Chapter 589 Building a Team
The next day, when Lu Yanhe and Jiang Yuqian were having lunch together, they also talked about the movie "Someone Under the Bed".
“Actually, this movie would be quite suitable for you, Sister Yuqian,” Lu Yanhe said with a smile.
Jiang Yuqian: "I think so too. However, since I haven't filmed similar subjects before, I basically don't get any scripts like that. I've found that film scripts are even more limited than drama scripts. I've hardly ever received any film scripts that really appeal to me."
“This type of film genre wasn’t very popular before,” Lu Yanhe said. “Xu Yiren has brought this genre to the forefront.”
Jiang Yuqian: "She has a better eye for choosing scripts than I do."
Lu Yanhe asked, "When will you be joining the crew next?"
"I'll be joining the crew next month. After attending the Jose Film Festival, I'll be filming 'Mysterious Ghost,' but I don't have many scenes in this movie. It should only take about a week to finish filming," Jiang Yuqian said. "Then I don't have any other plans. I'm still reading the script."
Lu Yanhe asked, "Didn't you see a satisfactory script?"
“There are always some things I’m not satisfied with; nothing is perfect in every aspect.” Jiang Yuqian said helplessly, “Every time I read a script, I always think a lot and have many distracting thoughts. This is not good, but I don’t think I can change it no matter how I try.”
Lu Yanhe nodded in understanding.
Jiang Yuqian: "If you see any good scripts or roles that suit me next time, please let me know and I will try to get the role from the production company. I really don't have much confidence in my ability to judge scripts anymore."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
"OK."
After the two had lunch, when they came out together, their bodyguards and assistants led them to their respective cars, ready to leave.
"Hmm, is that a paparazzi car over there?" Jiang Yuqian pointed to the gray van across the street and said to Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe looked over.
The gray van, with its windows closed, stood out conspicuously near this secluded private restaurant. This wasn't the kind of place where a gray van like that would be parked.
As soon as Jiang Yuqian pointed, the van suddenly started and drove forward.
"It seems so." Lu Yanhe smiled as he watched it escape.
Jiang Yuqian: "I guess they're going to make the news about this again."
Lu Yanhe shook his head and shrugged.
Sure enough, not even the next day, just an hour later, the media published photos of Lu Yanhe and Jiang Yuqian having a private dinner and leaving.
Jiang Yuqian was so angry that she posted on Weibo.
"Taking pictures of me without my consent is one thing, but can't you at least take them in a decent way? Taking pictures without my consent is your livelihood, but my image is mine!"
Jiang Yuqian immediately posted another selfie.
"I look like this, not like that!"
Jiang Yuqian's response quickly went viral and became a trending topic.
At this time, Lu Yanhe had already met up with Chen Ziyan.
They were going to Linghe in the afternoon to have a meeting with Xu Tianming and Chen Yin.
Looking at the trending topics, Chen Ziyan said to Lu Yanhe, "Yuqian is getting better and better at speaking in the internet age."
Lu Yanhe: "Sister Yuqian is now very clear about what path she wants to take. She immediately discussed with Sister Heng how to respond to this kind of free topic."
"The first time? What does that mean?"
“We discovered it when the paparazzi were taking pictures,” Lu Yanhe explained.
Chen Ziyan immediately looked at Lu Yanhe with disdain.
"She spoke to He Heng immediately to discuss public relations strategies. What about you? Why didn't you think to tell me right away?"
Lu Yanhe said, "Why would I tell you about something so trivial? Wang Biao is my executive agent now, and he's here. I don't need to report this to you, do I?"
Chen Ziyan said, "I'm worried that some brainless people will spread rumors about you and Jiang Yuqian."
"..." Lu Yanhe said, "In the entire entertainment industry, who doesn't know about my personal relationship with Sister Yuqian, and would have such a misunderstanding?"
“Even knowing it’s a misunderstanding, they can still spread rumors,” Chen Ziyan said. “Paparazzi will stop at nothing for traffic.”
