Huayu: Starting from managing the Mahua FunAge Theater Troupe

After the Lantern Festival, regarding the controversy surrounding whether there were any behind-the-scenes manipulations in the Spring Festival Gala awards ceremony, only Southern Media Group newspapers and some entertainment newspapers reported on it in print media.

Mainstream media reports focused on positive narratives such as "Thousand-Hand Bodhisattva" living up to expectations and Spring Festival Gala newcomer Shen Teng once again proving the Spring Festival Gala's star-making myth.

Shen Feiyang was not interested in the public opinion attacking the Spring Festival Gala awards ceremony for being rife with corruption. The mainstream media used Shen Teng as a shield, which indirectly gave Shen Teng a lot of positive exposure.

This is a good thing.

……

It was February 25th, a little after 2 a.m.

The crew of the TV series "Struggle" held its opening ceremony at the 798 Art Zone in the Dashanzi area of ​​Jiuxianqiao Street, Chaoyang District.

The reason for choosing this location for the opening ceremony is that the production team rented a warehouse in the 798 Art District and transformed it into "Heartbreak Utopia," one of the important scenes in the drama.

The publicity department of Happy Twist, which is in charge of the publicity for "Struggle", invited dozens of media reporters to attend the opening ceremony.

Many media outlets have branches in Beijing.

Shen Teng's current popularity is enough to attract these reporters to come and make a story, not to mention that there is also double the travel expenses.

After director Tian Youliang led the crew through the traditional rituals of offering incense and worshipping the gods of the four directions, the press conference began.

The location is on the basketball court on the first floor of "Heartbreak Utopia".

The main cast and crew sat facing dozens of reporters at a press conference table made up of several long tables, with the title of the drama "Struggle," the list of main cast and crew, and the production company information printed on it behind them. They were ready to answer reporters' questions.

Having just made his Spring Festival Gala debut and become a familiar face to the public, Ai Lun will serve as a guest host.

Facing dozens of reporters with their cameras and microphones, Ai Lun cleared his throat and spoke into the microphone: "Good morning, friends from the media. Welcome to the press conference for the launch of the TV series 'Struggle'. I am your host today, Ai Lun, and also an actor from Happy Twist. I'm here as a guest host, so please forgive me if I don't do a good job."

He paused for a moment, then looked around at the reporters present: "The venue for today's press conference is quite special. It's an old warehouse in 798 Art Zone, which is also the filming location for the 'Heartbreak Utopia' in the drama. The crew specifically chose to start filming here because of this spirit—industrial, youthful, and unrestricted—which is the same as the temperament of our drama."

Ai Lun continued, "First of all, please allow me to introduce the leaders and main creators who are attending today's launch press conference."

"This is Mr. Shen Feiyang, the chief planner of 'Struggle' and the general manager of Feiyang Film and Television."

Shen Feiyang nodded slightly.

"This is Mr. Wei Yonggang, the COO of Joy Media, one of the co-producers of 'Struggle'."

Wei Yonggang nodded in acknowledgment.

"This is Mr. Yu Kai, the producer of 'Struggle' and the vice general manager of Happy Twist."

Yu Kai raised his hand.

"This is Mr. Tian Youliang, the director of 'Struggle'."

Tian Youliang smiled at the reporters.

"Next, let me introduce the main cast of our drama—"

Ai Lun introduced Shen Teng, Gao Yuanyuan, Wen Zhang, Zhu Yuchen, Li Xiaolu, and others in turn.

"After the introductions, let's first have Director Tian, ​​General Manager Shen, and General Manager Wei say a few words, and then we'll move on to the Q&A session. Reporters, if you have any questions, please prepare them now."

He turned to look at Shen Feiyang to make sure the process was going smoothly, then looked away and said into the microphone, "Let's ask Director Tian to say a few words first."

Tian Youliang talked at length about what kind of story "Struggle" was, and the atmosphere gradually warmed up.

Shen Feiyang and Wei Yonggang then discussed the business operations outside of the drama.

For example, the TV series "Struggle" has already attracted millions of yuan in product placement sponsorships, and there are still product placement slots available. Interested product placement companies are welcome to call for inquiries.

Then came the Q&A session with reporters.

Shen Teng, Gao Yuanyuan, Li Xiaolu, Wang Luodan, Wen Zhang, and Zhu Yuchen were the people who received the most questions from reporters.

When asked by a reporter how to play Lu Tao well.

Wen Zhang took the microphone and thought for a moment: "Lu Tao is a smart, proud person who wants to shoulder everything himself, but he's often said to be an idealist who's out of touch with reality. I've been pondering this character's state for a long time, and then I realized..."

Wen Zhang turned to Shen Feiyang: "He's a bit like President Shen; both are people who keep things to themselves but don't show it on the surface. So, my portrayal of Lu Tao is actually based on President Shen's personality. I'm very grateful to President Shen and Director Tian for choosing me for this role, and I will definitely live up to their expectations."

