Hollywood:Starting out as an MV director

Time quickly passed, and the release date for Heinz's advertisement arrived.

Shooting the Heinz commercial was straightforward; they only filmed a single bottle of Heinz ketchup, leaving the entire ad's creation to rely on computer technology.

Their efficiency was impressive. After finalizing the design for the billboard, they rented 300 billboards across the U.S. in just one day and put up the ad featuring Ethan's creative idea.

"Heinz, the only ketchup."

This slogan was even featured on magazine covers, occupying the front page. After the company released the sales data, Henry invited Ethan to the office once more.

He was sitting on a soft leather sofa, different from the usual ones, with intricate curved textures that felt very comfortable to touch. The luxurious office was further highlighted by the antelope skin carpet underfoot and the ivory decorations on the walls.

"Drink something?" Henry, who seemed down-to-earth, asked as he took out a bottle of liquor from the ice bucket.

Ethan nodded and picked up a glass.

The amber liquid filled the glass, and Henry poured himself a drink before clinking glasses with Ethan.

"Not bad at all," Ethan commented after taking a sip, appreciating the rich taste.

"This is Krug Champagne. I also have a bottle of Louis Roederer Cristal in my wine cellar, but it's too expensive—I can't bring myself to drink it," Henry joked, taking a sip.

Ethan raised his eyebrows, his mouth twitching slightly. Damn, if he remembered correctly, Krug Champagne cost around $20,000 a bottle, and the Louis Roederer Cristal was a limited edition champagne, with only 25 bottles released this year.

Is this what it means to be wealthy? Casually drinking a bottle of wine that could match someone's yearly income?

However, Henry didn't continue bragging. After drinking, he picked up the sales report beside him and handed it to Ethan. "To be honest, I'm a bit surprised."

Ethan took the report, which detailed Heinz ketchup sales on a daily basis. He carefully reviewed it and noticed that since his billboards were placed nationwide, Heinz ketchup sales had increased by 30% and were still rising.

Clearly, his creative idea had taken effect, and it was highly effective.

"Sales have increased rapidly, thanks to your company's creativity," Henry said with a happy expression.

Ethan modestly replied, "We just developed the most suitable creative strategy based on the product."

"Exactly, the most suitable!" Henry clapped his hands. "However, I noticed that in your company, you don't seem to be the only ad planner, and you can't even settle on a single best idea."

"Uh..." Ethan shrugged. "I'm new there, so there's not much I can do."

"So, are you interested in joining my company?" Henry raised his nose and squinted his eyes. "We're in need of someone with your talent, and I'd be willing to create a separate advertising department just for you."

Heinz currently didn't have its own advertising department and had always outsourced this work. After seeing the impressive returns from Ethan's ad concept, Henry thought, why not take control of the creative process in-house?

Ethan finally understood why Henry had contacted him directly, offered him a drink, and presented himself so humbly. It was exactly what Ethan had hoped for.

Pretending to hesitate, Ethan pondered for a moment before saying, "To be honest, Mr. Henry, I'm very tempted."

Henry nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"But I owe a debt of gratitude to Apollyon, and I am very grateful to him."

Henry raised an eyebrow, showing even more admiration. "You're someone who values relationships."

"Exactly," Ethan said, taking a big gulp of his drink. "Although Maroney—the one who proposed the first idea—may think I lack experience, I believe that's just a temporary situation..."

Henry pushed the bottle towards Ethan, who immediately got the hint and poured himself another glass.

"I don't think it's entirely about that," Henry said, spreading his hands. "Domino's, your first idea. Thanks to that billboard, their delivery business has exploded. I'm even envious."

"In the advertising industry, experience doesn't matter much. What you need is creativity, Ethan. And I'll give you the best platform, so your ideas can appear all over the U.S., even the world—something far greater than what your current company can offer."

"So, think it over, Ethan. You can call me anytime, as long as you're willing."

"Thank you," Ethan said, though he already had a plan in mind. It just wasn't the right time yet. And with Henry as a willing investor... ahem, I mean a wealthy backer, would his new company ever lack funding?

That was his real intention, just as he had discussed with Jimmy. He knew working for someone else would never make him truly successful. To make it big in the U.S., he needed to become capital himself.

In his view, the advertising industry was a great entry point, just like music videos—it was another perfect opportunity.

"By the way, you mentioned a new term earlier: user mindset? It sounds interesting. Tell me about it," Henry said, changing the subject after wrapping up the business talk.

After leaving Heinz's office, Ethan, filled with expensive champagne, took a cab back to his neighborhood. He was about to buy the magazine Carmela wanted when he noticed a few middle-aged men gathered around a stall discussing something.

Looking closely, he saw it was the latest issue of "New York Underground Art," with Lisa on the cover in that purple outfit.

"Why does it look worse than before?" A bearded man wondered aloud.

Another man in a baseball cap picked up the magazine and looked at it. "It doesn't seem to have that same impulse-inducing feel as before."

"Is it because they changed the clothes? But she's showing plenty."

"No, I think they changed the photographer. This is a completely different style. If I wanted full nudity, why wouldn't I just buy Playboy?"

"Damn, should we still buy it?"

"Let's give it a try. Maybe the inside pages are still as good as before."

"Forget it, you go ahead and buy it. I'm not interested anymore. I'd rather check out something else—this one looks pretty good."

The group, initially planning to buy the magazine together, decided to opt for different ones after chatting. Only one man stuck to his decision and bought "New York Underground Art."

However, after paying, he ripped off the plastic cover, flipped through the pages, and immediately let out a wail.

"Shit! What is this garbage?"

"Let me see!" The others gathered around him, their expressions a mix of schadenfreude and disappointment.

"Look at this! The angle is all wrong. She should be lifting her leg higher—I'm not even remotely interested!"

"Yeah, and the colors are awful. Even my mom's socks wouldn't match this poorly."

"And the pose is so stiff. Did the photographer fall asleep? My God, this is so boring. I'm glad I didn't buy it."

The man who had purchased the magazine was nearly in tears. With a sense of venting his frustration, he saw Ethan approach, pick up that same "New York Underground Art" issue, and immediately warned him, "Don't touch it, friend. The damn photographer did a terrible job! If you've seen the previous issues, don't buy it. The quality isn't the same at all."

"Alright, thanks for the advice," Ethan said with a smile.

"No problem! I just don't want this garbage ruining anyone else's eyes!"

...

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