The contrast between his realness and my curated content hit me like a slap. But it also sparked an idea.
What if I could combine luxury with real? What if “The Twelve Dates of Christmas” featured someone who embodied everything my brandwasn’t—someone authentic, unpolished, and rooted in this place?
I needed Maddox Sullivan behind my camera.
And maybe, if I was lucky, I could get him in front of it, too.
I pushed open the gallery door, the bell jingling merrily as I entered. The space was smaller than expected but beautiful, with exposed brick walls and polished hardwood floors that creaked pleasantly underfoot. Local art filled the walls—not just Maddox Sullivan’s photography but paintings, sculptures, and mixed-media pieces that collectively told the story of the town and its surroundings.
The woman behind the counter looked up with a smile. She appeared to be in her early thirties, with a messy auburn bun on top of her head and big-framed glasses perched on her freckled nose. She wore a red turtleneck sweater under a well-worn pair ofdenim overalls, complete with telltale paint splotches on them. In a nearby portable crib-thingy slept a baby with cherubic cheeks and perfect red lips.
“Welcome to the Hart Gallery. I’m Avery. Anything I can help you find today?”
I flashed my most charming smile, the one that consistently garnered the most engagement on my selfies. “Actually, yes. I’m looking for information about Maddox Sullivan. The photographer?”
“Oh, Maddox!” Her eyes lit up with recognition. “Those winter shots are something special, aren’t they? He’s not in today, but his studio’s just upstairs. He does commercial work and videography, too, if that’s what you’re looking for.”
I glanced up at the ceiling as if I could see through it to the studio above. “Commercial work,” I murmured, feeling my shoulders relax in relief.
Avery nodded. “He’s very talented. Been capturing Legacy since he was a teenager with his first camera. That’s his hardware store you probably passed on your way in.”
“Oh, right,” I said, remembering the charming Christmas display. I was momentarily surprised she clocked me as a new arrival, but I supposed in a place like this, anything new stuck out. “He’s a photographer,andhe runs the hardware store?”
“The Sullivan family’s run the store for four generations. Though I think Maddox himself has more interest in cameras than hammers.” She shrugged.
I smiled politely. “Do you know the best way to get in contact with him? Should I just stop by the store?”
“Not sure if he’s working today.” She reached beneath the counter and produced a simple but elegant business card on heavy stock. Sullivan & Lens, it read, with a website and a small logo that combined a camera aperture with a mountain silhouette. “He’s probably slammed right now because of the holiday, but you can shoot him a text or email.”
“Appreciate it,” I said with a final smile, tucking the card into my wallet.
I left the gallery feeling more optimistic than I had all day. Finding a skilled videographer in Legacy had seemed like an impossible task, but now I had a lead—and from what I’d seen of his work, Maddox Sullivan might be exactly what I needed to make “The Twelve Dates of Christmas” the viral success that would help me land Nordique as a permanent sponsor.
I grabbed a coffee at a small local shop and pulled out my phone as I walked back to my car, opening my email app to compose a message to him. I needed to strike the right tone—professional but enticing, acknowledging the short notice but emphasizing the opportunity. I hoped he’d recognize what a fantastic situation this could be for him. My platform could bring his work to a much wider audience.
I hesitated before hitting Send, rereading what I’d written.
Hi, my name is Adrian Hayes (@realadrianhayes), and I’m a digital content creator filming a holiday content series for Nordique in and around Legacy over the next three weeks. I’m looking for a videographer since my usual guy had a medical emergency and when I saw your work at the Hart Gallery, particularly the Winter Light Series, I thought your eye for winter scenes was amazing and would really elevate the project.
Let me know if you’re interested and we can talk numbers, but I do think this could be a great opportunity for you to grow your platform. (I have 1.2 million followers.)
Talk soon,
Adrian Hayes
I hit Send before I could overthink it further, then started my car and programmed my nav app for the rental cabin I’d be calling home for the next few weeks. As I pulled away from the gallery, I realized I was already mentally rearranging my content calendar, imagining shots of Legacy’s Christmas lights, the “famous” ski spectacle, and the charming small-town holiday celebrations—all with the ruggedly handsome Maddox Sullivan behind the camera.
If he agreed, of course.
Why wouldn’t he, though? The money was excellent, the exposure real, the opportunity substantial.
But by the following morning, there was no response from Maddox Sullivan.
So I took the bull by the horns, as they probably said in places like this, and made my way into town in search of the man.
The hardware store smelled like sawdust and cinnamon, a combination that made no sense but somehow worked. I spotted him immediately—broad shoulders in a faded gray thermal, dark jeans worn just right, and a messy shock of hair that looked like it had never seen a styling product in its life.
Hot. Annoyingly so.
