How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 72 You evaded taxes, didn't you?

"Mr. Wang and President Chi, this way please." Lee Yong-woo has the typical face of a Korean PD, and his smile is both fake and friendly.

Wang Yao smiled and nodded, then followed Li Rongyu into a private room. It seemed that Li Rongyu had booked the entire restaurant for the team, so there were no outsiders in the restaurant except for the production crew.

When everyone saw the head PD leading a tall and handsome new face into a private room, they all started whispering among themselves.

I'm guessing it might be a newcomer being promoted by some company, appearing on shows to gain recognition.

The female guests seemed particularly excited. After all, in a show dominated by women, the addition of a young, handsome man would greatly help to lighten the mood.

"Please don't take offense, I'm treating the team to dinner today, and I heard you two wanted to meet, so I arranged to meet here," Li Rongyu explained with a smile.

"It was we who were being presumptuous in disturbing you," Wang Yao apologized.

"Mr. Wang, are you from the north?" Li Rongyu found Wang Yao's accent a bit strange.

“No, I am Chinese, but my maternal grandmother was Korean,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

“Then we’re compatriots too. Try our Jeju Island black pork.” Lee Yong-woo laughed.

Wang Yao was indeed a bit hungry, and while eating, he exchanged pleasantries, revealing his desire to cooperate.

"Mr. Wang, you want to invest in my company?" Li Rongyu was somewhat taken aback.

His company had just started, and although his first project, "Youth Never Dies," didn't lose money, it didn't make much profit either. Many of his friends didn't think he would succeed on his own, but unexpectedly, a foreigner wanted to invest in him.

"I value President Li's extensive experience in variety show production. To be honest, I want to collaborate with President Li to cultivate some variety show talents and then send them to work in China," Wang Yao said frankly.

You can't make much money in a tiny place like Korea. Even a tiny bit of money is considered insignificant by the chaebols of Samseong. The real value of Korea lies in its professionals in the arts and entertainment industry.

It must be admitted that in the entire East Asia, Korea's professionalism in the field of entertainment packaging is truly unparalleled. From makeup and styling to photography and stage design, they can really do it to the extreme. The rise of the Korean Wave is inseparable from these basic professionals.

Korea's entertainment industry is industrialized because these grassroots positions strictly adhere to SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for streamlined operations.

On the contrary, those glamorous artists in front of the stage are the same no matter who is in their position.

After Hunan TV brought in a Korean editing and filming team for guidance, the visuals and makeup improved significantly.

Therefore, veteran producers like Li Rongyu, who have been deeply involved in the variety show industry for more than ten years, have a systematic approach to both production experience and talent cultivation, which is a valuable asset.

“Sending someone abroad? As far as I know, there doesn’t seem to be much of a market for variety shows in China,” Li Rongyu said, frowning.

In recent years, with celebrities like Jang Nara and Choo Ji-hyun returning from China to flaunt their wealth, the Korean entertainment industry has developed a stereotype of Chinese entertainment: that the people there are foolish and rich, that there is little work but a lot of money, and that the entertainment is outdated.

"It's precisely because it doesn't exist yet that we have this opportunity," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"To be honest, Mr. Wang is probably not an insider, so he doesn't know much about variety shows. The foundation of variety shows is humor, and the foundation of humor is culture. Only by aligning with the audience's cultural background can excellent programs be created."
"I am Korean, and although I have some understanding of Chinese culture, I would never presume to say that I can engage in creative work. Out of respect and responsibility for both of us, this idea is actually very difficult to realize," Li Rongyu said seriously.

Wang Yao was somewhat surprised, not expecting this old guy to be such an academic idealist.

"President Li makes a good point. However, if a variety show can reach the level of being funny, it can already be considered a success. We have an old Chinese saying, 'It should be appreciated by both the refined and the common people.' President Li doesn't need to worry too much about cultural incompatibility. We can each focus on what we are good at," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"I'd like to hear the details." Li Rongyu frowned slightly, his tone somewhat displeased.

He felt that the boy in front of him was being a bit rude, even going so far as to instruct him on what variety shows were.

"Variety shows, as a medium for dissemination, are meant to serve the public. Of course, they can also subtly guide public opinion. For example, the recently popular 'We Got Married' is a program produced by Korea to promote the marriage rate."

These needs are similar in any country, and the structure of variety shows is fixed. The content can be adapted by collecting materials, but it would be even better if commercial elements could be taken into account. Wang Yao paused here, taking a couple of bites of barbecue.

Li Rongyu's brows furrowed deeper and deeper, because Wang Yao, whether intentionally or unintentionally, had just hit the nail on the head regarding his current predicament.

