Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Boss Shao, you are so stingy. ...
"Why?" Shao Chengzhang was a little surprised that Shen Zhuo actually rejected this proposal.
"First of all, Si Yu has only been in the industry for two years. Judging from his traffic and monetization, he doesn't have an advantage in the entertainment industry. However, for products like blind box toys, if they want to find celebrities to cooperate, the core consumption must rely on the fan economy, right? Si Yu's current fan base is actually difficult to support the sales volume expected by the brand." Chen Zhuo was very frank. "In addition, Si Yu has actually been developing in the direction of movies, and he has been working hard to establish himself as a young and talented person. The youthful temperament of the Dreamora brand does not really fit his personality."
It has to be said that Shen Zhuo's analysis makes a lot of sense, and this is also a problem he had considered before.
He smiled and said, "I thought that as long as it was business, agents would accept any offer. After all, the more projects your artists take on, the more commissions you'll earn."
"That's what I said, but please don't deny my principles and professionalism. I must first be responsible for my work and my artists. This is the basic quality of a professional agent."
In fact, what Chen Zhuo didn’t say was that if Guan Siyu really cooperated with Dreamora, it would be disadvantageous to him.
For example, the cooperation cycle of joint collaborations on trendy toys is actually short, and the shelf life of the topic is also limited. It cannot accumulate sustainable topics for Guan Siyu. Moreover, Chen Zhuo has set for him to move towards being a movie star and to appear at more film festivals. In the future, she will definitely discuss cooperation with international brands. If she is exposed to this kind of trendy toy cooperation too early, her image positioning will be blurred, and even her value will be lowered, which may affect her future cooperation opportunities with international high-end luxury brands.
However, Shen Zhuo couldn't tell Shao Chengzhang about this. If he turned around and told that "friend", she would be in trouble. So she had to lower her stance and say that her artist was not worthy of it.
"Is your friend from Dreamora?" No wonder he was able to find so many hidden gems at once. He should repay the favor if he could. Chen Zhuo continued, "Actually, if you want to collaborate with a celebrity, there are two options."
Shao Chengzhang raised his eyebrows and motioned her to continue.
"I don't know much about this industry, but my intuition suggests that women still account for a higher proportion of consumers. If you have a sufficient budget, consider top male artists. Their fans are very capable of voting, and sales conversion is very high. Moreover, their fans are very familiar with fan circles, so getting on the trending search list is no problem at all. It can also help you reduce marketing costs and gain free marketing space. If you have a smaller budget, you can prioritize new generation idols with high traffic."
"From what you said, it would be best to find a male celebrity?"
Chen Zhuo nodded. "Of course, male artists' fans do have stronger purchasing power." She paused, as if subconsciously gathering her thoughts. "It's actually quite ridiculous. In this industry these days, even in the cosmetics and sanitary napkin industries, the spokespersons are all male artists. As long as they're good-looking and have some buzz, they can still generate buzz even without a signature work."
"Nowadays, fans decide everything, especially female fans. They love deeply and spend a lot. Brands used to have to spend money to get trending, but now fans can do it themselves. What about actresses with real works and acting skills? They don't have the same resources as male artists. Without the popularity, brands are unwilling to take the risk." She took a sip from her cup and smiled sarcastically. "Even us agents have to bow to reality. We still have to fight for the resources we should fight for. Otherwise, if we don't, others will take them. It's quite speechless."
"In that case, why don't you take the female artists with you to help them find more projects? With your connections and resources in the industry, it shouldn't be difficult to do." Shao Chengzhang asked.
"Do you think I don't want to? This isn't determined by my connections and resources; it's determined by capital. In today's market, let's take movies for example, how many films are written from a female perspective? Female characters are either used as decorative elements or as tools. Someone trusts me and has worked with me for several years, but I can't get the right role. It's a waste of her time, and I don't get paid. And I have to eat, and I have a mortgage to pay."
Chen Zhuo sighed, his tone revealing a hint of helplessness. "The entertainment industry is very unfair to female artists. But I also wanted to take Guan Siyu with me because I wanted to see if I had the ability to train a new talent. Actually, I'm one of the luckiest people in my job. From the beginning, I've been managing more mature artists, and it's only through working with them that I've accumulated a lot of connections."
"Won't it be disappointing to lead a complete newcomer now?" Leading Guan Siyu was like starting from scratch, and Chen Zhuo had to do everything himself.
"Of course I have. In the past, I was the one who waited for the platforms or investors to hand over the scripts. If I didn't like them, I would just reject them directly. We were the ones who chose them. Now, everything has changed. Sometimes I have to beg them to ask if there are any good projects. But I still trust Guan Siyu and his ability to judge people. I think my judgment should be good." Chen Zhuo shrugged and said with a smile, "Fortunately, Guan Siyu is a very worry-free artist, and the pressure is not too great."
Shao Chengzhang thought that, judging by Chen Zhuo's perspective on choosing a husband, she had good taste. He was also curious about why she wanted to be a manager, considering it was a thankless job.
