Clickbait (Off the Record Book 1)

by Garett Groves

  “I’m glad we’re on the same page with that,” I said, though I was unconvinced we were. “But I’m not sure we’re on the same page in terms of what I’m doing here. We’re not exactly a natural fit, you know?” I asked and Lee smirked.

  “Whatever you might think NewSpin is, we’re not.”

  “OK, then why should I come and work here? Because I’m honestly having trouble seeing the connection. Also, I kinda roasted you guys.”

  “Water under the bridge, Jeff. Besides, I don’t need to sell you. You’re already sold. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here,” Lee said and I laughed because he was right.

  “What do you have in mind? Seriously, Lee, level with me. What’s your angle here?”

  “Jeff, my friend, there’s no story, no dirt. I really just want to put your talent to good use and I think your fearless, arguably reckless voice might go a long way in changing things around here.”

  “Changing things around here?”

  “You think I’m happy with the stuff we’re putting out? Look, our corporate overlords saw an opportunity to make money so they ran with it and now they’ve created this runaway Frankenstein of a news company. I’m as unhappy about it as you are.”

  “But you’re still taking their money.”

  “Hey, you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do. Good jobs are hard to come by in this industry these days if you’re not a young’un like Chase. So no, I don’t have any moral qualms about working here, if that’s what you’re implying. But we can change all of that.”

  “You make it sound so easy. Somehow I find it hard to believe that your so-called corporate overlords are going to be OK with you hiring a revolutionary like me to turn this place around.”

  “That’s all been taken care of already.”

  “So that’s it, then? You bring me on, we do some real journalism, and that’s it? No strings? No small print?”

  “That’s seriously it. Hiring you is an investment both in you and in the future of NewSpin. And you know what they say about investing: buy low and sell high. So, I’m buying you while you’re at your 52-week low.”

  “There’s nothing more uplifting than being compared to a garbage stock.”

  “Garbage? No, not at all. Toxic? Maybe for a little while, but you’ll bounce back. All good stocks do,” Lee said, still smiling.

  “You say that like you can afford me even at my lowest.”

  “We definitely can’t afford to pay you what you were making at GNN, I won’t lie about that.”

  “Not many places could.”

  “But this could be a good place for you to start over and rebuild your image. You and I both know it’s in need of some work.”

  “No shit,” I sighed. “Alright then, what can you offer me?” I asked. I couldn’t believe I was interested, but what other choice did I have? Lee was handing me a lifeline, and I’d be the dumbest dick in the world if I didn’t at least consider it.

  “We can bring you on as a staff reporter at one hundred thousand for the first year with room to negotiate if you finish out your contract,” Lee said and it took everything I had not to burst out laughing. A hundred grand. That was less than a tenth of what I was making at GNN.

  “Look, I know it’s not a lot, and probably way less than you were expecting, but it’s almost as much as I’m making and it’s definitely the most we’ve ever paid a new hire,” he continued, his voice hurried. As much as I wanted to get up and walk out, I figured I could at least humor the rest of his speech.

  “There’s also real opportunity for growth here for you to think about before you laugh your way out of my office. You won’t be a reporter for long. Sure, you’ll have to do the kind of grunt and beat work you probably haven’t had to do for years, but it’ll be over before you know it. There are big developments on NewSpin’s horizon. I can’t really go into details, but what I can say is that the President and the rest of the higher ups are very excited about what we’ve got in the pipeline.”

  “And who is the President?” I asked, wondering if I might be able to appeal directly to them for a better gig. I didn’t know anything about NewSpin or their organizational structure and if I was going to consider working for them—keyword: if—I needed to know more about them.

  “Wade Barrett. He’s the President of NewsAmp, our parent company,” he said and a light went on in my head. I knew that name. It was one often bandied about during my days at GNN, though I never paid much attention to it. But it came back to me slowly. I seemed to remember that Wade used to have a position high up at GNN but he’d been headhunted.

  So, NewSpin really was trying to directly compete with GNN, or at least it sounded like it, and it also sounded like Wade was leading the charge on that front. That alone made the offer more appealing. If I could get back at them, even a tiny bit, for throwing me under the bus, that might make all of this worth it. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, I thought.

  I eyed Lee for a moment, weighing it in my head. I didn’t really have much of a choice and given that NewSpin was still so new there was no doubt I’d be able to make my mark on the company, maybe even clean up the level of crap they’d been putting out—though I was skeptical how much of that Lee really wanted to do.

  Money always trumps morals in business, and there was definitely more money to be made in the kind of fluff journalism NewSpin was known for. So this gig definitely wouldn’t be the most glamorous in the world, but there was no doubt I’d have more influence here at the ground level than I ever could’ve had at GNN. NewSpin was still young, still spry, still open to new ideas, whereas GNN was established and about as immovable as the giant building that housed the company. And with Wade at the helm...

  “So, what do you say?” Lee asked, snapping me back.

  “What else can I say?” I asked and Lee slammed his hands against the desk before jumping up out of his chair.

