Rebirth 09: Starting from taking charge of Running Man on CCTV

Director He took out his reading glasses from the drawer and slowly put them on.

He repeats this process dozens of times every day: reviewing contracts, checking quotations, and verifying figures. He has been in the business world for over 20 years and has handled all kinds of exorbitantly priced bids.

Their gaze fell upon the first agreement.

"The Next Generation" is the exclusive title sponsor, with a sponsorship fee of 50 million yuan.

He blinked.

My gaze shifted to the second dish.

Tencent, a core strategic partner, will receive RMB 25 million, plus RMB 10 million in platform resource exchange.

Director He took off his glasses.

I rubbed my eyes.

Put it back on.

I watched it again.

The amount remained the same.

The official seal is genuine.

In the signature section, one signature is Cao Guowei's handwriting, and the other is Cheng Wu's signature plus the authorization stamp of the Shenzhen headquarters.

He took off his glasses and placed them on the table, then looked up and stared at the twenty-four-year-old man in front of him.

For a full five seconds, he didn't say a word.

"Director Chen."

"Um."

"You're a TV show director, and you visited two internet companies in one day and negotiated 85 million?"

"right."

Director He took off his glasses, placed them on the table, and stared at Chen Yang for a full five seconds.

Do you know how much sponsorship revenue CCTV's variety channel generated for new programs last year?

"A little over one hundred million?"

"One hundred and eight million." Director He's voice was a little hoarse. "You did in one day what others did in half a year."

He stood up, locked the two agreements in the safe, and turned to pick up the landline phone.

"I will immediately report to the leaders at the station for approval, and I will coordinate the investment promotion press conference."

He put down the microphone and looked at Chen Yang.

This time, there was no politeness or perfunctoriness in his eyes, only the respect of a seasoned businessman with over twenty years of experience for a true hunter.

"Director Chen, when do you want to hold the event, with the venue, media, and invitations? I'll fully cooperate."

Chen Yang nodded, got up and walked out.

As he reached the door, he heard Director He behind him pick up the phone and dial a number, muttering something under his breath.

"Eight thousand five hundred a day... how did this kid manage that...?"

Chen Yang's lips curled slightly, but he didn't turn around.

This is nothing.

......

Early June.

The multi-functional press conference hall on the first floor of the CCTV main building.

Official sponsorship launch event for "Run, China".

The two hundred seats were all occupied, and more than twenty folding chairs were added to the aisle.

Those present were all marketing managers, brand directors, and regional managers from major brands, dressed in suits, their name tags bearing logos that were practically household names.

More than thirty media reporters were crammed into the back row, their long lenses and microphones set up in a row, and the flashes kept going off.

Director He sat in the first row below the stage, his hands crossed on his knees. His expression had changed from disbelief two weeks ago to unease today.

The scene was far beyond his expectations.

He originally estimated that it would be a success if fifty brands showed up.

As a result, more than 120 companies applied, and finally 80 were selected and invited.

Ninety-three companies actually visited today.

The extra thirteen companies came to us on their own after hearing rumors about it.

The large screen lights up.

The moment the logos of "The Next Generation" and Tencent appeared side-by-side in the center of the screen, the audience erupted in commotion.

The whispering murmurs instantly turned into loud exclamations.

"The younger generation invested? Fifty million?"

"Tencent invested too?"

"Two internet giants are simultaneously betting on the same variety show? What does that even mean?"

Someone immediately took out their phone, bent over, and whispered a call to the company.

"Boss, both 'The Next Generation' and Tencent have invested, this show is for real. Maximize the budget, let's grab the spots first!"

Chen Yang stood on the stage and calmly read out the program introduction and the list of signed brands.

"Remaining cooperation slots are limited to one per product category, first come, first served, no exceptions."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wanglaoji's marketing director was the first to raise his hand.

"We want to specify the beverage! Twelve million per season, sign now!"

Li Ning's brand director followed closely behind.

"The sportswear is ours, 1500 yuan! Everyone wears Li-Ning!"

The regional manager of FAW-Volkswagen stood up and raised his voice even louder.

"Official vehicle! 1300! We'll deliver the car directly to the film set!"

The venue erupted in chaos.

Nokia and HTC employees nearly got into a fight over a slot in the communications equipment market.

