Anyone with more than a passing interest in public relations and pop culture at large should take a look at The New Yorker‘s fascinating profile of Scooter Braun, a master media manipulator who may be the world’s most successful manager but describes himself as “a camp counselor for pop stars.”

His current claim to fame? An extremely profitable partnership with the world’s favorite pre-pubescent crooner, Justin Bieber.

In case you haven’t heard, Braun is a former Atlanta-based party promoter who worked with various area hip-hop stars and discovered Bieber while browsing YouTube for clips to help promote his biggest client at the time, singer Ne-Yo. After a bit of pleading with Bieber’s mother, he managed to persuade the two to relocate to the ATL and join forces with R&B veteran Usher. This move gave Bieber the credibility he needed to pass muster as a lily-white soul singer capable of reducing tween girls across the globe to incoherent screeches while simultaneously looking innocent enough to win parents’ approval.

Despite appearances, Bieber was not quite an overnight sensation, and the route he took to superstardom was anything but traditional.

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How many times have you heard the song “Call Me Maybe” today? We’re not talking about on the radio or on Spotify. Just on the Internet in general. To write this story I listened to the song on a continuous loop for way longer than one should while all kinds of people lip synched on the computer screen.

I get that the song is catchy. And I totally understand all the fun involved with having imaginary phone calls with imaginary hotties. But what is it about this song that has got everyone doing their best “Puttin’ on the Hits”?

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