Huayu became famous overnight

Chapter 276 Captain of China
"Well, the Heat just beat the Thunder to win the championship the day before yesterday, so they might not be too excited yet."

Pani explained to her two subordinates with an embarrassed expression.

"Yes, I understand. It's normal to have hobbies outside of work," Xu Ming said with a faint smile.

Pani's forehead was sweating; what she said sounded reasonable.

But what time is it now? It's working hours.

The fact that the employees were discussing their hobbies outside of work, and that the big boss, who was visiting for the first time, happened to be there, indirectly shows that his management was too lax.

“Kyle, Porter, have you two finished your work?” Pani snapped.

"In progress."

Lakers fans immediately lowered their heads, indicating their submission.

"finished."

The chubby guy in the Heat jersey said smugly.

“Perfect, I’ll arrange another one for you,” Pani nodded.

Fatty Kyle's expression stiffened, realizing that his boss was acting strangely today, and he turned his gaze to Xu Ming beside him.

He was a hardcore internet surfer, and upon seeing the latter, he felt a sense of familiarity. His mind quickly searched for the source, and his pupils dilated.

"Oh my god, Captain Xu from China!"

Kyle's shout instantly drew the attention of everyone in the office.

Xu Ming was planning to observe how Pani disciplined her subordinates and test the latter's management skills.

Being recognized out of the blue left him bewildered.

Xu knew they were calling him, but what the heck was Captain China?

"How did you come up with this nickname for me?" Xu Ming asked curiously.

"No, no, no, I didn't come up with that name. It's what people call you online. Scarlett said you and Chris are her top choices for ideal boyfriends. Chris is Captain America, so naturally you are..."

Kyle stopped talking as he noticed Pani's nervous expression.

His blunt mind finally realized that Xu Ming's identity was unusual.

Xu Ming suddenly realized that this was how the nickname "Captain of China" came about. Despite the different nationalities of the netizens, the underlying meaning was the same.

In his view, the nickname probably carries a certain degree of mockery.

Similar to the satire that netizens on Tieba (a Chinese online forum) use against popular young male celebrities like Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo.

After all, in the eyes of American netizens, he is just a pretty boy who attracts Hollywood actresses.

As for his works, they have virtually no influence in North America.

Scarlett Johansson, in particular, became a global sensation and a sex symbol for countless men after her portrayal of Black Widow in "The Avengers".

As an actor who received such high praise, he naturally attracted even more jealousy from his male fans.

“Well, I’m honored to be compared to Chris,” Xu Ming shrugged.

He didn't mind this level of mockery; in fact, he welcomed it.

Chris is recognized as one of the most handsome male stars in the world, and this move is essentially riding on the coattails of Chris's popularity.

It was a case of being both famous and infamous.

For him, an artist who was completely unknown in North America, this also boosted his fame.

“But I think the nickname ‘Starhunter’ suits you better,” Kyle said.

"That's an exaggeration, and besides, I don't care about these things."

Xu Ming shook his head and then said, "Since the work for the day is done, there is no need to rush to assign new tasks. Of course, if we are discussing, we should control the volume and be careful not to disturb other colleagues."

By the way, Pani, this guy named Kyle has a good sense of trends and a keen eye for opportunities; we could give him some more responsibility.

“Yes, I think so too,” Pani replied.

He then gave the fat man a "you're lucky" look, while silently memorizing the latter's words, preparing to review and learn from them later.

Enter the office.

Xu Ming sat on the sofa, expressionless, and said, "Let me report on the progress of our work over this period of time first."

Pani's expression turned serious; she knew her real test had arrived.

The situation just now made the big boss doubt his own abilities.

The other party hired him as their spokesperson in Hollywood, and they certainly weren't just looking at his loyalty; his ability was the key factor.

"Currently, we have signed cooperation agreements with 69 cinemas, mostly small and medium-sized cinema chains. For large cinema chains, we have to negotiate with distributors, and it is difficult for us to directly connect with them due to our size."

Of course, AMC Theatres might have an opportunity now, but…

Paniton paused, then hesitated, saying, "Those publishing companies won't let us build up our distribution channels. I suggest we try to reach an agreement with the Big Six or Lionsgate."

"I'll consider it and continue." Xu Ming nodded slightly.

He was able to secure deals with 69 cinemas in such a short time, which exceeded his expectations.

Their attitude towards Pani also softened.

The latter sensed the change and reported more fluently: "There is not much room for us to develop in traditional distribution channels. I am more optimistic about the development of streaming media."