Libai and Nice Group are vying for the quota of artificial daily chemical products.

The China Unicom representative slammed his fist on the table and shouted out the price three times.

Director He sat in the audience, his lips twitching, his pen never stopping.

He has worked in business for over twenty years and has never seen brands scrambling to give money to CCTV.

Chen Yang remained calm on stage, like an outsider.

If the offer is high but the style doesn't match, reject it on the spot.

In cases of product category conflict, a ruling will be made on the spot.

We won't accept anyone who doesn't fit the outdoor variety show setting.

Three hours later.

The final list has been finalized.

Libai, China Unicom, and Midea are three designated partners.

In addition to industry-designated products such as Master Kong and Nongfu Spring...

Total investment attraction amount.

One hundred and seventy-seven million.

Director He held the final summary sheet, his hands trembling violently.

He turned his head and glanced at Chen Yang, who was standing on the side of the platform drinking water.

Twenty-four years old.

I've been with the company for less than a year.

The company attracted 177 million yuan in investment in a single quarter.

It broke the record.

It's not a record from a variety show channel.

This is a record for CCTV's new program advertising revenue.

The total sponsorship revenue for the 2009 Spring Festival Gala was just over 100 million yuan.

......

That night.

The entire team gathered in the twelfth-floor office area.

Zhang Lei, Su Xiao, Liu Gang, Zhao Bin, Zhou Jianjun, Ma Li, Chen Xi, Wang Jianguo, and more than twenty others crowded into the conference room.

Everyone's eyes were shining.

Chen Yang stood in front of the whiteboard and hung up a huge map of the capital city.

"The investment attraction matter is settled."

He spoke in a flat tone, as if he were saying that the cafeteria had added a new dish today.

"From now on, we will begin preparations for the first recording session."

He picked up a red marker and drew a circle on the map.

Everyone knows the area that's been circled.

Beijing Olympic Park.

Bird's Nest.

Water Cube.

"This is where the first episode was filmed."

Chen Yang put the pen cap back on and turned to look at everyone.

"It is expected to air around August 8th, but the exact time is still being coordinated and depends on the quality of the first episode."

"On the first anniversary of the Olympics, our first episode will begin in this place that holds the most memories for all of China."

There was a two-second silence in the conference room, followed by a burst of low cheers.

Zhang Lei slammed his fist on the table: "Awesome! Absolutely amazing!"

Su Xiao has already started drawing the framework of the process in her notebook.

Zhao Bin rubbed his hands together and muttered, "Whether the lights in the Bird's Nest are enough for me to take pictures, I'll have to ask Lao Zhou."

Before Zhou Jianjun could answer, Chen Yang raised his hand and pressed him down.

"Don't be too happy yet."

He looked at Dong Jun, the security director, who was sitting in the corner.

"Old Dong, how did your negotiations go this morning? How did it go?"

Dong Jun stood up, his face looking rather grim.

"Director Chen, there's been a problem."

The meeting room fell silent instantly.

Dong Jun opened the notebook in his hand.

"The Bird's Nest and the Water Cube are national-level core Olympic heritage sites, and their security level is much higher than I expected. The management committee panicked as soon as they heard that celebrities were going to be allowed to run around inside."

"Their exact words were, 'What if the celebrities' running causes a stampede by fans outside the venue? Who will be responsible if the Olympic facilities are damaged?'"

He closed the notebook and looked at Chen Yang.

"The approval process for filming inside the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube has been completely blocked."

"The management committee said that unless there is approval from a higher level, the name tag ripping game inside the venue will not be allowed..."

Dong Jun paused.

"It's impossible to approve."

The jubilation in the meeting room instantly cooled down.

Zhang Lei's hand froze in mid-air, and Su Xiao's pen also stopped.

All eyes turned to Chen Yang's face.

As a result, they couldn't even get into the venue to start filming the first episode.

Chen Yang stared at the red circle on the map.

He tapped the whiteboard twice with his fingers.

He didn't speak.

But no one dared to urge him.

Because everyone knows that this person is trying to find a solution.

And the solutions he came up with never disappointed.

......

P.S.: Let's continue the discussion: What celebrity? Song? Movie/TV show impressed you the most in 2009? And which guest would you like to invite to Running Man?