Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 611 Recruiting Two More Generals
office

Zhang Chen was looking through documents when there was a knock at the door. He looked up and saw Dong Jianqiang.

"Jianqiang, come in and have a seat."

Dong Jianqiang sat down opposite him: "One good news, one bad news~"

Zhang Chen laughed and said, "We're already so familiar with each other, let's not play these games, okay?"

Ignoring everyone else, Dong Jianqiang continued, "The good news is, I've secured the permanent rights to 'If You Are the One' for just one yuan!"

"One dollar?"

Dong Jianqiang recounted his bizarre actions.

"I see. Well done. Now, what's the bad news?"

"The bad news is that we contacted the candidate you suggested, but Tian Ming from Dragon TV declined."

Tian Ming is the producer of Dragon TV's "My Hero" and "Dancing with the Stars".

"Didn't you say I could help him win against Hunan TV?"

"I told him, but he said he wants to rely on himself."

Hmm? I miscalculated?
Dong Jianqiang added, "I suspect the deeper reason is that the positions we offered were not commensurate. Tian Ming was the business division director and general manager at Dragon TV, but here he's just a regular producer. He definitely wouldn't want that."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it then. Let him be. You can't force things. Since he doesn't seem inclined to come, let's just leave it at that."

Zhang Chen has no plans to establish a branch company for variety shows, so he is unlikely to offer high-ranking positions.

Moreover, his proposal was already very detailed and didn't require much design. As long as a producer understood it thoroughly, there wouldn't be any problem. It wasn't that Tian Ming was indispensable; finding the original team was just to be on the safe side.

"Then let's look for new candidates."

Zhang Chen pursed his lips. He had originally wanted to show off in front of his subordinates, but he had overdone it, and they didn't want to come over at all.

However, he and Dong Jianqiang were old acquaintances, so there was nothing awkward about it.

Unexpectedly, Dong Jianqiang said, "Actually, I have someone in mind. Would you like to hear about it?"

Zhang Chen suddenly felt like joking: "I don't want to~"

"You want~"

The two were too familiar with each other; Dong Jianqiang could tell at a glance that Zhang Chen was joking.

"Alright, go ahead and tell me."

"Her name is Guo Xiaohua. She is currently a producer at Hunan Economic Television. She is very talented, and she has personally created many programs for the station."

"What's your relationship?"

"classmate."

"You're recommending talented people without considering family ties!"

"He's definitely talented. If he were just a good-for-nothing, I definitely wouldn't have brought him here."

Zhang Chen laughed and said, "Isn't Guo Xiaohua's husband a TV host named Ma Ke, who used to be Wang Han's co-host?"

"You know her?"

Zhang Chen smiled and nodded.

Dong Jianqiang rolled his eyes: "I've fallen into your trap, kid. It's all been a waste of my time."

"Haha, not really. I don't know them personally. I just mentioned it when I was chatting with Wang Han. If you think she's okay with it, you can invite her over for a chat."

"Okay, I'll arrange it."

Even after Dong Jianqiang left, Zhang Chen couldn't stop laughing: "It's rare to see someone manage to outmaneuver that old guy so well!"

To reiterate, he doesn't actually care that much about the choice of producer.

The proposal has been written in great detail. We don't need any famous producers; we just need to follow it.

However, it would be even better if outstanding talents could join us. Star Entertainment is going to produce more than just this one program, and the program ideas cannot be provided by him forever.

Moreover, Guo Xiaohua's husband is a TV host, and they happen to be short of hosts. If the job goes well, the couple could be brought in together.

Zhang Chen thought about it more and more and it seemed feasible.

Meanwhile, Dong Jianqiang returned to his office and immediately dialed Guo Xiaohua's number.

"Xiaohua, it's all settled. Please come over in the next couple of days; Director Zhang wants to meet with you. Make sure you're well-prepared. I can only act as an introducer; whether it works out depends on Director Zhang's first impression of you."

"Understood, Lao Dong, thanks~"

"Don't be so polite. With your talent, you should have been on a major TV station long ago, but you're stuck on such a small platform as Hunan Economic Television. I feel sorry for you."

"Don't say that, Hunan TV is pretty good too~"

Changsha is a strange place. In most cities, satellite TV channels usually have higher ratings than local channels, but in Changsha, Hunan Economic TV has consistently held the top spot in ratings, completely dominating Hunan Satellite TV.

It's a bit like MacArthur's attitude: it doesn't matter if I'm number one in national viewership, as long as Hunan TV is.

"By the way, could you tell me what kind of program Director Zhang is going to be making? I'd like to prepare in advance..."

"Yes, it's a singing competition show~"

Dong Jianqiang felt there was no need to keep this a secret, since he would show her the proposal anyway when she came.

"Sigh~"

Guo Xiaohua, on the other side, was taken aback.

Singing competition shows are the easiest to produce, but also the most difficult, because with a successful example like "Super Girl," it's very hard to create something unique.

"I can't reveal more details, but by the way, try to keep up with the schedule; Director Zhang wants the show to be released before New Year's Day."

