We gave it our best shot. From the moment I caught wind that The Greatest Showman himself was gracing our emerald shores, I was all in. This is the guy I idolised through my weird obsession with Wolverine and the one who somehow made me enjoy my first musical ever. The plan was simple—create an epic portrait and lure the A-lister down to sunny Bangor for a nosey. After all, it worked for another idol of mine, Gerard Butler, so surely Hugh would be a fan of art too, right?

The early signs were good. The press picked up on it almost immediately, and after experimenting with a new style I’d developed for the Gerry and Julie piece, I was feeling pretty confident this could be a win for the Towncity. I wrapped up the piece in just three weeks, leaving plenty of time to entice Hugh for a visit. Honestly, I was buzzing when the completion videos pulled in over 1/4 million impressions—surely this was happening!

A few radio spots, three separate newspaper features, and the man was based just four miles up the road in Holywood, Co. Down. It had to work. But then… silence. A week or two passed, and it dawned on me—I hadn’t actually invited him down yet. Classic me.

So, I put together a newspaper article, a heartfelt letter, and threw in a couple of Jossiepops stickers for good measure. I hand-delivered the lot straight to the studio he was filming in. I even had a small win when the security guard complimented my car on the way in. The envelope was passed on, and then… nothing.

I waited. And waited. Every little bit of interest kept my hopes alive, but in the end, it wasn’t meant to be.

Looking back, we can’t even begin to comprehend how big a deal Hugh Jackman is. It’s easy to take it personally when there’s no reply, but the reality is, the man probably gets thousands of requests like mine every day. And let’s not forget the 10+ gatekeepers who exist solely to keep people like me away!

But you know what? It was still a blast—the exposure, the buzz, and the messages of support were unreal. So many people wanted to see it happen (particularly the Jackman fanbase), and that alone was worth it. The big difference this time was that Hugh would’ve had to come to my studio, whereas Gerard could do a casual drive-by. Would I change that next time? Probably not. As my brand grows, the idea of coming to Pops Ghosthouse is becoming a draw in itself. It’s a vibe now.

Shop the collectible print here

So, what’s next? Well, Hugh—if you or one of your gatekeepers stumbles across this—how about a funny 5-second video shoutout? And for the lovely people of NI, if you’ve got a prime location in mind for this piece’s final resting place, it's for sale, hit me up!

Thanks again to everyone who got behind this.

Until the next "Operation Get [Insert Celeb Here] Down to Bangor… "👋🏼

Pops