How can you ascend to heaven when you are a star?

Chapter 481 Failure or failure
Zhang Wen stayed at Han Xiaohua's studio for half a month until he received news that the TV series "Perfect Days" had passed the review and he obtained the "TV Series Distribution License". Only then did he leave Director Han's studio and go to Beijing TV Station.

"Dang Dang Dang!"

"Come in."

Zhang Wen pushed open the door and saw Deputy Editor-in-Chief Gu Tao sitting behind a large desk, flipping through documents.

He walked in and asked softly, "Editor-in-Chief Gu, are you busy?"

Gu Tao looked up and saw that the person who came was Zhang Wen. A smile appeared on his expressionless face. "It's Teacher Zhang. Come and sit down."

After speaking, he pointed to the chair opposite the desk.

Zhang Wen walked over and sat down, placing the USB drive on the table as he said, "Editor-in-Chief Gu, this is the drama we talked about before. The finished product has just passed censorship and has already obtained a distribution license. Take a look at the trailer first, and if you think it's okay, we can discuss the broadcast details later."

"Ah."

Gu Tao picked up the USB drive, plugged it into the computer, and started watching the video on it.

To be honest, she didn't have high expectations for this TV series. If it weren't for Zhou Siyi's sake, she wouldn't even bother watching it.

There was no other way; we had to give the Zhou family face.

However, after watching for only a short while, her opinion changed.

The TV series far exceeded her expectations in terms of both content and acting. It had a main theme, conflicts, and was full of delicate warmth, which was very suitable for the style of TV series selected by Beijing TV.

Before he knew it, the trailer had finished playing. Gu Tao turned off the player, still feeling a little unsatisfied.

"The content is good. Although special education is a niche subject, it's filmed with a lot of warmth. The first episode is of good quality. Director Han Xiaohua's style has changed a lot compared to before, but the details in the shots are even more touching," Gu Tao said, nodding.

Zhang Wen breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "It's good to have Editor-in-Chief Gu's approval. Do you think it can be broadcast on Beijing TV?"

“Sure.” Gu Tao nodded and said, “Beijing TV is lacking a high-quality realistic drama in the second half of the year, and your ‘Perfect Days’ can fill that gap perfectly. I think it can be scheduled for prime time in the fourth quarter, how about November?”

Zhang Wen was slightly disappointed after hearing this. The best months for TV dramas to air are usually September and October, followed by summer and winter vacations, while November is considered a slow season and viewers don't pay much attention to it.

However, he also knew that the prime-time slots were already taken, and that being given a prime-time slot was already a great favor. What more could he ask for?

“Okay, I’ll do as you say,” Zhang Wen said.

November it is. As long as he can make a name for himself this time, he can choose any date for his next TV series.

There's nothing he can do; he doesn't have a major film company backing him up.

"As for the price..." Gu Tao paused for a moment, thought for a moment and said, "To be honest, your drama is a bit niche. Although you have director Han Xiaohua in charge, you don't have any big-name actors to support it, and the lead actor's market appeal is not strong. The highest price I can offer for the first run is 200 million per episode."

Zhang Wen was taken aback and frowned slightly. The price of two million per episode was really beyond his expectations. "Perfect Days" has a total of 36 episodes, which means that the first broadcast price of the entire series can only be seventy-two million.

Compared to the total investment of 140 million, it's less than half.

Although he never expected to recoup his costs with the premiere, the price of 74 million was simply too low. Even if there were second and third rounds of broadcasts, as well as online streaming rights, the prices of other copyrights could not be too high due to the low premiere price.

In short: You won't lose money, but you won't make much either.

But he spent so much time on this TV series, how could he tolerate not making money?
To put it bluntly, if you put 140 million in a bank and earn interest, you could make several million in a year and a half.

"Editor-in-Chief Gu, isn't this price a bit too low?" Zhang Wen asked.

“Teacher Zhang, this price is really not low. I’m only giving you a friendly price because of President Zhou. If it were any other company, they would only offer 150 million at most for this subject matter. You don’t know, TV stations have limited budgets for purchasing dramas these days. Even big productions have to be carefully budgeted, let alone niche dramas with realistic themes like this,” Gu Tao explained.

Zhang Wen's smile faded slightly. Although what the other party said was unpleasant, he had to admit that it was the truth.

He had originally planned to bring up the achievements of director Han Xiaohua's previous works, but judging from the other party's current attitude, conventional thinking would definitely not work; he would have to use an unconventional approach to have any chance of winning.