This time, Guo Xiaohua didn't feel anything was wrong.

There are still five months until New Year's Day, so it's not particularly stressful.

Moreover, according to Dong Jianqiang, Zhang Chen has a complete plan, which makes things even simpler.

If you decide to join, there's no need for design; you can go straight to the execution phase.

……

three days later

Dong Jianqiang, accompanied by a man and a woman, knocked on Zhang Chen's office door.

"Please come in~"

"Director Zhang, Producer Guo has arrived. This is her husband, Marco."

"Director Zhang, hello, I'm Guo Xiaohua~"

"I am Marco."

"I'm so sorry I didn't greet you properly. Please, both of you, have a seat. Old Dong has been praising your exceptional talent quite a bit these past few days!"

"Thank you for the compliment~"

Zhang Chen stood up and shook hands with the two men.

"I've seen all of Director Zhang's movies!"

Marco warmly shook hands with Zhang Chen; as a host, he was indeed more adept at this than the behind-the-scenes staff.

Zhang Chen responded enthusiastically, "I've also watched Teacher Ma's show 'Yue Ce Yue Kai Xin,' and it has some really creative ideas!"

"This is the only thing I can present."

Everyone took their seats.

"Teacher Guo, Teacher Ma, I'm so sorry to trouble you both to come all this way, but I've been very busy with other matters."

"It's only right. Director Zhang has achieved such success at such a young age, making great achievements in both film and television. Now he's even preparing to enter the variety show arena. To be honest, my wife and I are full of expectations. Director Zhang has always dared to be a pioneer. I wonder what kind of surprise he will bring us this time?"

Zhang Chen waved his hand: "You're too kind~"

Just then, the secretary brought in tea, and Zhang Chen quickly offered it to her.

"Please~"

"Please~"

"I won't waste any more time. Here's a proposal; we can discuss it in more detail after you two have reviewed it."

After everyone finished drinking, Zhang Chen handed over the proposal, and the two of them took it and began to read it carefully.

Since we arrived, Marco has been the main communicator, probably because he's the host and better at interacting with people. However, when reviewing the proposal, Guo Xiaohua was clearly the primary communicator.

Guo Xiaohua looked at it very carefully and asked Zhang Chen for his thoughts on some details in the proposal.

Guo Xiaohua was increasingly impressed by this proposal; it was incredibly detailed.

Everything is clearly outlined: what to do in what places, why to do it, and how the audience will react.
With this plan, she hardly needed to do anything; she could simply follow it.

Marco, standing next to him, frowned more and more as he looked at the proposal. The proposal specifically stated that there were special requirements for the host, but it did not elaborate on them.

Theoretically speaking, he came as a family member, but since he came, he must have had some ulterior motives.

Guo Xiaohua usually hosts the programs he plans, and he wanted to continue that combination this time as well, but this time his wife couldn't make the decision.

At this moment, Guo Xiaohua couldn't help but admire it.

The entire program was well-planned, especially the concept of "not judging heroes by their appearance, but only by the length of their voices."

This is different from any previous singing talent show; just by listening to it, you get a sense of fairness, professionalism, and credibility.

This is much more sophisticated than Hunan TV's "Super Girl".

Despite its immense popularity, insiders know that "Super Girl" is already nearing its end, and Tianyu Media's actions will only make the show worse.

"Director Zhang, your proposal for 'The Voice of China' is already very comprehensive, and it's definitely a top-notch variety show proposal. But I don't know what role I can play in such a program. Really, I think this proposal is so perfect that it doesn't even need me..."

Guo Xiaohua spoke the truth.

"Haha, Teacher Guo is truly a man of strong character!"

This time, Zhang Chen did not answer directly, but instead asked Dong Jianqiang to answer for him.

"Actually, it's like this: our Director Zhang has an idea, and as you've seen, this proposal is very forward-thinking in both concept and form."

The two people opposite nodded subconsciously.

It was indeed ahead of its time.

Judging heroes not by their appearance, but solely by the length of their voices, demonstrates that Zhang Chen has seen through the essence of singing talent shows.

And how did they come up with the idea of ​​a swivel chair?

The audience can see it, but the judges cannot, which gives the audience a great sense of anticipation and at the same time highlights the concept of 'judging only by the length of the voice'.

Dong Jianqiang continued, "Director Zhang has great ideas, but we lack people at the execution level. Star Entertainment has made movies and TV series, but we've never made variety shows before. So we need experienced variety show producers to help complete this production. We need professional talent..."

Zhang Chen then added, "Yes, we need professional talent. In my vision, the output of variety entertainment should be no less than that of movies and TV series. This will be a key focus for Star Entertainment for some time to come, so we urgently need the support of a large number of professional talents..."

Guo Xiaohua and Marco exchanged a glance; Guo Xiaohua seemed to have a question to ask.

"Teacher Guo, please feel free to ask any questions you may have."

"I admit that 'The Voice of China' is a great initiative, but does your company have the broadcasting channels?"

