Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 101 Cooperation with Tangren

Jiang Tao instructed his female assistant, "Have the film and television department review and evaluate Tencent Culture's new drama as soon as possible, and submit the procurement budget."

The hit TV series "Bright Sword" enabled the Arts and Literature Center to achieve its second-half-year TV drama advertising target ahead of schedule.

There's no need to worry about the ratings of the dramas that will be broadcast on CCTV later, but it's already mid-September, and Jiang Tao needs to plan ahead and consider the opening drama for next year.

If the show can be a huge hit at the beginning of the year, and then have another blockbuster drama with ratings comparable to "Bright Sword", Jiang Tao thinks that it's not impossible for the deputy director to hope for it!

Therefore, he doesn't mind giving Tengda Culture, one of the producers of "Bright Sword," a chance. As for whether it can be purchased, that depends on the quality of the TV series.

Since the boss didn't make things difficult, the assistant felt like he had been granted a pardon and quickly replied, "Okay, okay, I'll get right away."

After saying that, he rushed out of the office to contact the film and television department and do the things assigned by his superiors.

At this moment, Zhang Zhao, along with Wang Shiping, the director of the investment department, Zhang Yue, the director of the film and television production department, and Zeng Jia, the director of the artist management department, were having a small meeting at Tengda Culture Company to arrange work.

Filming for "My Old Classmate" has wrapped up and is currently being edited into a final cut. It is expected to air around the Spring Festival next year.

The film "Nightclub" is also about to wrap up filming, and both of Tengda's film and television projects will be completed. However, the company's operations cannot stop. Tengda Culture does not support idle people.

Zhang Zhao sized up his three subordinates and began to assign tasks:

"The company is about to start filming the last installment of the youth trilogy, 'Fleet of Time,' and the female lead will be Lü Yi. She has been with the company for a while now, so we should give her the resources she needs and let her adjust her schedule so she can be ready to join the production at any time."

Zeng Jia naturally had no objections. It was already agreed that the company's two female artists, Wang Luodan and Lü Yi, would each play the lead role in one of the two films, "My Old Classmate" and "Fleet of Time."

With the female lead already cast, the question arose: who should play the male lead? Zeng Jia asked Zhang Zhao, "Mr. Zhang, who should play the male lead in 'Fleet of Time'?"

Tengda Culture's two male artists, Qiao Zhengyu and Wang Xinxue, have other plans for each other. Wang Xinxue needs to return to school for a period of time and is not available.

The Central Academy of Drama has relatively strict regulations on students taking on acting roles outside of school. Students still need to complete all required credits in their junior year, and they are only allowed to take on more roles freely in their senior year.

Zhang Zhao already had a plan in mind, and blurted out, his tone firm and unyielding: "The male lead will be given to Hu Ge."

Zeng Jia stared in disbelief at his superior's choice, stammering, "Hu Ge from Tangren Media?"

Zhang Zhao nodded slightly without explaining further. The male lead in "Fleet of Time" was given to Hu Ge of Tangren Media. This was a deal reached between the two parties when Cai Yinong came to Tengda to sign Liu Shishi.

Cai Yinong is indeed very interested in Hu Ge, and has already commissioned two period dramas for her: "Chinese Paladin 1" and "The Little Fairy".

Just then, Tengda Culture extended an olive branch, offering Hu Ge the male lead role in "Fleet of Time." Tangren Media has always focused on period dramas, and now that there's an opportunity to star in a modern urban drama, Cai Yinong naturally wanted Hu Ge to give it a try.

Now that Tangren Media is willing to accept joint ventures for film production, and has already jointly funded the production of "Young Warriors of the Yang Clan" with Huayi Brothers, it is not impossible for them to cooperate with Tengda Culture again.

Zhang Zhao, on the other hand, was envious of the high-quality period dramas produced by Tangren Media and wanted to learn some production experience from them.

The two parties quickly reached an agreement: Zhang Zhao offered a male lead role in a TV series in exchange for a certain investment share in several subsequent TV series produced by Tangren Media.

Zeng Jia sighed softly. The director, despite his apparent success, was ultimately powerless and had no say in the company's upper management. At that moment, a strange thought of starting his own business inexplicably arose in his mind.

Tengda Culture's "Youth Trilogy" had already spread throughout Beijing's entertainment circle. Originally, his former employer, Rongxingda, even wanted to ask him to help that young master Lin secure the male lead role. Little did they know that Zhang Zhao had already made his plans and never even had a chance to bring it up.

After thinking for a while, Zeng Jia could only settle for second best and find an opportunity to ask Zhang Zhao privately if he could do Rong Xingda and Li Shuangli a favor and arrange a second male lead role for Young Master Lin.

After all, Li Shaohong was a renowned director in the industry, and Li Xiaowan was a veteran producer. Both of them had extensive connections, and being in the same area of ​​Beiping, they saw each other frequently, and their social interactions were always reciprocal.

