Chapter 493: Perks

Chapter 493: Chapter 493: Perks

After the celebratory banquet in Beverly Hills came to an end, the endless series of noisy social events and boring parties in Hollywood over the past few days finally drew to a temporary close.

Irene completely set aside the tedious work of promotion and celebration for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.

Unwilling to stay in Los Angeles to deal with the endless networking and superficial pleasantries, she packed her bags and boarded a private flight to New York with Britney.

On one hand, The Devil Wears Prada was set to officially begin filming next month, and most of the movie’s urban fashion scenes, magazine office exteriors, and New York street location shots needed to be filmed on location in New York.

Irene arrived ahead of time to coordinate with the local crew members, confirm the implementation of fashion resources, verify the location filming schedule, and wrap up all early preparation work.

On the other hand, as New York was the main recording location for The Voice, the competition had already progressed to the fierce third stage of cross-team PK eliminations.

With many promising contestants remaining locally for intensive training, Irene wanted to take advantage of her free time to personally check on their status.

After all, this was a brand-new variety show she had personally created, and its success or failure directly impacted her future strategy in the television industry.

Upon arriving in New York and settling in, Irene immediately threw herself into the preparation team for The Devil Wears Prada.

For three consecutive days of closed-door meetings, she confirmed every detail: filming permits for major locations across New York, filming time slots, hair and makeup locations, extras scheduling, transport and storage solutions for high-fashion wardrobe, and refining every operational protocol.

From urban exterior shots on the streets of Manhattan to the real-life setting of Vogue magazine’s offices, to the old-fashioned apartment rented by the female lead Andy, street cafes, and subway commute scenes—all locations were thoroughly reviewed, the filming schedule was precisely locked down, and the preparations for the New York segment of filming were settled, seamlessly entering standby status for the official shoot.

Having stabilized the movie project, Irene turned all her energy toward the newcomers on The Voice.

Early in the show’s run, Irene had already noticed the difficult living conditions of newcomers in the industry.

Previous national talent shows like American Idol had been massive hits for years and created countless stars, but the showrunners and producers had always focused solely on ratings and traffic revenue, never truly considering the practical survival issues of grassroots contestants.

All contestants, regardless of family background or distance traveled, had to solve their own accommodation, rental, and commuting problems.

Rent in New York was astronomically high.

For most young contestants from ordinary or poor backgrounds who harbored musical dreams, the long-term cost of renting, intensive training, and commuting back and forth to the studio was an unbearable financial burden.

Many incredibly talented newcomers were even forced to drop out midway due to real-world financial pressure, missing their chance to pursue their dreams in vain and causing the industry to lose countless quality contestants.

Therefore, knowing how tough it was for grassroots newcomers, Irene did not fret over short-term costs.

With a wave of her hand, she rented dozens of apartments in bulk in prime apartment complexes near Disney Studio, creating an exclusive collective housing area for contestants and offering it completely free of charge to all contestants traveling from far away or facing accommodation difficulties.

After all, in Irene’s view, the cost of several hundred thousand dollars in rent was a mere drop in the bucket compared to the potential revenue after the show aired, so there was no need to cut expenses so stingily.

Yet this seemingly small act of kindness and support was unprecedented in the North American talent show industry—a massive perk that instantly sparked passionate discussions across the internet and created a huge sensation in the industry.

Looking at past talent variety shows, no producer, investor, or creator had ever been willing to pay out of their own pocket to solve the practical survival difficulties of grassroots contestants.

Capital only ever reaped hype and squeezed out value; no one was willing to back the dreams of newcomers.

Precisely because of this unique gentleness and vision, all participating contestants harbored deep, heartfelt respect and gratitude toward Irene.

In the past, contestants were mostly nervous, cautious, and walking on eggshells when meeting crew staff or investors, but when Irene appeared at the training base, walked into the apartment living area, or arrived backstage at the studio, the eyes of all contestants were bright, sincere, and filled with gratitude.

They knew that their ability to train and compete wholeheartedly without any worries, free from anxiety about rent, housing, and commuting, and able to pursue their musical dreams in peace, was all thanks to Irene’s silent support.

This gratitude had nothing to do with profit; it was simply the most genuine respect from grassroots dreamers for a benevolent mentor.

Among the many grateful contestants, Stefani Germanotta—the legendary future pop queen who would sweep the globe and stun the music industry, Lady Gaga—was equally filled with gratitude.

Many thought that because Stefani came from Manhattan’s Upper West Side, she must carry the filter of New York’s wealthy elite, free from worries about food or shelter, with a wealthy family background and a smooth path ahead; in reality, her journey of chasing dreams was far more arduous and difficult than that of most ordinary contestants.

Her parents were wealthy, but their thinking was extremely traditional and rigid.

They deeply rejected music and the arts, obstinately believing that singing was a frivolous pursuit of showing one’s face in public, and desperately hoped she would focus on a prestigious university, study fine arts, become a dignified and elegant upper-class lady, and follow the conventional steps of a perfect life defined by society.

Rebellious in her youth and passionate about music, Stefani was unwilling to let her life be tied down by her family’s narrow mindset, so she decisively dropped out of New York University during her freshman year to stubbornly chase her music dream.

This rebellion completely infuriated her conservative parents, who immediately cut off all her living expenses and allowance, cutting off financial support entirely to force her to compromise and return.

Before being successfully selected by The Voice and earning a chance on stage, Stefani, less than twenty years old, was struggling alone to survive in New York.

Homeless, without financial support, and without family help, she could only curl up in a small, dark basement to live.

During the day, she rushed around the streets of New York working as a waitress, taking odd jobs, serving tables, and working part-time, while staying up late writing songs, arranging music, and practicing singing, barely making ends meet on her meager income and gritting her teeth to persevere with her musical dream that no one believed in.

Had it not been for the collective apartment Irene rented in advance, which allowed her to escape the predicament of the basement and enjoy a clean, comfortable, quiet, and professional living and training environment, she would never have been able to throw herself wholeheartedly into the high-intensity program training and stage refinement.

Therefore, compared to other contestants, the gratitude in Stefani’s heart was even heavier and more sincere.

On this afternoon, Britney specifically brought Stefani to the reception room of the training apartment, carefully arranging this exclusive meeting.

She had long been unable to wait to officially introduce the contestant she favored the most, found most stunning, and saw the most potential in, to her good friend.

This was also the first official meeting between Irene and her legendary idol from her past life, the future music queen Lady Gaga.