Chapter 240: Focus on "People with ALS"

Chapter 240: Chapter 240: Focus on "People with ALS"

(Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)

Irene, Mark, and Chen Shiyu had a hearty meal at a small shop in Brooklyn. The aroma of smoked beef and the refreshing taste of ice-cold Coke chased away all their fatigue.

Afterward, the three drove to downtown New York and checked into a boutique hotel with a wide view.

Manhattan was brilliant with lights in the night. Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of her guest room, Irene looked at the endless stream of traffic below, her mind already calculating the subsequent layout.

From the moment she wanted to take down Facebook, a series of promotional activities had already formed a plan in her mind.

Perhaps no one understood better than she did just how much influence Facebook could exert in the future.

Early the next morning, the three arrived at the law firm on time and solemnly signed their names on the letter of intent with the adjusted share ratios.

The moment the tip of the pen touched the paper, Irene breathed a sigh of relief. This investment cooperation she had planned for a long time had finally settled.

Mark and Chen Shiyu had to stay in New York to handle matters like company registration and hiring, so Irene took the signed documents and boarded a flight back to Los Angeles alone.

When the plane landed at Los Angeles International Airport, the sunlight was just right.

As soon as Irene walked out of the terminal, she dialed Vera’s number:

"Vera, drop everything you’re doing right now and help me look into something. Look into Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Find hospitals in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas that treat a large number of young patients, or related non-profit organizations. Organize their contact information and patient situations and send them to me."

On the other end of the phone, Vera was full of doubts. The boss had been busy with movies and social platforms lately. Why the sudden interest in a rare disease? But years of rapport meant she didn’t ask much and immediately responded readily: "Alright, boss. I’ll look into it right now and give you the results by the end of the day."

After hanging up on Vera, Irene didn’t stop and dialed Shelly’s number. "Shelly, I have a question. Does Britney have any schedule arrangements lately? If her schedule is open, I have an event I’d like to invite her to participate in."

A slight sound of flipping through a schedule came from Shelly’s side. A moment later, he gave a response:

"Britney is mainly preparing for her tour in the second half of the year and selecting songs for her new album during this period. Nothing special besides the fixed twice-weekly studio work and a few fashion magazine inner-page photo shoots.

There are no large-scale public events for the time being, so her overall schedule is relatively loose. Why? Do you have a project you want to invite her to collaborate on?"

"There is indeed a suitable opportunity." Irene smiled, her tone full of confidence.

"You know that Britney’s public image suffered quite a bit due to some personal turmoil previously. Although the song ’Roar’ brought her a lot of positive energy, it’s far from enough.

Didn’t you ask me before about finding a positive, heartwarming activity to reverse the negative impression from the outside? Now, I happen to have a public welfare event here that is particularly suitable for her."

"Tell me about it?"

"The core of this event is to raise treatment funds and rehabilitation equipment for People with ALS. As the most popular pop superstar today, Britney’s fan base covers all age groups, especially young people. We can plan to have a loyal fan of Britney appear among the People with ALS.

This fan should ideally be female, have been ill for many years, come from a poor family, and is still living strongly and optimistically despite being bedridden every day.

Furthermore, she writes a letter to Britney every month, and in the process of replying to her one after another, Britney learns about her situation and decides to help this poor fan, thus wanting to call on the masses for donations."

Shelly exclaimed after listening: "No wonder you can be a director. This idea is truly unexpected."

’That’s because you’ve seen too little,’ Irene thought. In later generations, such news was a great opportunity for celebrities to show off, and such patient groups were opportunities that many artists would fight over.

"After you find someone to film the process of Britney visiting the fan, have the newspapers help promote it together. At the right time, I will collaborate with Facebook to have Britney launch a nationwide activity. Not only can it raise funds for the patients, but it can also build momentum for Britney and promote my platform along the way."

"Facebook?" Shelly’s voice was tinged with obvious doubt, interrupting her. "What is that? Is it a new film and television project, or the name of some public welfare organization? I haven’t heard of it before."

Irene explained with a smile: "Neither. It’s a social networking platform I just invested in. It’s a bit like an online social circle where users can share their lives, add friends, and chat about topics.

It’s going to be officially launched very soon. In the future, all of Britney’s activities can be presented to the public through this platform, and the efficiency will be much higher than you looking for reporters or whatever."

"So that’s how it is." Shelly’s tone instantly brightened. "Then this cooperation is indeed interesting."

"Of course," Irene continued. "If she comes to represent it, on one hand, she can use her influence to bring more attention to the niche group of People with ALS and pass on positive energy through practical actions.

This will be much more effective for her to get rid of the ’controversial artist’ label and establish a kind and approachable public image than a simple PR statement.

On the other hand, her traffic can also bring enough attention to the event, while pre-heating the upcoming Facebook launch and the movie in preparation. It’s a win-win cooperation that kills three birds with one stone."

She added: "And the event process won’t be complicated. It’ll mainly be a donation ceremony, simple interaction and chatting with the patients, and then taking a few sets of promotional photos and short videos.

The whole process will take about two hours and won’t take up too much of her time or make her feel tired. What do you think?"

Shelly immediately understood the logic behind it and said hurriedly: "I think this event is very good! I will organize people to complete the proposal as soon as possible and try to start this public welfare event before her tour in the second half of the year begins."

"Thank you for your hard work." Irene added, "Don’t make the event process complicated. It’s mainly about the donation ceremony and interaction with the patients. Just keep it natural to avoid giving people the impression of it being a show. Also, have her prepare a set of simple and elegant clothing—not too flashy—just to highlight her approachability."

"Understood, I will coordinate with them," Shelly replied.

Vera’s efficiency had always been reassuring. In just one short day, a detailed investigation report lay steadily in Irene’s email inbox.

Opening the email attachment revealed a clearly organized Excel spreadsheet, densely listing five hospitals in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas that treated a large number of People with ALS.

It not only noted the hospital’s grade, specialist strength, and total number of patients but also specifically highlighted the proportion of young patients and the provision of rehabilitation facilities in red font, even attaching the contact person and phone number for the hospital’s public welfare department.

Irene sat on the sofa in the studio, quickly flipping through her laptop.

She focused on the age distribution and disease stages of the young patients, as well as whether the hospitals had the venue conditions to hold small-scale public welfare events.

After a moment, she closed the file and forwarded the information directly to Shelly, attaching a text message: "The information has been sent. Have your team focus on screening. Prioritize hospitals where the patient age is concentrated between 16-25 and where family cooperation is high.

Then pick 3-5 patient representatives with a positive image who are willing to appear on camera for interaction. Don’t be too deliberately sensational. Keep it real and natural. Give me the screening results before this week. I need to finalize the cooperation details with the hospital."