Business elements!

The show "Youth Never Dies" has good viewership ratings, but the reason it's not popular is that it doesn't have any brand sponsors!

Korea is a very vain country, so all brands tend to be extravagant and luxurious.

However, "Invincible Youth" is a rural-style program, and no brand wants its products to appear in a scene full of cow dung, yellow soil, and slums.

This doesn't fit the brand's image.

Without commercial elements, creative work cannot be supported. Starting this year, the original investors have repeatedly mentioned that the format or style needs to be changed, otherwise there is a risk of the content being taken down.

“Mr. Wang makes a lot of sense. Commercial elements are indeed very important for a program. However, if commercial elements are too heavy, they may affect the program itself. This is the first point that is difficult to balance, right?” Li Rongyu said in a deep voice.

“So creators need to use their imagination.” Wang Yao smiled. “To be honest, I really like the show ‘Invincible Youth’. It’s very interesting. If this show were filmed in China, there might be more possibilities. After all, Korea is too small. A narrow land cannot produce diverse flowers.”

Wang Yao's words were not just offensive, they were downright insulting.

If this happened in China, people would probably have taken action long ago if they heard outsiders belittling their hometown like this.

But Goryeo is a people who fear power but do not cherish virtue.

Moreover, Koreans who have reached a certain level don't even like their own hometown, so Li Rongyu only symbolically showed his anger, saying, "Mr. Wang's words are rather offensive."

"But isn't that the truth?" Wang Yao smiled slightly. "You should know that I have no ill intentions. In our country, if your segment promoting local specialties on the show were in this format, I could find you ten sponsors for each episode, and even find related companies to sponsor the show."

But in Korea, a place with poor agricultural resources, your variety show is out of place in terms of commercial elements. Furthermore, your environment doesn't respect farmers, and from a cultural perspective, it's also misaligned.

Wang Yao's blunt analysis annoyed Li Rongyu, but he couldn't refute it. He wasn't one to argue; he knew these were facts. "President Li, would you like to hear my 'accessible to all' perspective?" Wang Yao asked with a smile.

"I'd like to hear the details." Li Rongyu took a deep breath.

"President Li has a great experience in structuring reality shows. I have an idea: since so many people are willing to watch celebrities and idols dating, there should also be a market for celebrity parent-child programs."
Both can boost marriage and birth rates, and parent-child programs can attract more and wealthier sponsors who can easily provide the program's revenue from all aspects of life, including food, clothing, housing, and transportation. Wang Yao offered this as bait.

"A celebrity parent-child reality show?" Li Rongyu exclaimed in surprise, as if struck by lightning, when a sudden inspiration struck him.

"Yeah, why not make a parent-child reality show? It would not only perfectly connect with the traffic of marriage and dating shows, but also generate more buzz. Most importantly, many of the earliest actors or idols have already started families and careers, which means they have basically ended their professional careers."

However, this show can give these washed-up celebrities a chance to be exposed. Their pay is lower, but the return is quite considerable. It would be best if male celebrities were to take care of the children, as men taking care of children is something that Korean women find interesting and can generate a lot of social discussion.

Moreover, the mainstream audience for parent-child topics is precisely them, so the ratings won't be bad. Wang Yao wiped his mouth.

Parent-child variety shows like "Where Are We Going, Dad?" and "Superman is Coming" have a huge influence and monetization potential in Korea.

"This idea, is it Mr. Wang's own?" Li Rongyu's breathing became a little rapid, because his intuition told him that his opportunity might have come.

"I guess so. When I was a kid, we had a parent-child interactive show in China, though it wasn't a celebrity reality show, but it was pretty good back then. After watching Korean variety shows, I realized that celebrities could also act in dating shows, and that's when I came up with this idea."
So different cultural backgrounds are not a problem. Human needs are always interconnected. Programs don't necessarily have to be profound or educational, but their stance and original intention must be to serve the audience. This is what I mean by appealing to both refined and popular tastes. This is just my personal opinion, for your reference only. Wang Yao smiled warmly.

Li Rongyu looked at Wang Yao with a complicated expression and sighed softly, "Talented people emerge in every generation, each leading the way for hundreds of years."

"I've been showing off my limited skills before an expert, President Li, please don't take offense." Wang Yao raised an eyebrow slightly. It's true that Koreans talking about Tang poetry can easily make Chinese people sensitive.

"If I want to use this idea, do I have to collaborate with Mr. Wang?" Li Rongyu asked.