He thought for a moment, then asked, "Editor-in-Chief Gu, I wonder what the highest-rated TV series were among all the dramas broadcast on Beijing TV last year?"

"The highest-rated show should be 'Prosperous City,' with an average rating of 0.391," Gu Tao said.

She felt a little depressed when she talked about it. Although "Prosperous City" had the highest ratings among all the TV dramas broadcast on Beijing Satellite TV, it didn't even make it into the top ten in ratings among all the TV dramas broadcast on local satellite TV last year.

"Editor-in-Chief Gu, how about we take a gamble?" Zhang Wen suddenly asked.

"Bet? How do you bet?" Gu Tao frowned slightly, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"The deal for 'Perfect Days' is three million per episode. Half of the payment will be made upfront. If the ratings for this show on your Beijing TV channel don't exceed 0.391, I won't ask for the remaining half. I also promise you that next year my company will allocate 50 million for advertising on Beijing TV during its slowest time slot. But if the ratings exceed that, we'll stick to the agreed price, and the remaining payment will be made after the show finishes airing. How about that?"

Zhang Wen shared his thoughts.

Gu Tao straightened up and began to seriously consider the bet.

The terms offered by the other party were indeed very tempting. If the ratings did not meet the target, it would be equivalent to buying the TV series for 1.5 million per episode, and the satellite TV channel would also gain 50 million in advertising revenue, which could be considered as supporting her work as the head of the satellite TV station.

If the viewership ratings meet the target, it will not only attract a large number of viewers, but also enhance the influence of the satellite TV channel. No matter how you look at it, it's a win-win situation.

Even without the 50 million yuan in advertising revenue, Beijing TV could still make a profit by leveraging its influence and the title sponsorship of prime-time dramas, since 1.5 million yuan per episode is not a high price.

"Is that really true?" Gu Tao asked, looking at the young man in front of him. "If the ratings don't meet the target, are you really only taking half the budget and still able to spend 50 million on advertising?"

“Of course,” Zhang Wen said earnestly, “Even if you don’t believe me, you should believe President Zhou.”

"It seems Teacher Zhang is very confident about this drama." Gu Tao pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, let's do it your way. I'll prepare the contract now."

After saying that, he picked up the phone on the table and instructed the purchasing department to bring the contract over.

Seeing that the other party had agreed, Zhang Wen smiled again. "Thank you, Editor-in-Chief Gu. I believe that the TV series 'Perfect Days' will definitely not disappoint you."

Not long after, there was a knock on the office door, and then a middle-aged man walked in, holding two contracts. "Editor-in-Chief Gu, these are the TV series purchase contracts."

Gu Tao took the document, read one copy himself, and handed the other to Zhang Wen. "Teacher Zhang, take a look. If there are no problems, let's sign it."

Zhang Wen didn't expect to sign the contract so quickly; he thought it would take a few days. But it's good to sign now; the sooner it's signed, the sooner the money will arrive.

He read it from beginning to end. Because he had deliberately consulted Gao Yue about the relevant issues of TV series purchase contracts before coming, he read it relatively quickly and did not find any pitfalls.

He's probably overthinking it. Such a big company wouldn't possibly cheat him.
You should know that the middleman between him and this Editor-in-Chief Gu was Zhou Siyi. How could the other party not even care about Zhou Siyi's feelings?
Zhang Wen picked up the pen and decisively signed his name on the last page.

He needed a large platform to broadcast the TV series "Perfect Days", and so far, the biggest and best platform he could find was Beijing TV.

So even if the contract seems unfair, he's willing to take the gamble.

If you don't succeed, you will become benevolent.

Although the price of three million per episode is still not enough to recoup the costs in one go, the increase in the price of the first run can drive up the prices of the second and third runs.

For example, if the first run costs two million per episode, even if the TV series becomes a huge hit, it's impossible for the second run to sell for two million. But if the first run costs three million per episode, then two million per episode in the second run is quite normal.

In this way, as long as the second round of broadcasting rights can be sold, a small profit can be made. If the third round of broadcasting rights can be sold, along with online broadcasting rights, then a big profit can be made.

"Director Gu, it's a pleasure to work with you." Zhang Wen stood up with a smile.

"It's a pleasure to cooperate." Gu Tao also stood up and extended his hand to the young man opposite him.

If she had only met this young man because of Zhou Siyi, now she was starting to like him.