  “You’re a good man, Jeff. We’re gonna do great things together, just you wait. Can you start on Monday?”

  “It’s not like I have anywhere else to be,” I said and Lee smiled.

  “Good point. Alright, be here at 7. We’ll give you the grand tour, introduce you to some people, break the news to the rest of the staff—like they don’t already know. Look at them, they’re all trying to pretend like they aren’t watching every little thing going on in here.” Sure enough, when I turned around in my seat I found a staggering amount of eyes darting back to their computer screens.

  “Do you blame them? They’re probably scared,” I said.

  “Why would they be?”

  “They’re threatened by me. I’d be scared too if I were them. It’s not every day a big name like me walks through the doors looking for a job.”

  “Let me stop you there. You’re no longer a big fish, Jeff. You’re a minnow and if you aren’t careful, one of these big fish might swallow you whole,” Lee said with a smirk as he nodded to the dozens of people in his newsroom. “You might not agree with what they’re writing, but they’re all good. They wouldn’t be here if they weren’t.”

  “Don’t worry. Before they know it, I’ll be their role model.”

  “He’s out of the country on assignment now, but once he’s back you’d better not ever let Cameron hear that.”

  “Cameron who?”

  “Oh, come on, I knew you were old school, Jeff, but you seriously don’t know who Cameron Edwards is? He’s our star reporter!” he said and I chuckled.

  “He won’t be for long,” I said and I meant it.

  4

  Kile

  I couldn’t keep myself from watching the footage of Taylor’s press conference. Every major news outlet was broadcasting some form of it, and each of them seemed to love showing the horrified look on Taylor’s face as we shook hands and the cameras flashed away. It was beautiful, probably some of my best work yet.

  “How long are you gonna watch this crap?” Nate asked from across the table, his face buried in his laptop, as usual.


  “It never gets old.”

  “Maybe not for you,” he said. “But if I have to hear one more talking head go on about this I think I might scream.”

  “Fine, be a spoilsport,” I said and picked up the remote from the table to turn off all six TV screens we had in the office.

  “Why did you do that, anyway?”

  “Oh, come on, I’ve already got Joel breathing down my neck. Don’t you start with me too,” I said.

  “Hey, I’m not against it. It definitely seems to have paid off for you. I just don’t really understand what possessed you to do it.”

  “It kept the focus on me and it’s sent our traffic through the roof. It also humiliated Taylor, which is always a plus,” I said and Nate laughed.

  “Are those the only reasons?”

  “What are you trying to say?” I asked and Nate raised his eyebrows at me.

  “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were just trying to see Taylor again.”

  “Oh, please! You think I’m interested in Taylor? I might love sex but even I have standards, Nate,” I said and Nate laughed.

  “Sure, whatever you say.”

  “OK, fine. He’s good looking in a well-weathered sort of way and, if I’m being honest, if he were a rose by any other name I might consider going home with him after a few drinks.”

  “Nailed it,” Nate said. “Maybe I should leave you two alone for a bit? Let you really get to know each other?”

  “That’s a fantastic idea, actually. You’re getting on my nerves.”

  “The truth has a way of doing that, doesn’t it?”

  “Get out,” I barked, waving him away.

  “Kile and Jeff, sittin’ in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”

  “What the hell are you, five years old? Go away,” I said and he thankfully left the room.

  “Kile?” Joel called from the computer lab.

  “I’m in here,” I called back. “What do you want?”

  “There’s someone on the line who wants to talk to you,” Joel said.

  “This better be good, I’m busy.”

  “Trust me, you want to take this one,” Joel said as he stepped into the room and sat down beside me in one of the empty rolling chairs.

  “Who is it?”

  “Lee Noble. From NewSpin,” Joel said and I turned to stare at him.

  “You’re joking.”

  “Definitely not joking. He said he wants to talk partnership,” Joel said and I snatched the phone out of his hand to hold it to my ear without another word.

  “Lee, so great to finally connect,” I said into the phone, instantly transitioning into my TV personality.

  “Likewise, Mr. Avery.”

  “Please, call me Kile. So, I take it you liked what you saw?”

  “That’s putting it lightly. I’m sure you’ve seen the coverage since; it’s been incredible.”

  “Really? No, I hadn’t heard,” I lied. No sense in making myself look like an attention seeker. “That’s great news, though. I really hope the rest of the media comes around for Jeff. I don’t think he’s a bad guy, not really.”

  “Neither do I, so I was glad to see you come to his defense. If anyone can help him play this down, it’s you.”

  “I’m just glad I could be of help,” I said.

  “So, listen, Kile… Some funds have opened up and based on recent events, NewSpin would really like to work with you.”

  “Wow, OK. I’m surprised to hear that, but I’m all ears,” I said. I hoped my stunt at Taylor’s press conference might lead to a bigger opportunity, but I could never have guessed NewSpin of all companies would come calling. It was perfect. Their audience had so much in common with The Flame’s and since they were a growing company, I knew I could really shake things up with them like I’d always wanted to. My talent, combined with their reach and influence on social media, would make anything we did together an instant success—and make lots of money, to boot.