“Of course, after all, Goryeo has more than just President Lee's variety show company. There are many other companies I could collaborate with on this project, such as SBS, KBS, and MBC. But what I value more is President Lee's determination and ability to start his own business from scratch in middle age.” Wang Yao’s smile remained unchanged.

"How does Mr. Wang want to cooperate?" Li Rongyu pondered for a moment.

"2 million Korean won (100 million Chinese yuan), how many shares can President Lee give up?" Wang Yao asked.

"Huh?" Li Rongyu's eyes widened.

How much? 2 million?

He started his company with less than 1 million!
He immediately asked for double the price? Just who is this person?
“Mr. Wang, my company is not large. Including myself, there are only eight employees. 1 million is too much. I can’t give up so many shares. I started my own business so that I could have control over it,” Li Rongyu said bluntly.

"Are all Goryeo companies this small?" Wang Yao asked Chi Ming with some doubt.

"The economy is good here, so there are a lot of shell companies. Most of them are only a few hundred thousand in size, but they can take on projects worth tens of millions," Chi Ming said in a low voice.

Capitalism does indeed have high leverage.

“We can have different voting rights for the same shares. I’m an investor and have no intention of interfering in the company’s or project’s operations. However, I need President Lee to train a sufficient team to meet my job requirements in Korea,” Wang Yao pondered.

The investment in Li Rongyu's company was made with money from Tianhuo Media, because it is also a capital-intensive company that incubates talent. It doesn't make much profit, but it is crucial.

“No problem. I have many colleagues and students. With Mr. Wang’s money, we can quickly set up two more teams.” Li Rongyu was overjoyed upon hearing this.

Investors not vying for control is every entrepreneur's dream.

“Okay, if President Li is interested, we can go back and organize the details of the cooperation, and we can discuss it another day.” Wang Yao nodded.

What he wanted was Lee Yong-woo's connections. Lee Yong-woo had been at KBS for many years and had cultivated many people. Even the famous PD Na was his assistant before, but now he has become a big shot. Lee Yong-woo's departure from KBS may also be related to him.

But besides that, there are a few others that Wang Yao values. One is Lee Yoo-jung, the PD who produced the TV series "Reply" and the travel variety show "Flower Series", and the other is Lee Hwan-jin, the original PD of Running Man.

If Wang Yao were to try to recruit them himself, there would be a 90% chance he wouldn't succeed, and even if he did, the cost would be very high. However, with Li Rongyu, an industry veteran, stepping in and with ample resources available, it was basically a natural outcome.

Poaching talent is a technical job, not a physical one; money should be spent wisely.

Moreover, Koreans are very efficient. Once a variety show project is approved, filming can begin within half a month, and a trial broadcast can be held within a week if things go smoothly. Korean films, television dramas, and variety shows are filmed and broadcast simultaneously, and adjustments can be made based on audience feedback, so the requirements for the team's capabilities are extremely high.

If a variety show is successful here, the team can easily and efficiently expand to the domestic market.

Having reached a preliminary agreement on cooperation, Lee Rong-woo was very happy and started talking, complaining about the oppressive system of Korea Television.

These veteran PDs, who are considered to be at the top of the industry, earn less than 500,000 to 600,000 RMB a year. It seems like a lot, but after deducting expenses for supporting their families and socializing, there's really not much left. Moreover, TV stations face great pressure to attract advertisers, so many talented professionals are too busy attracting advertisers to have the energy to produce good programs.

Wang Yao smiled without saying a word. After all, not all TV stations are as secure as Huaqi. Not to mention performance pressure, even the brands sometimes don't bother with them.

Suddenly the atmosphere outside became noisy, and a loud voice could be faintly heard screaming.

"Mr. Wang, please wait a moment. Let me introduce you to a friend." Li Rongyu got up and left the private room, and soon brought in a burly man with a hairstyle similar to Guo Degang's.

"Hu Dong, this is Mr. Wang and President Chi, the presidents of a large multinational entertainment company in China," Li Rongyu introduced enthusiastically.

Kang Ho-dong's status in Korea is equivalent to that of Ha Kyung and Wang Han. He is known as a national-level host. In addition, he comes from a humble background and has always been portrayed as a kind-hearted person with a stern face but a kind heart in Korea.

"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you both." Kang Ho-dong was a wrestler, so he was muscular, and his fawning smile was quite a contrast and funny.

After shaking hands with him, Wang Yao suddenly revealed a subtle smile, which sent a chill down Jiang Hudong's spine.

Wang Yao's next words made him feel as if he had fallen into a cold cellar.

"You evaded taxes, didn't you?"

(End of this chapter)