Click Click Click
Miranda walked down the sidewalk with a brisk and hurried pace. She held her gaze slightly lower than normal to keep from making eye contact with one of the hundreds of strangers walking past her in the streets of Toronto.
She knew, if she made any sort of eye contact with someone, her nerves would simply burst with the anxiety she's trying so hard to contain. She stopped at a crosswalk and clutched her bag closer to her. It was filled with hours and hours worth of work, so much time Miranda spent trying to get every detail right and thinking of back-up after back-up just in case what she planned wasn't good enough.
Miranda needed this to go well. She already blew expectations out of the water for herself when her pitch managed to move onto the planning stage. She proved to herself and her coworkers that she isn't just some newbie executive producer. She is so much more than the pack mule to push your work onto when you don't feel like doing it. However, she needs to keep this momentum going. If Miranda's idea were to fall through, then she'd be right back to where she started. And she was not willing to have that happen. She deserves respect, and she intends on getting it and keeping it. You don't get anywhere in this world without respect.
She noticed the people around her starting to walk forward, indicating the light of the crosswalk changed for them to cross the road. Miranda followed suit, going back to her brisk pace.
Miranda had barely slept the past couple days, trying to plan out what ideas she was going to pitch to the CEO. Potential hosts, locations, themes, challenges, you name it, and Miranda researched and planned for. Countless hours were put into this in such a short amount of time, this has to get green-lit. Miranda wasn't going to let all this work go to waste.
Finally, she started to slow her pace, finally arriving at the Mauve. She finally looked up, taking a glance at the restaurant. It's an incredibly luxurious restaurant, one that is known to mostly house all of the most powerful people who visit Toronto. Never in a million years would Miranda have thought she'd be eating here. For the first time this week, she felt herself relax and really just took it all in. Even though she hasn't fully made it yet, she's starting to get a taste of success.
Of course it was ruined once she saw Tony walk out of the Mauve, with Braxton in tow. Miranda tensed back up, not wanting to have to deal with him. Of all things, Tony was not something Miranda wanted to deal with.
Though looking at the two, it seemed Braxton wasn't something Tony wanted to deal with either. A small smirk wormed its way onto Miranda's face. Serves him right.
But alas, her small victory didn't last too long as Tony and Braxton started making their way in Miranda's direction. She stiffened up once more. Maybe if she moved closer to the building, she'll be able to hide behind the passing crowd. There's no way she'd be able to sneak into the restaurant since they're standing in her way.
Miranda shifted her eyes over, to see if there was a clearing in the crowd that she could make her way to the wall.
Bingo. There was a small gap between two guys passing by. She'll just squirm her way between them and over to the front wall of the restaurant building.
Miranda was just about to put her plan into motion when a hand grabbed her shoulder. "Hey girlie!"
Not expecting this, the novice executive producer jumped. She turned around as quickly as she could, only to be face to face with Tom. Standing next to him, as usual, was Jennifer.
"Oops, sorry!" Tom apologized sheepishly.
"I said not to sneak up on her." Jennifer snickered, clearly finding the small scare amusing.
Miranda relaxed, seeing who it was. "Oh, hello Tom and Jennifer. And don't worry, it's no big deal." No big deal Miranda's ass. She's on edge as it is, this certainly didn't help any.
"Whew, that's good." Tom responded, pretending to wipe sweat off his forehead. "So Miranda, are you-"
"Well, well, well look who we have here."
It took everything in Miranda not to groan in annoyance. She momentarily forgot about Tony. Glancing at Tom and Jennifer before turning around, it was clear they weren't fans of him either.
"Hi Miranda, hi Jennifer, hi Tom!" Braxton waved innocently.
"Hello Braxton." Miranda smiled at her coworker. It seemed he let his black dreads down for his and Tony's dinner. It was a rare sight to see.
"What, no hello for me?" Tony chided.
"Tony."
"What brings you two here?" Jennifer asked, looking Tony up and down suspiciously.
"Well I had made reservations for me and Doll-face over here." Tony explained, motioning towards Miranda, which made her shiver in disgust. "However, you guys decided to throw a wrench in that plan. So I came with Braxton."
"Hello!" Braxton sent an innocent wave to the three.
"Hm, well what can be done? You know the boss is a very busy man, today was the only time he would be available to discuss this upcoming project." Tom told him.
"Speaking of which, we need to go inside." Jennifer said. "Sorry to cut things short, however there is business to attend to." She grabbed Miranda's arm, and started practically dragging her into the restaurant with Tom in tow.
"Yeah, have fun with all that." Tony said, clearly not really caring. "I'll see you in the office on Monday sweet cheeks."
