Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 460 Female Star Capital 2.0
As dusk settled, the outline of Jingyuan Private Residence softened in the deepening night.

Liu Shishi returned home, took off the heavy long trench coat from her shoulders, and casually handed it to her housekeeper, Sister Li, who was waiting nearby. The cashmere fabric slid through her fingertips, carrying the slight coolness of the outdoor air.

"Madam, have you had dinner yet?" Sister Li asked, taking the clothes with a familiar and concerned tone.

"I've already eaten out." Liu Shishi nodded in response, her gaze sweeping across the high-ceilinged, spacious living room, where the halo of the crystal chandelier cast a warm golden glow on the marble floor. "Where is your husband?"

"After dinner, the gentleman went for a walk in the garden."

Liu Shishi originally wanted to take a walk with Song Ci, but the soreness in her ankle instantly suppressed the idea.

After spending a long afternoon shopping for New Year's goods at the mall, I feel heavy all over.

“I still have some New Year’s goods that I bought this afternoon in my car. Sister Li, why don’t you ask Sister Yu and Sister Wang to help us move them in?”

"Okay ma'am."

Liu Shishi sank into the velvet sofa, the soft touch instantly relieving most of her fatigue.

The moment my fingertip touched the phone screen, ready to open Weibo, the ringtone sounded, and the three words "Cai Yinong" appeared on the screen.

"Sister K." She answered the phone, her voice still carrying a hint of laziness.

"Shishi, is it convenient to talk now?"

"It's convenient." Liu Shishi chuckled and explained, "I went to see Zhang Ziyi's new film 'The Grandmaster' with my sister-in-law this afternoon, and I just got home."

"Oh? How was that film?" Cai Yinong's voice immediately rose a few notches. Zhang Ziyi's comeback film after a long period of silence had already been the subject of much anticipation within the industry.

"The quality is indeed excellent, and her performance is outstanding." Liu Shishi sincerely praised, "From an arrogant young girl to a vengeful woman who cuts her hair to follow the Dao, she has captured the nuances perfectly."

Especially the monologue, "I once had you in my heart," was heart-wrenching. In my opinion, winning the award was a sure thing.

Cai Yinong chuckled softly on the other end: "No wonder she's been putting in so much effort to promote this film; it turns out she wants to make a triumphant return with this movie."

Liu Shishi was slightly surprised: "What's wrong?"

"She officially announced her relationship with CCTV host Sa Beining today, and dragged her boyfriend along to promote the movie. She's really going all out this time."

"Using a relationship to promote a film is now common practice in the industry," Liu Shishi said calmly, then changed the subject, "Sister K, you called specifically for more than just the movie, right?"

"Hey, we've gotten so caught up in chatting that we forgot about the important matter." Cai Yinong chuckled. "Your Vogue New Year cover issue goes on sale tomorrow. Should we ask the fans or the company to help boost sales?"

Liu Shishi naturally understood what she meant.

Fashion magazine sales have become a key indicator of commercial value in the industry, and it's an open secret that fans drive sales and companies manipulate data.

But at her level, the name "Liu Shishi" itself is the best brand name. So many brands are scrambling to have her as their spokesperson, so she doesn't need to rely on magazine sales to prove anything.

"Sister K, do you think I still need to care about these things now?" Sister Yi's voice was gentle, but with an undeniable certainty. "Let it go."

“Yes, I was overthinking it.” Cai Yinong quickly realized.

People in the industry regard magazine sales as a "ticket to fame," but for Liu Shishi, these are things she no longer needs to worry about.

Looking out at the deepening night, Liu Shishi sighed softly, "Honestly, how many people still seriously read print magazines these days?"

It's just a data bubble created by the fan economy; why make everyone waste their money?

Cai Yinong sighed to himself, "How can any celebrity in the entertainment industry be as detached as you? Being in this world of fame and fortune means you have to abide by the data-driven rules of the capital game."

"Is there anything else?"

"Yes!" Cai Yinong composed himself. "Today, the company received an endorsement offer with an outrageously high fee. I really can't make the decision."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shishi couldn't help but tease, "What brand? How much did they ask for that surprised even a seasoned veteran like you, Sister K?"

Cai Yinong's expression turned serious: "The other party is called PPDai Financial Information Service Co., Ltd., and they are offering 120 million yuan for one year of endorsement fees."

"The name sounds like an online lending platform." Liu Shishi frowned slightly. Her husband was an internet tycoon, and she knew a lot about various internet companies on the market.

"Due to time constraints, I haven't had time to investigate in detail yet. The information on the surface shows that this is a fintech company and it does have a loan business."

