star of the peninsula

"Tell me what you think."

Chen Chen took a sip of water to calm himself down, and left the stage to Ma Benzhang.

"I don't have any idea." Ma Benzhang replied in a matter-of-fact tone: "Shin Se Kyung's contract is less than half a year away from ending. I think C headquarters has a chance to get such an actor, and we should work hard for it."

"How should we use it after we get it?" Chen Chen took a deep breath. "It's not easy to use an artist who is only 30 years old and has been in the industry for more than 20 years. Tell me your ideas and I'll listen."

A top student in the Comedy Film Department of Chung-Ang University in South Korea, he debuted as a child star at the age of eight and as an actor at the age of fourteen. He has been exposed to television and movies very early on. He has incredibly high qualifications and a very impressive resume.

That's right. Compared with such a long acting career, Shin Se Kyung's personal achievements are shockingly poor.

There is not a single hard honor, and the not-so-hard honors can be counted on two hands.

It’s scary, so scary!

It's too difficult to use such an actor. If you use good resources to push her to a high position, she probably doesn't have the ability to do so. But if you give her a bunch of rubbish resources, it will lose face for her company and make her look rubbish.

"Be a vase." Ma Benzhang said calmly, "What entertainment company doesn't need vases? C headquarters needs them too."

"Whether it's to save face or to establish a personal relationship, if there's a script that's hard to refuse but you really can't bear to look at, wouldn't Shin Se Kyung be the perfect candidate if you have one?"

"And my target is not Shin Se-kyung, please turn the page." Ma Benzhang added.

Chen Chen turned a page as he was told, and his eyebrows couldn't help but twitch.

Then turn the page, and then another.
"What happened to Namoo Actors?" Chen Chen's eyes suddenly became sharp, "Why are you targeting here?"

"The company has let people down, so these actors are thinking of leaving." Ma Benzhang was quite surprised, "Don't you know this? I thought you knew it."

It’s not that Chen Chen doesn’t know. He just doesn’t know anything at all. There is no wind blowing towards him!

In an instant, Chen Chen's heart sank to the bottom.

The fact that this can happen only means that there are still parts of the South Korean entertainment industry that are not open to C Headquarters. Considering that the people we are currently in contact with are actors, there are still many things in the South Korean entertainment industry that C Headquarters has not been exposed to.

As an actor, his overall status is above average in the circle, but not the best yet.

Even the actors’ door is not completely open to C headquarters, and the doors on higher levels will only be closed tighter.

Forget it, don’t think about these things, just do what you should do first.

"Yes, I should understand. I didn't do it well." Chen Chen looked very apologetic. "There are too many things to do in the company. Even for something as big as the actor department, I can't often be distracted to it."

"To be honest, I didn't even pay attention to the news in the circle before Minister Ma came, so the information was always incomplete."

"But then again, I'm grateful to Minister Ma for being willing to work for Headquarters C. This has helped me a lot." Chen Chen said modestly, "If it were just me, I don't think I would be able to run the actor department well."

It's no wonder that Chen Chen suddenly became humble. He just realized a reality: C headquarters is still an absolute outsider in the circle of actor agencies.

If it weren't for the guidance of Arima Motoaki, an "insider" who once held a high position in MBC TV station, Chen Chen would not even know what happened to Namoo Actors, nor would he know that the company was about to experience a serious outflow of actors.

"That's definitely not the case!" Ma Benzhang waved his hands repeatedly, "President Chen is a young talent, but he just hasn't paid enough attention to this for the time being. If you have time in the future, you will definitely do a thousand times, ten thousand times better than me!"

"Okay, let's get back to business." Chen Chen smiled, picked up the notebook and started to name the actors one by one, "Lee Joon-gi's contract expires in a month, Kim Hyang-ki's contract expires in a month, Shin Se-kyung's contract expires in May, Ji Sung's contract expires in August, Moon Chae-won's contract expires in September, and Park Min-young's contract expires at the end of the year. Is this our goal?"

“This is our goal at Namoo Actors.” Ma Benzhang gestured, “Please turn the page again.”

Chen Chen continued to look down and saw two more actors.

One is Moon Geun-young, whom people sometimes call Moon Geun-young. She has not signed a contract with a new entertainment company since leaving Namoo Actors.

