Chapter 506 New People, New Shows, New Projects
On May 6th, the sky was clear and cloudless.
In the office, Liu Rong, president of Tengda Culture, sat upright in his chair, his eyes focused on browsing the financial and entertainment news scrolling on the computer screen.
The most eye-catching headline in the middle of the page is about the latest strategic investment news of Tengda Group.
On May 5, Tenda Technology reached a strategic investment agreement with two major South Korean entertainment companies, YG and JYP.
Acquired 5% of YG Entertainment for approximately 315 million yuan, and 5% of JYP Entertainment for approximately 52.5 million yuan...
Considering the stake in SM Entertainment acquired half a year ago, Tenda Technology has now become the second largest shareholder of South Korea's three largest entertainment companies, demonstrating its strong capital strength..."
Liu Rong raised the corner of his mouth slightly, sighing that the group's layout in the entertainment field was fast and steady.
Across from him, Vice President Wang Qiang chuckled, breaking the silence in the room, his tone filled with pride:
"Mr. Liu, the internet is buzzing right now. They're saying the group's string of moves is building an unbreakable 'Korean Wave Strategic Alliance' along the Han River."
Liu Rong nodded slightly, scrolling the mouse wheel with his fingertips, browsing a few more related comments. Then he shook his head again, his eyes still fixed on the screen. "Actually, the core purpose is for copyright.
After the group acquired a stake, Qianqian Music successfully acquired the highest-quality and most core music copyright resources in South Korea. This is a real barrier that others cannot overcome in a short period of time."
As one of the presidents of Tengda's large entertainment system, her level is higher than Wang Qiang, and her perspective is more macro and strategic.
We are well aware that the group’s expectations for Qianqian Music are more than just a music player.
Instead, it should be built into one of the core content nodes that connects users, feeds back to social interaction, and builds the cultural and entertainment ecosystem.
This heavy investment may seem like a headline in the entertainment section, but in fact it is the most crucial move in the entire strategic chess game of entertainment.
Wang Qiang was stunned when he heard this, and leaned forward unconsciously:
"I thought they were attracted by South Korea's mature industrialized star-making system and global marketing network, preparing for future idol training and content export..."
"That is certainly an important added value." Liu Rong interrupted his subordinate with a firm tone, "But it is not the primary goal.
The current priority is to use the most advanced and exclusive content to firmly attract users to the ecosystem.
Music is a traffic portal, a social currency, and an indispensable part of the group's entertainment system."
Wang Qiang nodded thoughtfully, digesting this higher-dimensional perspective: "I understand, Mr. Liu."
After reading the news, Liu Rong turned his gaze from the screen to his deputy and turned the topic to business: "Is everything going smoothly with the crew of "Joy of Life"?"
Although her voice was calm, her eyes were obviously more serious when she mentioned this project.
"The 400 million yuan investment is not only being watched by Mr. Wu from Reading Group and Mr. Zhou from Toutiao Video, but COO Mr. Wang is also very concerned about this major project. There must be no mistakes."
"Don't worry." Wang Qiang quickly sat up straight and kept making promises.
"Everything went smoothly. Although the actors in the crew do have a complicated network of connections, Director Ma is very capable and can keep the situation under control. Besides..."
He smiled with a hint of pride, "In our Tengda project, no one dares to act rudely.
I just visited the crew a few days ago, and Director Ma said that the filming progress is faster than expected, and we expect it to be wrapped on time by the end of July."
Liu Rong nodded slightly, relaxing a bit. "As long as it goes smoothly, that's good. This is our first major foray into male-oriented IP adaptation. We must succeed, not fail."
At this moment, there was a knock on the door.
"Please come in." Liu Rong said loudly.
The door was pushed open, and the first person to come in was Yang Tianzhen, with a professional smile on her face, and she stepped aside to let the person behind her in.
"Boss Liu, Boss Wang," Yang Tianzhen greeted, "Director Zhang is here."
Seeing this, Liu Rong and Wang Qiang immediately stood up to greet him.
"Director Zhang, welcome, welcome!" Liu Rong extended his hand.
The visitor was none other than the well-known domestic director Zhang Yibai, who is hailed as one of the representative figures of the sixth generation of domestic directors.
Despite his fame, Zhang Yibai did not dare to be negligent when facing the head of Tengda Culture, an industry giant. He took two quick steps with a smile on his face.
"Mr. Liu is so polite. I'll have to ask you and Mr. Wang to take care of me in the future."
Behind that smile, there's a subtle hint of bitterness. Once a star who ushered in a new era of mainland China's youth romance idol dramas, his career has seemingly stagnated in recent years.