After arranging "Fleet of Time," Zhang Zhao looked at Wang Shiping with a sharp gaze, making the investment director tense.

"Has the investment department identified any reliable film and television projects recently?" Zhang Zhao was furious when this was mentioned.

His incentive policy for film and television project investment was intended to encourage Tengda employees to find more opportunities for the company and increase project output, but it was used by some people as a tool to make money.

What kind of garbage project did this bunch of scoundrels submit? They dare to ask for tens of millions? They're simply inhuman.

Having had five or six projects rejected in a row and been scolded by Zhang Zhao, Wang Shiping was now very careful and cautious in his response: "President Zhang, after our department's review, there is currently only one reliable project, the historical drama 'The Legend of Xue Rengui,' which requires an investment of approximately 1800 million yuan."

"Bring me the detailed information about the project later." Zhang Zhao thought that after Wang Shiping was severely reprimanded by him, he should be more attentive and the film and television projects he dared to apply for should be more reliable than the previous ones.

Wang Shiping breathed a sigh of relief, secretly relieved. He had temporarily passed this hurdle, but if the investment department didn't produce results soon, he, as the director, would be out of a job.

After a period of discipline rectification among employees, Zhang Zhao has completely taken control of the company and can command Tengda Culture at will. He can fire him with just a word.

Wang Shiping inexplicably missed Wang Jing's time at Tengda Culture. Back then, whatever film or television projects were invested in, the leaders would decide and he would handle it. After Zhang Zhao came to the company, those days of lying around were gone forever.

Knock, knock, knock! A series of urgent knocks on the door!

"Come in," Zhang Zhao's deep and authoritative voice rang out.

The secretary pushed open the door and entered with a bright smile. As soon as she stepped into the office, she congratulated Zhang Zhao, saying, "Good news, Mr. Zhang!"

Zhang Zhao stared at his secretary, who was beaming with joy, completely bewildered. However, as the general manager, he was extremely composed and kept his emotions hidden, waiting for his secretary to continue.

The secretary didn't keep him in suspense and reported excitedly, "President Zhang, we just received news from Hairun Company that the CCTV premiere of 'Bright Sword' achieved a viewership rating of nearly 8%, a huge hit."

"Bright Sword?" Zhang Zhao was puzzled at first, then remembered that it was the TV series he had asked Li Feng to cooperate with Hairun Company in promoting.

Zhang Zhao slammed his fist on the table and asked again in disbelief, "What's the rating? 8%!" As a seasoned producer, how could he not understand what this rating meant!
The secretary nodded vigorously, responding affirmatively, "Yes, Mr. Zhang, the premiere ratings reached 8%, breaking CCTV's premiere ratings record this year and securing the title of best drama of the year!" "Great, great, great!" Zhang Zhao rubbed his hands excitedly, never expecting Wang Jing to leave him such a generous legacy.

He recalled that Tengda Culture owned 50% of the film and television rights to "Bright Sword". With such a brilliant premiere, the subsequent second and third rounds of sales would have generated at least tens of millions in profit.

"Congratulations, Mr. Zhang!" "Congratulations!"

When Zeng Jia and the other two heard about the excellent ratings of "Bright Sword", they immediately congratulated Zhang Zhao. With just one hit drama of the year, the company's reputation could be elevated to a whole new level, a perfect combination of fame and fortune.

Zhang Zhao waved his hand, suppressing his joy and humbly saying, "It's all thanks to President Wang that the predecessors planted the trees so that the successors could enjoy the shade. We should be even more grateful to President Wang."

He naturally dared not take credit for the work. Having already benefited, how could he dare to seek fame as well? If he didn't explain clearly, and the news reached Wang Jing's ears, he would offend the group's leaders for no reason.

After his excitement subsided, Zhang Zhao instructed his secretary, "Inform Li Feng to cooperate fully with Hairun and give his full support to the promotion of 'Bright Sword'."

Although the first-run broadcast rights have already been sold to CCTV, and the high ratings have nothing to do with the two production companies, the better the performance, the higher the price they can fetch for the second and third runs.

The secretary noted down Zhang Zhao's instructions. Seeing that the leader and several directors still had business to discuss, she cleverly and nimbly closed the door and quietly left the office.

Zhang Zhao sat down again. Because he was in a good mood, his expression was no longer as serious as before. A faint smile appeared on his lips. Thinking of the period drama he had neglected, he asked Zhang Yue, "How is the progress of 'My Own Swordsman'?"

Zhang Yue has always been diligently busy with his work at the company, keeping a close eye on the progress of "My Own Swordsman": "It's currently being edited, and the final product should be ready by the end of October."

Zhang Zhao kept this in mind, thinking that he needed to find a good buyer for the project Wang Jing left behind before her promotion, so that he could give an explanation to both his superiors and subordinates.