Liu Shishi's expression changed drastically: "What kind of lousy company dares to try and get my endorsement! Sister K, you too, just refuse an endorsement from a company like that."

"It's precisely because the amount is so high that I had to inform you! I'll be more careful in the future." Cai Yinong muttered to himself, feeling that Sister Yi was making a mountain out of a molehill and generalizing from a single instance.

The other party is, after all, a legitimate company. Besides, banks also offer loan services. If a bank were to ask a celebrity to be its spokesperson, which star could refuse?
"Is there anything else?"

Just these two items.

Song Ci returned right after I hung up the phone.

Liu Shishi stood up to greet her: "Yiyi, why are you back so early today?"

"It's snowing outside, so I can only work out at the gym when I get back." Song Ci noticed the lingering anger on his wife's face and asked, "What happened?"

When her husband asked, Liu Shishi told him about PPDai asking her to be their spokesperson.

"Oh, it's a P2P platform. Just refuse it, no need to get angry over it," Song Ci suddenly realized.

It seems that the immense popularity of Yu'ebao has spurred P2P platforms to leverage the massive fan base of celebrities to attract a huge number of users at low cost.

After her husband's persuasion, Liu Shishi composed herself and said, "You're right."

The couple chatted for a few minutes about everyday things, and then Song Ci went upstairs to continue her exercise.

Liu Shishi then started browsing Weibo, expecting that Zhang Ziyi's relationship would dominate the trending topics today. However, the hashtag "Jiaxing Media" topped the trending list, followed closely by "Boss Yang" and "Yang Mi's new company".

"Jaywalk Media? Is that Mimi's new company? I've never heard of it." Liu Shishi wondered, and quickly clicked on the link to browse the news.

Emerging from the Cocoon! Yang Mi Leaves Tengda Culture to Start Her Own Business, Joining Forces with Former Executive Zeng Jia to Found Jiaxing Media

Upon seeing the news headline, Liu Shishi sat up slightly and began to read it carefully.

"At the turn of the year, another major announcement has been made in the film and television industry!"
According to exclusive information obtained by reporters, after amicably terminating her contract with her former employer, Tengda Culture, actress Yang Mi did not join another film and television company as speculated by the outside world. Instead, she chose a more challenging and ambitious path, co-founding a new film and television company—Jaywalk Studio—with Zeng Jia, the former vice president of Tengda Culture.

This marks a crucial step in the "Queen of Ratings'" official transition from on-screen star to behind-the-scenes strategist.

According to authoritative sources, Jiaxing Media has a registered capital of 1000 million yuan. Its equity structure is clearly shown.
Zeng Jia is the largest shareholder and actual controller, holding 70% of the company's shares, and also serves as the company's legal representative, chairman, and general manager.

Yang Mi holds 30% of the shares as an individual shareholder and serves as the company's supervisor and co-founder.

This equity distribution model has sparked numerous interpretations within the industry: on the one hand, it has been dominated by Zeng Jia's capital strength and operational background, who is responsible for the company's overall strategy, financing, and daily management.

On the other hand, Yang Mi, as a core artist and content icon, not only demonstrates her deep connection with the company with a 30% shareholding, but also gives her significant say in the company's core business segments such as content production, project selection, and artist management.

This "capital + content" partnership model is seen as an upgrade to the traditional artist studio model.

Currently, Jaywalk Media's specific project plans, list of signed artists, and financing progress have not been disclosed to the public.

However, with Yang Mi's strong fan base, continuous film and television production capabilities, and Zeng Jia's solid foundation in the industry, this new company has undoubtedly become one of the most watched new forces in the film and television industry at the beginning of 2013.

Whether Yang Mi can successfully transform into "Boss Yang," whether Zeng Jia can replicate his management experience on the new platform, and what kind of initial results Jiaxing Media will deliver will all be the focus of continued industry attention in the coming period.

After reading the detailed report, Liu Shishi sighed softly, "Honey, you finally took this step."

As a top-tier female star, Yang Mi already generates a lot of buzz, and now the news of her founding Jaywalk Studio has generated even more attention, instantly igniting the entire internet.
"From Xuejian in 'Chinese Paladin 3' to being her own boss! Honey's transformation is so hardcore, should we start calling her 'Chairman Yang' from now on?"

"From the 'Four Dan and Two Bing' actresses to the '85 Flowers' (referring to actresses born in 1985), the capitalization of female stars has entered its 2.0 era (except for Liu Shishi)."

"Two years ago, only leading actresses dared to start film and television companies, but now Yang Mi, born in the 85s, is also making a push for capital investment."

"A classic resource-complementary model: celebrities handle traffic and content, while professional managers handle capital and operations."

. . . . . .