Another one is Lim Si-wan. Although his contract has not expired, there are reports that he is currently negotiating a contract extension with PLUM A&C, so there is a chance to get him.

"There are too many people in the South Korean entertainment industry. Every month, many artists face the issue of signing and renewing contracts, and there are many names that everyone often hears about." Ma Benzhang said slowly, "The reason why I only listed these people is not because these people are the only ones in the circle who are talking about signing and renewing contracts, but because C headquarters has a higher chance of getting them."

"Actresses have more freedom and are less restricted by the company. Relatively speaking, they are not as dependent on the company."

"After all, new actors have the opportunity to audition on their own initiative, and mature actors will also have the opportunity to be nominated by the production team."

"That is to say, even though C Headquarters is very strong, with powerful resources and strong backing, and the boss is also admirably outstanding, this is not a reason for actors to sign a contract with C Headquarters."

"And Headquarters C also has its own little flaws, which is that it is not professional enough."

"You are too young, and you don't have any seniors who can take the initiative to lead you on the actor side. The management of the actors is entirely based on your whim, so the appearance of C headquarters in front of the actors is very unprofessional."

"Of course, this is just a minor deduction, not a fatal one."

"Generally speaking, C Headquarters is still an agency that many actors desire. Once the door is opened, many actors will definitely flock to it." Ma Benzhang looked at the list in Chen Chen's hand, "So the probability of us getting the people I put on the list is at least 50%."

"Isn't a 50% probability a bit low?" Chen Chen frowned, "Can you think of a way to make it higher?"

"That's why I put Shin Se Kyung first," Ma Benzhang said with a smile, "She has a lot of experience and is pretty, but she's not outstanding enough. She's the most difficult actress to deal with."

"I see." Chen Chen continued, "If we can make her beautiful enough, her colleagues at Namoo Actors will also be moved when they see her."

"Yes, but we must hurry." Ma Benzhang reminded: "Lee Joon-gi and Kim Hyang-ki in March are the big fish!"

"I won't talk about Lee Joon-gi, he is a very famous actor no matter where he is. I think the president must know him, or at least have heard of his name and seen his works."

"The focus is on Jin Xiangqi, a post-2000 actor with huge potential!"

"She won the Blue Dragon Best Supporting Actress award and was nominated for the Best Actress at the Baeksang Arts Awards. If our studio can get her, we can expect to have an actress who can win awards in the next few years." Ma Benzhang actually started to paint a rosy picture for Chen Chen, and the first one he painted was a movie queen.

"Yeah, I think there's hope too." Chen Chen responded, looking at the next person, "What do you think of Chi Sheng in August? Do we really need to get this first-line actor who can carry the TV ratings?"

"Do you want him?" Ma Benzhang glanced at Chen Chen hesitantly, "In my opinion, our C headquarters doesn't have much need for him."

"That's what I thought, too." Chen Chen hummed. "First of all, the price of male actors is not on the same level as that of female actors. The cost of signing Chi Sheng may be enough for us to sign two actresses of the same level."

"In addition, Ji Sheng's influence is mainly in the TV drama sector, and his personal hard honors are not that strong. The benefits he brings to C headquarters are less than those of actors of the same level, or even far less."

"C's reputation in TV dramas is much stronger than Chi Sheng's. There is no need to coat the gold with a layer of worthless silver."

"I'm more inclined to skip Ji Sung and pursue Park Min-young." Chen Chen couldn't help laughing when he talked about this. "She is even more exaggerated in TV dramas. The roles she played have almost left a fixed impression on people, but the audience is still willing to buy it. It's amazing."

Park Min-young is like this. It is enough for her to just casually act in urban dramas, but the audience has a lot to consider.

"I have no objection to what Ji Sung and Park Min-young said, but you seem to have skipped Moon Chae-won." Ma Benzhang asked curiously, "Why?"

"After signing with Namoo Actors, Moon Chae Won has been tied to the male actors of Namoo Actors for activities. I am not so reassured by such a resume." Chen Chen replied: "C headquarters will not give her such an opportunity, and there is no such action plan."