Compared with several other directors of his generation who are thriving in the international film scene or in the field of commercial blockbusters, he seems a little quiet.
After receiving the invitation from Aofei Entertainment, after careful consideration, I finally decided to join Tengda Culture, a company with strong strength and broad platform, hoping to find a new breakthrough in my career here.
After a brief greeting, several people sat down on the sofa in the reception room.
Liu Rong was the first to express his feelings, his tone sincere: "Director Zhang, welcome to the Tengda Culture family. From today on, we are family."
Zhang Yibai nodded repeatedly: "It's my honor. I look forward to creating better works with Tengda Culture."
After the pleasantries, the topic quickly turned to business.
Liu Rong looked at Yang Tianzhen and said, "Boss Yang, have you discussed the project with Director Zhang before?"
Yang Tianzhen nodded and responded: "Yes, I have already discussed the film remake plan of Fleet of Time with Director Zhang in detail."
Liu Rong said solemnly, "Director Zhang, the IP of Fleet of Time has special significance for Tengda Culture.
It's the finale of the 'Youth Trilogy' that founded the company, and the entire company is very serious about this film remake. I'm leaving it to you."
Zhang Yibai felt the importance attached to him, and his uneasiness was replaced by professional confidence.
Shooting youth films is one of his areas of expertise. He immediately straightened his back and assured confidently: "Don't worry, Mr. Liu!
I have carefully studied the original novel and the previous TV series, and I have a strong feeling for this story.
We will definitely devote all our efforts to deliver a satisfactory answer to both the market and our fans."
Hearing this, Liu Rong smiled with satisfaction. For a seasoned director, it's enough to just give them the necessary instructions without getting too involved in the details.
"Okay, Director Zhang, I'm relieved. Mr. Wang will be the producer of this film and will coordinate all resources.
The female lead has already been chosen, and it will be Li Yitong, a newcomer from Aofei. As for the male lead and other supporting roles..."
After a pause, he showed full respect to the director, "Let Director Zhang and Mr. Yang discuss and decide. I trust your professional vision."
Zhang Yibai felt relieved and even a little surprised.
I thought that capital would force me to choose the right to speak and that my voice would be restricted, but I didn't expect that I would have considerable autonomy in choosing actors.
Especially the right to choose the male lead, which shows great respect and trust in his professionalism.
"Thank you, Mr. Liu, for your trust. I will definitely carefully select the casting and find the most suitable actor."
After a few more discussions on the project timeline and budget, Zhang Yibai and Yang Tianzhen said goodbye and went to prepare for the specific matters.
The office door closed again. Liu Rong pondered for a moment, then turned his head and asked Wang Qiang, "By the way, have the actors for the TV series 'A Servant of Two Masters' that Northwest Circle handed over been chosen?"
Wang Qiang immediately replied, "I've reviewed the script and it's really good. It has a strong sense of life and plenty of comedy.
Currently, the only confirmed cast members are Zhang Jiayi and Yan Ni as the male and female leads. The other roles are still being screened and have not been finalized.
"Hmm," Liu Rong mused, tapping his fingers unconsciously on the armrest of the sofa, "The role of the male lead's daughter in the film, let's stay for now."
Wang Qiang understood: "Did someone say hello?"
Liu Rong nodded, his tone flat: "Yes. A little girl named Guan Xiaotong, who debuted as a child star, found me through connections.
It's just a supporting role, it won't affect the overall situation, so I agreed to it for the sake of face. Someone will contact you later, please make the arrangements."
Wang Qiang wrote down the name: "Guan Xiaotong, I understand."
Liu Rong was very confident in his deputy's ability to do things, and finally gave him instructions:
"For the next period of time, my main focus will be on negotiating with South Korea's SBS TV station on the remake of 'My Love from the Star', a key project.
This is part of the company's overseas expansion strategy. As for the projects I just mentioned, please pay more attention to their implementation."
Hearing that the president had entrusted him with several projects, Wang Qiang felt a surge of joy and a sense of responsibility, and solemnly promised:
"Don't worry, Mr. Liu! I will keep a close eye on every step and make sure there are no mistakes!"
Liu Rong looked at his energetic appearance and smiled slightly.
News in the entertainment industry always spreads very quickly.
In the morning, Tengda Culture launched the internal project of the film version of "So Young". In the afternoon, the staff and actors with some connections in the "Joy of Life" crew far away in Hengdian had already heard the news through various private channels.
At this time, the set temporarily entered a period of intermission for set adjustment.
The leading actress Jing Tian sat on a recliner, resting her eyes while holding her cell phone to her ear.
"Aunt Zhao," she lowered her voice, a hint of hesitation and inquiry in it, "Tengda Culture is planning to remake 'So Young'. Do you think I should try to get the leading female role?"