Netflix, the world's largest streaming company, recently had its content licensing terminated by Starz, causing its stock price to plummet by over 80%. They are currently in dire need of high-quality content, and I believe it's worth considering contacting them.

He had put forward this idea back in CAA, but it was met with ridicule and sarcasm from his supervisor and colleagues.

Many people view streaming media as something for children to play house with, at best a supplement to the distribution channels for film and television works.

Trying to make dessert a main course? That's ridiculous.

But when this viewpoint reached Xu Ming's ears, it immediately raised his opinion of Pani by several notches.

No one understands the potential of streaming media better than him.

Netflix later entered the Fortune Global 500 thanks to this core business.

"You will have full control over the contact with Netflix. I will provide the content, and I guarantee it will be of high quality," Xu Ming said in a deep voice.

Pani's eyes lit up with joy upon hearing this; clearly, it was a good sign.

He quickly suppressed his anger and continued, "Regarding DVD distribution, the team we've brought in has a very mature supply chain. We can integrate it within a month at most."

“That’s right. I will invest an additional ten million US dollars in the distribution. In addition to the North American market, other regions around the world are also very important,” Xu Ming said.

Although he had always wanted Qiming to improve the global distribution channels, in the end, Hollywood was the most suitable and convenient place for this task.

He plans to split the company up, with Qiming focusing on the Asian market and Pani handling the other regions.

Ten million US dollars may seem like a lot, but if it's invested in distribution channels, it won't even make a ripple.

But for Pani, it was already a pleasant surprise.

What about the publicity department?

Xu Ming focused his attention on another key point.

"Feng is mainly in charge of this part."

"Call him over here."

Soon, Feng Ke appeared in the office.

As Zhuo Wei's long-time partner, he clearly couldn't compete with Zhuo Wei in China, so he came to America with the idea of ​​"a change of scenery makes a difference".

He never imagined that the work situation here would be far more complicated than he had envisioned.

Having finally met Xu Ming, she immediately poured out her grievances.

"The team members are disobedient, and the traditional media outlets here are all incredibly greedy; we simply can't satisfy them..."

As Xu Ming listened, he frowned and couldn't help but interrupt, "I asked you to come here to guide the establishment of online self-media, why are you bringing up traditional media?"

“The situation in the United States is different from that in China. Traditional media there is booming and has a huge user base. It would be much easier to cooperate with them…” Feng Ke tried to explain.

“That’s not Qiming’s forte; our strength lies in online promotion,” Xu Ming said bluntly. Feng Ke was speechless, attempting to argue, “I wanted to pursue both simultaneously…”

"Don't even bother with the tops now, they can't even grow a head."

Xu Ming labeled the other party as rigid, then turned to Pani and asked, "If the publicity department were handed over to you, what would you think?"

“By fully committing to the internet, primarily using mainstream social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, we can definitely create our own self-media accounts,” Pani said confidently, clearly well-prepared.

“OK, you’ll be in charge of this business, and Feng Ke will fully cooperate with you,” Xu Ming said decisively.

The other party's ideas are still immature, but at least the direction is right.

He is not afraid of taking the wrong path and can afford the cost of trial and error. He is only afraid of going in the wrong direction, because the harder he tries, the more he ends up going in the opposite direction.

Then I learned about the progress of other aspects of the business.

I'm increasingly convinced that Pani is a rare talent. She has made some minor mistakes, but overall things are thriving.

Xu Ming then revealed the purpose of his visit: "The news of Wanda's acquisition of AMC should have spread throughout Hollywood by now, right?"

“Everyone in the global entertainment industry knows him,” Pani said.

"I will attend the celebration banquet hosted by Wanda, and I will bring you along. We can use this opportunity to accelerate the progress of our business and strive to develop more relationships and channels..."

Xu Ming paused, then said meaningfully, "Once this phase is over, we'll hardly have another chance to use someone else's connections like this."

"Trying to impress others?" Pani asked, puzzled.

"We Chinese have a Chinese idiom called 'the fox borrows the tiger's might'..."

Xu Ming explained the meaning to him, and the latter finally understood.

Then I understood the deeper meaning of the boss's words. Qiming's connection with Wanda was not as close as most Hollywood filmmakers thought, and Wanda would not be as deeply integrated into Hollywood as Sony.

Suddenly, a sense of urgency arose within me.

If that's the case, then he'll have to speed things up and fool as many people as he can.

"I understand."

"As long as you know."

