America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 204 Public Opinion Focus

Not only did Thomas represent Martin in reaching an agreement with LAPD, but WarnerMedia also reached an agreement with LAPD.

All the TV stations were reporting on the news like crazy, but only WarnerMedia had exclusive recordings.

The footage shot by Helen did not contain any content that the LAPD found unacceptable. In order to boost ratings and generate buzz, the video was deliberately cut into several segments and broadcast on television news at different times.

WarnerMedia is utterly insane.

Helen, who personally hosted the program, found the perfect excuse and reason: the DV camera was damaged due to the hasty escape, and technicians were working overnight to repair the storage disk.

WarnerMedia ran this commentary on their 6 p.m. news headline: "Los Angeles hero: Martin Davis!"

The video being played was of Martin rescuing people at the convenience store.

Helen, thanks to her on-site video recording, personally hosted the news report, and her voice choked up several times when she mentioned Martin.

"I don't know how to thank him enough. A person who bravely stood up in the face of a gun deserves the title of hero. He saved sixteen people, including me!"

There's no need to exaggerate, because the video Helen filmed speaks for itself!

All four major television networks followed suit, with various news channels broadcasting the story on a loop.

Before leaving the scene, Martin made a point of appearing in front of the media reporters and letting them take photos of him covered in blood.

Now, each of his on-site photos can sell for tens of thousands of dollars.

Martin Davis's name spread rapidly throughout North America thanks to the media frenzy.

Many European media outlets, such as the BBC and Sky News, immediately reprinted the news. Videos and images of Martin during the shooting spread beyond North America and also caused a great stir in Europe.

Martin had contact with Helen, and several related videos appeared on the internet that night.

From fleeing in panic when attacked by gunmen to fighting back desperately when faced with a dead end.

The most widely circulated version is the one where, after escaping danger, Martin picks up his gun from the ground, rushes out of the convenience store, and turns back to say, "My brother's outside!"

The comments on the internet can only be described as crazy.

"Those words made me cry!"

"I'd want to be brothers like that too!"

"Because of that, I will never speak ill of Martin in my life!"

Martin Davis's name topped the Google trending search terms that very night.

Countless netizens flooded Martin's blog with comments.

"I saw the video on the news. Although I don't like your movie, you really are a hero!"

"I used to think that 'The Hills Have Eyes' beating up a psychopathic killer was just cinematic exaggeration, but now I know it's a true reflection of you!"

"Martin is a true hero!"

The same comments appeared thousands of times in the blog section, and by around 10 p.m., the number had exceeded 50,000.

Some of the cheerleaders who survived were interviewed as they left the school.

NBC aired an interview with an ordinary girl.

"We all thought we were going to die. My classmate next to me was so scared she peed her pants." The girl, with her coat wrapped around her waist, said something typical of my classmate: "It was Martin who stepped forward! He risked his life to hide behind the counter by the door, the closest point to the gunman, and subdued him without regard for his own safety. When I peeked, I saw him smash a can of Coke over the gunman's head..."

Meanwhile, at NBC News, the channel manager held an emergency meeting in his office, yelling at his team, "I need Martin Davis's detailed information! Also, contact him and get him on our show—not some damn entertainment show, I want him on the most important news program, the most serious news program!"

CNN, headquartered in Atlanta, even called Kelly Gray to invite Martin to an interview.

ABC mobilized its resources overnight and called Ali Emmanuel of WAM.

Ali had already communicated with Thomas. Martin's exposure was already at its peak, so he didn't need to appear on any shows. Intentionally participating in some shows might even have the opposite effect, so he simply turned them down.

Moreover, there will definitely be an official press conference from the Los Angeles authorities later.

At 10 p.m. in Los Angeles, WarnerMedia’s evening news viewership reached a new peak, with tens of millions of viewers across the United States glued to their televisions, waiting for the latest footage of the shooting.

This is a scene where Martin and his two companions are cornered against a wall.

Since both sides reached an agreement with the LAPD, the news narrative became that Martin and his team were waiting for the LAPD to come to their rescue, in order to help the LAPD distract the gunman.

Martin performed the entire show.

"Because I am the leader of the Cola Cult, I can control cola to launch attacks!"

These words spread throughout the United States via television programs.

Considering that Martin used a glass bottle of Coca-Cola to blow another gunman's head off, the leader of the Coca-Cola Cult truly lives up to his name.

The news video was quickly forwarded online, spreading rapidly like a virus.

The reputation of the Cola Cult was established on the Internet in just one hour.

Although Martin has maintained online silence to avoid being misinterpreted, it hasn't stopped enthusiastic netizens from coming to worship the "guru".

How can I join the Cola Cult?

At first, he asked tentatively, but later he simply took the initiative to join the religion.

"Master, please accept me into your cult!"

"I want to join the Cola Cult!"

"I'm begging to join the cult!"

