Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 373 Company Shareholding System, Grand Closing Performance

After the movie ended, there was a media interview session, and Chen Shou was still the only one on stage.

"There are no actors in this animated film. The voice actors are professionals in the industry. President Zhong gave me a strict order to cooperate fully with the publicity. Do any of you media friends have any questions?" Chen Shouzhe said, standing on the stage with the microphone.

"Director Chen, I'd like to ask, will Little Dream release an animated film every year in the future?"

"Not necessarily, because the production cycle of animated films is actually quite long. With the advancement of technology, the technical requirements for animated films have gradually decreased. The equipment is no longer what it was ten years ago. Technological development is changing rapidly."

The most important thing is talent. Xiaoxiaomeng is losing a large number of employees almost every day. The company's management has complained to me many times about the loss of key personnel, which is causing them great distress. Several companies present have poached our project staff. Of course, I also think it's a good thing, as it shows we've gained industry recognition.

Since the success of WALL-E, the animated film market has become a hot commodity.

Compared to live-action films, animated films are more likely to reach a global audience.

The production difficulty of animated films is actually not high; the difficulty lies in the quality of the film and the plot.

Many companies, like Huayi Brothers, have made an animated film a few years ago, but it was poorly made and flopped spectacularly.

Many companies, unable to replicate the success of their own projects, began seeking inspiration from other companies. In the entire film industry, the most successful animated film is undoubtedly Chen Shou's Little Dream, making Little Dream a target for many companies.

This left Chen Shouzhe feeling both amused and helpless.

After all, when he founded Little Dream, he was ridiculed by these companies a lot, who thought it was ridiculous for him to spend so much money to start a special effects company.

Only now do we realize that we've invested so much money, putting us many times ahead of domestic special effects companies.

The company's equipment investment is astronomical, and Little Dream is a promising technology company.

Hearing what Chen Shouzhe said, many people in the audience laughed, and it was quite awkward, for a simple reason: they had all participated in poaching people.

During the period when WALL-E was a success, the entire film and television industry was frantically searching for Little Dream's employees, especially those at the managerial level, who were all dismissed.

Guo Fan received exceptionally high compensation, which tempted many people, but they still left, impressed by the hefty penalty for breach of contract.

It's not like the company hasn't been poached before; its first chairman, Tao Le, was even poached by Huayi Brothers. He's doing alright now, but there's no place for him in the top echelons of the entertainment industry.

"I heard that Little Dream Company is developing a game. Is that true?" the reporter asked curiously.

"It's true. Little Dream is a special effects company. A long time ago, a game company approached us to develop game special effects. The company's management found that making games didn't seem too difficult, so they also started making games."

"May I ask what game it is?"

“It’s definitely our own company’s IP,” Chen Shou said with a smile.

"Adaptation of the company's IP?" Everyone present became curious.

Chen Shouzhe's company's biggest IP is Journey to the West. Journey to the West has main characters and so many monsters, making it perfect for making into a game.

When will the game be released?

"I don't know, the game development department didn't tell me."

A female reporter stood up with a microphone and asked, "I'd like to ask Director Chen, Little Dream Company reportedly has over two thousand employees. Are you considering taking the company public?"

"Going public..."

Many film and television company executives sat up straight. Chen Shouzhe's Shouzhe Pictures had already stated that it would not go public, but Xiaoxiaomeng was different.

Xiao Xiaomeng is a technology company, and a technology company cannot be run by one person alone, and it is not highly dependent on Chen Shouzhe.

If this company were to go public, its high-quality production would definitely make it a unicorn company.

With the current huge domestic game production market, the support of various IPs, and Little Dream's film development, if it can obtain more financial support, it will definitely be able to create many high-quality animated films and games.

Many people have privately mentioned to him that going public would indeed be more beneficial than harmful for Xiaoxiaomeng. Compared to traditional film and television companies, or film companies with big data models led by Alibaba, Xiaoxiaomeng is a technology company, and accepting financing and going public will allow it to better develop its future.

"There is indeed a plan!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's eyes lit up, especially those who were close to him. Even the heads of state-owned enterprises like Chairman La and Ren Zhonglun became excited at that moment.

A unicorn is taking off. This is a special effects company with over two thousand employees, and the number one special effects company in China.

It's not that no company has considered creating its own special effects company, but in terms of initial investment and market share, it's better to hand it over to Little Dream.