"Even if it's a rumor, shouldn't it be able to be clarified immediately?"
"You can't stop a wave of haters from kicking you when you're down. Three people can make a big deal out of a small group, but what about three hundred or three thousand? You'll get annoyed if there are too many flies."
The two of them walked into the company while talking.
Xu Tianming and Chen Yin were both standing at the company entrance waiting for them.
Under their leadership, Linghe Company is actually operating very well. From the initial copyright operation to the operation of the two main film and television projects this year, namely "Roommates" and "Telephone", and the upcoming promotion of "Chinese Paladin", everything is proceeding in an orderly manner.
Just as Chen Ziyan had initially predicted, Xu Tianming focused on external operations while Chen Yin guarded the internal ones. Over the course of a year, the most remarkable achievement was that, during this tense initial phase, Chen Yin gradually built up the framework of Linghe. In fact, newly established companies rarely dare to expand rapidly, because if the external environment turns sour and projects are scarce, the expanded human resources will directly cripple the company's operations—simply put, without enough projects, the company cannot afford to support so many people.
Chen Yin's brilliance lies in the fact that in the first six months, he didn't rigidly adhere to the conventional approach of directly and systematically replenishing the manpower of each department. Instead, he led several team leaders and used a project-based system to flexibly utilize personnel. Simply put, people went wherever there was a project, rather than being tied to a particular position or department.
This effectively controlled labor costs and helped them weather the initial chaotic start-up period. It also gave Xu Tianming time to expand his business elsewhere, without having to rush into making quick money and securing projects while his own backyard was in turmoil. The two worked together seamlessly.
Linghe is not a fully-fledged large company. Its current departmental structure still retains traces of a project-based system. Apart from a few basic and operational departments such as administration, finance, and legal affairs, other departments are still mainly project-based, such as the copyright operation department that existed from the beginning, and the film and television production department that was established later.
The actual production staff are not included in these administrative departments; they are managed in a different category. At Linghe, Chen Yin not only divided the company into departments but also into personnel types, mainly creative staff and administrative staff. This facilitates the finance department's management of salary payments for different personnel and also benefits the company's categorized management.
Lu Yanhe was quite pleasantly surprised after listening to the company's first-quarter report.
He always knew the company was doing well, but he hadn't looked into the specifics of how it was done.
Xu Tianming said, "We plan to start filming the 'Roommates' project in July. This is the first drama that we are in charge of producing and controlling, and we plan to film for a month. The total production budget for the drama is 12 million yuan. We have secured product placement from four brands, but because we refuse to have the advertisements read aloud in the drama, and only ensure close-up shots and screen time, the product placement fees are much lower than the market price. The total revenue from product placement is only 3.5 million yuan."
Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised.
Does this show include product placement?
His previous shows didn't have this feature. For example, in "Friends," they didn't accept product placement fees of hundreds of millions of dollars, just to ensure the continuity of the plot.
Chen Ziyan asked, "Was this contacted by Hu Siwei and Bai Jingnian?"
“Yes,” Xu Tianming explained, “It’s because the script requires related props, and we contacted brands according to the plot. According to the script, there were actually thirteen different product placement locations, but because this drama is entirely made up of new actors, and we did not agree to use the traditional method of inserting product placements through the characters’ voices, we only reached cooperation with four brands in the end.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan exchanged a glance and nodded.
From script development to production, this drama was actually handled by Hu Siwei and Bai Jingnian. Since it was their decision, he and Chen Ziyan had already decided not to interfere or meddle.
Actually, if Hu Siwei and Bai Jingnian could really create a sitcom like "Friends," it would be great for Linghe. For a film and television production company to transform from Lu Yanhe's production company into a truly recognized industry player, it needs to have some successful film and television projects unrelated to Lu Yanhe.