In reality, Lu Tao's idealism, indecisiveness, and tendency to waver between love and career are completely different from Shen Feiyang's.

But that doesn't matter; he got the tattoo because he wanted to curry favor with President Shen.

Anyone with eyes can see it.

People have different opinions about him.

People like Li Xiaolu and Wang Luodan dislike this kind of blatant sycophancy.

Gao Yuanyuan didn't think it was a big deal. She knew how complicated the industry was and how rare it was for Wenzhang to get this role, not to mention that she had helped Wenzhang before.

When asked by a reporter what kind of person "Xia Lin" is,

Having studied the character of "Xia Lin" hundreds of times, Gao Yuanyuan answered casually: "Xia Lin is a very clear-headed person. She knows what she wants and dares to give up things that don't belong to her. When I played her, I was actually learning to be her. She is the most opinionated female character I have encountered in recent years, and I like her very much."

Shen Teng, Li Xiaolu, and Wang Luodan also shared their understanding of their roles.

The reporters then asked some more eye-catching gossip questions.

Does anyone here have a boyfriend or girlfriend?

Shen Teng officially announced his girlfriend on the night he won the championship of "Chinese Comedians". He didn't hide it and openly shared his recent situation, saying that the relationship was very stable. On New Year's Eve, when he returned to his residence from the Spring Festival Gala stage, he didn't expect that Wang Qi had specially prepared New Year's Eve dinner for him.

After asking each of the main cast members, a reporter suddenly raised his hand and asked, "Does Shen Feiyang have a romantic relationship?"

The reporter's question was answered.

All eyes turned to Shen Feiyang.

Sitting on the edge of the press conference platform, next to Xiong Naijin, Jiang Yan couldn't help but feel nervous, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Shen Feiyang leaned back slightly, resting against the back of his chair.

He took the microphone and said casually, "Me? No. My current focus is on my career."

Although Jiang Yan knew that Shen Feiyang was protecting her, she still felt quite disappointed.

……

Following the press conference, the entertainment channels of the four major portals quickly followed up with reports.

The TV series "Struggle" begins filming in Beijing, focusing on the survival status of post-80s graduates.

Gao Yuanyuan plays "Xia Lin": This is the most assertive female character I have ever encountered.

"Emblem: Lu Tao Bears the Shadow of President Shen"

The TV series "Struggle" has become a hit even before filming, with product placement attracting millions in sponsorships.

Shen Teng reveals his touching moment on New Year's Eve: Wang Qi prepared New Year's Eve dinner and waited for me to come home.

From stage play to TV series, Shen Teng and Shen Feiyang's "struggle" has only just begun.

Print media can only report on the story through their own online version first. It will take at least two or three days for the story to be printed and distributed to readers.

……

February 28th, 2 PM.

The second Golden Twist Drama Festival concluded with its closing performance at the Haidian Theater.

The closing performance was presented by a theater troupe called Xiyou from Hangzhou.

The troupe's main creators are core members of several local university drama clubs. After watching the performance of "Crazy Stone" in Hangzhou last year, they joined forces to form this stage comedy troupe.

Based on the skit "Eighty-One Tribulations" performed by Shen Teng and others on the stage of "Chinese Comedians" last year, they created a new stage comedy based on the Journey to the West, focusing on the daily lives of the master and his disciples outside of their pilgrimage.

There are no monsters or fights in the entire series; it's just four people with very different personalities tolerating each other under the same roof.

This stage play is quite creative. It has been performed three times in Beijing, and each performance was sold out.

The main reason is that the ticket prices are indeed not high, with the lowest being 30 yuan and the highest being no more than 80 yuan, with an average ticket price of around 60 yuan. A performance can generate a box office of around 30,000 yuan, which is a great encouragement for them.

With this money, they were able to return to Hangzhou to do commercial performances and try to become professional. Before, they had been performing for free at various universities in Hangzhou.

After the performance, Shen Feiyang, who was sitting in the first row of the audience, immediately applauded.

In his opinion, this play is truly ingenious. As long as the main creators are still alive, they can keep adding new jokes to it, making it a long-lasting success for the troupe and thus earning a living.

Then came the awards ceremony.

This year's Golden Twist Awards continue the awards from last year, while also adding some new awards.

Shen Teng won the Best Actor Award for Stage Play at the 2nd Golden Mahua Drama Festival for his role in "Crazy Stone".

Shen Teng must win an award. If he doesn't, the Golden Twist Drama Festival's popularity and prestige will be significantly lower, making it impossible for other award-winning troupes to capitalize on the opportunity to return to their local areas and stage performances under the banner of "Golden Twist Award-winning works."

All the troupes that participated in the 2nd Golden Twist Drama Festival won awards, and at the very least, they all received a consolation prize, such as the Best Stage Effect Award, which could earn them an extra 5000 yuan in bonus.