"Bye friends!" Braxton exclaimed.
Once the three were inside, Miranda couldn't keep her annoyance hidden. "Ugh, I can't with him."
"Trust me, you're not the only one." Jennifer told her before turning her attention to the hostess. "Hello, reservations under Pete Martin."
"He's such a pig." Tom agreed. "I can't believe the boss man likes him."
The hostess ushered the three to follow her and to take them to their table.
"Just know, you're not the only one he's acted that way with." Jennifer told Miranda. "He does it with any young woman. He did the same with me till the day I turned 35. Then he wanted nothing to do with me."
They reached their table, and started to sit down as the hostess passed out menus to the three. Tom and Jennifer sat on one side of the table, with Miranda sitting across from Tom. There was a chair to her right, and one more at the head of the table next to the empty chair and Jennifer.
"Oh great, four more years of this." Miranda sarcastically said.
"Well you shouldn't have to worry yourself too much about it hon." Tom reassured her. "Because if all goes well tonight, which I know it will, then you'll get to stick around us more and we'll protect you."
Miranda couldn't help but to give a small smile.
"Speaking of, you nervous?" Jennifer asked, raising an eyebrow.
Can't show your nerves. That won't help your case. "Not at all actually."
Tom and Jennifer turned to each other and giggled.
"Awe, look at her trying to act tough." Tom teased. He reached his arm across the table and rested his hand on top of Miranda's. "Don't worry, we know how nerve wracking this is, especially with this being your first time."
"Yeah, it may seem like a big deal, but I assure you it's not." Jennifer told Miranda. "I mean you know Pete, he's a friendly guy."
Miranda took a moment to let their words sink in. She wasn't really fooling anyone, was she? "I guess you're right. Still, this is my first time pitching something to him directly. It's somewhat hard to not be a bit nervous."
"That's partly why we're here." Tom said. "Remember, we were the ones who originally pitched this idea. If there's anything that comes up that you may not be sure of, Jen and I will be here to pitch in."
This actually really helped Miranda's nerves. She has a safe-net set up for her if she isn't able to answer something. "Thank you both. That does actually make me feel a lot better."
Jennifer smiled at her before looking past Miranda. She stood up with Tom following suit. "Mr. Martin, Maxwell. It's good to see you both."
Hearing that the CEO and Maxwell arrived, Miranda stood up as well to greet them. "Hello sir. I hope you're doing well this evening." She held out her hand for Pete to shake.
Pete was on the plumper side, but that honestly just added to his jolly charm. He was bald on the top of his head, his black hair just sitting on the sides and back of his head. His brown eyes showed nothing but warmth, and his kind smile was enough to completely wash the rest of Miranda's nerves away. While Pete was a very good businessman, and took running Fresh TV very seriously, he made sure to keep his kindness at the forefront.
The CEO took Miranda's hand and shook it. "Good evening Miranda, I hope you're doing well. Tom and Jennifer, I hope you two are doing fine as well." He made his way over to the two, giving them handshakes as well while Maxwell took his turn and shook Miranda's hand.
"You ready for this?" He asked.
For the first time since learning about this dinner, Miranda could say with confidence, "Yes, I believe I am."
Maxwell studied her for a moment before giving her a small smirk. "Very good then. I look forward to hearing what you have planned." With that, he moved on to Tom and Jen. Miranda let herself smile confidently. This is going to go well. Miranda knows it.
After a while, everyone had put in their orders, and it was time to actually start discussing plans for the show.
Pete was the first to bring it up. "So Miranda. Total Drama Island, huh?"
"Yes sir." she replied.
"I gotta say, I'm actually pretty happy to hear this idea pop up again all these years." Pete told her. "As you may know, Tom and Jen pitched the idea about 10 years ago was it?"
"That would be correct." Jennifer told him.
"Sadly things fell through. We weren't really able to get a clear concept for this show going, but the biggest thing was concerns about casting sixteen-year-olds as the contestants on an island by their lonesome."
"Yes, I understand the concern for that." Miranda told him. "That's why, I was thinking if things go well, we could cast people between the ages eighteen to twenty three. Not only are they still close enough range to capture the teen audience, but I think they're also old enough to capture audiences all the way up to forty five at the least."
"I have to agree with this." Maxwell said to his father. "Especially since in recent years, we've had a bit more trouble capturing older audiences. So not only will the show be something our normal audience would be interested in, we can also be able to bring in a new demographic."
