Chapter 217 216. Three Visits to China

"Do you know YouTube? It's simply the most interesting website in the world. You can always find new things on YouTube."

"Once you enter YouTube, it's like entering a new world. You'll find that this is the purpose of the Internet. It allows you to truly understand the world and what people you're not familiar with are doing."

"Here, you will see geniuses, ordinary people, silly people, scientists, artists, teachers, everything you want is here!"

As countries such as the British BBC, French Sky TV, Australian Sydney TV, and Japanese Tokyo TV began to report on what was happening in the United States.

The shoulder dance successfully spread from the United States to the whole world, and many people also knew about YouTube, a new video website.

Although YouTube currently only operates in the United States, its servers have not yet entered other countries.

However, the server configuration eliminated by the military network can still alleviate the impact of cross-border traffic on Internet speed to a certain extent, allowing many people who like new things to explore this strange website across borders.

Unlike Facebook, YouTube does not even require users to have an account, so tourists can browse around freely, which is simple and convenient.

Howard Hughes reported to Eric: "Boss, now there are tens of thousands of IP accounts from other countries visiting the website every day. We are really popular!"

"That's good. Both Facebook and YouTube will inevitably go global. Facebook will take the lead, but it looks like YouTube will catch up later."

"Boss, I've discovered a phenomenon. The connection between Facebook and YouTube is gradually forming, and it's not just the most basic connection of connecting accounts."

"Since we have set up a bonus pool, many video creators will choose to share their videos on Facebook in order to get the rewards."

"Of course, this is only a small part. The majority are still users. Many interesting videos give people a sense of freshness that they have never experienced before."

"Many users took the initiative to share it after seeing it, which helped increase their Facebook followers, so both sides promoted it."

Eric had anticipated this. When Lionheart.com goes online again in the future, these three will form a trinity.

Provide each other with support and ammunition, and ultimately form a mutually reinforcing situation.

“Are the videos for ‘PPAP’ and ‘Shark Dance’ ready?”

"Well, I've been holding it in my hand for several days, just waiting for you, the boss, to give the order."

"Very good. The popularity of the shoulder-shaking dance has not yet passed. When the popularity dies down, we will put it on the market to attract another wave of traffic."

"receive!"

Late at night, on a plane bound for China, Eric and Michael were sitting in the first class cabin.

Eric is fine, even though he has been in the limelight recently, winning the Golden Globe and the title of the youngest billionaire.

But his fame is still limited to the United States, and even there many people don't know him.

If you don't believe it, ask yourself, who is the youngest billionaire in China? Who is the 51st billionaire in the world?

Few ordinary people can answer this question. Everyone only knows the richest and most famous ones.

When Eric replaces Bill Gates one day, or wins a major award that attracts more attention from outside the circle, such as Best Director, his popularity will soar.

It was different with Michael. He was so famous that even though he was sitting in first class and the passengers around him were all successful elites, they were still very excited to see him.

These people kept coming up to ask for autographs and photos, and Eric was pushed to the back by them.

The flight attendant didn't care because she was also queuing up for autographs and photos.

After a long time, these people finally settled down, so sometimes celebrities do need to hire bodyguards or buy a private jet or something.

On the one hand, it is a responsibility for one's own safety, and on the other hand, it is also a responsibility for the order of the place where one is located, because there are too many incidents of congestion and chaos caused by crazy star chasing.

"Everyone is so enthusiastic that my seat has become a public seat," Eric complained.

Michael smiled and said, "You'll get used to it. When you become a big star, these things will be inevitable. You'll experience them soon."

"Forget it. I have no interest in being watched. The spotlight only makes me feel blinded. So the director can do it, but I won't do it as an actor."

Michael pointed at Eric and said, "If you show this face on camera, you will definitely attract many young girls."

"Yeah, that's the same thing my dad said. He originally planned for me to be an actor, thinking that with this face, I could at least become a second-tier star."

"Even if the business is not good enough, by the time I am old and out of fashion, the money I earn will be enough to spend the rest of my life."

"Then why don't you follow this path? It sounds a lot easier than what you're doing now."