Yang Mi's dramatic transformation from a top-tier actress to a shareholder of a film and television company has captivated the hearts of countless people in the entertainment industry.

At the same time, Zhang Ziyi, who had just finished promoting the movie and returned to her hotel, was angrily talking on the phone with her agent.

"That bitch Yang Mi clearly arranged for today to release a statement targeting me!"

One week after the release of "The Grandmaster", she originally planned to announce her relationship today to generate hype and add more attention to the film.

Unexpectedly, topics related to Jiaxing Media and Yang Mi dominated the trending searches, causing her carefully planned announcement of her relationship to barely make a splash.

Ji Lingling sighed helplessly. Zhang Ziyi's career had been going very poorly in recent years, and it was declining rapidly.

To make matters worse, "The Grandmaster," which was hoping to turn things around, was hit by "Lost in Thailand," and its box office was severely squeezed.

Even their attempts at self-promotion were targeted and suppressed by younger generations; they've really had a terrible run of luck.

Zhang Ziyi breathed a sigh of relief and asked the question that concerned her most right now: "President Ji, how is the box office performance of 'The Grandmaster'?"

"It's alright, I expect it to easily surpass 2 million. But your performance was truly outstanding, the character received rave reviews, and it has a very good chance of winning awards."

Hearing the box office results, Zhang Ziyi was somewhat frustrated: "Awards are certainly good, but nowadays, internet capital and brands only care about data. If you can't bring commercial value, you'll be abandoned by them."

Things are not the same as they were a few years ago. Domestic films are about to break the 13 billion yuan mark at the box office, and 2 million yuan is not even worth the attention of investors. The box office of "The Grandmaster" is obviously below expectations.

Ji Lingling was also at a loss. In the past two years, Zhang Ziyi has been plagued by negative news, and her public image has plummeted, leaving her with little box office appeal.

After a long silence, she carefully chose her words and asked, "Ziyi, have you ever considered filming a TV series?"

Before she could finish speaking, Zhang Ziyi vehemently refused, "President Ji, are you kidding me? I..."

Ji Lingling interrupted her impatiently: "Let me finish what I have to say! Compared to movies, TV series can increase national recognition and audience appeal, and it's also easier to gain fans."

Times have changed. In my opinion, television actors aren't necessarily that much worse than film actors!

Although she knew her agent was right, Zhang Ziyi remained stubborn: "I absolutely will not go back to filming TV dramas."

"Whatever! I'm just suggesting, the final decision is yours." Ji Lingling was at a loss with her own artist.

After composing himself, he said seriously, "Since last year, the domestic film and television industry has been in a period of active capital inflow and model innovation."

Zeng Jia is a former employee of Tengda Culture, and has been deeply involved in the investment, production and distribution decisions of many popular film and television dramas under Tengda Culture. He has valuable industry experience and resource network.

Her decision to partner with Yang Mi undoubtedly reflects a high level of recognition of Yang Mi's personal brand value and future market potential.

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Nowadays, it's not unusual for A-list celebrities to set up their own studios."

However, Yang Mi's approach of deeply partnering with experienced professional managers and directly establishing a film and television company is still a relatively cutting-edge attempt, even more radical than Fan Bingbing's.

Zhang Ziyi sneered: "Starting a company is easy, but making it successful is the key. Running a film and television company successfully is not that simple."

Ji Lingling nodded: "Jiaxing Media currently relies heavily on Yang Mi's personal brand value. Whether it can successfully integrate celebrity traffic depends on Zeng Jia's operational capabilities."

Industry experts predict that if Jaywalk Studio can launch a hit series and achieve profitability within three years, it will have a successful role model.

By 2016, it is estimated that over 20 top-tier artists will have established their own studios, increasing the artist turnover rate of traditional film and television companies by 30%.

After a brief pause, Ji Lingling said earnestly, "Ziyi, you four actresses and two soldiers have already accumulated considerable wealth by investing in listed companies and real estate in your early years."

However, as one of the representatives of the post-85 generation, Yang Mi chose to directly transform her personal IP into company assets in the era of internet traffic, and began to make a splash in the field of female star capital.

The pie in this industry is only so big. Once the post-85 generation of actresses gain widespread popularity, their living space will inevitably be further squeezed.

I predict that the next three years will be a period of reshuffling in the entertainment industry, and a wave of celebrity entrepreneurship is on the horizon.

I hope you will carefully consider your career transition and stop focusing solely on films and so-called international resources. It's time to be realistic.

There was no sound from the other end of the receiver for a long time. Just as Ji Lingling was about to lose patience and hang up, she heard Zhang Ziyi's exhausted voice:

"Give me some time, and I will seriously consider it."

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(End of this chapter)