"There are no male actors in headquarters C, so I'm afraid it would be difficult to act even if I want to fall in love with her," Ma Benzhang joked.

"Why don't you just sign Im Siwan over? You talk too much!" Chen Chen scolded with a smile.

"Im Siwan is in some trouble." Ma Benzhang's expression darkened. "He has a good relationship with PLUM A&C and their cooperation is very close. The news that came out this time also said that they started discussing the renewal in advance before the renewal negotiation time, and both sides have a very positive attitude."

"No, true intimacy and mutual love would not leak such news to you." Chen Chen shook his head, "It's either a smokescreen, or they want to raise the price, or they are waiting for the price to rise."

"Make it your priority to conquer this target." Chen Chen instructed, "Ren Shiwan is worthy."

"Leave it to me." Ma Benzhang's smile showed his confidence. "Lee Joon-gi, Kim Hyang-gi, Shin Se-kyung, Park Min-young, Moon Geun-young, and Im Si-wan, I will bring you at least half of them this year."

"Thank you very much, Minister Ma." Chen Chen couldn't help smacking his lips, "It's a pity that I didn't get the chance to be the top actor. I really want one."

"Don't dream about that for now. The top actors are not in circulation, or in other words, the top actors almost don't need to rely on companies anymore." Ma Benzhang said venomously, "Unless Boss Chen has a very good relationship with them, I'm afraid he won't even be able to get a license."

"Alright, alright." Chen Chen glanced at him, "Do you have anything else to say? If not, then get back to work!"

"There is one last thing I want to talk about." Ma Benzhang said, "A Pink's Naeun is also an actress, and her contract is about to expire. And the contracts of the two people signed by SISTAR, Soy Sauce Bottle, are also about to expire. If you are interested..."

"Not interested." Chen Chen interrupted him, "Taking such a half-baked actor here would only increase my burden."

"You are indeed a wise and powerful president!" Ma Benzhang flattered him, "You are truly the most outstanding president I have ever seen!"

Chen Chen was speechless. He shook his wrists twice and told him to go away and stop annoying people here.

"Then I'll get busy." Ma Benzhang nodded to Chen Chen, "Time is tight, please be sure to support me as soon as possible when I need resources."

"Don't worry." Chen Chen responded: "C headquarters will not hold us back."

……

After Ma Benzhang left, Chen Chen sat in the chair for a long time. He needed time to digest the surprise and shock that Ma Benzhang brought him.

There is nothing much to say about the surprise. It brought news about so many actors and also demonstrated their outstanding abilities.

Look at those people inside the actor management circle. They are extremely well-informed. They know everything they should and shouldn’t know, and they can also capture the useful parts of the information for the company.

He was very decisive in doing things and just did it himself. In the past, Chen Chen would have to go and talk to the actors personally.

Oh, no, Chen Chen didn’t have that chance because he didn’t know the situation of these actors.

As for Chen Chen, it should be because he had just received the news that the actor's contract was expiration, and when he was about to contact the actor, he signed a contract with a new company.

It's bitter, but true.

The shock was like a slap in the face from the truth.

The South Korean entertainment industry is not something you can play in just because you have money and resources. Personal connections are also very important here. Without connections, you can only get half the result with half the effort.

Think about it, if there was no news from Ma Benzhang, how much money and resources would C headquarters have to spend to get these actors? Who can afford to spend money like this? !
What's more, Minister Ma said that at least half of these actors would be brought to Headquarters C, which is really amazing.

"It's good to sign some old guys." Chen Chen couldn't help but sigh, "Some circles are really hard to enter without someone to lead the way."

"Then"

"If they are not top artists, it would be more cost-effective to focus directly on the actor agency rather than on the actor alone."

If the problems with Namoo Actors can bring such huge profits to C headquarters, what if there were no problems and it was directly acquired by C headquarters? How wonderful would that be?

Or rather, instead of looking at the parts that are too far away, Chen Chen would just look at KEYEAST which is close to him.

If I could get KEYEAST... Tsk tsk, Chen Chen is drooling.

But, if you want KEYEAST, you have to work with SMART again, which means your bad relationship with SMART will continue.

Haha, that’s good. It hasn’t ended yet, and adding a code will make it more fun.

...(End of chapter)