Eric made an insulting gesture to the Koreans: "It's simple, but the upper limit is just that. If you really go down this path, I'm afraid I won't be able to help you with your case, and we won't be on a flight to China now."

Michael nodded thoughtfully: "It sounds like everything is destined."

The plane slowly landed at Yanjing Airport. This time, Maikou signed a three-day contract with CCTV, charging 100,000 RMB for each performance.

It's an almost negligible number, obviously a symbolic gesture, and is far less than a Super Bowl performance.

Although the pay for the Super Bowl halftime show is also very low, the standard is based on the union. Even if it is low, after taking into account the distribution of profits among artists, artist teams, and brokerage companies, the NFL will spend millions of dollars on it.

The remuneration for the Spring Festival Gala is even lower, which means it will cost a lot to invite talents from abroad.

Since the money was so little, CCTV would naturally be responsible for food and accommodation, but Eric refused.

The place arranged by CCTV is crowded with people, so it’s better to live with me.

After asking Susan to make arrangements for Michael and his group, Eric first went to MGM Oriental in the Science and Technology Park.

I've helped with so many things, and the feedback here has been very quick, so I'll give him a reply before the New Year.

The secretary led him to the office, where Chen Ou and Han Sanping were drinking tea and chatting.

Seeing Eric stand up immediately, Lao Han was still as generous as ever and came up to give him a bear hug.

Chen Ou was much more polite. The two smiled, shook hands and sat down.

"Lao Han, we haven't seen each other for only two months. There's no need to get so excited every time. I'm still not used to hugging a man."

Old Han laughed and said, "I get excited when I see you, and when I get excited I lose my order in everything I do."

"He must be excited. The filming of The Meg has already started. The organization has discussed his work, and the results will be out in the next few days."

Chen Ou explained the reason, saying that they were all people with vested interests, and the results would be announced soon, so there was no need to hide it.

Eric raised his eyes and looked at Lao Han: "Is it corrected?"

"Haha. The results haven't been announced yet, but it's almost certain, so it should be stable."

"Congratulations! Congratulations!"

Old Han laughed out loud again: "I am happy for you. It is thanks to your support for my work that things can go so smoothly."

"In this case, I should call you Mr. Han from now on."

Old Han waved his hand.

"What Chairman Han? Old Han sounds more friendly. I'm used to it. Besides, how can I, the chairman, compare with you, the chairman?"

"You are worth billions of dollars. Ten of me combined cannot compare to one of you."

"Hahaha, you can't say that. Money doesn't represent power. Among the seven major Hollywood film studios, there are also powerful second-rate studios such as New Line, Lionsgate, and Dynagroup."

"In Hollywood, I can't have the final say like you do. If people don't want to give me face, they can just ignore me. But in China, no one dares to refuse your tea."

Chen Ou said, "That was in the past. Soon those people won't dare not drink your coffee anymore."

"What do you mean? Have your superiors agreed?" Eric turned and looked at him.

Chen Ou nodded and motioned for Eric to sit down.

"Eric, regarding your last proposal, after I reported it to the director, the bureau took it very seriously."

"We held many meetings to study it. Although there was resistance, it was finally passed. After it was reported, the leaders also approved it."

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

"In principle, a three-year trial period will be set, and as long as it does not violate public order and good customs and the law, American TV series will be allowed to be re-introduced for domestic broadcast."

Lao Han patted him on the shoulder and said, "Eric, the bureau has already decided. Let's proceed according to the result of our last discussion."

"MGM Oriental will be solely responsible for the introduction of Huaxia, and the official document will probably be issued soon after the New Year."

"Once the documents are issued, the introduction work can start."

"You've been thinking about this so much, and it's done!"

Eric was delighted: "Director Chen, Lao Han, you gave me a big surprise today. I thought it would take several months even if it was fast."

“We were all prepared to deal with the resistance, but we didn’t expect it to pass so smoothly.”

"It took a lot of effort, thank you, thank you very much!"

Chen Ou nodded: "Friends should help each other. Eric, you have been helping Chinese film and television culture expand its overseas influence."

