Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 467 New Year’s Plan
Liu Shishi looked up from her computer screen and at Jiang Yuanyuan across the desk: "Yuanyuan, the New Year is just a few days away. Have you finished the year-end bonus distribution plan for the studio?"

Although she renewed her contract with Tangren Media, her studio has long been operating independently, and Cai Yinong rarely gets involved in its affairs anymore.

The studio's daily operations, from artist schedules to project coordination, are all managed by Jiang Yuanyuan, who serves as both executive agent and general manager of the studio.

"I was just about to report to you," Jiang Yuanyuan said, handing over the documents as she explained, "The studio's profits in 2012 mainly came from the TV series 'Legend of Chasing Fish,' and there was also some income from artist management."

Projects like "iPartment" and "American Dreams in China" are not yet ready for release.

Liu Shishi nodded slightly, her fingertips pausing briefly on the edge of the document.

The studio started trying to independently produce film and television projects last year, and now it has finally figured things out and is gradually getting on the right track.

While flipping through the materials, I casually asked, "Has filming wrapped up for 'Day and Night'?"

"Filming has wrapped up, and we're currently doing post-production editing," Jiang Yuanyuan answered crisply. "We've communicated with Toutiao Video and decided to release it during the summer season, hoping to capitalize on the popularity among students."

"By the way," Liu Shishi looked up with a hint of curiosity, "what exactly happened with Pan Yueming and Dong Jie in the end?"

A complex expression crossed Jiang Yuanyuan's face: "Dong Jie is completely finished. Her reputation is almost ruined, and she has already retired from the entertainment industry. The two are still in court, fighting for custody of the child, and it's gotten quite ugly."

Liu Shishi shook her head gently and sighed, "Pan Yueming is really unlucky to have encountered something like this."

After saying that, he looked down at the document again, his fingertips tracing over the dense text, the only sound in the office being the soft rustling of pages turning.

After a long while, he looked up and asked, "How different is this plan compared to the one from Tangren?"

“It’s about the same. I showed it to President Cai before, and she had no objections.” Jiang Yuanyuan knew that the top executive was worried that the two sides were too far apart, which would make the employees of Tangren Film and Television feel unbalanced.

After all, the studio has close ties with Tangren Media, and the principle of "not worrying about scarcity but about inequality" must be taken into account.

"Xuan-Yuan Sword was a huge hit last year, and Tangren Media must have made a lot of profits. Paying eight months' salary as a year-end bonus is already quite substantial."

Liu Shishi tapped her finger on the table and suddenly said, "How about this, we'll give each of our studio employees an extra iPhone as a personal New Year's gift, and it won't go through the studio's accounts."

"That's great!" Jiang Yuanyuan immediately agreed. The boss was paying for the benefits out of his own pocket, which would make everyone happy and win people's hearts. She couldn't be happier.

The plan was settled. Liu Shishi picked up her pen and signed her name at the end of the document; her handwriting was neat and strong.

He handed the document back to Jiang Yuanyuan, his tone carrying a hint of New Year's greetings: "Have the finance department make the payment as soon as possible. Everyone has worked hard all year. If there's nothing urgent, you can take a break at the end of the month and go home for the New Year."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuanyuan couldn't help but smile, saying, "Then the employees at Tangren must be envious of us."

"What, they don't get a holiday for the Chinese New Year?" Liu Shishi asked, somewhat surprised.

"Hmm." Jiang Yuanyuan put away her smile and explained the company's arrangements, "Tengda Culture's mega-production 'Joy of Life' will start filming after the New Year, and Chen Yao has to join the crew."

To avoid disrupting her schedule, Mr. Cai moved up the start date of filming for "Xuan-Yuan Sword: Han Dynasty" to prioritize her scenes. Therefore, his team had to work overtime during the Chinese New Year holiday.

"Yaomei's schedule is so tight, this is the only way." Liu Shishi nodded slightly, then changed the subject, "By the way, 'Day and Night' has finished filming. Does our studio have any new projects starting after the New Year?"

Jiang Yuanyuan's expression turned serious, and she immediately reported earnestly: "There is a major war drama called 'Battle Star City,' which was introduced by Director Kong Sheng. Shandong Film and Television Group is willing to let us produce it."

Liu Shishi's eyes lit up, and she immediately said, "Shandong Film Studio's project? We can definitely take it. How much investment would it be?"

"The war theme involves many large-scale scenes, and the specific budget is still being calculated, but I estimate it will not be less than 6000 million. Shandong Film and Television Group hopes that we can be the main investor for 70%."

“I agree to take it in principle. Send me the script in a bit.” After saying that, Liu Shishi showed some concern, “However, our studio has never handled this kind of war theme before. Can we handle it well?”