After giving a few more instructions, the three directors got up to leave. Zhang Zhao couldn't wait to call Wang Jing: "President Wang, good morning. Is this a convenient time to talk?"

Wang Jing, who was reviewing documents in her office, was somewhat surprised, as Zhang Zhao, her successor, rarely contacted her. "Mr. Zhang, please speak freely."

Zhang Zhao's words contained a hint of excitement: "The first episode of 'Bright Sword' aired on CCTV yesterday, and the ratings were 8%. It's all thanks to President Wang's keen eye that he selected such a good project."

Wang Jing remained calm. She already knew about the success of "Bright Sword". "This project was decided by President Song. How could I take credit? The huge success of 'Bright Sword' has put my mind at ease. I also have something to discuss with you."

Zhang Zhao was surprised and impressed by the chairman's keen eye for film and television projects, while waiting for Wang Jing to continue.

"Thanks to the huge success of 'Bright Sword,' Tengda Culture has also been registered with the leaders of CCTV. I just received a notice from the Arts and Literature Center, asking us to submit the completed 'My Own Swordsman' for review and evaluation as soon as possible."

Zhang Zhao was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected that "My Own Swordsman" would have the opportunity to be broadcast on CCTV. Luckily, he had asked Zhang Yue about it earlier and knew the situation.

"The editing of 'My Own Swordsman' will be completed in October. I will urge it to be finished and submitted to CCTV as soon as possible."

Wang Jing nodded. “My Own Swordsman is a key project decided by President Song. President Zhang, you must pay close attention to it. Let me know when the finished product is released. I will also go with you when we go to CCTV for negotiations next time.”

"Yes, Mr. Wang." Zhang Zhao raised the level of importance he placed on "My Own Swordsman" to another level, and a sense of anticipation inexplicably arose in his heart. If Tengda Culture could produce another hit drama, it would truly be a meteoric rise.

On a gentle autumn afternoon, the sunlight, no longer as scorching as in summer, falls like a light veil over the bustling and vibrant city of Beiping.

It's National Day again, and the entire city of Beiping is filled with festive joy. Major shopping malls are decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and a joyous and peaceful atmosphere prevails both inside and outside.

Song Ci and Liu Shishi, this young couple deeply in love, strolled leisurely through the mall, their fingers intertwined, enjoying their sweet time together.

Today, Song Ci wore a simple black T-shirt, paired with dark blue jeans and clean white sneakers, making her look refreshing and aloof.

Liu Shishi wore a light white dress, the hem swaying gently with her steps, her pure and gentle demeanor like the softest autumn breeze.

The two's exceptionally good looks, like celestial beings in a painting, attracted frequent glances from tourists passing by the mall.

Filming for "Nightclub" has wrapped up, and after nearly two months of busy work, Ms. Liu has returned to a relaxed state. After returning to school, she happily started playing World of Warcraft to catch up on the dungeons she had missed.

Today is the first day of the National Day holiday. Tomorrow, Mr. and Mrs. Liu plan to take their daughter on a trip, meaning they won't be able to see each other for several days.

Liu Shishi temporarily abandoned World of Warcraft and took her beloved boyfriend out shopping. She wanted to spend more time with him during her free time today, so she quietly stayed with him.

The mall was bustling with people. Looking at the dazzling array of goods displayed in the shops, Song Ci said leisurely, "I have to cherish these two years of leisure. It won't be easy to stroll around the streets so freely in the future."

Liu Shishi was puzzled and looked up at her boyfriend with a question in her mind, asking curiously, "Why did you say 'darling'?"

"Have you ever seen a big star who can go shopping freely? In two or three years, after you become famous, we definitely won't be as free as we are now."

There's one more thing Song Ci didn't say: he's going to be on the Hurun Rich List this year. An 18-year-old billionaire will inevitably attract national attention, and he'll be the center of attention wherever he goes from now on.

As the saying goes, a wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall. In the future, for his own safety, he may have to bring bodyguards when he goes out, which will certainly not be as carefree and relaxed as it is now.

"Who knows what the future holds! Becoming famous is never that easy." After filming several movies, Liu Shishi has lost some of her naivety and knows that the road to fame in the entertainment industry is full of hardships and thorns.

"These shoes are so beautiful!"

As the two walked and chatted, they passed a high-end women's shoe store. Liu Shishi stopped and was attracted by a pair of exquisite women's shoes displayed in the window, and couldn't help but praise them.

Following his girlfriend's gaze, Song Ci saw that it was indeed a pair of very beautiful and exquisite high heels.

Looking up at the women's shoe store below, the gleaming logo is eye-catching. This store is a Jimmy Choo women's shoe boutique, a British luxury brand.

"Let's go in and take a look." Seeing the joy in Liu Shishi's eyes, Song Ci pulled his girlfriend into the store. The store was filled with a faint lavender scent, which made people feel particularly comfortable as soon as they stepped in.

(End of this chapter)