Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 620 Mentor Selection

Taipei, Da'an District, Heping Garden.

This is a famous luxury residence in Taipei. Jay Chou spent NT$6.6 million to buy the top two floors, the 37th and 38th floors.

Standing here, you can overlook the entire Taipei city area and enjoy a 360-degree view.

Meanwhile, from the practice room on the rooftop, the sound of drums could be heard from time to time; it was Jay Chou practicing drumming.

Since "Whiplash," Jay Chou has fallen in love with the feeling of playing drums. Every time the drumsticks strike the drumhead, the vibrations bring him a sense of exhilaration.

Every day, Jay Chou would play the drums for a while. The dense drumbeats were not only a way for him to vent, but also a source of inspiration.

But today, I had only been typing for a short while when my phone rang.

Jay Chou stopped what he was doing, picked up a towel to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and then picked up his phone.

Seeing that familiar name on the caller ID, no surprise was in his eyes.

"Director Zhang Chen? You're a rare guest indeed!" Jay Chou's voice was filled with surprise.

Zhang Chen's voice came through the microphone: "Jay, how have you been lately?"

"Not bad~" Jay Chou's voice was as muffled as ever, "Are you going to ask me to act in a movie?"

Zhang Chen never calls him first, so Zhou Dong naturally overthinks it when he suddenly calls him today.

However, Zhang Chen immediately poured cold water on his enthusiasm: "No, I'm in the US right now."
I'm calling you today because I need to talk to you about something. My company is currently preparing a singing competition show called "The Voice of China," and we'd like to invite you to be a mentor for the first season. Are you interested?

"A singing competition show? Being a mentor? Are you sure you're not hiring me for an acting role?"

Jay Chou's tone was full of disappointment.

Zhang Chen chuckled: "There aren't any suitable roles for you in movies right now. If there are, I'll keep an eye out for you. But this mentor thing is no joke."

"Okay then~"

Jay Chou's tone was full of resentment; he's been addicted to making movies lately.

It was just a hobby, but it turned out to be quite fun and did well at the box office, but the reviews were terrible, with the only exception being "Whiplash".

Jay Chou has been struggling lately. Anyone with a normal heart would want both critical acclaim and box office success. But he quickly adjusted his mindset: "Being a mentor? Of course, no problem! It sounds like a lot of fun. I love working with music and helping young people realize their dreams. I'll do it! Don't worry, Director Zhang, I'll definitely give it my best!"

Even if Jay Chou is completely clueless about social niceties, he knows he has to give face when someone like Zhang Chen personally calls him to invite him.

Not to mention, his highest-rated film, "Whiplash," was produced by Zhang Chen. Although Ning Hao was the director, Zhang Chen was the producer.

"That's fantastic! Your influence in the music industry is unparalleled. Your presence as a mentor already makes the show halfway to success!"

"Alright, Director Zhang, stop flattering me. By the way, besides me, who are the other mentors?"

"I have four mentors in my plan: you, Jacky Cheung, Harlem Yu, and Na Ying. But you're the first one; I haven't called the others yet."

"Oh, you also invited Harlem? That's great, he's a very interesting person~"

Jay Chou and Harlem Yu have a very good relationship. They not only admire each other's music, but also have many interactions in private.

"You know him? That's great! Could you please let him know for me? I'll contact him later. Oh, and could you send me his phone number too?"

"no problem."

Zhang Chen could certainly get Harlem Yu's contact information from the company, but it would definitely not be as effective as Jay Chou's introduction.

After securing Jay Chou's favor, Zhang Chen didn't immediately call Harlem Yu, but instead contacted Jacky Cheung.

"Brother Jacky Cheung~"

"Director Zhang Chen~"

Jacky Cheung and Zhang Chen have never met, but they have long admired each other.

Zhang Chen calling him "brother" was just being polite; he wouldn't dare to actually consider himself a brother.

Zhang Chen explained his purpose: "My company is preparing a program called 'The Voice of China' and we would like to invite you to be a mentor. Your singing skills and understanding of music are top-notch in the industry. With you joining the mentor team, you can not only provide professional guidance to the contestants, but also make the program more interesting. Would you consider it?"

Jacky Cheung responded gently: "Director Cheung, you're too kind. The original intention of 'The Voice of China' is excellent. It can cultivate new talents for the music scene, and I'm happy to participate. Being a mentor allows me to exchange ideas about music with everyone, which is also quite meaningful. I've agreed."

Jacky Cheung was very perceptive; he agreed without even asking about the payment.