Jiang Yuanyuan also hesitated: "Our team is based at Zhouyi Film and Television, and we are indeed good at shooting period dramas, but we may really be a bit overwhelmed when it comes to shooting large-scale war scenes like this."

Liu Shishi thought for a moment and came up with an idea: "How about this, you talk to Director Jiang first. If he's not confident, we can cooperate with Tengda Culture and give up a portion of the investment."

Tengda has even directed military blockbusters like "Bright Sword," so "War Star City" will definitely be a piece of cake for them.

“Okay, I’ll go and communicate with them right away,” Jiang Yuanyuan quickly agreed.

"Besides 'War Star City,' are there any other projects?" Liu Shishi pressed.

"We have several movies and TV series in the pipeline, and they're asking us to invest. I had the project team compile them and send them to your email the day before yesterday."

"Oh? Let me see." Liu Shishi immediately became interested and logged into the studio's email. Sure enough, she saw a lot of well-organized project introductions and scripts.

He first opened the TV series section, scanning through them one by one, when his eyes suddenly stopped on a name, and he murmured, "The Ferryman?"

Upon hearing the name, Jiang Yuanyuan shook her head: "Shishi, I've read the script for this drama. The story is indeed quite novel, but the subject matter is supernatural, so it's unlikely to pass censorship and has little investment value."

Liu Shishi clicked on the script with her mouse and quickly browsed through it: "The approval process for supernatural films is indeed uncertain, but we can try investing in a web series. It's only a 300 million investment, just consider it adding some content to my husband's video website, let's invest!"

With the top leader having made the decision, Jiang Yuanyuan naturally wouldn't object. 300 million was really nothing to her boss; it was just a drop in the ocean.

Liu Shishi looked at the screen and chuckled: "Sometimes, it's precisely these small projects that can produce miracles. Look at 'iPartment,' isn't that an example?"

Apart from "The Ferryman," no other TV series projects caught the eye of the top female star.

She looked down on all the melodramatic romance dramas and the spy films that copied "Silent Records," and had no desire to invest in any of them.

Skip over these TV drama projects seeking investment and move on to film projects.

As he looked at the documents, he suddenly slapped his forehead: "By the way, how are those three film projects I mentioned to you going?"

Jiang Yuanyuan immediately replied: "The budget for Deng Chao's 'The Breakup Guru' has been approved, and the initial 1000 million yuan start-up funding has been transferred. The subsequent payments will be arranged according to the filming progress."

As for Han Geng's "Ex-Files" and Chen Kaige's "Monk Comes Down the Mountain," the contracts haven't been signed yet and will have to wait until after the New Year to be processed.

"Just get it done after the New Year," Liu Shishi instructed, then casually opened a movie script called "Brotherhood of Blades" and began reading it carefully. After a while, she closed the document, sighing with a hint of lingering interest, "The story is good, but it's a pity it's a martial arts film. The martial arts film market is too sluggish right now, so its commercial value is probably limited."

Jiang Yuanyuan nodded in agreement: "Yes, the market share of martial arts films is very small these days. I heard that the director of this film has been running around trying to find investment, but he has been turned down many times."

When he handed the project to our studio, his attitude was so earnest; this grown man almost cried.

Liu Shishi gently shook her head. Although she wasn't short of funds, she wouldn't invest in projects she didn't believe in for no reason. There were plenty of talented but unappreciated directors in the entertainment industry; she couldn't possibly help them all.

After spending half an hour watching more than a dozen film projects, Liu Shishi said disappointedly, "There really aren't any decent film projects."

"Shishi, as you know, film projects from famous screenwriters and directors in the industry never lack investment. Often, before the project is even officially approved, a bunch of film and television companies are already eager to give them money."

Most of the people who manage to get to our studio are just people with no connections, hoping to get lucky through you, this rich woman." Jiang Yuanyuan curled her lip, her tone full of disdain.

In her view, these film projects, which simply send over a script and expect the studio to invest, pushing all the risks onto them, are practically freeloading. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

"That's true." Liu Shishi had to admit this reality.

The up-and-coming directors who have made it in the industry in recent years, such as Ma Xin and Xu Zheng, either have strong financial backing or are actors who have transitioned to acting and have rich experience.

For fledgling directors, opportunities are extremely rare; they can't expect to make a name for themselves without enduring hardship for at least ten years.

After regaining her composure, Liu Shishi's gaze returned to the script of "Brotherhood of Blades".

I didn't pay much attention at first, but after reading more than a dozen movie scripts, I still felt that the story of "Brotherhood of Blades" was the most exciting, and I could see the screenwriter's dedication. It seems a real pity to give up on it now.

Looking at the investment amount of 5000 million, Liu Shishi felt conflicted. After a moment of contemplation, she suggested, "Why don't we invest in one?"