  “How would you feel about shooting a documentary mini-series with us?” Lee asked and I laughed, not sure I’d heard him correctly.

  “On what?”

  “On you, of course.”

  “Lee, I’m flattered, but I don’t really see the appeal. What does a mini-series on Kile Avery have to do with the news?”

  “You’re a news figure, at least in an indirect way. You comment on current events and all kinds of other things on The Flame. There’s definitely crossover potential there. And come on, you don’t mean to tell me you don’t know that most of what we report on isn’t really news.”

  “I’m glad you said it. Still, I get the sense you’re not telling me the whole truth. Is there some sort of growth going on at NewSpin I need to be aware of before I agree to any of this?”

  “NewSpin is constantly growing.”

  “That was great spin, but you’re speaking to the master. Are you trying to expand into something a little more, shall I say, traditional in news media?”

  “I plead the fifth,” Lee said and I chuckled. “I can’t comment on anything like that right now. What I can say, however, is that we’re very interested in exploring a new medium with you,” he continued. “It’s 2015 and this is a whole new frontier. No one has ever done something like this before. I know you’re a bleeding-edge kind of guy so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for us to come together and create something great,” he said.

  This is insane, I thought, shaking my head in pleased disbelief. This was the sort of opportunity I’d been dreaming of since I started posting videos online. At the time, The Flame wasn’t even an idea I’d conceived of yet and I could never have guessed I’d one day be on the fast track to my own show on a major player’s network, but here was the editor-in-chief of one of the biggest online outlets offering me a massive platform and a massive audience boost. I couldn’t say no but I also couldn’t say yes without more details.

  “What exactly would the documentary consist of?”

  “Well, of course, we’d explore your background and your rise to stardom, an origin story sort of thing, but we’re actually more interested in your day-to-day life now as a disrupter in the industry. You’ve got quite the reputation for being unorthodox, as does NewSpin, and I’m sure your followers and our audience would love a behind-the-scenes look into your process,” Lee said.

  “Speaking of behind the scenes… What kind of access are you looking for?”

  “All access.”

  “Wait, almost like a reality TV kind of thing?”

  “Something like that, yeah,” Lee said and instantly my interest waned.

  “I’m not sure I like the idea of becoming the next Jersey Shore.”

  “It wouldn’t be that kind of a reality show. Think of it more like an exposé wherein we tell the story of Kile Avery, then and now. It wouldn’t be live, and of course we can edit out anything you’d like us to while filming. In other words, you set the rules and we’ll follow.”

  “Just the way I like it,” I said and Lee chuckled. “Do you have a reporter assigned to the project? Will I be allowed to choose that too?”

  “We don’t have anyone lined up yet, but I have a few of our people in mind. We need to keep control over that part of the project, just so we know we’re getting quality work and don’t have to spend a ton of time vetting an outsider. So, what do you say?”

  “I like what I’ve heard so far but what about my team? Should I remove myself from The Flame while we’re filming?”

  “No, of course not. We’re telling the story of The Flame just as much as we’re telling yours so you can keep doing whatever it is you do with The Flame as long as you don’t mind the cameras being there from time to time. I know sometimes it’s important to keep some stuff you’re working on off the grid so of course we’d respect that.”

  “What’s the production schedule looking like?”

  “We’re still ironing out the dates, but it’s probably going to be about three weeks’ worth of filming and a week o
r two for post-production. We’re aiming for a release on February 7th and we’re toying with the idea of throwing a big premiere party for that day, too. Can you commit to all of that?”

  “I think so. I have some other things cooking, but I can reschedule.”

  “You don’t have to. You could include that stuff as part of the series if it makes sense to. I think this could do wonderful things for you and The Flame. As I’m sure you know, there are a lot of people out there who don’t particularly care for your brand. Personally, I admire what you’re doing and I think this could be a good opportunity to show the world a side of you they might not know you have,” he said and I found myself nodding along with him. I couldn’t poke any holes in Lee’s pitch, as much as I tried to. It looked like a golden opportunity really had fallen into my lap.

  “Alright. I’m in,” I said, not believing the words as they came out of my mouth. “When do we start?”

  “Excellent. We’ll most likely start with an introductory interview between you and one of our reporters but we need to find one first. I’ll follow up with you as soon as we finalize all of that so we can talk timing. Are you free at all next week for that? Maybe on Monday if I can line someone up in time?”

  “Of course.”

  “Perfect. I’m looking forward to it.”

  “So am I. Thanks a lot, Lee. Talk soon,” I said and clicked off the line. The silence of the room echoed around me, barely keeping me rooted to the ground as my head spun. The Flame and I were getting a show dedicated to us. Produced and distributed by NewSpin. This day kept getting better and better.

  “Did I really just hear what I think I heard?” Joel asked, his eyes wide.

  “You sure did. You’re looking at America’s next superstar. Still think it was a bad idea for me to have gone to Taylor’s press conference?” I asked and Joel shook his head slowly. “See, there’s a method to my madness, too.”