Xu Tianming said, "The web series developed from 'Lost in Thailand' is also coming out soon. There are quite a few people interested in this IP. The travel agency that signed a cooperation agreement with us before has proposed to renew the contract. The stage play of 'Rouge' has also entered the rehearsal stage. There is also a film company in Thailand that wants to remake 'Rouge,' but their remake idea is to make Ru Hua become a vengeful ghost to seek revenge on Twelfth Master, making it a real ghost movie. I think it is not suitable for the original theme and will affect the brand image of 'Rouge,' so I rejected it."
"Ghost movies... are indeed a bit far-fetched." Lu Yanhe nodded.
"The Qixia Town built by 'My Own Swordsman' in Jiangzhi has generated considerable revenue from cultural tourism. The settlement for last quarter has also been released, and we received a dividend of 3.27 million yuan," said Xu Tianming. "Next, we will join hands with the Hanfu brand 'Duxiu' to develop ancient costume merchandise based on the theme of 'My Own Swordsman'."
Chen Ziyan asked, "Is the Duxiu brand reliable? These kinds of merchandise developments are most prone to problems. The quality is substandard, they fool people, cheat fans, use a big name to promote something, and sell something else entirely. We need to have a supervisor on our side to follow up on these merchandise matters throughout the entire process."
Xu Tianming nodded and said, "Last month, I poached a veteran with eight years of experience in making cultural and creative merchandise from Jim Deer Culture to take charge of our business line. He will follow up on the whole process, and I will also keep an eye on it. Copyright operation is the most stable and important source of income for Linghe Production right now. Chen Yin is also preparing to establish a merchandise development supervision department, separate from the development and marketing department, to ensure the cleanliness of the industry line."
Chen Ziyan: "For the surrounding development, they submit a detailed report on the development progress and quality assessment every month, which I have to keep a close eye on personally."
Xu Tianming nodded and said okay.
-
At 3 p.m., after finishing their meeting with Xu Tianming and Chen Yin, they went to collect firewood.
Lu Qingzhen met with Lu Yanhe, accompanied by Ren Yanfei, the newly appointed brand PR representative.
As Lu Yanhe's work now requires him to connect with more and more partners, his management affairs have finally found someone to handle this aspect.
The brand PR person's job is to handle all brand business inquiries and collaborations for Lu Yanhe. This ranges from major brand endorsements to minor sponsorships for Lu Yanhe's daily necessities—
Many people may not know that for a celebrity like Lu Yanhe, all his food, clothing, and daily necessities are sponsored by brands. As long as Lu Yanhe is willing to use or wear them, he doesn't even need to issue an advertisement or do any special promotion.
Aside from these minor details, Lu Yanhe's appearances at every public event, his clothes, shoes, watches, and so on, all require sponsorship from these brands to maintain his top-star image. These brands also need him as a walking advertisement, and there are countless instances where brand PR needs to act as a go-between.
Previously, Chen Ziyan and Wang Biao handled all these matters. Firstly, they were not professional; after all, even top celebrities need to maintain brand relationships. Secondly, their personal energy was limited; these coordination matters were complicated and time-consuming, so it would be better to find a professional to handle them.
Ren Yanfei was selected after Chen Ziyan and Lu Qingzhen had examined several candidates.
Ren Yanfei is a top-notch PR professional with a long-standing reputation in the industry, having been responsible for the brand PR work of several A-list celebrities.
This was the first time Lu Yanhe had met Ren Yanfei.
Besides getting to know each other, there's another main thing to discuss: what brands should Lu Yanhe wear to the Jose Film Festival?
Unlike actresses, male actors tend to be more conservative and avoid making mistakes in their style at public events and on the red carpet, especially top-tier male actors.
This is because in this industry and in this market, the expectations and demands placed on male and female actors are in two different directions.
However, this doesn't mean that male actors' styling is unimportant. Their styling simply rarely generates the same level of media buzz as that of female celebrities.
