Julie Chan Is Dead

by Liann Zhang

It only gets worse as I read through the email thread from when Chloe had pitched the idea. Evidenced in the attached analysis of YouTube’s trending tab, philanthropic videos are attracting a favorable general audience, including those aged 8 to 20, who are most likely to download a game app. As this is a deviation from my typical content, I am confident that Julie’s lower-middle-class life will be relatable to a wider viewership and would result in positive, empathetic engagement. I would love to see if it’s within your budget to increase my compensation, especially reflecting the personal investments that would go into producing a video of this magnitude. Cheers, Chloe V. And there it is. The truth. I was nothing more than fodder for a video. An accessory for an ad. I meant absolutely nothing. I was a pawn. It breaks me. I cry, not for Chloe’s death. I cry for my loss. Grief for that person I could have been.