Afterwards, Zhang Chen called Na Ying and Harlem Yu, and both of them readily agreed.

Although Zhang Chen doesn't particularly like Yehenala Ying, she's a perfect fit for the show.

Dong Jianqiang was quite puzzled and called specifically to ask, "Didn't you say you were going to invite Faye Wong? Why did you change it to Na Ying?"

Dong Jianqiang believes that Faye Wong completely surpasses Yehenala Ying in terms of both popularity and strength. If Faye Wong could join the show, its popularity would definitely rise again.

After listening, Zhang Chen slowly said, "Of course I know about Faye Wong's strength and popularity, but 'The Voice of China' is a special program."

Think about it, half of the show's ratings depend on the mentors' contributions, and the mentors have to be interesting people.

The show needs to include segments where contestants are recruited, as well as debates where viewpoints clash. There's a significant element of performance involved; contestants need to be outgoing and able to create a lively atmosphere.

But what about Faye Wong? She's always been unconventional and doesn't like following procedures; she doesn't seem like the type to obediently cooperate with the show's arrangements. If we forced her to come, the show wouldn't proceed smoothly and might even cause problems. So, considering everything, we decided against choosing her.

When Guo Xiaohua learned about the selection of the four mentors, she couldn't help but exclaim that they were excellent choices.

Harlem is good at livening up the atmosphere; with him around, the atmosphere will never be dull.

Jay Chou represents the sophistication of this show. He is currently the number one figure in the Chinese music scene. With or without him, the show's sophistication is completely different.

Na Ying has a very outgoing and easygoing personality, making her very suitable for variety shows.

Jacky Cheung, on the other hand, is a veteran singer and a true powerhouse.

The more Guo Xiaohua looked at these four people, the more suitable they seemed. Putting everything else aside, their fame alone would guarantee high viewership for the show.

Working for the big boss is indeed very straightforward. If she were to invite these people, it would take her a lot of effort, but for Zhang Chen, it only takes a few phone calls.

……

While Zhang Chen was securing his mentor, Dong Jianqiang led the company's business department to Guangzhou.

The purpose of this trip was singular—to secure advertising sponsorship for "The Voice of China".

Star Entertainment has full confidence in "The Voice of China" and naturally wants to get a good price for advertising sponsorships, but the advertisers are not willing to do so.

"The Voice of China" is a new program, and it's Xingchen Entertainment's first time planning a talent show. How can you expect to pay the same amount of advertising fees as "Super Girl"?
Star Entertainment is awesome, the number one film and television company in China.

But that's a movie, not a variety show.
Advertisers remain skeptical. What to do?
Simple, the advertising department once again resorted to a performance-based agreement, binding viewership ratings to the performance.

It's essentially a tiered advertising fee system, tied to viewership ratings.

Don't complain about the high advertising fees; there's a reason why they're expensive.

Low ratings mean lower advertising costs; high ratings mean you'll have to pay up.

You get what you pay for!

Only someone with extreme confidence in their program would do something like a betting match.

Upon further inquiry, it turned out that the agreement between them and the TV station was also a performance-based one.

Wow, that's quite a grand gesture!
Star Entertainment's move to tie the show to viewership ratings has indeed dispelled the doubts of many advertisers. They also have their own advertising department, and after understanding the format of "The Voice of China," they felt much more at ease.

They weren't sure if "The Voice of China" could reach the scale of "Super Girl," but it certainly seemed like a more promising idea.

What does Star Entertainment's advertising department do? They're the ones who routinely insert various advertisements into movies, and they're also very skilled at product placement in variety shows.

Advertising for "The Voice of China" is divided into three levels. The first and second levels are called title sponsors, while the third level is basically for acknowledgments and product placement.

Zhang Chen's requirement for the main sponsor was a guaranteed advertising fee of 1500 million yuan, which means that with a viewership rating of 0.5%, the entire first season of "The Voice of China" would only require 1500 million yuan to cover all the episodes.

This is very worthwhile for the title sponsor. Even if the ratings are not good, the advertiser has essentially run ads on a satellite TV channel during prime time for more than a dozen weekends, so it is not a loss.

But if the ratings are good, even though the advertising costs are higher, the results are also better.

Why are so many people competing for CCTV's top advertising slot? Because it's an opportunity to be seen by the entire nation.

As for free content below 0.5%, like the kind of betting TV stations do, that's impossible.

The title sponsor has already gotten a huge benefit; they're still thinking about getting it for free? Dream on!
Coca-Cola ultimately secured the title sponsorship, while OPPO and VIVO became the secondary title sponsors.

