Teen ‘Scammed’ His Way Into Meeting Lana Del Rey. He Faked Being a Journalist Until He Made It: ‘If You Don’t Ask, Then You Don’t Get’
When there are no opportunities available, people will just have to make it for themselves. Zachary (@theeswiftologist) was just fifteen when he heard Lana Del Rey was visiting his hometown. He faked being a journalist just to meet her, but little did he know that his stint would open doors for him in the future.
“The best thing that happened to me in my career was when I scammed my way into meeting Lana Del Rey at the age of fifteen in Singapore.” Zachary said that his choices in that moment kick-started his journalism career, which taught him an important life lesson.
“If you don’t ask, you don’t get.” He was a teen who was a major fan of Lana Del Rey and other pop stars. Zachary said that it’s hard to come by pop stars in Singapore, so when he heard that Lana Del Rey was coming, he was ecstatic.
“She’s not coming to do a show. She’s doing a private appearance at a luxury store,” Zachary claimed. He referred to the opening of the Mulberry store in the country at the time. Therefore, he couldn’t just buy a concert ticket, like anyone would with a Chappelle Roan concert. Even with his lack of credentials, Zachary cooked up a scheme to meet her.
“So, what did I do? I picked up my phone, and I called the Mulberry store. Not their marketing PR line—the store.” He told the staff that he wanted to come to the opening launch of the boutique. They asked Zachary who he was, and he lied.
“I’m an entertainment journalist and I want to cover this,” Zachary told the person at the other end of the line.
“Okay, we’ll put you on the list,” they responded. Just like that, he finally had access to the room Lana Del Rey was going to be in.
He faked it until he made it
“I had always wanted to write about music, but I didn’t really know when, where, or how. I knew what I wanted to say, of course, but what publication was going to take a fifteen-year-old’s ramblings and ravings about a pop star seriously?” Zachary was young, but he was determined to make an opportunity for himself—all because he loved Lana Del Rey.
When the day finally came, Zachary said that he didn’t feel shy or scared. He might have lied, but he was officially on the list of guests.
“I’m sure that when I walked in, age fifteen, in my business casual, Justin Bieber hair, and grabbed a glass of champagne? There were some people looking at me sideways, and yet, I didn’t notice because I felt like I belonged there.” In other words, he believed his lie well enough to calm his nerves.
“A lot of times when you enter a space in which you might feel a bit nervous or you think other people might be looking at you, projecting confidence can get you a long way.” Zachary confessed that he was “shameless” at fifteen to get what he wanted. When Lana Del Rey finally came into the room, she wasn’t stopping for conversation. Zachary said that she was immediately mobbed by people.
But then, he approached her and asked for a photo. She agreed, took a picture with Zachary and his friend, and then went into the private party at the back of the store.
Meeting Lana Del Rey gave him a career
Zachary said he never saw her after that, but he finally had photos and a story to share about what it was like to visit the event. He capitalized on what he had and used his materials to pitch to a local entertainment blog. Many people wanted to go to the event but couldn’t, and Zachary was one of the lucky few who had a scoop.
The person from the entertainment blog found Zachary’s story interesting and published it. Over time, he revealed that he was offered a role as an entertainment editor for the blog.
“I got to go to a bunch of press conferences and red carpets in Singapore and cover all that while I was in high school. None of that would have happened if I didn’t just call the Mulberry store,” Zachary reminisced. One decision changed the course of his career, proving that it takes confidence to succeed.
(featured images: theeswiftologist)
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