<p>Aspiring stars from all over the world flock to Hollywood in search of fortune and fame. Some find it, most don’t.</p>
<p>Chris Pearson was fortunate enough to find what he was after.</p>
<p>The former Center Grove baseball star has found his calling behind the scenes in Tinseltown. He currently works as a talent agent at WME, where he represents stand-up comedians, athletes and models.</p>
<p>His current client roster includes an NFL Pro Bowler and a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, and his job recently had him rubbing elbows with superstars at this summer’s ESPY Awards.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]
<p>"It’s such a surreal thing," Pearson said. "For me, I still have to pinch myself like, ‘Wow, a kid from Greenwood, Indiana, I’m literally on the red carpet at the ESPYs right now with all these people.’"</p>
<p>Pearson’s adventure nearly ended before it even really began. After graduating from the University of Evansville, where he was a four-year starter at catcher and batted .299 with four home runs as a senior, he returned to Greenwood and gave hitting lessons to save up for a move to Los Angeles.</p>
<p>He knew he wanted to work in the entertainment industry; he just didn’t know how or where.</p>
<p>For a month, Pearson slept on a friend’s couch. By day, he would walk up and down Sunset Boulevard, passing out résumés at smaller talent agencies. But with no prior connections in the industry, he was coming up empty.</p>
<p>Low on money, he was ready to give up on his dream. But on the day he was set to fly back to Indiana, he got a call from WME.</p>
<p>After a three-week interview process, Pearson was hired. He started on the bottom rung, working in the mailroom and reading up on the industry. In many ways, his first months at the company were like going back to school.</p>
<p>"WME is like the Harvard Law School for entertainment," Pearson said. "It’s where people go when you first start off and you want to get a job in the industry; it’s where you go to learn the business side of Hollywood."</p>
<p>He then spent two and a half years as an assistant to an agent before being chosen to go through the agent trainee program, which he completed earlier this year. Along the way, he’s gotten some good bounces — he landed his biggest client while he was still an assistant, thanks to a chance meeting at a wedding.</p>
<p>Being able to network, Pearson says, is the key to success in his line of work.</p>
<p>"It’s honestly just about going out and meeting people and developing relationships, and then from there, trying to build your roster," he said.</p>
<p>Though Pearson initially had reservations about becoming an agent — he once wanted to become a booking agent for a late-night talk show — he’s enjoying the career he’s carved out for himself.</p>
<p>At WME, big-name celebrities are coming through the doors. Pearson admits that he still gets star-struck at times, but he’s had to force himself to rein it in and remain professional.</p>
<p>"I have to kind of play it cool now," he said. "I can’t freak out when I see people."</p>
<p>For everyone who makes it in Los Angeles, there are plenty of people who end up going back home with a suitcase full of broken dreams.</p>
<p>Once just hours away from suffering that same fate, Pearson is now living that Hollywood life that so many have chased after.</p>
<p>"It’s a little quicker pace, but it’s been great," he said.</p>