Jiang Yuanyuan remained noncommittal about the top female star's idea: "Shishi, if you really intend to invest, then the studio should invest. However, I don't recommend investing all of it; just invest half, that way the risk will be smaller."

With our studio leading the investment, it shouldn't be difficult for him to find other companies to raise funds. If, even with our help, he still can't raise enough money to get the project off the ground, then he can only blame himself for not being qualified to make movies.

Upon hearing this, Liu Shishi felt that Jiang Yuanyuan's words made sense, and decisively decided: "Okay, let's do it your way. The studio will invest 2500 million, and the director can figure out the rest himself."

After finishing their business, the two friends chatted casually, and Liu Shishi inquired about her best friend's love life.

At the same time, in Xu Zheng's studio in Beiping.

Xu Zheng nestled on the soft sofa, looking at the exquisite poster on his phone screen that had been sent by Liu Shishi's studio, announcing the handover of the top-grossing Chinese film.

As his fingertips swiped across the screen, he carefully admired the cloud patterns, golden peaks, and the "ice crystal" crown supported by auspicious clouds, and a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.

From then on, he firmly established himself in the film industry and became a director with a box office of over one billion.

Across from her, Tao Hong suggested, "Why don't you respond on Weibo? A little interaction and hype would be good for promoting 'Lost in Thailand'."

"Of course, the copywriting team is already preparing," Xu Zheng replied.

Seeing that her husband had already made arrangements, Tao Hong stopped talking and instead asked, "By the way, is the matter of 'Breakup Buddies' settled?"

"It's settled." Xu Zheng's face showed a hint of resentment. "Tengda and Huaying have reached an agreement, what can I do?"
It's also my fault for being so foolish; I shouldn't have involved Tengda Culture in the new project. Capital is capital after all; once their profits are affected, they'll suppress them without mercy!

"Learn from your mistakes," Tao Hong couldn't help but sigh. "Besides, there are differences between different types of capital. No one in the industry can compete with the combined forces of Tengda and Huaying."

Xu Zhengqiang suppressed his anger, knowing that worrying about something that was already a done deal would be pointless. His ability to assess situations and act accordingly was essential to his current position.

"I'll leave 'Breakup Buddies' aside, for my other new film, I've looked for another company."

Tao Hong asked curiously, "You mean that movie, 'The Great Hypnotist'?"

"Yes." Xu Zheng nodded slightly. "I contacted Wanda Pictures."

Tao Hong asked worriedly, "Won't Tengda Culture have something to say? After all, you're a director they've helped to promote."

Xu Zheng calmly replied, "I'm just the lead actor and producer for this film. No matter how domineering Tengda is, they can't stop me from taking on roles, can they?"

Tao Hong understood perfectly well that her husband's claim of being a producer was just a smokescreen; he was definitely the one in charge of the production team.

So he advised, "It's best not to fall out with Tengda. Let's leave 'The Great Hypnotist' as it is, but for the next installment of the 'Lost in...' series, let's continue to cooperate with Tengda Culture."

Xu Zheng waved his hand impatiently: "Alright, I know what I'm doing. You don't need to worry about this."

Just then, his phone vibrated slightly; it was a message from the public relations department. Xu Zheng glanced at it, confirmed it was okay, and then posted it on Weibo.

Actress Xu Zheng (v): "I was just startled when this 'ice crystal crown' fell from the sky and hit me in the studio! So generous of the top actress! @LiuShishiv"
"Goodbye Mr. Loser" soared to over 1 billion yuan last year, opening up a new world for all of us Chinese filmmakers.

"Lost in Thailand" simply followed the path paved by its predecessors, took a few more steps forward, and was fortunate enough to reap a great reward thanks to the audience's love for it.

This 'crown' is so heavy; it was supported by countless spectators. We were just the helpers who held it up for a while! [bowing]
One billion is just a new starting point. I hope that this 'crown' can be passed on faster and farther by Chinese filmmakers, like a relay baton!
The movie "Lost in Thailand" was already incredibly popular, and Xu Zheng's Weibo post immediately ignited the enthusiasm of netizens.

"This poster is a fantastic idea. It has a sense of passing the torch from generation to generation. I hope that Director Xu can pass on the 'crown' to the new box office champion in the future."

"Lost in Thailand was hilarious. I'm looking forward to Director Xu's next film."

"The best flame of Chinese cinema is the baton passed from the older generation to the younger generation."

. . .

Tao Hong was also reading the comments and was filled with emotion: "From 'Hero' breaking 100 million to today's two peaks standing side by side, this 'passing the crown' ceremony is likely to be recorded in the history of Chinese cinema!"

(Looking forward to seeing the graphic designer from Qidian.com on the cover!)

(End of this chapter)