Xu Ming nodded in satisfaction. As his spokesperson in Hollywood, he was willing to share many confidential details with Pani.

The more comprehensive the information you have, the better you can make the right choices.

After Pani and Feng Ke left together, they went to work on the new plan for the publicity department.

Xiao Juan, who was standing by, finally chuckled.

"What's making you so happy?" Xu Ming asked casually.

"Justin Bieber's concert in Beijing was a disaster. Not only was he an hour late, but he also lip-synced the whole time, treating his fans like they were Japanese."

Xiao Juan opened her Weibo page, and the number one trending topic was #Bieber'sDaddy#.

"This guy has always been so unreliable, it's not surprising."

Xu Ming couldn't help but sigh. These days, fans can still take things seriously. Even if an international top star like Bieber dares to lip-sync, they'll still criticize him without hesitation.

Unlike later times, when idols lip-synced, fans still had to try every means to protect and help clear their names.

Outrageous statements like "half-live and backing vocals don't count as fake," "it's already impressive that someone this old can hold a concert," and "how will I live if my idol doesn't hold concerts in the future" have all come out.

"This guy can become an international superstar? I feel like he's not even as good as you," Xiao Juan said, pouting.

Immediately afterwards, she felt a dangerous gaze.

“What I mean is, Ming-ge, only someone of your high moral character deserves to be an international superstar,” Xiao Juan added.

"Isn't this an obvious fact? Do you need to elaborate?" Xu Ming said.

When a person is shameless, they are invincible.

Xiao Juan secretly complained in her heart, but on the surface she nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes."

……

Wanda just acquired AMC and still has to deal with the aftermath.

The celebration banquet was scheduled for June 29th.

During this break, Xu Ming took Xiao Juan on a good tour of the area.

He simply underestimated his current level of fame in America.

The admiration of two rising A+ actresses, Jennifer Lawrence and Scarlett Johansson, has made him very popular in American gossip news.

Along the way, he even enjoyed being asked for autographs.

This would be commonplace in China, but it was a first for him in America.

Ding Dong!

Xu Ming glanced down at his phone. Scarlett had sent him a private message, asking when he had arrived in Los Angeles and why he hadn't contacted her.

[Xu Ming: How did you know I was in Los Angeles?]

Scarlett: A reporter told me that today.

Upon hearing this, Xu Ming searched online news and found that some small media outlets had indeed reported on his time in Los Angeles, complete with photos. He himself was unaware of when the photos were taken.

[Xu Ming: As you know, Wanda invited me to their celebration banquet. Do you want to come along?]

If he weren't based in the United States, Wanda wouldn't have taken the initiative to invite him.

But he took the initiative to come and wanted to attend the celebration banquet, and they welcomed him warmly.

However, in Scarlett's eyes, these words made it seem as if Xu Ming and Wanda had a close relationship.

Scarlett: Is it okay?

[Xu Ming: Of course, you're my first choice when inviting a female companion.]

He sent the insincere flattery, a smirk playing on his lips.

The fact that the other party was willing to speak up for him before was certainly due to his personal charm and superb equestrian skills, but it was also largely related to the power he displayed in China.

In the eyes of Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Lawrence, and others.

He is a tycoon who can profoundly influence Chinese capital, and owns high-tech companies and entertainment companies.

But he knew his own limitations.

It can indeed influence some capital in China, but it can't be said to be profound.

Once the truth is discovered, even if neither side immediately abandons him, his bargaining power will be significantly reduced.

This will undoubtedly affect his plans and the development of his divisions in Hollywood.

So, even if it's just an act, it has to be an act until the day it becomes real.

This time, he clearly put on a very successful act.

The next day, Scarlett canceled the event and returned to Los Angeles, which was even pushed by her agent.

The other party didn't avoid the media and went straight to the hotel where he was staying.

"Wait, do you want to go somewhere else? I can cover for you."

Xu Ming stopped Scarlett, who was straddling him and had already unbuttoned half of her shirt, looking worried.

“I don’t care about any of that, be bold, my lovely boy,” Scarlett said eagerly, licking her lips.

Having already tasted the thrill of the crashing waves, she was eagerly anticipating Xu Ming's arrival.

Upon hearing this, Xu Ming stopped resisting. He forgot that the other party was different from Chinese actresses and was not afraid of public opinion regarding their relationship.

He then threw himself into it wholeheartedly, determined to conquer this big foreign horse with endurance.

"Cute? Do you still think it's cute when you see it?"

(End of this chapter)