Chapter 471 Anime Section

February 24th is the Lantern Festival.

Fire trees and silver flowers, the full moon brings good luck.

Early in the morning, in the dormitory of Beijing Film Academy, Yang Zi was carefully putting on makeup in front of the mirror.

Roommate He Miao glanced at Yang Zi, who was drawing her eyebrows through her glasses, and asked curiously, "Sister Zi, are you going out?"

Without even looking up, Yang Zi replied softly, "Yeah, I'll go to the company later. My agent wants to see me, and I have some things to take care of."

Xia Qing listened from the side and guessed with envy, "They must be arranging resources for you. Tengda Culture has been releasing so many dramas lately, so you're bound to get a good role."

He Miao sighed with a gloomy face: "I've submitted my resume to so many crews, but why haven't I even received a response? This is too miserable."

Xia Qing shrugged and agreed helplessly, "Me too. Looks like I still have to sign with an agency. If I want to break into the entertainment industry alone, I'm afraid I'll never make it."

This year is the second semester of the junior year for the 2010 class of Beijing Film Academy. As the number of courses at school gradually decreases, everyone has left the campus and submitted their resumes to film and television companies and crews, officially stepping into the threshold of the entertainment industry.

But when they really got involved, they found that good roles were not so easy to get. The cruelty of the entertainment industry was gradually unfolding before them.

Yang Zi listened to her roommates and just smiled faintly.

She hadn't mentioned in the dorm that Tengda Culture had chosen her to play the leading female role in the film "My Deskmate." She wouldn't reveal a single word until the matter was finalized.

The experience of having her role snatched away in the TV series "Home with Kids" in her early years made her see clearly the intrigues in the industry. Since she didn't have a 100% grasp of the role, it was better to keep a low profile to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Just as I was thinking about it, the phone on the table suddenly vibrated.

Yang Zi looked up and saw it was a WeChat message from Zhang Yishan: "Mr. Yang, today is Lantern Festival, I'll treat you to lunch."

A strange look crossed his face, and his fingertips tapped on the screen: "No, I have to go to the company today. You should spend more time with Bai Xue."

"Bai Xue is on the set filming and is not in school."

Zhang Yishan replied immediately, "If you want to go to the company, I'll drive you there. Oh, and can you take me to visit Tengda Culture? I'll let me experience the atmosphere of the giants in the industry."

Yang Zi shook her head imperceptibly and refused again: "Don't bother you, He Peng will take me there."

The other party replied almost immediately: "Mr. Yang, this is boring. He Peng is obviously not in school, how can he send you off? If you find me annoying, just say it directly, there is no need to make excuses to put me off."

Being directly exposed by Zhang Yishan, Yang Zi was speechless for a moment and had to compromise: "I'm not annoyed by you, I'm just afraid of bothering you. Let me be clear, I go to the company to do business, but I don't have time to entertain you."

"We're no strangers, it's awkward to talk about trouble. Don't say anything, I'll wait for you at the school gate."

Yang Zi frowned slightly.

In fact, she had been deliberately avoiding Zhang Yishan during this period. After all, getting too close would inevitably make He Peng and Bai Xue think too much. But her rejection just now was too deliberate, and it backfired.

Zhang Yishan debuted as a child star and has appeared in many TV series over the years. He lives in Beijing and bought a Passat for easy transportation.

In the car, Zhang Yishan held the steering wheel steadily and chatted with Yang Zi, who was sitting in the passenger seat: "Mr. Yang, when will your drama "My Deskmate" start filming?"

"Next week." Yang Zi propped up her chin with one hand, looking at the people passing by outside the window, and said softly, "The movie will be filming in New York. I went to the company today to hand in my passport to the agent. The crew will go to the embassy to apply for P3 actor visas."

Zhang Yishan laughed and joked, "We have to go to the United States to shoot the film? It seems that the crew is very active, and the box office will definitely be a big hit."

Yang Zi turned around and asked with concern, "Don't just talk about me, what about you? Have you taken any roles after the New Year?"

"With my fame, why worry about not having any roles?" Zhang Yishan raised his eyebrows and said proudly, "I've accepted a light war comedy called 'Big Soldier' ​​and will be joining the crew next month."

Although the smile was still on his face, the light in his eyes dimmed a little.

In fact, over the years, he has never been able to get rid of the child star label of "Liu Xing", and his road to transformation has been difficult. The market is not optimistic about him, and good resources are even less available to him.

While they were chatting, the car had already arrived at the Zhongao Building. Zhang Yishan parked the car and followed Yang Zi into the elevator to Tengda Culture.

Today is the Lantern Festival and it is also the weekend. There are not many people in the company, only a few people on duty.