Ren Yanfei said, "BAIMO sunglasses would like you to wear their sunglasses in one of their looks. BAIMO itself is already a top-tier brand in the sunglasses industry worldwide. Their executives appreciate you. However, their brand ambassador in China has always been Chen Pinhe, and they have been working together for many years. So, unless their partnership with Chen Pinhe ends, it is highly unlikely that they will cooperate with us as an ambassador."
When Lu Yanhe heard the name Chen Pinhe, he was slightly taken aback and subconsciously glanced at Chen Ziyan.
Chen Ziyan said, "Then we won't cooperate with BAIMO."
“The only sunglasses brand that can be on par with BAIMO and is worthy of Yan He’s current status is DENPER. This brand has had some scandals before and has a strong political background. I don’t recommend that Yan He wear products from this brand,” Ren Yanfei said. “Actually, even if BAIMO cannot give Yan He the status of a spokesperson, it will not affect the cooperation between the two parties. If Yan He is willing to wear BAIMO, they will still give him a cooperation fee and support him in other aspects.”
Chen Ziyan: "I agree with this statement, but I'll pass on the BAIMO brand. Apart from the age and seniority difference between Chen Pinhe and Yan He, they are actually competitors in other aspects. One has a spokesperson title, while the other does not, which makes it easy for people to attack Yan He. Therefore, I cannot accept this kind of cooperation."
Ren Yanfei was somewhat surprised—
She clearly hadn't expected that, in Chen Ziyan's judgment, Chen Pinhe and Lu Yanhe were actually competitors.
There's almost a twenty-year age gap between these two people.
No one would think that way, right?
But broadly speaking, that is indeed the case. After all, among domestic male actors, only Chen Pinhe, Shang Yongzhou, and Lu Yanhe truly represent the face of Chinese male actors on the international film scene.
Ren Yanfei nodded and said, "Okay, I understand. Then I won't consider BAIMO."
Ren Yanfei held a two-hour meeting with them about their outfits for the Jose Film Festival, going into details about which brands to wear to which events—it was all so detailed that Lu Yanhe was almost falling asleep. However, even though he was listening, Lu Yanhe was also quite impressed; the work of an artist truly reveals its true nature in the smallest details, and there are pitfalls everywhere.
What is the media's perception of different brands? What kind of signal does Lu Yanhe need to send at this stage? What is the nature and positioning of different occasions? What will other industry peers wear? Every brand choice needs to take all these factors into consideration.
After the meeting, Lu Yanhe felt like he had run a marathon; he was completely exhausted.
He couldn't help but ask Chen Ziyan, "Why did I have to attend this meeting and participate in so many detailed discussions?"
"First, this job is more important than you think. You need to understand the workload and considerations behind every look our team prepares for you. Second, as I said before, you can't stay in your information cocoon; you need to constantly learn new things. I'm pretty sure you're not aware of the things we're discussing in this meeting today."
Lu Yanhe nodded: "I really don't know."
Chen Ziyan: "So you know why we made you participate in this discussion."
Lu Yanhe: "Alright, I've learned a lot."
“Ren Yanfei is in place. I’ll also find you a publicity director,” Chen Ziyan said. “From now on, you’ll need someone to handle your public relations and communications.”
"ah?"
"No way! If you don't want me and Wang Biao to be exhausted, you should refine all the work and let professionals handle the professional tasks," Chen Ziyan said. "Do you know how much publicity work you have? Shi Huo has a three-person team dedicated to it full-time and around the clock. It's just that Wang Biao usually communicates and coordinates with them, so you don't know it."
After Chen Ziyan finished speaking, she nodded and said, "The reason we didn't provide you with all these people before was because your income wasn't at that level. Now that you have enough income, you can support the team, so don't be so stingy."
Lu Yanhe had no choice but to nod.
He then confirmed, "But, Sister Ziyan, you won't just abandon me after you've set up this team for me, will you?"
-
I recommend the old book, "I Became the Scandalous Woman Overnight".
There's one more chapter; I'll update it later.
(End of this chapter)
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