UNENDING

17: Poster Boy

Sean and Ibanez's rendezvous doesn't go exactly as planned.
And so as another rendezvous on the other side of the city.

JANUARY 2020
XX Creative Agency, Jakarta

"This won't do."

Hilman Idris huffed at the storyboard projected on screen and shook his head.

"Like I've said, Sean should be portrayed as the enabler here, not the object," he said firmly, eyes locking with the creative agency team sitting in front of him, "otherwise, how would you even imagine fitting Sean's image with kitchen appliances? For Valentine's Day that is?"

"But isn't Sean quite well-known for his real life cooking skill?" The creative director, a short man in his forties, piped in tentatively. "I watched in one variety show..."

Hilman took a long, exasperated inhale. "And you expect people to magically get it? By putting Sean and a frying pan on the same set?"

The creative director seemed to shrink even smaller under Hilman's scrutiny. His constant fidgeting had gotten under Hilman's skin since their previous meeting a week ago. The very meeting where Hilman had clearly briefed the advertising agency of the DOs and DON'Ts regarding Sean's image on screen.

Taking off his glasses to wipe a palm across his tired face, Hilman sullenly added, "After all, not everyone is Sean's fan."

"That's not t—" a young lady sitting next to the creative director had seemed eager to interrupt, right until all eyes suddenly fell on her. "... true," she timidly finished.

It was only ten thirty. The meeting had only begun half an hour ago. And Hilman was already climbing the wall.

Which idiot thought a deal with Electralax was a good idea again?

Oh, wait. No problem. That was him.

It'd been almost like a pattern now, ever since Tempestuous's booming popularity. Brands would come to secure endorsement deals with Sean's Sandbox. Then they'd send out a team of their creative agency of choice. And Hilman's long-cultivated restrain would wear a little bit thinner with every subsequent meeting.

Sure, Sean was currently the most commercially valued celebrity in the land. But that didn't mean brand owners could simply slap his mugshot on their product and hope for the best. Those chuckleheads couldn't just ask Sean to represent their brand, then spare no shred of thought regarding his own personal branding.

Though apparently, they could. 'Cause here Hilman and Sean's Sandbox PR team were back, again, at yet another technical CF (commercial film) pre-production meeting, with yet another creative agency.

Those giant money-making assholes...

"Alright, alright," the creative director coughed into his fist. His eyes slowly shifted to the young lady from earlier, apparently one of his female production team members. "Why don't you share us your idea, huh?"

The lady nodded back at the director before moving her attention towards Sean's Sandbox team. Hilman watched in silence as she took a deep breath, a barely concealed excitement on her face. Then she began.

"So, uhm... we could actually go with Sean playing an older brother to a middle schooler who's desperate to impress his crush on a Valentine's Day—"

"You mean her crush?" Hilman interjected, an eyebrow curved upwards.

"Uh, I think that for a change, it might be more appealing to have the boy painstakingly make chocolates for the girl," the lady bit her lower lip. "It's not like there's any fixed rules about it in Nusantara. Plus, not only that it will be more unique and definitely look cuter..."