Chapter 129: The New Agent

[Chapter 129: The New Agent]

"Magazine features?" Ryan thought for a moment and had an inkling of what she meant. "Exactly. Interviews, photoshoots, and you need a cover shot of your own," Fizz said on the other end of the line.

Just recently, Britney Spears had graced the cover of Rolling Stone, using the opportunity to promote her new album as well as address a string of controversies from the previous year.

The divorce from her ex-husband, losing custody of her children, shaving her head in a fit of despair, multiple stints in rehab, that VMA incident, undergoing mental evaluations, and her father gaining conservatorship -- she had pretty much faced a roller coaster of disasters. This year, she was making her comeback with her new album Circus.

Robert Downey Jr. had also made a comeback with Iron Man, landing on the cover of Entertainment Weekly. Soon after, Entertainment Weekly featured another highly talked-about young couple, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, while Empire's 2008 anniversary issue showcased Heath Ledger.

Downey spoke about restarting his career, while Kristen and Robert discussed the unexpected cultural phenomenon that Twilight had become. Kristen mentioned she was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sudden attention and preferred to stay low profile. Her rebellious nature was starting to show, whereas Robert candidly stated he didn't think he was "that charming," not yet aware of Kristen's true orientation. Still, they were both looking forward to the sequel.

As for icons like Beyonce, Angelina Jolie, and Madonna, they all ended up on the covers of American Vogue, Vanity Fair, and ELLE respectively. Another noteworthy mention was Taylor Swift, who had already graced at least five different magazines this year and was set to feature on Billboard and Rolling Stone by year's end.

Ryan was naturally in the mix as well.

"I spoke to the associate editor of GQ, and he told me he'd really like for you to be on the cover. He even reached out to Annie Leibovitz, the renowned photographer. She said she would love to take your portraits if you're interested," Fizz continued.

Annie Leibovitz's work was far more famous than her name itself. Just five hours before John Lennon was murdered, she shot that intimate photo of him and Yoko Ono, capturing them lying on the carpet with Lennon nude in a childlike position holding Yoko. It became one of Rolling Stone's most iconic covers.

Yet, the past couple of years hadn't been smooth sailing for her, with several of her photoshoots embroiled in controversy.

"What's her plan for shooting me?"

"Who knows? You haven't agreed yet. Or do you want to discuss with her before making a decision?"

"I'm in. When does it start?" With the golden combination of a GQ cover and an iconic photographer like Annie Leibovitz, Ryan had no reason to refuse.

He feared lack of controversy far more than being controversial.

...

"Okay, just like that. Don't feel shy; treat it like a DJ performance. Stay focused and perfect; tilt your head up a bit..."

In a small nightclub in New York temporarily converted for the shoot, Annie Leibovitz continuously directed and encouraged Ryan, her Mamiya RZ67 camera clicking with every shot. The default desktop wallpaper of blue skies, white clouds, and green grass on Windows XP was captured by the same camera.

Only a handful of core crew members were present, everything else deemed unnecessary was cleared out. Ryan was now standing in front of the DJ booth, mimicking the movements from several past performances, but the only difference was he was completely nude.

Annie Leibovitz was known for incorporating nudity into her photos, and Ryan was no exception. However, he found this style suited him well due to his impressive physique.

Under the stage lights, the contours of Ryan's well-defined body were illuminated, particularly the muscles on his abdomen. With every click of Annie's camera, images showcasing the natural beauty of his physique were captured.

Fizz watched, fascinated, her gaze somewhat transfixed. After all, Ryan's soft state was almost as big as hard state of many, and Fizz was learning things about him she hadn't known before. The other staff members present couldn't help but feel a wave of insecurity wash over them.

Even Annie, with decades of experience photographing nudes, raised her eyebrows in surprise when she first laid eyes on it.

This was already the second scene they were shooting; the first was at the Metropolitan Museum, where Ryan posed alongside sculptures from the Renaissance era, taking on Jojo like poses.

The series of photos was titled Classical Meets Modern, with Ryan serving as a model bridging the gap between contemporary and classical art.

...

"I knew from the start I shouldn't have let you slip away!" Fizz remarked as she approached Ryan after the shoot, the staff having draped a robe over him. It was common for models to cover up between shoots.

Ryan had wrapped up his modeling career with her, and looking back, Fizz thought it might have been one of her biggest mistakes.

"But we can still work together," Ryan replied.

"You're right about that." Fizz nodded eagerly, continuing, "NEXT has a lot of resources in the fashion world, and you know that well. I have plenty of opportunities waiting for you."

From her tone, it was clear that this GQ cover and interview were just the beginning. Ryan was shifting his focus more toward online media, hardly paying traditional media any mind.

"Are you talking about runway modeling? Isn't Karlie Kloss busy enough for you?" Ryan chuckled.

He had no intention of going back to his old modeling routine; most of those opportunities didn't interest him anymore. As for Karlie Kloss, he had heard a few mentions of her and knew she was rising steadily in the industry.

"It's not just modeling. Don't you want to collaborate with big-name brands? Attend high-profile runway shows? You now have your own clothing line; you need these occasions to maintain your 'fashion' image," Fizz stated.

That gave Ryan pause. "Are you offering to be my agent?"

Fizz smiled broadly, nodding. "I actually reached out to GQ on my own, this is my gift to you."

GQ, along with Vogue, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker, all belonged to the Conde Nast group. In terms of circulation, DJ magazines were far behind these major publications.

Other media giants included Hearst, Meredith (Time Inc.), News Corp, and Bloomberg Media Group; they weren't just 'horn blowers' but held significant influence. For instance, the panels for major awards like the Oscars, Grammys, Tonys, and Emmys included editors from these media groups.

Another example is the future TGA awards, where over a hundred game media outlets would vote, with American outlets accounting for over forty and British media a dozen, combining for more than half the voting power.

If one could command influence, the good could easily become bad, and black could become white.

Regardless, Fizz held valuable connections in the traditional media and fashion worlds, something Ryan was currently lacking.

But she wasn't his only option. Now, Ryan was the one in control, and he decided to test Fizz a bit: "We can try it out, but if you can deliver something I'm happy with, I might consider agreeing to it."

Fizz said with a grin, "I'll let you take advantage of me this time."

That sounded a bit odd, and as expected, she was still this quirky.

"By the way, what's going on between you and Trey? I haven't asked you about it properly." She tilted her head, then inquired further. She had mentioned this when Ryan called her earlier, realizing she and Trey were of similar ages.

"Just a normal relationship," Ryan replied.

Speaking of it, he was set to head to Los Angeles immediately after this interview for auditioning actors.

Upon hearing about Ryan's plans, Fizz squinted, "Shooting for a T.V. show? Is that Trey's idea?"

"It's my idea."

"Your idea? Aren't you a singer? Those two don't exactly overlap," Fizz said, puzzled.

There was some overlap, as quite a few singers ventured into acting, though most did so as guest stars. It was quite rare to find someone who excelled in both music and film, with only a handful of examples to consider.

For instance, there was "wife-loving good man" Will Smith, Cher, and Justin Timberlake -- all of whom initially made their mark as singers before stepping into the big screen.

"Screenwriter? Creator? I must be missing something, or are you just loaded and looking for something to spend your money on?" Fizz couldn't quite wrap her head around it.

Not just her, even those closer to Ryan, like Taylor and Trey, found it hard to understand, initially thinking Ryan had gone off the rails. However, after they read the script Ryan had written, they found it interesting enough to give it a shot...

"Do you know any actresses?" Ryan casually asked.

"A few. It depends on what type you're looking for and what your budget is for the actresses," Fizz shrugged.

*****

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