Yang Zi was introducing the company's situation to Zhang Yishan when she ran into Ge Maoliang, the agent and artist director.

I quickly stepped forward and greeted him: "Boss Ge!"

"Yang Zi is here." Ge Maoliang responded, his eyes fell on the man next to him, and he felt that he looked familiar.

Zhang Yishan spoke calmly and generously: "Hello, Mr. Ge, I am Zhang Yishan."

When he heard the name, Ge Maoliang immediately remembered that this was Liu Xing from "Home with Kids"!

Yang Zi quickly explained: "Boss Ge, Yishan is an old friend of mine. Bring him to visit the company."

Ge Maoliang nodded and said in a gentle tone, "I'm taking a break today. I'm sorry for the poor hospitality. Yishan, please sit down for a while. Yang Zi and I have something to talk about. It will be over soon."

"You are busy!" Zhang Yishan replied.

After a few polite words, Ge Maoliang took Yang Zi into the office.

"Is your passport ready?"

Yang Zi quickly took out her passport from her bag and handed it over.

Ge Maoliang took it, placed it together with the passports of the other crew members, and then slowly spoke:

"Boss Liu has always been against forcing things to grow, so the company didn't arrange for you to join the crew before because they wanted you to focus on your studies first and hone your acting skills."

"I understand Mr. Liu's painstaking efforts."

Ge Maoliang nodded slightly. "Several other artists in the company are already top-tier and have stable careers. I don't need to worry too much about them. In the next two to three years, one of my main tasks will be to bring you to the top."

"I'll need your guidance in the future." Yang Zi said sincerely.

"You debuted as a child star, and your popularity is quite high. As long as you can produce one or two hit dramas, your career will take off quickly." Ge Maoliang paused and then specifically reminded, "You must act with all your heart in the drama 'My Deskmate'.

Although Director Guo Fan wasn't well-known before, he's incredibly talented, and Mr. Liu particularly admires him. "And Director Guo has already signed a long-term contract with the company. Do you understand what I mean?"

Yang Zi's expression straightened, and he instantly understood that the last director who signed a long-term contract with Tengda Culture was the "billion-dollar director" Ma Xin.

It seems Guo Fan has been given special training by the company and is sure to rise to prominence in the future. Being able to establish a good relationship with such a director will undoubtedly be a huge boost to his career.

I immediately responded solemnly: "I understand! Don't worry, I will follow Director Guo's instructions on the set."

Ge Maoliang nodded with satisfaction. He loved interacting with artists who were insightful and tactful. Someone so young and thoughtful would surely go far in the industry.

"How is your relationship with the chairman's wife?"

Yang Zi was stunned when he heard this and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

After a moment's silence, he replied truthfully, "Senior Sister Shi and I have a pretty good relationship. We've participated in "Flowers and Youth" together before, and we've kept in touch since then."

"No wonder." Ge Maoliang nodded suddenly, then picked up a file from his desk and handed it over, "This is the script of the TV series "Battle Star City".

This is a war drama, with a total investment of 65 million yuan, produced by Madam Studio, with participation from Tengda Culture and Shanying Group. Madam has chosen you as the leading actress, congratulations.

Yang Zi's eyes suddenly lit up, and a burst of ecstasy surged in her heart. The leading female role in a drama, this is a real top-notch resource.

"'War Star City' is still in preparation. Once you finish filming 'You Are the One', it will be almost ready for filming, and you can join the crew seamlessly." Ge Maoliang added.

"Thank you, Mr. Ge!" Yang Zi couldn't hide her excitement.

Ge Maoliang shook his head. "This isn't my credit. Since you have this relationship with the Madam, you should maintain it. In the entertainment industry, having a powerful backer is more useful than anything else."

"Yes!" Yang Zi nodded, already thinking about how to thank Liu Shishi. She was surprised that she would think of her.

"I called you here today mainly to discuss these things," Ge Maoliang continued. "You're not famous enough right now, so fashion resources aren't available for you yet, but I'll help you keep an eye out for suitable brand endorsements. Your friends are still waiting outside, so I won't keep you any longer."

"Thank you, Mr. Ge." Yang Zi thanked him repeatedly and was about to leave when a thought suddenly flashed through her mind. She paused and showed some hesitation on her face.

Seeing her standing there with a changing expression, Ge Maoliang asked, "Anything else?"

Yang Zi hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Mr. Ge, do you think...is it possible for my friend Zhang Yishan to sign with Tengda Culture or Aofei Entertainment?"

"Forget about Tengda Culture. The company won't sign any new people." Ge Maoliang rejected the idea outright. After a moment's hesitation, he said frankly, "The chances of Mr. Yang signing him aren't great either."

