Free Branching Out by Kerstin March Page A

Media’s community affairs efforts with proceeds helping to further Great Lakes conservation. Chambers Media planned to release Ryan’s work at Chicago’s annual film festival in mid-October.
    Ryan had been transparent about his travel schedule and the hours spent at the office working through the logistics, research, and content for the project, but he had purposefully kept the story line hidden from Shelby. He wanted to wait until she could see it in its entirety, completed and perfect. In honoring her grandfather’s name and spotlighting a part of the country that she loved most, he hoped to make her proud.
    As Ryan scrolled his thumb over the phone screen to read Cullie’s message, his jaw tightened while reading the news. He then powered off the device and set it facedown on the table.
    â€œRyan?”
    Ryan leaned forward in his chair, his elbows resting on his knees, shaking his head. “I can’t believe this,” he said. His father must have known. Why wouldn’t he have said something to Ryan when they saw each other at the wedding? He must have known.
    â€œWhat is it?” she asked.
    â€œThey turned us down.”
    â€œWho did? What are you talking about?”
    â€œOur editorial board.” What went wrong? Damn it! Why didn’t anyone from the office say anything to us earlier?
    â€œWhat? You mean your Great Lakes project?”
    He nodded.
    â€œAfter all of the work you guys have put into it? All of those hours?”
    He looked over his shoulder and caught the attention of their waiter, who was standing near the kitchen door smoking a cigarette. Ryan pointed to a nearby table, gesturing to the patrons’ pints of beer, which was just enough information for the waiter to snuff out his cigarette with the heel of his boot and head inside to place an order at the bar.
    â€œDid they cancel it entirely? Or is it an editing situation?” Shelby asked.
    He appreciated her concern, but there were dynamics at his father’s company that he didn’t want to share with her just yet. Her friend Jenna already told her how a certain group of public relations staffers were responsible for many of the photographs that had been printed of Shelby and Ryan together, as well as of Shelby alone in the city. Shelby had been irate, considering it a blatant intrusion into her private life—which it was, clearly. In a convoluted way, it was also a calculated plan to generate public interest in Ryan’s romantic life, with the hopes that a love story would also cast favorable light on Chambers Media.
    This time, however, he didn’t understand the company’s intention. “Why would they do this now? With the debut roughly four months away? We have to either scrap the project entirely or go back and rework it, and God knows if we’d have enough time to get it right.”
    â€œSlow down,” she said, pulling her chair closer to his and offering a consoling hand on his knee. “What did the e-mail say, exactly?”
    The waiter interrupted with two pilsners poured into pint glasses. Ryan took several long sips of beer, staring blankly out on to the mountains before saying, “They love the photography and the premise, but they don’t think there’s enough emotional pull in the narrative. As it stands, the film is not good enough to meet the project objectives. It’s lacking a—what did he call it?” Ryan rubbed the tension from the back of his neck while he recalled Cullie’s message. “It’s lacking a compelling theme to weave all of the stories together. At least that’s the reason they’re giving. It could be more. But that’s just me, speculating.”
    â€œSo you go back into editing and rework the script—can’t you do that?”
    â€œI wish it was that easy. We need better interviews, better writing. We’ll need a talented editor who can help pull the new footage into what