"Well you sure have me on your side for that." Pete said. "I mean, I'd be pretty on board as long as the cast is people who are of age at least." He took a sip of his white wine before continuing. "Now, something else I wanted to ask was, do you maybe have a theme in mind for the island? We originally had the idea to just have the contestants brave the elements, and maybe make their own shelter and forage for their own food, however that was one of the concerns we had with the teens competing."
"I do have another idea in mind." Miranda explained. "I did think about using that idea, but I think it's better that we don't. I think for this type of show, the interactions between the contestants is going to be one of the most important things for the show. And if they have to put more focus into surviving, then there won't be as much drama and romance that happens."
"So what's your idea?" Tom asked, genuinely interested.
"Well, I was thinking of maybe trying to really capitalize on nostalgia. I think that is something that can really make audiences gravitate towards a show." Miranda started to take out some pictures and documents from her bag, and pass them around. "And to do that, I was thinking of having the competition take place at a summer camp on the island."
Jennifer raised an eyebrow, looking at a picture of a cabin. "Summer camp?"
"Yes. Many people went to summer camp when they were children. Most even have fond memories of such. I think having the competition take place in a summer camp will really capitalize off the nostalgia people have for them, and that will in turn endear our audience to the show even more." Miranda explained. "We could even make the challenges summer camp themed and continue the theme of nostalgia. Things like dodgeball, a talent show, camping, and whatnot."
Pete chuckled. "I think that's brilliant! I myself went to summer camp for years as a young lad, and I, myself, get nostalgic just thinking about it. Not to mention it's clear you put a lot of thought into this idea."
"Yes sir." Miranda nodded. "I wanted to be prepared for our meeting tonight."
"That's what I like to see in an executive producer." Pete grinned. "I just have one more big question. Do you maybe have a host in mind for this show? We need someone to be the face of Total Drama Island. Someone who is really experienced I think."
"I actually have a couple choices." Miranda said. She pulled out some more pictures from her bag. This time, they were of people. Four to be exact. The first one was a middle aged guy with spiked up brunette hair.
"Don Burgundy." Maxwell stated, looking at his picture.
"Yes, Don is someone I think will be especially popular with the middle aged crowd." Miranda said. "He's a pretty good host, though I think the biggest drawback to him is that he doesn't have any qualities that make him stand out as a host."
"Um… Is this a child?" Tom asked. In the picture he was holding was a young girl, no older than age twelve, with glasses and a loose brown ponytail.
Miranda got a bit sheepish. "Yes, I knew that would be the most questionable idea I thought of, but it's not without reason. That is Dana Starshine. She's recently been interested in hosting, and as the heir of Starshine Industries, I feel she could potentially get us a large sum of funding for the show."
Pete clearly wasn't a fan of this idea. "Ehh, I'm not too sure about having a kid be a host. There were issues with the contestants being sixteen, so I think the host being even younger is a no go."
The third picture held another middle aged man, this time with wind-blown black hair and a 5 o'clock shadow. "Chris McLean." Jennifer said.
"I think Chris is one of the top two choices for this project in my opinion." Miranda said. "Not only is he young enough to be a heartthrob for younger audiences, but he's old enough to where our older audiences still find him attractive as well. Not to mention he has some good credentials."
"I do think we should consider him." Maxwell said. "But first I think we should look over the final-"
"Blaineley Stacey Andrews O'Hollaran!" Pete exclaimed. "Now she's my pick."
"Any particular reason why sir?" Jennifer asked.
"Well I simply adore her work for one." the CEO said. "But she also has the credentials to back her up. I'm not sure of you all watched the Gemmies last year, but she hosted them and she was fabulous!"
"She is also a pretty big hit with both male and female audiences as well." Maxwell pointed out.
"So, I take it Blaineley is our choice for host?" Tom asked.
Pete nodded. "I definitely say we should try to get her. But just in case, I believe McLean should be a back up if we're to not get Blaineley."
"Understood."Miranda said.
Just then, the food arrived.
"Well I think that's our cue to end the discussion." Pete joked. "But seriously, great work Miranda. I really think show can be a hit."
"So does that mean-"
"Yep, as of now, I'm green-lighting Total Drama Island." Pete said. "I have a lot of faith in you and this project, so don't let me down."
Miranda beamed from ear to ear. "I won't sir. I'll do what it takes to make this show a big hit."
From next to her, Maxwell couldn't help but give a small smirk Miranda's way. It was hard to tell what the meaning behind the smirk was, but the nod of approval he gave Miranda seemed to indicate it as a proud one.
"So first thing Monday morning, I'd like you to try and get into contact with Blaineley's agent." Pete said. "I think the sooner we have our host chosen, the sooner we can get the ball rolling. If we're lucky, I think we can managed to get this as a summer release."