She likes to work with people who are bold, decisive, and, most importantly, capable.

When two hands are clasped together, not only is the deal done, but the relationship is also taken a step further.

"Director Gu, then I won't disturb your work any longer," Zhang Wen said, putting the contract into his bag.

"See you."

"Goodbye."

Zhang Wen turned and walked out of the office. He wasn't in a good mood, but he wasn't in a bad one either. He was just waiting to see how the audience would react after the TV series aired.

Whether it's a profit or a loss, we'll find out in November.

Zhang Wen returned to the company and waited for the elevator after getting out of the car. As soon as the elevator door opened, he saw Chen Mingyuan in front of him. The other party seemed to be going out on business, but he had a worried look on his face.

At this moment, Chen Mingyuan also saw Zhang Wen standing outside the elevator. His furrowed brows immediately relaxed, and he couldn't wait to step out of the elevator, saying, "Director Zhang, come with me, I have something to tell you."

Zhang Wen followed him with suspicion and got into the other person's car.

Several employees who were also waiting for the elevator watched this scene silently before entering the elevator.

"Mr. Chen, what's the matter?" Zhang Wen asked.

"Director Zhang, there's a problem with the project budget you submitted earlier," Chen Mingyuan said with a troubled expression.

"What's the problem?" Zhang Wen asked, puzzled. Then, as if remembering something, his expression turned serious. "President Chen, I swear to God, I have written down every single penny clearly. There was absolutely no embezzlement or kickbacks. You can check it if you don't believe me."

Chen Mingyuan paused for a moment after hearing this, then shook his head and said, "You're overthinking it. How could I not trust you? It's actually a funding issue."

Chen Mingyuan sighed softly at this point and continued, "It's like this: because Liu Haiyang and I were filming TV series at the same time, and they were both self-produced by the company, the company's financial pressure was too great. So Li Lehua decided to cut the project budget in half, and Liu Haiyang and I will have to find investment to cover the remaining funding gap ourselves."

"Huh? Cut it in half?" Zhang Wen frowned.

The project budget he submitted this time was 150 million, which was based entirely on the total investment of the TV series "Perfect Days". Now it has been reduced by half. How can this TV series even be filmed?

“President Chen, we can’t just accept whatever Li Lehua says, can we?” Zhang Wen said with dissatisfaction, implying: Didn’t you report this to the board of directors?

Chen Mingyuan understood Zhang Wen's meaning perfectly well, and said with a wry smile, "I spoke with Chairman Zhao, and he agrees with Li Lehua's decision."

Zhang Wen's lips twitched involuntarily. This guy called a backer? He's way too unreliable.

Chen Mingyuan continued, "Liu Haiyang has been in this industry for a long time and knows many investors. Besides, Li Lehua is secretly supporting him. Tens of millions is nothing to him. But it's different for me. I have connections in various TV stations. I can negotiate resources, but I really can't come up with money. I've been contacting them for two days, and my phone is almost out of battery. I've only managed to raise 25 million. I'm still short 50 million."

Zhang Wen stared intently at Chen Mingyuan, who had a worried expression, wondering if the other party had mind-reading abilities. Otherwise, how could the other party ask for 50 million more when he had just signed a first broadcast rights contract with Beijing TV and was about to receive 54 million?

Nima!

This teammate is pretty useless!
“Mr. Chen, it’s just fifty million, I’ll cover it,” Zhang Wen said.

He was the screenwriter, and his girlfriend was the lead actress. They couldn't just stand by and watch the project come to a standstill because of 50 million, could they?

Fortunately, he doesn't lack money right now, otherwise he would have been really screwed over by this teammate.

Chen Mingyuan's eyes lit up, and he asked with a look of surprise, "Really? You can really afford this?"

He had heard that this Director Zhang was rich, but he didn't expect him to be this rich. He could take 50 million yuan so easily. No wonder he wasn't afraid of Li Lehua. The other party didn't care about the meager salary the company paid.

"Mm." Zhang Wen nodded.

"That's great!" Chen Mingyuan grabbed Zhang Wen's hand and said with gratitude, "Thank you. Once I take control of the film and television production department, I will definitely devote all resources to promoting Bai Lu and the future girl."

Zhang Wen looked at the emotionally charged Chen Mingyuan. Although it was just empty promises, he liked to hear it and hoped that the other party would not be like Li Lehua, who would abandon his benefactor after using him.

……

(End of this chapter)