On May 26th, the latest Billboard singles chart was released, completely astonishing everyone. "Numb" took the top spot, while "Baby" was number 2, with "Baby" breaking through 1 million sales for the week.
Two songs dominating the top two spots on Billboard was an unprecedented record in Billboard's history.
Major media outlets published articles, all filled with praise from various angles. Some focused on Linton's talent, some on how well the songs were written, and others praised Linton's handsome looks and good voice, declaring he would surely become a superstar.
Linton himself blushed reading them, but it was good as everyone was helping to promote Linton and his singles.
In fact, by this point, the promotional team's direct advertising efforts were less impactful; their greater role was to interact with fans in various cities, allowing Linton to meet fans up close, expand his fanbase, and increase fan loyalty.
On this day, Linton's cultivation broke through to Qi Level 4.
On May 29th, the promotional team, exhausted after visiting 50 cities, returned to Universal Records in Los Angeles. Daniel organized a brief summary meeting, and the promotional team disbanded, with everyone returning home.
Linton, however, was scheduled to attend the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts graduation ceremony on May 30th and 31st to receive his degree.
After the meeting, Linton couldn't leave; Daniel kept him behind.
"Linton, we must shoot the MV for 'Believer' as soon as possible to coordinate with the song's release. 'Believer' is set to be released on June 11th, so time is very tight.
You'll be back at school tomorrow for the graduation ceremony, but don't waste time there, okay? Get your diploma and come back as soon as possible to shoot the MV. I already arranged for Carson and Zach to prepare for recording the 'Believer' MV; we're just waiting for you."
"No problem, don't worry. Right now, everything is focused on the song's release," Linton promised.
This time, since there were no dance scenes, a dance choreographer wasn't needed. All preparatory work was done, and Zach had already discussed the main tone of the MV with Linton over the phone.
According to Linton's request, "Believer" is an inspiring and passionate song. It expresses the idea of being true to oneself and bravely pursuing dreams; no matter if the path ahead is filled with thorns or a bottomless abyss, it cannot stop his pursuit of dreams.
The MV for this song will mainly showcase various passionate scenes, such as Linton participating in high-octane sports, vibrant cityscapes, and even car chase scenes referencing blockbuster movies, showing Linton driving heavy motorcycles, cool sports cars, and so on.
Additionally, Linton's singing scenes can be interspersed throughout, aiming for a cinematic quality. In short, the MV should make the audience feel excited; it doesn't need a female lead, or even many extras, but the overall shooting and editing are still challenging. Starting on the 1st, completing it in 9 days will be quite tight.
Daniel called Carson, Zach, and Linton for a meeting, solemnly emphasizing that the MV for "Believer" must be completed by June 9th and sent to MTV in New York on June 10th for broadcast at 6 PM, with absolutely no delays.
Furthermore, Daniel also gave Linton some good news: both singles, "Baby" and "Numb," had already begun overseas distribution. Last week, they were released in Canada, Mexico, Australia, Japan, South Korea, major European countries, and South America, with other countries to follow.
The company allocated a 2 million USD overseas promotional budget for each song. From current sales, the momentum is very strong, both songs are very popular, and Linton's personal image is also well-liked by overseas fans. According to incomplete statistics, overseas sales for both songs have already exceeded 500,000.
The three-person production leadership team was re-established. Zach first introduced the crew's preparation status, stating that all preparatory work was in place, just waiting for Linton, the protagonist.
This MV will be shot according to Linton's requirements. All filming will take place in Universal's studios, and to ensure a cinematic quality, film cameras will be used for shooting.
All exterior footage has already been shot in advance and will be edited and composited later. After the group reviewed the filming details, they agreed to officially start shooting at 9 AM on June 1st.
On the 30th, Linton returned to the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. The campus was festively decorated, filled with laughter and joy, showing no signs of farewell sadness.
Linton had intended to discreetly follow the school's procedure to receive his diploma and leave, but as soon as he returned, he was surrounded by enthusiastic classmates and alumni. Regardless of prior acquaintance, everyone became good friends, and Linton fulfilled all requests for photos and autographs.
However, the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts is indeed an excellent platform for all its students. The vast majority of past graduates from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts have gone on to work in Hollywood.
Due to its proximity to Hollywood, the teaching style of the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts is deeply influenced by Hollywood, leaning more towards commercial aspects but not excluding art.
Graduates of the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts have also won far more Oscars than those from other schools.
There are also many famous alumni, such as George Lucas, Kevin Spacey, Kevin Costner, Chris Rock, Ron Howard, Robert Zemeckis, and so on.
The programs offered by the school are primarily focused on behind-the-scenes production, with no acting major. Therefore, most famous alumni are producers, directors, or behind-the-scenes creators, with few film and television stars.
It was necessary to establish connections with these alumni. Furthermore, his next goal was to make movies, and through them, it would be easy to assemble a good behind-the-scenes crew and production team. Linton secretly kept this task in mind.
When visiting his mentor, Johnson, the professor was very proud of his recent achievements, but slightly regretted that Linton's current fame was in singing, not filmmaking.
However, Johnson was very open-minded and didn't dwell on it. He even said he would invite him to the next alumni gathering and introduce him to the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts Alumni Association.
It should be known that most members of the alumni association are members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which, to put it plainly, are Oscar judges.
Joining the alumni association meant having a group of natural allies in the film and television industry, which would be greatly beneficial for his future career in film and television.
This deeply moved Linton, making him feel that he should do something for the school. After careful consideration, he decided that donating a sum of money to the school at the next alumni gathering would be more appropriate.
As for now, he hadn't graduated yet, so a donation wasn't suitable. Although his singles sold very well, Universal hadn't settled his royalties yet, so he didn't have the money to donate even if he wanted to. He couldn't just write an IOU, could he?
In two days, he smoothly completed the process, received his degree certificate, deepened his relationship with several teachers, attended a few parties, and initially established connections within the school. During this time, Connie came to Linton again, hoping to reconcile, but Linton ignored her.