Author's note-Thanks again for your patience!
Chuck Tyler sat back on the couch in my office and looked through the photo sheets of my recent work. It was rare for him to be in my office this late in the day, and on a Friday, no less.
"Hollywood...if I haven't said it before, I will say it now." He said idly before looking up at me as I sat at my desk clicking through emails "You are one lucky son of a gun."
"Really?" I replied "Why's that?"
"Oh come on! Do I have to say it?"
"Maybe you do."
His face had a look of envy, jealousy, you name it.
"OK, if you want to rub it in a little more..." he began in a comically defeated-sounding voice "I can't believe you got the Victoria's Secret gig, and I'm very envious of you at this moment...satisfied?"
The dramatic silence between us made my response all the more enjoyable. But at the same time, I had to admit he was right.
"Yeah, I'm satisfied." I said before adding "...and I can't believe it either."
"Working here has its perks doesn't it?"
"Yes...it...does." I replied in a tone that confirmed I was in a place others probably dreamed of.
Artists Unlimited had had a long relationship with Victoria's Secret but up to now it had been pretty low-key. I didn't completely understand how the agreement was structured but it seemed like we did some promotions for them but not the "big-ticket" promotions that got all the TV coverage every year. This time though, we did.
And boy, did we get lucky!
None other than Kate Upton would be the face of a new line of, shall we say, "unmentionables" that Victoria's Secret was introducing in a splashy campaign. And an ace photographer would be needed for the occasion.
Guess who got the call?
The launch would be at a splashy event in Miami, and it had been a long time since I'd been there. Like Chuck said, I was one lucky son of a gun because he'd be deep into meetings at the New York office while all this went on. Jeff Murphy, his second in command, had to stay behind in L.A.
So for the most part, I'd be on my own.
Sarah Smith was the company's rep in Miami, and my contact there. I'd never met her but was told she was just as much the pro I was. She'd been snatched from a rival agency with the promise of bigger things at Artists Unlimited. What those "bigger things" were, I wasn't privy to. I left that to Chuck and Jeff.
"Chuck told me all about you, all the stuff you've done." she said as we rode from the airport in a limo.
"Well, I shouldn't take all the credit, I'm just their photo guy."
"But as photo guy you've been pretty good for them...or don't you know that?"
"What do you mean?"
Sarah looked at me with a confused expression.
"You don't look at the books, do you?"
"Why should I?"
"I'll tell you why, the company's been at, or near, the top of the most powerful agencies in the entertainment field since your company merged with them. Without you they'd still be courting porn stars."
I was drawing a blank now, how do I answer that?
Luckily I didn't need to.
The limo pulled up to the enormous Fountainbleau Hotel. I quickly grabbed my carry-on bag.
"I'll call you later on..." Sarah said as I got out.
"Yes...I'll be, uh, waiting."
OK, so I don't know about business, that had always been Chris' forte' when he ran our old photo company. But did he know something about this deal he never told me when it was first proposed? And if he did, why keep it from his partner? And how could another agent based on the other side of the country know about the business in L.A.?
I shelved any thoughts about that as I walked out onto the balcony and into the Miami Beach sun. God, it felt great! Vegas might be hotter, Hawaii might have the better beaches, but there was something ultra-classy about being in a hotel where the ghosts of Sinatra and the Rat Pack still held court.
I got out my classy "Miami-look" suit. I'd purchased it in Vegas and it still felt cool on me as I checked myself out in the mirror.
I took a deep breath.
"OK, Hollywood, let's have some fun." I said to myself as I grabbed my camera bag and went down to the lobby where Sarah would be meeting me.
The door to the limo swung open, revealing Sarah in a slinky red dress, on her cellphone as usual.
"Yes...I'm just leaving now, Jim's in the car with me...OK...I'll call you later on...bye." she said as she hung up the phone "Chuck's up in New York, he wants a full report on how everything went, I guess there's some big meeting going on there."
"With Chuck there's always a big meeting." I replied.
"This sounds bigger, he mentioned someone named Scott Jackson."
The name sounded familiar.
"Do you know him?" she asked.
"I'm not sure...seems familiar..." I said slowly before quickly adding "Nah, it could be anyone."
I brushed off any thoughts of corporate intrigue as we smoothly pulled away from the Fountainbleau.
The party was enormous and the flashbulbs went into overdrive with every limo that pulled up.
"So where's the guest of honor?" I asked as we went to our assigned places.
"She's supposed to make a big entrance pretty soon." Sarah replied as she looked over the night's itinerary on a IPad mini.
Just then the light's dimmed and techno-house music filled the room along with high-tech lights. Model after model walked the catwalk in silky variations of the company's wares. I snapped photos as I could until the models all crowded together then parted to reveal Ms. Upton.
"Whoa..." I said to myself.
Kate was dressed in a simple but ultra-sexy glittery white dress barely held up by nearly invisible spaghetti straps. It was made to show off her tits. She had a mega-watt smile as 2 male models in tuxedos guided her to the end of the catwalk.
"Man, she's pretty." I said out loud amidst the din.
"Now, now, let's not forget why we're here." Sarah said.
"I know, but...wow."
With the show part of the evening over, the guests scattered but many were looking for Kate, myself included.
"OK, Jim we'll need shots of her with the VIP's here." Sarah said.
"Right."
As we got near a smaller stage that had been set up I saw a man in what clearly looked like an expensive tux talking with Kate and someone else who seemed to be with the night's sponsor.
The tuxedo man looked down and saw Sarah and myself.
"Hey! There you are!" he said with a big smile "Come on up here."
"Wonderful show, Scott!" Sarah said as they hugged "But how did you get down here from New York so fast? I thought those meetings were still going on."
"Oh, us big shots are allowed a break, plus I wasn't going to let Miss Kate down." he said with oily confidence "Have you met her yet?"
"I have but her photo guy here hasn't" she said as she turned to me, smiling and obviously playing off my being starstruck at seeing her on a stage.
"Well! Let's take care of that!" he said "Kate!"
The small group of party goers standing at the bar parted and out came Ms. Upton in that same dress. Her blonde hair looked fabulous and seem to float around her as she walked over.
"Kate, this is Jim, he's the photo guy Artists Unlimited sent over." Scott said
"Hello, I'm Kate Upton." she said elegantly extending her hand which I could see had a large diamond ring on one finger.
"Great to meet you, can't wait to do photos of you."
"Well, you're not the first!" she laughed.
"And hopefully not the last." I quickly countered, making everyone laugh.
Strange how I could be a nervous wreck one minute, then a witty raconteur the next.
"How long are you here for?" she asked.
"Well, I think that's up to the powers that be here." I said looking at Sarah and Scott.
"Yes, Jim will be doing the photos at the store opening tomorrow." Scott said.
"Nice...I look forward to working with you." Kate said with a sweet smile as she went off with Sarah.
As Scott and I watched her walk away he turned to me;
"Jim, you're a rather lucky guy."
"You said it." I said with a chuckle.