Unexpectedly, Chen Shouzhe, who has always opposed the company going public, has actually changed his mind. Could it be that he is having financial difficulties?
"Everyone, please don't get excited. What I meant by having a plan is not an IPO plan. My company will still not go public. As I just mentioned, many people have been poached from the company, so I'm thinking of distributing a portion of the shares to the employees, so that everyone who joins the company can get shares," Chen Shou said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, the people below the stage looked at each other in surprise, none of them expecting Chen Shouzhe to adopt such a system.

They actually distributed shares to the company's employees to attract these tech talents.

In just two years, the company added two thousand employees, but many were still poached, with many even using the company as a stepping stone.

I switch companies immediately after completing a project.

For Xiaoxiaomeng, this is a huge loss, and even if she receives compensation for breach of contract, it won't be much.

On the contrary, I learned a lot at his company, but when I went to the rival company, it was a huge loss for them.

This news is definitely good news for the senior management of Little Dream Company. They will certainly receive more shares. They will also receive a lot of the company's annual profits, but that can't compare to the shares.

The others looked at Chen Shou with disappointment. They thought the company was preparing to go public, but it turned out that it wasn't. The company had indeed been converted into a joint-stock company, but the shares were all held by the company's employees and probably couldn't be bought or sold. They gave up on that idea.

The premiere ended in a lively atmosphere, and the crowd dispersed around 2 p.m.

After seeing off the last group of guests, Chen Shou went directly to Lao Guo's house.

Today is also the day to seal the box and summarize the work of the past year.

Of course, Chen Shou himself did not take a holiday, and there was still some time before his holiday. During this period, the publicity work had to be carried out.

Even the best wine needs advertising; in today's increasingly competitive film market, effective promotion is essential.

Since there are no live-action actors in the animated film, the only one who appears is the boss, Chen Shou. Besides, the film is based on his script and tells the story of a group of stray animals who, after seeing the animals in the zoo, feel they should save them, which leads to a series of bizarre events.

The screenplay was his original work, but Chen Shouzhe referenced "Zootopia" in terms of character design, anthropomorphizing animals and expressing them through animation.

After the premiere, the final promotional video was released, along with some celebrities cheering it on.

This made "Crazy Animals" the most anticipated film of the Spring Festival season, bar none.

With overwhelming momentum, it was unstoppable. Especially on some short video platforms, various clips appeared, and with the popularization of short videos, more and more people are investing more time in them.

At Lao Guo's house, Chen Shou took a nap and didn't set off for the Beijing Exhibition Center until after six o'clock.

The annual closing ceremony is held here, with more than 2,700 seats. It's located in Xizhimen, next to the zoo that Chen Shouzhe frequents.

There are six dressing rooms backstage, which can accommodate more than 200 people at the same time for makeup.

However, today, the Deyun Society has more than 300 people, and about 200 of them need to go on stage.

When Roy arrived backstage, the actors were all preparing. It was almost seven o'clock when he arrived, so he went straight to the last dressing room.

Guo Degang and the others are all here. It's impossible for all of these apprentices to go on stage. The closing performance will last a bit longer, usually with eight or nine programs. Chen Shou glanced at this year's program list and saw that there were ten.

"Here you are," said Old Guo, sitting on a stool in a long gown.

"Just arrived." Chen Shou rubbed his eyes, having lain down for a while in the car.

“I’ve removed the original segment featuring Da Lin and your master. We’ll have Da Lin and Da Nao perform together instead,” Lao Guo said.

"Will this disrupt the plan?" Chen Shou asked, snapping out of his daze.

“It’s alright, it’s a program that’s optional anyway, but there is one program you need to participate in,” Master Yu Qian said.

"I want two programs?" Chen Shou asked in surprise.

This year's program features a mixed bag of acts. The first act is a group performance, with Meng Hetang as the main character. Last year's newcomer became popular and has become Deyun Society's rising star this year.

Now, Deyun Society is promoting talented actors one by one each year, giving them leading roles.

The first one is naturally Yue Yunpeng, followed by Zhang Helun, Guo Qilin, Zhang Yunlei, Shaobing, and now it's finally Meng Hetang's turn.

He capitalized on this wave of popularity and successfully went viral, so his first show featured newcomers, with a total of six people participating.

The second program was a stand-up comedy routine by Yan Hexiang, but it has been changed so that Guo Qilin is now his partner.