"After the leaders knew about it, they also recognized and attached great importance to it. We Chinese have an old saying: if you don't reciprocate, it's impolite."

"The Chinese people would never do such a thing as letting their friends suffer losses without getting anything in return."

"If those small African countries help us a little, China will always repay them tenfold. A country of etiquette emphasizes benevolence, righteousness and generosity."

Han Sanping explained: "There is actually another important reason why it was passed so quickly this time."

"Now Korean and Taiwanese idol dramas are all the rage in China, and they have a huge impact on society, especially young people."

"So the top leaders also hope to reintroduce American dramas to dilute the influence of Korean and Taiwanese culture, speed up the integration of the domestic cultural market with the international market, and promote faster maturity."

"Then when I come back in a few days, I will immediately start setting up a new company," said Eric.

"Well, I'm considering not airing the first drama on CCTV for the time being, and let Yanjing Satellite TV be the first to try it out."

Eric understood Chen Ou’s concerns and was afraid that it might cause a bad impact, so he let the local station take the first step.

"This is your business. I won't interfere. But let Yanjing TV broadcast it. Why isn't Lao Zhou here today?"

"He's busy with the Spring Festival Gala. Tonight is the Spring Festival Gala on Yanjing TV, and he can't get away."

"But I have already told him about it. Lao Zhou is a man of kindness and rules, and he has already agreed to it."

"When he's done with his work today, you can meet him before you leave to discuss what type of play to introduce as the first one."

"We have to fire the first shot, and only after we fire it can we report to the leadership."

Eric was delighted that the matter of introducing the American TV series was settled so quickly. At noon, the three of them had lunch together and talked about "The Meg".

After Eric left the script last time, the project was quickly approved after some revisions, and the money was ready.

In fact, if we wanted to start filming, we could have started a month in advance, but the main problem was the casting.

MGM helped find Jason Statham to play the leading male role. Although Jason cannot be considered a first-tier action actor at present, he is certainly a second-tier one.

Especially last year, he contributed wonderful fighting and performance in "Transporter" written by Luc Besson, which made him famous.

The film made only a small profit at the box office, but it was very popular in the video market, selling tens of millions, which was better than many big productions.

He is only one blockbuster away from becoming a top action actor, and that may be next year's "Transporter 2".

At this point in time, the pay is not high but the cost-effectiveness is very high. Action movies are also on the decline, so it only cost 3 million US dollars to sign the contract.

It was very easy to finalize the male lead, mainly because there was a huge fight for the Chinese female lead in China.

After the news was released, not only the top stars, but even slightly famous actresses wanted to participate.

Michelle Yeoh, Karen Mok, Zhang Ziyi, Zhao Wei, Ruby Lin, Fan Bingbing, Li Bingbing, Xu Qing, Shu Qi, Xu Jinglei As long as the age and image are not too different, almost all female stars come out to compete for this role.

Sino-US co-productions will still be sought-after items even a dozen years later, let alone at this point in time.

Moreover, the investment in "The Meg" was 50 million US dollars, which was split equally between MGM and Huaying.

The investment for "Hero" two years ago was 30 million US dollars, and "The Meg" almost doubled that.

With such a great opportunity, if you catch it, you might immediately become an international star and become as famous as Gong Li and Maggie Cheung. Who wouldn't be tempted?

Eric had no idea what kind of fighting and competition had gone on inside, but he was definitely the one who took the shot.

The female lead role finally went to Xu Jinglei, the darling of the Beijing circle.

At this point in time, the Beijing circle still has a great influence in the Chinese entertainment circle. In order to help her get this role, a lot of price must have been paid.

But Eric doesn't care about these things. Whoever the heroine loves has almost no impact on the movie.

"The Meg" is a man's movie, or to be more precise, a movie about a man and a shark. Adding a female lead is purely for the sake of matching the film and embellishment.

Just like "Transformers", audiences choose to watch this movie just to watch the love story.

After lunch, Eric returned to the hotel and rested for a while. Then, in the afternoon, he accompanied Michael to CCTV to prepare for the rehearsal.

(End of this chapter)