After a pause, he added the most important reason in his mind, "Films produced by Tengda Culture have guaranteed investment and publicity, and their box office performance has always been good."
On the other end of the phone, agent Sister Zhao pondered for a moment and calmly analyzed, "Tiantian, you've been in the film industry for the past two years and have made many blockbusters. But judging by the results..."
Choosing his words carefully, he said, "The reputation and box office may not have met expectations. I think this might be the right time to consider returning to the TV drama field and test the waters."
"TV series..." Jing Tian repeated softly, his brows slightly furrowed, his expression complicated, and the shadow in his heart that he didn't want to touch easily emerged again.
I can't help but think of a few years ago when I confidently played the leading female role of Princess Yu Shu in the TV series "The Myth", investing a lot of effort and resources.
After the show was broadcast, the limelight and audience reputation were almost completely stolen by Liu Shishi, who played the supporting actress Lu Su at the time.
The feeling of frustration that the effort was not proportional to the reward is still fresh in her memory, and it was one of the important reasons why she decided to switch to the big screen.
Sister Zhao understood Jingtian's concerns and advised, "Tiantian, times have changed. The market has changed.
Look at the most popular and commercially valuable female stars today, especially the '85 flowers', Liu Shishi, Liu Yifei, Yang Mi, and Zhao Liying. Which one of them did not gain a foothold by relying on phenomenal hit TV series?
Movies can elevate the genre, but if you want to truly achieve national recognition and a solid fan base, you have to rely on TV series. You need hits that speak for themselves.”
Jingtian listened, looking blankly at the staff coming and going on the set, and silently agreed in his heart.
Those four have indeed achieved remarkable results in the field of TV dramas, and their popularity and recognition are extremely high.
"Then let me try?" His tone was still a little uncertain, but already relaxed.
Zhao Jie gave a very positive response: "I think so. You can put your film projects on hold for now, carefully select them, and temporarily shift your focus back to the television screen. You need a masterpiece that will truly make you memorable to television audiences."
"Okay." Jingtian has a rare kind of obedience in his character. Especially in professional matters, he trusts his agent's judgment.
"Aunt Zhao, are there any good TV drama resources recently?"
After asking, she seemed to remember something and quickly added, with a little willfulness and a clear goal, "But, if it's not a role for the heroine, I won't take it."
Sister Zhao was well prepared: "I've been keeping an eye out for you. There's a project I think is pretty good, called The Legend of Ban Shu, with a female lead."
I’ve had my eye on it for a while, but the show’s been having a little trouble lately.”
"What's wrong?" Jing Tian asked curiously.
"The screenwriter of 'The Legend of Ban Shu' is Zhang Wei, who also wrote the female-led drama 'The Imperial Doctress' starring Liu Shishi.
Originally, the project of "Legend of Ban Shu" was originally planned to seek investment from Liu Shishi Studio and Tangren Film and Television.
But I don’t know what happened, I heard there was a little conflict between the screenwriter and Tangren, and now the project is a bit stuck, and they are looking for new investors.”
"Is that so?" Jing Tian's eyes flickered, and an idea popped into his mind, "How about we buy the copyright of this project directly from the screenwriter?
Then why not just cooperate with Liu Shishi Studio? It doesn’t matter who the screenwriter is, what matters is the project and the people who work with it.”
Sister Zhao pondered the feasibility of this plan for a moment: "Buying out the copyright? Yeah, I think it's feasible."
Seeing that the agent agreed, Jing Tian smiled happily: "Aunt Zhao, then I'll trouble you to follow up and plan this matter!"
"It's a small matter, leave it to me." Sister Zhao agreed readily.
After finishing the business, Jing Tian relaxed and suddenly remembered something. He asked, "By the way, Aunt Zhao, Senior Sister Shi should also be in Hengdian recently, right?"
"Yes, that's right. She's on the set of 'Doctor Imperial Doctress', filming at the Ming and Qing Palaces."
Jing Tian heard this and his voice was filled with joy: "Okay! I will go to the Ming and Qing Palace Garden in a couple of days to visit my senior sister! I haven't seen her for a long time."
Sister Zhao listened, her words full of approval and admonition: "That's right. Go out together more often and don't let your relationship become alienated. Your uncle also mentioned before that it won't hurt you to maintain a good relationship with Liu Shishi."
"I know, I know." Jingtian muttered in response.
There was a hint of helplessness on her face. She did not have any particularly utilitarian ideas when she contacted Liu Shishi, but was more out of a pure friendship.
Her early thoughts about Song poetry had vanished into thin air. She simply felt comfortable getting along with Liu Shishi, nothing more.
(End of this chapter)
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