The Wolf of Los Angeles.

Chapter 105 Too Crazy

In the West Coast studio, Hawke changed into a custom-made suit, and Edward also put on his handmade suit.

Hawke put on a gold Rolex watch and Edward buckled a Jaeger-LeCoultre watch strap.

The two men went out and Hawke walked towards the Mondeo.

Edward said, "Boss, drive my Cadillac."

Thinking that it was his good friend Robert Downey Jr. who paid for the car, Hawke didn't hesitate and got on the passenger seat of the Cadillac.

Edward started the chariot and headed straight for Malibu.

On the way, Hawke took out his laptop, turned on the wireless network card, and searched for news about Alison on the Internet.

The pictures and news were reposted by some bloggers and websites, but the popularity and traffic were not very high.

Unlike Hawke's cousin in his previous life, when the Hollywood nude photo scandal broke out, the cousin was already an Oscar-winning actress and a top Hollywood star.

As for Alison, strictly speaking, she has lost her status.

The news on the online media is very intuitive. The public and media's impression of her is still that of the child star who disappeared.

If such a scandal is not handled properly, Alison can only rely on the San Fernando Valley to become popular again.

Hawke thought again of what he had seen on the yacht. Even if he could settle it this time, similar situations would definitely happen again in the future.

It wasn't that Alison's belt was too loose, it was that she had no belt at all.

Such people are not uncommon among celebrities, the most typical one being Grace Kelly.

There are rumors in the Hollywood industry that Grace Kelly joined a film crew and claimed that she could sleep with all the men in the crew.

Not only the director and producer, but even the production staff are not spared.

The problem is that Grace Kelly is very popular and can do whatever she wants without any purpose.

Alison has been an unknown figure for a long time, and she dreams of becoming famous again, but she eats without any purpose.

Isn't this the start of hell?
Hawke turned off his laptop and thought about what to do.

The crisis of hell is also an opportunity for him to ask for a high price.

The Cadillac entered Malibu and turned into the coastal villa area. Edward quickly found the villa surrounded by high walls and parked the car in front of the door.

Hawke called Joanna and observed the surrounding situation, but did not find any reporters or paparazzi.

The electric gate opened and Edward drove in.

On the green lawn in the front yard, Alison and her dancers were still practicing their dance moves, obviously unaware of what was going on.

The car stopped in front of the steps and Hawke saw Joanna and three others.

As soon as he got out of the car, Joanna introduced the two parties.

The man's name is Scooter Braun, Alison's agent.

The woman was Fergie Nko, Alison's record promotion manager.

There was also a middle-aged man in his fifties, Roger West, the owner of Western Sound Records.

Hawke shook hands with them one by one, and they went up the steps and entered the villa together.

Joanna emphasized: "Hoke is an expert in crisis management. Without him, there would be no Steve Nutter today."

Roger was moved, but still confirmed: "Steve, the star player of the Dodgers?"

Hawke said: "Due to the confidentiality agreement, I can't tell you what happened, but I can guarantee that every word Joe said is true."

Scooter interjected, “I’m from the same agency as Biles, and I’ve heard him talk about you. It’s amazing.”

Roger has invested a lot of resources in Alison and doesn't want to give up easily, so he asked, "Do you have a way to save this scandal?"

"I read the news on the Internet when I came here. It's impossible to save the situation." Hawke said honestly: "Only people like us can't fight against Internet public opinion."

He said bluntly: "Internet public opinion can only be guided or diverted, not confronted."

Fergie asked, "Why can't you refute it?"

Hawke glanced at her and replied casually, "There may be millions of people who saw this news, and everyone has their own opinions. Do we really have to discuss right and wrong with them?"

If you really want to engage in confrontation, millions of nitpickers will pop up online and use a microscope to find fault with you in every detail.

Even if God himself came, he couldn't stand such criticism.

Joanna was the most anxious and said, “Do you want us to issue a statement saying that these are all fake?”

"Calm down." Hawke signaled Edward with his eyes.

Edward quickly got her a bottle of water.

Joanna then realized that the other person was Hei Xiaoshuai, whom she met at the premiere of "The Scorpion King". She took the water and took a sip, not forgetting to smile at Edward.

Seeing her expression, Hawke had a headache, but business went on as usual: "Once such a huge scandal is exposed, don't rush to deny it, let alone say it's a rumor. It will only have a counterproductive effect. What we need now is to stay calm and find a solution to the problem, rather than facing the media and the public without being prepared."

When these words came out, not only Scooter, who had heard of Hawke, but even Roger felt that they made sense and inexplicably gained more confidence in Hawke.

Hawke learned a trick from Miss Mea and said, "Everyone, let's be silent for three minutes. Let's all calm down and calm down."

It was easy to talk to other people, but Joanna found it hard to calm down.

Hawke had a trick up his sleeve. He quietly raised his finger to Edward and pointed at Joanna.

Edward leaned over and whispered, "Don't worry, Joe. There is no problem that my boss can't solve."

Joanna nodded slightly, but what she was thinking about was the loan. If Alison was completely ruined because of this incident, not only would she have no money to borrow, but Western Sound might also sue her for breach of contract.