To put it bluntly, the television industry is all about connections, and those who are directly involved feel this most acutely.

"Mr. Guo, you can rest assured about that. We have good working relationships with many TV stations..."

Dong Jianqiang is very proud of this; the TV dramas produced by Star Entertainment are all hits, making them sought-after partners by many satellite TV stations.
Star Entertainment has no shortage of TV stations to cooperate with; the only possibility is that the TV stations cannot satisfy Zhang Chen's appetite.

He doesn't make shows to benefit the TV stations; he wants to share in the advertising revenue, which the TV stations might find hard to accept.

"Moreover, we have our own streaming platform. Even if we can't cooperate with TV stations, we can still guarantee online streaming. And, to be frank, even if it can only be streamed online, we are still very confident in the show's ratings. I can't guarantee anything else, but in terms of promotion, we can guarantee that the scale of promotion for 'The Voice of China' will be at least no less than that of 'Gravity' a while ago..."

Marco got a little excited when he heard this.

These days, no man can resist the allure of science fiction films.

Marco had also seen "Gravity" and knew how heavily it was advertised. Star Entertainment had enormous resources, which gave Marco hope.

He always wanted to appear on a satellite TV channel and in front of a national audience, not just in Hunan.

Guo Xiaohua glanced at her excited husband; she knew he was tempted.

"Director Zhang, do you have a host in mind?"

Guo Xiaohua knew there were some things Marco couldn't ask, so she asked them herself.

"Not yet, but I think Mr. Marco would be quite suitable."

Marco's face lit up with joy upon hearing Zhang Chen's reply.

"However, we have some special requirements for the host~"

"Oh, what are the requirements?"

Marco saw this message earlier, but he kept quiet about asking.

"We wanted the host to have some distinctive features, so we designed a memorable element for them: we wanted them to be able to speak very quickly when reading advertisements and announcing programs..."

“Very fast? How fast?” Marco asked.

"The faster the better. For example, you need to read 350 words within 50 seconds. Not only do you have to be fast, but your pronunciation also has to be clear so that everyone can hear what you are saying. You can't let advertisers feel that their advertising fees have gone to waste..."

Zhang Chen remembers that Hua Shao read 350 words in 47 seconds, and this even became a promotional point for "The Voice of China" in another time and space.

"Wow, so fast?"

Marco was stunned. As the host, he certainly knew what that speed represented.

"Yes, it is indeed quite challenging, but if we can achieve it, it will definitely become a major feature of the show. When viewers talk about 'The Voice of China,' in addition to the show itself, the host will also be frequently mentioned, which will be of great benefit to the host himself..."

"Sigh~"

Marco was intrigued again. He was certain that no other host had ever put effort into this area before, and if he succeeded, he would be the first to take the plunge.

"Director Zhang, I have a few more questions~"

Guo Xiaohua did not let Mark continue asking questions about the host, but instead asked questions about the program itself.

Please go ahead.

"The mentors you mentioned in your proposal must all be quite prominent, right?"

"Yes, at least they have to be top-tier singers, like Jay Chou, Liu Huan, or Faye Wong."

"What about the fees?"

"You don't need to worry about that. Since I'm going to create such a program, I'll definitely have to invest in it. And don't worry about hiring people either; I'll personally handle that..."

"What if the athlete achieves good results? Will you sign them?"

"will not."

Zhang Chen spoke with absolute certainty.

"As I said, the biggest feature of this program is fairness; we don't engage in any underhanded practices."

All participants must be complete novices, without any existing contracts, and are prohibited from signing any contracts with any company during the competition; otherwise, they will be subject to hefty penalties for breach of contract.

"Even intentions aren't acceptable?"

"Even intentions are not allowed. No off-field tactics are permitted. I will not allow anyone to influence the course of the game off the field."

Zhang Chen actually wanted to add another clause: all registered contestants must guarantee that they will not touch that stuff, and they will even have to undergo a urine test during the quarterfinals.

He was thoroughly fed up with the mess and corruption in the entertainment industry.

However, there's no need to discuss this now; we can add it when it's actually implemented.

Across from them, Guo Xiaohua and her husband exchanged glances and then simultaneously extended their hands, saying, "Thank you, Director Zhang, for giving us this opportunity. We'd like to join Starry Sky Entertainment!"

Guo Xiaohua was generally satisfied with what Zhang Chen said.

However, she didn't believe Zhang Chen could execute the plan 100% of the time. Once the show was successful, all sorts of factors would arise, and some favors were impossible to refuse.

“A pleasure to work with~”

Zhang Chen was also very happy to have gained two great talents, and even happier that "The Voice of China" could finally begin preparations.

"By the way, Old Dong should have already talked to you about the compensation, right?"

"As I said, we are very satisfied with the compensation."

Zhang Chen offered a good salary, plus bonuses and commissions.

The prize money is calculated based on the overall revenue, meaning the more successful "The Voice of China" is, the higher their prize money will be.

The two probably never imagined that "The Voice" would become a show that sells globally.

(End of this chapter)