The competition for secondary title sponsorship was fierce, with a series of mobile phone manufacturers vying for the position, including OPPO, VIVO, Kingston, BBK, Huawei, and ZTE. Ultimately, OPPO and VIVO emerged victorious.

However, BBK and Huawei also benefited, as they secured a secondary title sponsorship for "If You Are the One".

Next, Zhang Chen and Zhang Qian tacitly went to Dongguan, which is next to Shenzhen. In 09, Dongguan had not yet been... well, you know. Zhang Chen had always heard about it in his previous life but had never experienced it, so... he was just curious...

OPPO, VIVO, Gionee, BBK, Coolpad, Huawei, ZTE and other mobile phone manufacturers in Shenzhen are all their competitors who came to Shenzhen to negotiate as secondary title sponsors.

Once the first and second-tier sponsors are confirmed, there are countless third-tier sponsors, including various musical instrument manufacturers, milk brands, and internet companies.

They didn't ask for much, just one or two shots would be enough.

For example, all the microphones on the show were replaced with the 'Sohu Entertainment' logo, and each of the four mentors had a bottle of the sponsor's milk in front of them.

The advertising department at Xingchen Entertainment handled this task with such ease that Guo Xiaohua became quite worried when she saw the densely packed list of sponsors.

However, she felt relieved after seeing the specific design plan.

Although the advertising department was ruthless, it did not affect the quality of the program.

When Dong Jianqiang arrived in Hangzhou, Marco picked him up in the program crew's car. Dong Jianqiang was very excited, and all the advertising matters were settled within a week.

"Manager Dong, you've worked hard, traveling all the way from north to south, and you've already finalized the naming rights deal so quickly." Brother Ma flattered him warmly.

"What hardship have I endured? It's you two talented people who have worked hard. All the trivial matters in the production of the show have been handled by you two. By the way, the mentors have been confirmed, did you know that?"

"I know, I received the list of candidates from Director Zhang a couple of days ago. Harlem Yu, Na Ying, Jacky Cheung, Jay Chou—they're all big names!"

"How's the student recruitment going?"

"It's almost done; we're now conducting the final round of screening."

The first season of "The Voice of China" did not have open auditions; all contestants were recruited through internal recommendations.

Guo Xiaohua mobilized the entire production team, including their relatives and friends, to search for people with singing talent around them. The production team would conduct an initial screening, and anyone who met the requirements could participate.

"When will the recording start?"

"Approximately twenty days later, this is the result of our communication with Zhejiang TV."

"Okay, anyway, Director Zhang's deadline is just before New Year's Day..."

Generally speaking, variety shows are pre-recorded, and there are usually three or four episodes in stock.

In other words, when you watch the first episode, it's actually already the fourth episode.

After all, program production takes a considerable amount of time, as various elements need to be added and time needs to be reserved for handling unexpected situations.

Dong Jianqiang stayed in Hangzhou for three days, mainly to finalize future timelines with Guo Xiaohua and his wife, as well as the staff of Zhejiang TV. Then he rushed off to Jiangsu, where "If You Are the One" was waiting for him.

He can't do everything himself; he'll come back when the first episode is recorded.

In any case, Zhang Chen's proposal was written very clearly:

"The Voice of China" must embody professionalism and internationalization.

Professionalism is easy to understand; Zhang Chen wants to sell this program abroad, so it has to look high-end.

The stage, lighting, sound, costumes, props, and sets must all reflect this.

In addition to the staff recruited by Star Entertainment itself, some staff were also borrowed from the TV station to strive for the best in all aspects.

You might think that the clothes worn by amateur contestants on talent shows are their own, but of course not; they are all carefully selected by the production team.

The trainees' appearance must be elegant and appropriate, and they cannot be unconventional.

The mentor should speak professionally and humorously, and be able to evoke emotions in the audience.

Zhang Chen made a special request—the trainees must not play the victim, and the host and mentors must not guide the trainees to play the victim.

This is "The Voice of China," not "China's Got Talent." Don't do those other messy things.

What they want is the purest sound.

Internationalization is reflected in the selection of students—

The first season's trainees included those from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, as well as those from Southeast Asia and overseas; of course, they were all of Chinese descent.

Zhang Chen aims to create an international platform that exudes sophistication and prestige.

Zhang Chen was right about Guo Xiaohua; she was doing a good job, and things were progressing smoothly and in an orderly manner.

(End of this chapter)