My Life in Hollywood C22 Marketing Strategy (Patreon)

The next day, Marcus tagged along with Alden to Summit Pictures for the marketing strategy meeting. He had to admit—Summit really was major league.

Their building was impressive. Classic Hollywood architecture with white columns and Art Deco details, the kind of place that looked like it had been making movies since the golden age. It had that timeless, powerful presence that screamed money and history.

After walking through the marble-floored hallways, Marcus finally entered the conference room with Alden. Several people were already seated around the table.

At the head sat an Asian-American man in his early 40s. Sharp suit, sharp eyes. The kind of guy who looked like he made million-dollar decisions before lunch.

Everyone turned to look at them as they entered.

"Who's this?" the man asked Alden.

Alden gestured to Marcus. "This is Marcus Crown. The filmmaker behind Paranormal Activity."

Recognition dawned on their faces. They'd heard from Alden that the director was sixteen, but seeing it in person was still a bit surreal.

"Nice to meet you, Marcus." The man stood and extended his hand. "Vincent Chen, VP of Acquisitions."

Marcus shook it. "Nice to meet you too."

The others nodded politely.

"Hope it's alright I'm here," Marcus said. "Alden mentioned I could sit in on the marketing discussion. I don't want to get in the way."

"Not at all," Vincent said with a welcoming smile. He gestured around the table. "This is Rachel Hoffmann, our Senior Marketing Director. Derek Mills, Digital Marketing. Patricia Valdez, Marketing Analyst. And Gary Cho, he handles theatrical distribution."

They all gave Marcus polite nods, though it was clear they didn't expect much input from a high schooler—even if he had impressed Stefan Kingswell.

The meeting began.

Rachel kicked things off, laying out their strategy. It was clean, polished, professional—the kind of campaign Summit ran for every horror release. TV spots, print ads, standard theatrical trailers. Generic but effective.

Marcus listened quietly, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. This wasn't how the original film had been marketed in his previous life. Not even close.

Full chapter: NewComer714.com