"Yes sir." Miranda responded. Right now, she was on cloud-9. Everything went great, and nothing could ruin this moment.
"I'm sorry, but Blaineley Stacey Andrews O'Hollaran has chosen to decline your offer to host your new show." Well that's a kick in the metaphorical balls isn't it?
"Yes, well I appreciate your time. Have a good day." Miranda said into the phone.
"You as well ma'am." The other person on the line replied before a click was heard, indicating they hung up. Miranda followed suit, and leaned back in her chair and groaned. "Just great."
"Ooh, that doesn't sound good." Tom commented. It was now Monday morning, and as soon as she could, Miranda tried getting in contact with Blaineley's agent. However, things weren't going as planned.
Tom was with Miranda in her office. He and Jennifer were tasked with helping Miranda put things together since the show was originally their idea. Jennifer currently was out though, having some other business to attend to.
"Welp, Blaineley declined our offer." Miranda told him. "So that's a bummer."
"Did they give a reason why?"
Miranda shook her head. "No. Though, admittedly, I feel Blaineley's aesthetic is more glamorous and deals with more extravagant gigs. So I think hosting an outdoorsy show turned her off."
Tom shrugged, "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."
"Sound I tell Mr. Martin about this?" Miranda asked.
"Not yet, I say call Chris first." Tom told her. "He was the second option, right?"
"Yes."
"Then see what he says. If we get him, that's still a win." Tom explained. "If you ever have to tell Pete about something going wrong, make sure you have something else to tell him that is good. It always makes you look better."
"Noted." Miranda picked up the phone once more. "I guess I'll try and get in contact with Chris."
Somewhere in Canada, Chris McLean was living his best life. He was currently chilling in a hot tub in a penthouse with some very attractive men and women hugging up on him.
"Ah things don't get better than this." He said to himself, a serene smile gracing his handsome face.
"You sure, dear brother? Because I think getting yourself a job and not mooching off of your sister sounds like it could be something better." All of a sudden, a young woman with night black hair cascaded down her back and who looked a bit like Chris walked up to him.
"Relax Marsha, I'll get opportunities flying at me left and right when the time comes." Chris told his sister.
"You said that a year ago when you first moved in!"
"Yeah, well I just needed time to myself." Chris told her, waving her off.
Then, a butler walked in, holding a phone. "It's for you sir."
"Is that so?!" Chris sent a cocky smirk towards his sister. He took the phone and held it up to his ear. "Hello?"
"Yeah this is he…" He listened to what the person on the other line was saying. "Hosting gig?... Total Drama Island?... Summer Camp?... Competition?... Hm..." He took a couple moments, seemingly thinking over what he is to say next. "Well Melissa, you can sign me up! … Yeah, whatever. I'll head over Wednesday to talk more in depth about this opportunity. See you then." With that, Chris ended the call and flung the phone over his shoulder.
He turned his attention back to his sister and gave her a shit-eating grin. "Told ya so!" Chris mocked.
In response, Marsha just shook her head in annoyance, and muttered, "Unbelievable." before walking away.
"Yup, Chris still has it." the washed up star said, leaning more into the hot tub.
Welp, there's the second prologue. So things are really starting to move forward towards the show. So if it wasn't clear by the end, there will definitely be one more prologue before the actual competition starts. I originally wanted to try and stick with two, but I think there's too much to just add onto this one, and I don't want the prologue chapters to get too long. I wanna give some credit to DarkAngelOfSorrowReturns for Marsha, and NumberOneKatieFan for Dana. They were small, little fun cameos I just wanted to add here. So moving on, starting today I'm going to start revealing the cast in my discord server. I'm going to do little cast bios for each character and I'll reveal two a day. So if you wanna see the cast before the competition starts, just pm me for the discord link. Also, I guess I'm gonna respond to reviews like I do in TF. I think it'll be a lot easier since there won't be as many reviews on average as that story XP.
Gucci Mane LaFlare: Why thank you! This is a little passion project I've been thinking of doing for a while. I hope you enjoy what else is to come!
lordgemini: Thanks for reviewing buddy! I will say for Miranda's description, I was trying to be a little subtle about it. I didn't wanna be too cliche and be like "She looked in the mirror at her brown hair and brown eyes and tan skin." However, I think I could've definitely done better at it now that you pointed it out. I'm glad you pointed out Tony and Maxwell and what they both represent for the company. That is in the ball park of what I was wanting their characters to represent. Maxwell, especially you pretty much got on the nose. Thank you so much for the review!
But yeah, that's about it for now. Hope you enjoyed the second prolouge! Until next time, have a good day! ~MG