The Greatest Showman

“So, are you still planning to go to the recording studio to record? Or are you waiting until you sign with a professional music agent before making any decisions? If needed, I can make a few calls right now.”
Andy’s face still wore a Buddha-like smile, though Renly had his eyes tightly shut and couldn’t see it.Renly could sense the gritted teeth behind Andy’s words and waved his hand casually. “What’s the rush?”
That calm, unhurried attitude almost made Andy lose his breath.
“At the very least, I need to freshen up first.”
With that, Renly leisurely stood up and, dragging his lazy steps, walked toward the bathroom.

Watching Renly’s figure disappear at the bathroom door, Andy took a long breath to calm his turbulent thoughts.

He knew that he had been a bit out of line today. The main reason was that there had been far too many unexpected events in less than forty-eight hours.Before the Emmys, he had just accepted the job as Renly’s agent and hadn’t had enough time to get everything rolling, so he had set the Toronto Film Festival as the first goal. But who would’ve thought that last night’s award ceremony would bring such a surprise—Renly’s win completely disrupted the original plan, even leading to the rookie mistake of failing to pick him up.Then came the after-party.Renly’s position naturally changed significantly, and many top-tier producers and actors in the industry were present—an incredibly rare opportunity for someone like Renly. Under Steven Spielberg’s deliberate guidance, Andy introduced Renly to several big names—only to get completely drunk.And then came this morning.One surprise after another, one slip-up after another. Though they were all minor errors, for Andy, they were all avoidable. That’s what stirred his frustration.
Now, he needed to calm himself down, regain his original rhythm, and make the most accurate decisions in the shortest amount of time. This was an excellent opportunity, and he wasn’t about to let it slip through his fingers.Taking advantage of the time while Renly was washing up, Andy turned on the hotel room’s desktop computer.If it had been any other agent, they would probably see Renly as just a newcomer—someone they had only just signed a few days ago. They would’ve booked a random hotel room just to get through the Emmys first. But Andy had the foresight to reserve a luxury suite at the Sunset Tower Hotel as the first step in Lanly’s image-building plan. Looking at it now, that decision was unquestionably the right one.
Not to mention whether reporters were waiting downstairs—working from here was simply more convenient.He opened YouTube again, and to his surprise, the video of Ophelia had already entered the top twenty trending videos. The Emmy effect was obvious—its rise in popularity was far more explosive than expected.
People weren’t just watching a street performance. They were watching a street performance by an Emmy Award winner who had skipped the after-party to perform on the street.Andy realised he still knew far too little about Renly. He had heard about the single Cleopatra, but had only considered it just another viral YouTube hit—nothing special, especially since it hadn’t performed well on the Billboard charts. He’d dismissed it as just a casual side project.
But now, it seemed there was much more to uncover about Renly’s experience in the Village.Suddenly, Andy remembered something: Renly came up from London’s West End and Broadway. So, besides stage plays, had he ever acted in musicals?If so, Andy could definitely help him land a role in a stage production—or even a musical.
To outsiders, performing in the West End or on Broadway might seem like a thankless job: not much attention, meagre income. But insiders knew that stage acting added serious points for actors trained in the classical style.
And if he could win a Tony Award, it would be like planting a flag in Hollywood—one that said “skilled and solidly trained.”

Hugh Jackman rose to fame in Hollywood thanks to his role as Wolverine. Logically speaking, commercial films and comic book characters are typically the least favoured by the Academy crowd. But in reality, the Academy has always shown a strong preference for Hugh—ultimately because he spent many years working hard on Broadway and even has a Tony Award to his name.