She had just borrowed some money using Alison's record contract.

It's too hard to accept that she had the potential to become Jamie Spears, but ended up collapsing before dawn.

Three minutes had passed. Hawke clapped his hands and asked Joanna, "Do you know where the photo came from? Who is the man?"

Joanna said: "It could be two boys from two days ago, but judging by the background, it could be someone from earlier. Alison played too crazy. I'm not sure if there are more people and things like this, and how many there are."

"What? There's more?" Roger was almost mad: "I support Alison to be a pop star, not a bitch in the Holy Valley!"

Joanna lowered her head: "I'm sorry, I didn't discipline her well."

Roger was about to lose his temper, but Hawke interrupted him: "We need to solve problems now, not create new ones."

Scooter advised Roger: "Find a solution first."

Rogge sat on the single sofa, took out his mobile phone, and quietly sent a text message to his assistant: Please help me make an appointment for a physical examination as soon as possible.

There was no way around it, he had slept with Alison too.

No, to be exact, he was also slept with by Alison.

Roger was worried about such promiscuity.

Hawke already has an idea, but he needs to figure out a few things first because the method is too crazy.

He first asked Roger: "Alison's new album is electronic and sexy, just like the dance they rehearsed when I came in, there are a lot of large-scale content?"

Roger said: "Yes, we have done an assessment, and Alison's appearance and figure are also her great advantages."

Hawke continued to ask: "If a singer has a huge topic and becomes a representative figure in a certain field, can the popularity of the figure be converted into popularity of the song?"

If it were a dozen years later, he would not ask this question at all, because the answer would be obvious.

Roger thought about this question for a while before answering, "It depends on how popular the topic is. In the 1970s and 1980s, it might not have been possible, but in the past decade, especially in the past five or six years, there have been some singers who are not very popular but have good album sales."

"The fan economy and fan culture in the pop music industry are more serious than those in the film industry, right?" Hawke briefly explained the meaning of fan culture.

Everyone present was an industry insider, so they understood immediately. Scooter said, "Indeed, the loyalty and opposition of fans in the pop music industry is much greater than that in the film industry."

"Okay, I understand." Hawke said, "Let's first unify our thoughts and goals. Alison should become more popular, the better. It would be best if she could become a hot topic and boost album sales."

Fergie continued: "That's the purpose of publicity."

Others agreed.

Hawke turned his gaze to Joanna: "Jo, I need to confirm one thing. Now that this crisis is resolved, can you restrain Alison so that similar situations do not occur again?"

Joanna wanted to say yes, but she opened her mouth and said stiffly, "It's difficult. I have argued with her more than once about the nonsense. Alison said that she is only interested in two things in this world - singing and funk..."

The boss, Roger, almost slammed the table on the spot.

Hawke said: "Normal public relations cannot solve this incident. If we act rashly, Alison may be completely abandoned by public opinion and the public. In addition, according to what Joe said, Alison is like a time bomb, and she may throw a second one at any time."

He swept his eyes across everyone's faces. "So, the method I want to use is to let the scandal go deeper, explode like a nuclear bomb, and turn the scandal into a topic of conversation."

Scooter thought of a person: "Like Madonna? She dated Rodman publicly, flirted with Jordan, and deliberately disclosed a series of scandals in her autobiography, attracting media and public attention, bringing more heat, and becoming the center of discussion in the United States."

Hawke shook his head slowly: "Alison is not Madonna. I don't have Madonna's capital. The method I use is more radical than Madonna's. Even if similar incidents happen in the future, it will not become a scandal. Instead, it can be interpreted as a vane of women's freedom and trigger social topics."

Without the sunk cost, Roger would have abandoned Alison long ago, but the sunk cost had already been incurred. He asked, "What do you want to do?"

Hawke said calmly, "Let's talk about the commission first, $80. This matter may cause some legal questions, and we need a legal advisor. I have a suitable person here, and you can discuss his remuneration with him. In addition, all expenses incurred during the period will be borne by you."

This offer silenced everyone present.

Even Joanna hesitated, and she looked at Roger.

Roger didn't say anything.

Joanna has invested too much in her daughter. Only if her daughter succeeds can she repay the loan she borrowed and become the Jamie Spears she has always envied.

Nowadays, what other options are there?
She raised her head and looked at Roger: "I will personally bear $40!"

Roger didn't expect her to be so determined. After weighing the pros and cons, he said, "The record company can bear the rest."

Hawke said: "I'll call the legal advisor and wait for him to come over and we'll sign the contract."

Rogge thought for a moment and said, "The plan needs to satisfy us."

Hawke got up, went to a deserted place, and called Brian Ferguson.

After the call was connected, a surprised voice came from the other end: "You actually called me, don't you want to buy me a drink?"

"Aren't you a lawyer? I have a business here." Hawke heard him say last time: "Scandals and bad things in Hollywood, are you interested?"

There was a loud sound of something being filmed, and then there was a cry of surprise, and then Brian said, "Scandals and shit, I love it the most. Where is it? I'll be there right now."

"Malibu, beach house area." Hawke gave the address.

In less than twenty minutes, Brian arrived.

