Within the grand ballroom of the Washington Hilton, the American media and political elite gathered like yearly for the extremely anticipated White Home Correspondents’ Dinner. But this social event suddenly changed with gunshots which induced panic among the many company and Donald Trump and members of the federal government needed to be urgently evacuated. Whereas the company threw themselves to the bottom and the Secret Service brokers intervened, an surprising scene passed off at a desk: a person remained seated, calmly persevering with his meal.
This man is Michael Glantz, an influential agent at Inventive Artists Company. Till then unknown to most people, he discovered himself propelled to the center of consideration after the printed of photographs captured by CNNthe place we see him persevering with to eat a burrata salad whereas the remainder of the room lies down on the ground. In a couple of hours, the sequence goes viral, and Michael Glantz inherits an surprising nickname on social networks: “the salad man”.
“I wasn’t afraid,” he stated.
Questioned by the New York Timesthe particular person involved claims an assumed calm, virtually cultural. “I’m a New Yorker. We reside with sirens and hustle and bustle on a regular basis. I wasn’t afraid,” he explains, describing a type of habituation to noise and the surprising. Within the tumult, he stated he selected to look at slightly than give in to panic, evoking these safety brokers “throwing themselves over tables and chairs” and his want to grasp what was taking place earlier than his eyes.
However past this posture, his explanations are additionally very concrete. He confided that he suffers from a again downside, making it troublesome to even consider throwing himself on the ground, and provides, not with out a contact of irony, that he’s a “hygiene freak”, ruling out any chance of mendacity on the ground of the room in a tuxedo. This combination of pragmatism and detachment has helped to form the singular picture that has established itself in public opinion.
A discreet and influential determine
Based on USA TodayMichael Glantz by no means had the sensation of being in instant hazard. In an interview given to TMZhe explains that he felt secure given the large presence of legislation enforcement throughout this notably carefully monitored occasion. A notion which contrasts with that of different witnesses current that night. Journalist Wolf Blitzer, a shopper of Michael Glantz and himself on web site, described a way more disturbing scene, claiming to have been “a couple of meters from the shooter” and evoking a “horrifying” second marked by the velocity of the police intervention.
A discreet however influential determine within the media panorama, Michael Glantz has been working for years behind the scenes of energy. As an agent, he represents main information personalities, negotiating their contracts and supporting their careers.
