?

"Collin, are you okay?"

"Huh?"

 

[Pujimaki]

Behind The Spotlight Chapter 4


Evelyn handed the paper plates filled with cut fruits to Wyatt and Collin with a gentle smile on her face. The young assistant director thanked the mature woman with a polite nod before turning to talk to Collin.

For some reason, Collin was staring at him intently, as if he had seen a ghost or something otherworldly. To be precise, he was staring above his head, as though something hovered there that defied logic and reality.

"Is there something wrong, Collin?" Wyatt asked curiously.

"N-No, I'm just thinking about some work-related stuff that suddenly came to mind," he stammered awkwardly.

Collin couldn't say that golden words were floating above Wyatt's head. That would be weird, beyond weird, it would be absurd.

He rubbed his eyes gently. He thought he was just hallucinating. But the words were still there, as vivid and surreal as before.

'What does this mean?' He asked himself in silent panic.

Wyatt Bray:

-- Comedy Scriptwriter Genius.

-- Master Director of Comedy.

The golden words expressed that Wyatt's forte was comedy movies, not horror, despite what his earlier project might have suggested.

When Collin was first introduced to Wyatt, he had watched his experimental film in a dimly lit screening room at the agency and concluded that Wyatt could become a director.

It depends on luck, opportunity, and connections whether Wyatt becomes famous.

But being a talent agent, it was Collin's job to create work opportunities and social connections for Wyatt, even when the odds were against them.

In the end, the biggest factor was luck. In this industry, although luck was a concept easy to understand yet hard to come by, it was considered heaven-sent and often the deciding factor between success and obscurity.

But what about talented people?

'There are endless amounts of talented people who remain unknown despite working hard for years sometimes decades,' Collin thought.

He knew some actors who were hardworking but failed to become famous personalities, no matter how many auditions they went to.

'But why... why is it golden? Why are the words floating above Wyatt's head golden...? No, the first thing I should ask is why am I seeing golden words above Wyatt's head in the first place? Oh God, am I really crazy? Did I lose my sanity because of overworking and constant pressure?'

Collin decided to throw away these thoughts like crumpled paper in a trash can... or else he might overthink until he lost himself, or worse.

"Wyatt, you said that you're not confident if Director Esteban will make you a permanent assistant or not... then, are you interested in making your first film under your name and your vision?"

"My debut movie?" Wyatt was confused by the sudden turn in conversation.

"That's right. We can turn your script into a movie and let the world see what you're capable of."

"But Collin... isn't it expensive to film a movie, even a small one?"

"It depends. In my opinion, we can make this movie with a budget of $100,000 if we manage the costs carefully. But we have to be conscious of our expenses. I've been in Hollywood for three years now. I have an idea of how much budget we need for a project like this."

For this project, they would have to hire unknown actors and actresses so they wouldn't spend a lot of money on casting fees. Many unknown actors and actresses were eager for exposure and grateful for any kind of break. They would happily perform even if they didn't have a salary, or only received meals and credits in return.

As for the crew members... Collin believed that 10 to 20 people were enough to keep the filming running smoothly, as long as everyone did their job.

"..."

Wyatt was speechless and slightly overwhelmed. He was just here to show a script that he wrote over the span of a week, hoping they could register it with the Writer's Guild and perhaps make money.

He didn't expect that Collin would offer him a different job, one so bold and life-changing.

"I'm not sure... I'm still a new graduate. I don't know if I can handle it without failing midway."

"This is your second movie and your debut film in Hollywood, which is a big step no matter how you look at it. Everyone starts somewhere. Don't think too much about it... I'm sure we can handle it together."

"What about the money? In the first place, I don't know if $100,000 is enough to make the film without cutting too many corners."

"... I'll contact someone to provide investment." Collin decided to see if this golden vision was fake or not.

"What about the production crew? Where can we find them in such a short time?"

"Pftt—haha, Wyatt, it seems that you don't understand my forte as an agent and networker. I'm good at finding the right people," Collin laughed.

"..."

Wyatt was hesitant. He knew that this was an opportunity that might be hard to come by again, especially this early in his career.

"Wyatt, I leave the decision to you. I'm your agent, and my job is to make sure that you will become a successful director. I'll respect your decision no matter what you choose."

Wyatt swallowed hard, the weight of responsibility settling in his chest.

"Do you have a reason why you want me to start directing a movie?" he asked curiously, his eyes narrowing.

"Well, let's just say I have a hunch that you're great at making comedy movies, a really strong hunch."

"Collin, you're a strange person, but strangely convincing."

Collin laughed out loud that filled the room for a moment.

"What do you think?"

"We will start the project once my job in Director Esteban's movie is done and I'm officially free of that contract."

He couldn't just leave his job because he had signed a contract with a binding clause that would cost him dearly if broken. He couldn't afford to break the contract not with his current finances.

"That's great to hear, Wyatt."

Collin smiled genuinely, feeling the start of something exciting. The two shook hands firmly, a silent agreement between them.