This guy was dressed in a suit and tie. After Hawke introduced him, he showed his lawyer's license and law firm work ID to Roger and Joanna, and quickly negotiated the fees with them.

Then, Hawke signed agreements with Joanna and Roger respectively.

The expenses shall be borne jointly by both of them.

Hawke came to the center of the living room and said, "What I am going to say next must be kept strictly confidential. Brian, prepare a confidentiality agreement. Everyone here needs to sign it."

Brian already knew what was going on and wanted to see how Hawke would handle this mess, so he said, "I'll get ready right away."

After everyone signed the confidentiality agreement, Hawke said, "I call this PR the San Fernando Valley Project."

When this name came out, everyone else was quite surprised.

Hawke ignored their surprise and said directly, "We don't know who the male protagonist of Alison's photos is, and we don't need to know. We created a male protagonist for this incident, and used these photos as the background to extend a video recording."

"Wait." Rogge connected the dots and had a bad idea: "You mean shooting a video like the one in the Holy Valley?"

Hawke nodded slightly. "To be precise, it was a self-filmed video. The video was shot by Alison and the male lead we found. It was then accidentally leaked and bought by a Saint Valley company. After they got the copyright, they must promote its distribution."

Brian had never seen this kind of PR before and thought this guy was crazy.

Hawke continued: "We are promoting the release of this video in the same way as we promote a movie. No star, even a former star, has ever had such a large-scale incident. We will be the first to do so. In the future, when the media and the public mention candid videos, the first person they think of is Alison."

Joanna opened her mouth several times before she opened it: “But this is a scandal, a scandal.”

Hawke said: "Just like what Madonna did, scandal can also attract fans, and this is not a video we released, it was leaked by someone inadvertently. It is not us who should be ashamed, not Alison, but everyone who sees the video."

He spread his hands: "Alison just did what couples often do. Is she wrong? Those who saw the video owe Alison money for an album!"

Roger gradually came to understand: "This is used to create explosive news and promote Alison... But there is a problem, Alison is not well-known."

"A long video is far more impactful than a few photos." Hawke has seen successful cases more than once or twice: "Such a video will evoke people's memories of Alison, and those who don't know Alison will also search for who Alison is."

He looked at Fergie, "So, one of your jobs is to display Alison's past as a child star on the Internet through blogs or other forms so that netizens can easily search for it."

Fergie made a note.

Hawke paused for a moment, waiting for everyone to think about it, and then said, "There is another key to this matter, the male protagonist! This male protagonist cannot be an ordinary person. An unknown person cannot arouse the audience's curiosity and make the video a real hit."

Brian understood and interrupted, "Looking for a male celebrity?"

Scooter said: "Normally, male stars wouldn't do this..."

After all, it's not a dozen years later now, and things like deliberately exposing one's private parts on social media to attract attention and create topics are not uncommon.

"It just so happens that I know a male celebrity who might do this. He can be considered a second-tier celebrity, but in this kind of video, his appeal and popularity far exceed those of first-tier celebrities." Hawke said, "Alison is not as famous as him, but she has an outstanding figure and appearance, which naturally attracts people. This guy also has a good figure and appearance, and he is famous. Once a video of such a handsome man and beautiful woman comes out..."

He made an exaggerated gesture: "It will explode like a nuclear bomb, and the shock wave will sweep across the United States."

Joanna asked, "So, Alison, from now on..."

Hawke said: "Alison will face it firmly and fight to the end, walking at the forefront of women's freedom, becoming an iconic standard-bearer figure, becoming a synonym for a certain type of event that the public talks about with great relish. Even if similar events happen to her in the future, there will be women enjoying freedom as a banner."

Roger, a pure businessman, thought of more. If this effect could be achieved, it would not matter whether Alison sold albums or something else. Even if her privacy was exposed, she could make a lot of money.

He took the initiative to persuade: "Joe, I think this is a good idea. The record company will take another $50 as operating expenses in addition to paying Hawke's salary."

Joanna saw a bright future for money and said, "I need to discuss this with Alison."

Hawke said nothing more. The choice was theirs.

It didn't even take ten minutes before Joanna came in with Alison and nodded to everyone.

Alison was more direct: "I'm fine, this is fun, I'll cooperate with you."

She saw Hawke, who was trying to seduce her unsuccessfully on the yacht, and asked directly, "Can you be the leading man?"

"The male lead is someone else." Hawke asked Joanna to take Alison out and began to arrange the work here. What he just said was the operational idea. When it comes to execution, there is still a lot of work to be done.

The most important part of the preliminary preparation is to shoot a selfie video.

This requires a male protagonist.

Hawke already has a candidate.

Nearly an hour later, he called Edward and prepared to go out.

Brian followed and said, "Man, you are extraordinary. I have never seen anyone whitewash others like this, and I have never seen anyone mess up things so seriously. Awesome!"

Hawke deliberately joked: "Do you want to be the leading actor? The leading actress must agree."

Brian shook his head hurriedly: "I'm not interested in this."

Hawke came over here and called Josh Hartnett: "Where are you? Regarding public relations, I have an idea for a good one."

(End of this chapter)