The third act was by Guo Yu. Because there were so many acts, and they were probably worried about the show running too late, they had Guo Yu perform a segment early.

The fourth was Zhang Yunlei and Yang Jiulang, and the fifth was a group performance, a double act mainly featuring sesame seed cakes, with Cao Heyang, Zhang Helun, Lang Heyan, and Hou Zhen.

The fifth one, originally meant to be learned from sign language, was now performed by Guo Qilin and his master Yu Qian, but it has now been changed to a solo performance by Chen Shouzhe.

Next came the opera performance, with several people taking turns to sing and keep the audience entertained.

The following acts consist of two mixed-gender performances: Yue Yunpeng and Luan Yunping selling secondhand clothes, and Gao Feng and Sun Yue as bodyguards. Finally, the trio of Guo Yu and Gao Feng will conclude the show.

There are ten programs in total. After reviewing the program list, it's almost time for the opening ceremony.

His two programs were a solo performance and a traditional opera performance.

"I haven't performed in opera for a long time," Chen Shouzhe said with a smile when he saw his own arrangement.

His timing is quite good, it's around 10 o'clock, but the exact time depends on how the preceding performances go.

Unlike other art forms, crosstalk cannot be performed within a set time. The most difficult place to perform is the Spring Festival Gala, where the time is strictly controlled. Otherwise, Grandpa Zhao would not have withdrawn from the Spring Festival Gala; the pressure was simply too great.

A crosstalk performance lasts only ten minutes or so, and there might not even be enough time for the build-up or the actual jokes before the time runs out.

Old Guo went up once. A staff member held a clock in front of him and told him to hurry up and come down.

In the end, the two of them, just like the evening newspaper they corresponded with, finished speaking without any regard for the feelings of the audience.

The closing act is a show where the performers are off-stage and entertained by themselves. If the performers can't control themselves, it's easy for the show to go over time.

Of course, there were also times when actors had to spend an hour and a half on stage answering riddles because they had been drinking.

"It's okay, bro, just go up and sing whatever you want," Shaobing said from behind.

"That won't do. How about I go up and sing 'Calling Little Fan'?" Chen Shou said with a smile.

"If you can sing it, just sing it," Shaobing said with a smile.

Shaobing arrived backstage very early, even earlier than Yue Yunpeng and Kong Yunlong. He was really ugly back then, and Chen Shouzhe disliked him a lot. However, this kid was straightforward and obedient, and whatever he said went. He was quite stubborn.

Chen Shouzhe bullied him quite a bit, but as he grew older, he gradually understood and their relationship became better and better.

With so many people backing them, infighting is inevitable. Who gets along with whom, who gets along with whom, who gossips about whom, and so on.

Even partners argue and sometimes fall out. Good partners work out together, and if things don't work out, it's perfectly normal to switch partners.

When carrying water, both sides have to work together. The supporting comedian has to sacrifice a lot. If the supporting comedian steals the spotlight, the lead comedian will be dissatisfied. There is a crosstalk performance about supporting and lead comedians, which is a true story.

Because the lead comedian is more famous and earns more, the supporting comedian is dissatisfied and demands a higher salary.

Therefore, there is a rule in Deyun Society that the straight man and the comedian are paid the same amount.

Some people were dissatisfied, saying that the comedian had said a lot, asking why they should receive the same amount.

Don't they realize that many famous comedians are the lead comedians, like Yue Yunpeng, Zhang Yunlei, Zhang Helun, Guo Qilin, and Meng Hetang? Their efforts will be rewarded in other ways.

The supporting role is more like a clown, serving to highlight the main character.

Unlike before, Chen Shou did not leave with Hou Zhen this time.

The hosts are no longer Hou Zhen, but Guo Degang's apprentice Zhang Jiuling and nephew Wang Jiulong, a black-and-white duo, who are in charge of the hosting duties.

As the gongs and drums sounded, the actors began to prepare; when the suona horn played, the actors began to take the stage.

At first, there were four people, but later it became two.

If you go up to the corner, you can see that the audience is already cheering, especially Zhang Yunlei, who is at the peak of his fame right now.

The Yue Yunpeng shed behind him was a bit too heavy to hold up.

After Gao Luan went up, it was Guo Yu's turn last. But instead of two people, there were three this time.

Chen Shou walked in front, followed by Lao Guo, and then Yu Qian. The three of them walked out of the stage door, and cheers continued from the stage and the audience.

(End of this chapter)