Production Values
When a half-Black British actor is cast as Hitler in a prestige WWII film, the entertainment industry erupts. What begins as a cynical marketing decision transforms into something nobody expected—including the people who made it.
Status: Complete draft, developmental editing phase
Genre: Satire / Industry Insider Fiction
Length: ~100,000 words
About the Book
THE PREMISE
James Olayinka Wright is a serious actor with classical theater credentials. He's also half-Black, half-British, and about to be offered the role of a lifetime: Adolf Hitler in a prestige World War II drama. What could possibly go wrong?
In the vein of Mel Brooks meets Thank You for Smoking, Production Values takes readers behind the scenes of a Hollywood production that becomes a cultural flashpoint before a single frame is shot. Through the eyes of James, studio executive Victoria Martinez, A-list actress Kennedy Oswald, and director Aaron Weisman, the novel reveals the competing agendas, ethical compromises, and media chaos that define modern entertainment.
The Story
Victoria Martinez has a problem: her studio's Hitler biopic is troubled, outdated, and unlikely to succeed. In a moment of desperate inspiration, she pitches a radical solution—cast diversely, claim progressiveness, and watch the controversy drive attention. When talented British actor James Olayinka Wright is offered the role, he faces an impossible question: Is this an opportunity to showcase his craft at the highest level, or exploitation dressed up as representation?
As production progresses from concept to Academy Awards campaign, social media erupts with contradictory interpretations. Progressive activists debate representation ethics. Conspiracy theorists claim the casting is a psyop. Culture warriors on both sides weaponize the film for their own purposes. And through it all, something unexpected happens: the movie accidentally becomes good.
WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT
This isn't another predictable story about Hollywood hypocrisy. Production Values goes deeper—exploring how genuine artistry can emerge from cynical origins, how identity becomes commodified in the attention economy, and how everyone involved becomes complicit in systems they claim to oppose. The novel balances sharp satire with emotional depth, treating its characters as complex humans rather than ideological symbols.
Core Themes
Representation and Its Discontents
The novel examines the complexity of "diverse casting" when disconnected from meaningful context. Is it progress when a Black actor plays Hitler? Exploitation? Both? The question has no easy answer, and the book doesn't pretend it does.
The Social Media Outrage Cycle
From TikTok conspiracy theorists to think-piece writers, everyone has a take—and all publicity serves the studio's purposes, regardless of political alignment. The novel reveals how attention economics reward controversy over substance.
Accidental Art
How does meaningful art emerge from commercial calculation? Can a project conceived cynically develop genuine artistic merit? The film-within-the-novel becomes something its creators never intended, raising questions about intentionality, commerce, and artistic value.
Industry Politics and Compromise
Behind every award campaign, casting decision, and press tour moment lies a web of competing interests. The novel exposes the machinery of prestige—and the personal costs of playing the game.
The Characters
James Olayinka Wright
A classically trained British actor who takes his craft seriously. Half-Nigerian, half-English, with a grandfather who survived WWII—James brings depth and complexity to a role that could easily become a gimmick. His journey explores the tension between artistic opportunity and personal identity.
Victoria Martinez
The studio executive who green-lights the controversial casting. As a Latina woman navigating executive spaces, Victoria understands the performance required to succeed—and the compromises that come with power. She's fighting for her career while questioning the systems she perpetuates.
Kennedy Oswald
The A-list actress cast as Eva Braun, desperate to be taken seriously beyond her looks and family connections. Kennedy's performative allyship masks deeper insecurities about her own worth—and her mother's tragic fate haunts her pursuit of prestige.
Aaron Weisman
The director trying to make something meaningful while navigating studio pressures, awards politics, and his own artistic compromises. Aaron represents the tension between vision and commercial reality.
My First Fiction
Production Values is my debut novel, though I've spent years developing the voice and story. The book draws on my background in economics to examine the incentive structures driving entertainment industry decisions, while exploring how identity becomes currency in attention-driven markets. It's satire that takes its subjects seriously—sharp without being cynical, funny without trivializing important questions.
The novel follows the complete filmmaking journey from pre-production through the Academy Awards, structured in four sections that mirror the industry's rhythms. It's a story about art, commerce, identity, and the uncomfortable truths about how all three intersect in modern entertainment.
For Readers Who Love:
- • Smart industry satire with emotional depth
- • Complex moral questions without easy answers
- • Multiple perspectives on controversial topics
- • Behind-the-scenes looks at entertainment industry machinery
- • Stories that balance humor with substance
- • Examinations of how identity intersects with commerce and art
CURRENT STATUS
The manuscript is complete at approximately 100,000 words and currently in developmental editing. Expected release in 2027. The book will be my first published fiction work, following my nonfiction releases Conspicuous and the Resilience Compass series.
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