Andy’s thoughts instantly began to drift, a faint excitement stirring within him. He was becoming increasingly curious about Renly’s ultimate potential.He quickly pulled himself back from his scattered thoughts and typed Cleopatra into the YouTube search bar. He originally just wanted to check how the video was trending, but unexpectedly, a flood of related videos popped up—something he hadn’t anticipated at all.Looking more closely, Andy raised an eyebrow, surprise deepening in his eyes—these related videos were actually covers!Social networks like YouTube and Facebook were rapidly changing people’s lives. In 2008, Justin Bieber emerged out of nowhere on YouTube, becoming a new symbol of the internet age in the new century. Over the past two years, Bieber had stormed the scene as an idol, rising to fame with astonishing speed and becoming practically a cultural phenomenon.Since then, covers have become a new trend. Many people chasing their singing dreams started uploading cover videos, hoping to catch the eye of top agents or record companies. A wave of professional cover artists even emerged online, making a living this way.However, these cover stars didn’t just cover any random song. To attract enough attention, their cover choices had to be strategic—either timeless classics that had been popular for years, or the latest hits from major artists. Only then would people click and watch. If they just covered obscure indie songs no one had heard of, they’d never stand out.And now, at this very moment, there were actually covers of Cleopatra? That was even more sensational than an exclusive from US Weekly. Andy felt that the situation was spiralling far beyond his expectations.An indie song without radio promotion, a folksy tune that took an unconventional path, a melody with no promotion and not even a music video—yet someone had actually chosen to cover it? That was definitely not normal!Andy clicked on a few to take a look. Though his knowledge of music was limited, he had heard of some of the famous YouTube cover artists, especially since some had gone on to be opening acts for major concerts or even signed deals with record labels.The video with the highest view count was by none other than Conor Maynard, a young British singer who was only seventeen this year. Yet his personal YouTube channel already had over 400,000 subscribers, making him one of the most high-profile cover stars. Not only had he covered Cleopatra, but also Ophelia—both videos had been uploaded less than an hour ago, yet both had already passed 80,000 views. The buzz was truly astonishing.Second place belonged to a female singer, Tiffany Alvord, just eighteen years old. She had become famous by covering Taylor Swift songs, and her YouTube page had 250,000 subscribers—making her one of the hottest cover artists at the moment. Her strength clearly lay in lyrical ballads, and under her rendition, Cleopatra gained an added touch of sorrow and melancholy, like a fresh, poetic breeze. The video had only been uploaded twenty minutes ago, yet it had already surpassed 10,000 views, with a rapidly rising trend.The way things were unfolding was not only unexpected, but the momentum it was gaining was starting to look completely unstoppable. When Andy returned to the homepage, the live performance video of Cleopatra had already made it into the Top 20 Trending Videos, while Ophelia had broken into the Top 10.Andy realised that he needed to reassess his entire evaluation.It was easy to imagine that if Ophelia were released as a single within the next week or two, it would almost certainly achieve impressive sales. But as a manager, just like Renly had said, Andy was more focused on the acting side. What concerned him wasn’t the commercial success of Ophelia as a song, but rather the media buzz and the positive ripple effects it could generate.For example, if the single sparked heated discussion, coupled with the Emmy Award win that had shocked everyone, then Renly’s chances of being invited onto talk shows would skyrocket. Otherwise, as a newcomer, even with the credibility of an Emmy, getting a solo appearance on a talk show would be next to impossible. But if Renly could get on TV, then Buried, this completely obscure indie project, would suddenly gain a much-needed publicity boost.Another example: the buzz from his street performance after the awards ceremony had already begun circulating in industry circles. This kind of word-of-mouth story was far more interesting than simply being “Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie at the Emmys.” It was the kind of anecdote that people would talk about and remember. With that kind of attention, it would become much easier for Andy to find acting opportunities for Renly, whether in indie films or commercial blockbusters.So right now, what Andy needed to focus on wasn’t the upcoming Toronto Film Festival, but how to maximise the wave created by Ophelia before they even set foot in Toronto. He had to fully leverage the viral nature of the internet to achieve that goal.After thinking for a moment, Andy scrolled through his phone contacts, searching for a while before finally dialling a number. He only had to wait a moment before the call was answered.“Hey, Jordin, it’s me—Andy Rogers.”On the other end of the line was Jordin Nicole, a reporter for Billboard magazine.Alongside the weekly Billboard charts, Billboard magazine itself was considered a trend barometer for pop culture. While it had reduced some of its traditional industry authority, it focused more on popularity metrics, buzz, and trending topics, making it particularly beloved among younger audiences.“Hah, I didn’t expect I’d be calling you either…” Andy responded to the teasing tone on the other end of the line with his usual calm charm, matching her teasing with his own easygoing wit.

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