Some were even more ambitious: "Are there any positions left for the vice-leader or high priest? Could you reserve one for me?"

…………

Because of the time difference, it's still early morning in Los Angeles, while people in Atlanta are already at work.

At Coca-Cola headquarters, Marketing Director Brody had just arrived at work when his subordinate Justin knocked on the door and entered his office.

"Boss, big news!" Justin said, holding a USB drive. "Look at this, there's been a shooting in Los Angeles."

Brody picked up the USB drive and plugged it into a laptop: "I heard that Burbank High School suffered heavy casualties."

Justin said, "Martin Davis, the Hollywood star who came from Atlanta, saved more than a dozen people. He was amazing. He took down the gunman with our Coca-Cola."

Brody responded quickly: "Really? Could we do something about that in the marketing?"

Justin added, "And then there's Martin Davis, who claims to have founded a Coca-Cola cult and calls himself its leader..."

Brody had already started watching the video. There were two videos in total. One showed Martin Davis using a bottle of Coca-Cola to knock down the assailant, and the other showed Martin using a so-called Coca-Cola cult to distract another assailant.

The more he looked at his face, the more interesting it seemed. Was there really such a thing as a "Cola Cult"?

After Justin waited until his superiors finished reading it, he said, "The online reaction is explosive."

Brody opened his browser, and on the Google search page, three of the top five trending keywords were related to yesterday's shooting. The top two were Martin Davis and Burbank High School.

The Cola Cult ranked fifth!

Brody clicked on the relevant entries and saw many web pages filled with comments from netizens clamoring to join the Coca-Cola Cult. He couldn't help but ask, "Is there really a Coca-Cola Cult? Or did Martin Davis just say it offhand?"

"I'm not too sure about that yet." Justin recalled something a friend had mentioned: "Since last year, there's been a rumor in the Atlanta beverage industry that some guy who calls himself the 'Cola High Priest' is buying up Coca-Cola produced in 03 everywhere."

Brody was baffled: "Why would we buy Coca-Cola from 03? It's expired by now."

He shook his head and got back to the point: "You showed me all this because of the spokesperson thing?"

Justin said, "He is one of the best young stars under 25 in Hollywood, with his films as the lead actor grossing over $100 million in North America. Last week, Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio announced that he would be the second lead in their new film, The Departed."

He then pointed to the USB drive: "And these too. Among young Hollywood actors, who is more suitable to be our spokesperson than him?"

Brody shared a similar view, and Coca-Cola gained significant exposure alongside the video of Martin subduing the assailant.

The leader of the Cola Cult and Coca-Cola are a perfect match!

Justin continued, "Martin Davis is from the birthplace of Coca-Cola! Just think of all the things we can do in the GG campaign!"

Brody thought for a moment and said, "You are in charge of collecting information related to Martin Davis. At the meeting, I will propose that Martin Davis be the new Coca-Cola spokesperson. With this matter gaining traction, the chances of it being approved are very high. Your team should also prepare for the relevant negotiations."

Justin replied, "Boss, I'll take care of it."

At the subsequent meeting, a preliminary decision was made to contact Martin Davis and invite him to be Coca-Cola's new spokesperson with almost no resistance.

…………

After a night of development, the next day, the front pages of the three major North American newspapers—the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and the Washington Post—were all filled with reports on the Burbank High School incident.

The authorities are deliberately controlling public opinion; the most prominent positions in the newspapers are filled with large close-ups of Martin saving people!

Mainstream media reports all used small print to describe sensitive points such as the number of casualties, and highlighted Martin's heroic rescue in bold and black font.

This is the most common news reporting technique used for tragedies.

The Los Angeles Times' headline was concise: "Los Angeles City Hero: Martin Davis!"

"Martin Davis, he deserves to be called a hero more than any hero in a Hollywood movie!" This is the headline of the New York Times.

The Washington Post went even further: "Yesterday, Martin Davis was the spiritual icon of America!"

WarnerMedia's news channel launched a special report on the shooting early in the morning, making Helen, the eyewitness, an internet sensation. She and another guest discussed why Martin was able to defeat the assailant.

"Every shooting incident results in innocent people falling, and Burbank High School is no exception, but this time someone stepped forward, and his identity is surprising: Martin Davis, a Hollywood star."

"He happened to be there because of the movie promotion. At the beginning of the incident, he panicked like an ordinary person. While running away, he did not forget to remind others to run for their lives. When he was cornered by the gunman and everyone else was waiting for their fate, Martin stood up."

The morning news received extremely high ratings because of the shooting and Helen.

Helen specifically stated, "Martin is preparing to star in an action-packed gunfight film adapted from the comic book 'Wanted.' To better portray the male lead, he underwent extensive action and firearms training. It was precisely this rigorous training that allowed Martin to unleash his full potential in a desperate situation and subdue the criminal in one fell swoop!"

Countless people remembered the wanted poster.

(End of this chapter)