Shen Zhuo was a little stunned by his question. In all these years, apart from the HR who interviewed her many years ago, no one else had asked her this question. She didn't rush to answer, and the water cup in her hand turned around unconsciously.
After a few seconds, she slowly spoke, "Maybe at first... I didn't think too much about it. Don't people know exactly what they like when they're in school? Don't they all just find a similar job at first?" She said softly, "Then, after working for a while, I realized I actually quite like it."
She smiled. "It's just... I really enjoy the process of bringing someone up little by little. Watching someone go from being unknown to having a role, a representative work, fans, and standing on the podium... It feels like..." She rested her hand on her chin, her eyes narrowed slightly, and spoke slowly, "You plant a seed, then watch it sprout, grow, and finally bloom into a beautiful flower."
Shao Chengzhang tilted his head, just looked at her quietly and listened to her carefully.
"Of course, there are times when it's exhausting, and a lot of the time, the work you put in goes unseen. If an artist becomes popular, it's because of their hard work; if they don't, it's your fault. Not many people in this industry care about agents staying up late to change plans, asking for favors, and cleaning up messes for others. After all, everyone does it."
At this point, she sighed softly, "But I still want to delve deeper into this field. Maybe it's because I always feel that if one day I can help someone from zero to the top, and they can produce excellent works that are recognized and welcomed by everyone, it will make me feel like I have truly changed something... It will make me feel that my existence is meaningful."
Shao Chengzhang agrees, saying, "Work will give you a great sense of value and accomplishment."
Shen Zhuo nodded: "Yes."
Shao Chengzhang smiled suddenly, his eyes revealing a subtle interest and inquiry in Shen Zhuo. He was like a loner who unexpectedly discovered someone walking a similar path and having a similar destination. He couldn't help but look at her a few more times.
"Yeah, I understand." Shao Chengzhang lowered his eyes and looked at her admiringly.
Chen Zhuo met his gaze, and seeing the quiet and determined seriousness in his expression, she realized that he was really listening to her carefully, even though he only said three simple words.
But it is not polite, perfunctory, or acquiescence.
What she just said was something she had expressed when she was young, but most of them were laughed at by others.
They always said, "You're still young. It's just work, why are you so idealistic? Just make money and that's enough." But Shao Chengzhang was different. He understood her, recognized her, and affirmed her. A strange emotion slowly welled up in her heart, a little warm and a little touching.
Chen Zhuo was a little happy. She smiled and suddenly jumped back to the original topic, "But I will definitely guide female artists in the future. I will help them become international superstars from unknown people."
Shao Chengzhang also smiled and said with certainty, "Yes."
Chen Zhuo remembered another direction she hadn't finished discussing: virtual idols or game characters. These had little risk of collapse, and since they were all 2D, they should be good if done well.
Finally, she promised Shao Chengzhang that she would help if he needed to contact the artists.
"Thank you, I'm grateful for your advice." Shen Zhuo's advice was very useful to him.
Chen Zhuo curled his lips and said, "Tsk," "Just say thank you and that's it?"
"Then what do you want?" Shao Chengzhang looked at her with a smile on his face.
She suddenly held out her hand, palm facing up, "Boss Shao, please pay the consultation fee. I'll tell you everything I know."
Shao Chengzhang stood up, patted her palm lightly, smiled and said, "Payment completed." Then he walked towards the bedroom.
Chen Zhuo laughed and said "huh", then turned around and shouted at him: "Boss Shao, you are so stingy."
*
Chen Zhuo was awakened in the middle of the night by the dull ache in her lower abdomen, which was too intense. Realizing what had happened, her first reaction was to turn on her phone's flashlight and rush to the bathroom, guided by the light. Seeing the deep red stain on her underwear, Chen Zhuo felt like the sky had fallen. She hadn't brought a sanitary napkin when she came, and when she checked the date on her app, she discovered it was six days early.
Chen Zhuo quickly opened the food delivery platform and ordered night pants, sanitary napkins, and life-saving ibuprofen. She didn't know what magical law was, but every time she ate or drank something cold near her due date, her period would come. Now she deeply regretted drinking a can of iced Coke that night.
Shao Chengzhang was a light sleeper and was not fully asleep when Chen Zhuo got up. However, he waited for a long time and found that Chen Zhuo had not come back yet. He got up and turned on the light and found a red spot on the avocado green bed sheet. He understood instantly.
I've been in the bathroom for nearly half an hour, unable to straighten my back due to the pain. My phone is still on the food delivery platform, but it's almost three in the morning. Although there are 24-hour convenience stores open, there are no riders to take orders...
Chen Zhuo kept raising the price, but still no rider came.
She was so regretful, why didn't she bring a box of sanitary napkins? !
Just when she was at a loss, there were suddenly several knocks on the quiet bathroom door. She was startled and subconsciously stared at the door.
"Chen Zhuo, are you okay?" Shao Chengzhang's voice sounded outside the door, but it sounded a little muffled because of the thick door.
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