SS NYM Ch 7

Meri checks herself out in the mirror in Tess’s office. She doesn’t look as polished as she did this morning, but it’ll have to be good enough. She can’t pass for an executive, but she can pass for an intern. And the people who make it this far in pitching their ideas to Warmer Media Group are lucky to get face time with an intern. An intern doesn’t have the power to greenlight a project, by any means. But they do have the power to schedule a second meeting.

That holy second meeting is what everyone is after.

She heads out into the waiting room, where the receptionist is used to this kind of thing.

Only five minutes later, Meri is seated in a small meeting room, doing her best to look aloof and professional as she listens to the pitch.

Everything has pros and cons. Meri’s quest to rehabilitate CCL… didn’t succeed. But it didn’t fail because of her business plan. She’s not bad at this.

The production being pitched to her is strange and ambitious. It’s important to stand out in a crowded field, but there’s always an inherent risk in being too unusual. There’s a possibility of turning people off, and this production feels especially niche.

On the other hand, the messaging is good and the idea could have wings. This creator has put serious thought not only into the creative side, but also the business side. The money plan is extremely good.

Further, Meri can tell that a lot of the prep work is already done. The concept work and promotional stuff is high-quality. As far as Meri can tell, this is an outstandingly good pitch for what may actually be a good idea.

The problem is that… it’s truly original. Nobody’s attempted anything like this. That’s a high-risk, high-reward proposition. Putting money into something completely without precedent takes a lot of faith. Big, American companies don’t like faith. They like safe. Warmer Media Group is no different.

Usually, it’s the person giving the pitch that feels nervous, but Meri is the one sweating.

She remembers the carefree days of cons, costumes, and CCL-branded merchandise. And the decisions that have brought her to this uniquely uncomfortable moment. She is not an intern here yet. Athena is the intern. This is Athena’s meeting. Meri’s success or failure will be Athena’s success or failure, but that will have a domino effect. Without Athena to vouch for her, Meri will have a much lower probability of getting this internship for herself. Different futures stretch out in front of Meri: one where she helps Athena secure something valuable for the company, and one where she, Athena, and the company watch with relief as some other distributor takes a bath on this terrible idea. Or… Warmer Media Group wastes its time and resources or has to watch some other label hit a home run with this thing.

Meri respects the pitch, but objects to some of the content. It’s truly original, which has value. It’s also truly bizarre, which has risk.

Schedule a second meeting?

Or send them home?

What does Meri do? The consequences of this choice won’t be felt tonight, but they are inevitable.