Yang Zi showed regret and couldn't help but defend her friend: "Boss Ge, Yishan's acting is actually quite good, and his popularity is not low."

Ge Maoliang objectively analyzed: "The mainstream aesthetic in the current film and television market tends to favor handsome and good-looking types. Zhang Yishan's lean and capable appearance with a bit of ruffian air doesn't quite fit in with the traditional idol drama male lead.

Given his conditions, he can only take on marginal roles or villains, and mainstream resources will be very limited."

"That's true..." Yang Zi sighed softly. Even though her friend didn't say anything, how could she not see the difficulties she was facing?

"He's definitely limited by the current wave of idol dramas, but with his unique temperament, perhaps he can try themes like police and gangster, or suspense, and maybe carve out a niche. As for whether Aofei is willing to sign him, I can't help."

Yang Zi silently took note of the agent's advice and sighed inwardly that Ge Maoliang was indeed a professional. He accurately positioned Zhang Yishan based on just one encounter.

On the morning of the 25th, sunlight poured through the glass windows into the conference room on the seventh floor of the Tengda Technology Building.

Middle-level and above managers of Toutiao Video gathered here, and an important conference was about to begin.

President Zhou Juan sat in the main seat in the conference room, with Vice Presidents Ye Yuan and Chen Mingyu sitting on his left and right respectively.

Holding a document, he cleared his throat and announced loudly: "...After research and decision, Comrade Zhao Jingsheng is appointed as Vice President of Toutiao Video Network, responsible for the development of the animation industry."

After the appointment was announced, warm applause broke out in the conference room.

A middle-aged man sitting next to Ye Yuan on the left stood up in response. It was Zhao Jingsheng. He was in high spirits at the moment and nodded to everyone present with a smile on his face.

Zhou Juan's eyes fell on the new vice president, and he said earnestly:

"Mr. Zhao, I hope you can use the rich experience in animation production accumulated at Tiangong Special Effects to help Toutiao Video develop its animation section and live up to the chairman's expectations."

Zhao Jingsheng immediately stated: "Please rest assured, President Zhou and all my colleagues, I will do my best to live up to your trust."

Zhou Juan nodded slightly, then glanced at all the participants, and her tone became serious:

"Comrades, the current situation in the entire long-form video industry is extremely grim. 2013 is a crucial year for Toutiao Video!

Since 2011, the price of film and television copyrights has skyrocketed, with the copyrights of hit dramas even increasing by a thousand times, which has directly led to rising content costs.

LeTV, Youku, iQiyi and other peers are now in a loss-making state.

Although Toutiao Video achieved profitability in 2012, it should be clear that this profit was generated by the sports sector providing financial support to the platform.

Furthermore, the huge copyright costs for things like the NBA were borne by the group when the company was split. If you factor in the costs of sports copyrights, Toutiao Video is still losing money.”

Upon hearing this, everyone present turned solemn. Starting this year, Toutiao Video became an independently operated subsidiary, and things clearly weren't going to be as easy as they had been in previous years.

After sounding the alarm for management, Zhou Juan continued, “Since the second half of last year, the company has implemented a series of measures to reduce costs and increase efficiency.

The short-term goal is to replace copyright purchases with self-produced content, use technology to optimize broadband, and strictly control operating costs.

The medium-term goal is to further optimize membership stratification and value-added services, while leveraging the group's big data recommendation algorithm to precisely deliver advertisements and improve advertising effectiveness.

The long-term goal is to establish an ecosystem and transform Toutiao Video from a simple 'content player' to an 'IP operation platform.'"

At this point, Zhou Juan paused and changed the subject: "But achieving these goals is fraught with difficulties. Our competitors will not sit idly by and watch us grow stronger.

Youku, LeTV, and iQiyi, the three major platforms, have strategically chosen to 'burn money for market share,' prioritizing scale over profitability. This will severely hinder the reform process of Toutiao Video."

Everyone present showed helplessness on their faces.

As the industry leader with a robust copyright library, Toutiao Video has been actively promoting a membership-based subscription model since the year before last. While the initial scale of membership payments was modest, it was a crucial step forward.

However, they are lagging behind their peers and are still adopting a free strategy to grab users. Youku, the second largest company in the industry, still has less than 5% of its paid members.

Zhou Juan took a deep breath and said firmly, "The company's development cannot stagnate, and the growth of users cannot slow down.

In order to effectively avoid the competitive film and television sector, the company decided to develop a cartoon and animation sector, which will also be Mr. Zhao’s main responsibility in the future.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned his gaze to Zhao Jingsheng: "Mr. Zhao, you should also say a few words and tell everyone about your future work ideas. Also, please raise any needs."

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(End of this chapter)