Return to Hong Kong Island for a Century

Chapter 334 Airport Interview
"What are your thoughts, Mr. Zou?" Li Song asked curiously.

"I simply wanted to cooperate with Mr. Li."

"And our company happens to need a lot of people!" Boss Zou said.
"And our company wants to go international!"

“This is the best opportunity!” Boss Zou continued.

Li Song roughly understood what the other party meant; they probably wanted to select some foreign artists.

This is actually a normal practice for many film companies, because selecting and training their own talent is the most cost-effective way to achieve results!
But if you use someone else to train them, the price will definitely not be low.

“We’re afraid our ideas are a bit different from Mr. Zou’s. Mr. Zou could first take a look at the different levels of contracts for artists under Phoenix TV!” Li Song shook his head and did not agree.

Phoenix TV's artist contracts are divided into three levels: A, B, and C. Level A is a studio contract, Level B is an independent agent contract, and Level C is a non-independent agent contract.

An independent agent is someone who has their own dedicated agent.

It's actually a contract designed for relatively unknown artists.

Other film companies and television stations in Hong Kong Island do not have such contracts, so Li Song asked Boss Zou to look into it carefully.

"Alright, I'll find out more later. When is Mr. Li free to have a casual meal together?" Boss Zou asked again.

"I'm sorry, I've been quite busy these past few days. How about next month?" Li Song said.

"OK then."

After dropping the person off, Li Song left. The Star Shine Airlines was coming to Hong Kong Island soon, so Li Song planned to arrange an exclusive interview.

Li Song went to Phoenix TV, because he knew he had to give his station the firsthand information.

Upon arriving at Phoenix TV, Liu Jiale knew that Li Song wouldn't come to the station for no reason, so he quickly went to see Li Song.

“The Star Shine jet will be coming to Hong Kong Island at the end of the month. You can arrange for reporters to come, and I’ll conduct an exclusive interview on the plane,” Li Song said.

"Okay, boss." Liu Jiale quickly wrote it down.

"Brother Le, are you interested in organizing something similar to the Golden Horse Awards? Of course, we'll not only give honors, but also money and resources," Li Song asked again.

"I'll think about it later," Liu Jiale said.

“We are mainly dealing with Chinese-language films, and we also need to support some new directors. In addition, as I mentioned before, I will personally fund a young director fund. This year, I will start with HK$50 million. The operation of the fund will be handled by the television station. It can stay out of politics, but if it involves political stance, you know what to do,” Li Song said again.

"I know what to do." Liu Jiale certainly knew.

"In addition, various factors must be considered when awarding film prizes. As you know, no matter what circle it is, it cannot be separated from politics. Why would Western film festivals give awards to the East? Why are they willing to give up their own resources? It's because they want to see what they want to see."

"So when we're judging awards, we need to pay attention to this. We can't be like them and follow their homogenized path, but we also shouldn't blindly cater to anyone. We can judge these kinds of films, but we need to be careful about how much resources are allocated," Li Song added.

Awards, no matter what, always have a political influence; this is unavoidable, regardless of the type of award.

The West itself used these methods for cultural infiltration, which is why, decades later, the West is quite afraid of certain things from the East.

Of course, this is partly because Western politicians want to generate buzz and create hype, which is why they bring up these issues.

On the other hand, they naturally know how influential culture is.

In fact, the mainland has done a very good job in this regard. The mainland's film market opened up later, which is actually an advantage, because if it had opened up before the mainland film industry had matured, it would have been overwhelmed by the mature film system abroad.

Look at many countries in the world; they have all been infiltrated by Western culture.

Every culture, system, and political system has its flaws, corruption, and shortcomings.

The West has used its strong military and economic power to cover up some of its cultural and institutional shortcomings.

Moreover, humans are inherently inclined to admire the strong, so it's only natural that during this period, the moon is rounder in the West, the air is fresher, and the tap water is sweeter.

Everyone wants to live a good life; it's human nature. For most ordinary people, politics doesn't really matter; what matters is living a good life.

Those who constantly make comparisons and boast about themselves are most likely people with ulterior motives.

"I understand." Liu Jiale nodded.

"Boss, several Hollywood companies want to acquire the film rights to Star Mercenaries, and the price they're offering is already quite high." Liu Jiale handed a document to Li Song.

Li Song looked at the photos and was surprised to find that three film companies wanted the film adaptation rights to Star Mercenaries.

All three companies offered $20 million, or $10 million for 5% of the box office revenue.

Of course, the term is five years.

"10 million US dollars, 1000% of the box office revenue."

"If that's the condition, then I'll agree," Li Song said.

Li Song most likely knows what's going on: America's actor president has taken office and started a big deception mode, while interstellar mercenaries can be said to be somewhere between hard science fiction and soft science fiction.

Many of the things that appear in it have some theoretical support in reality, while some are still just speculation.

Moreover, the Star Mercenaries animated series has a certain reputation in America, which is why these film companies did this.

In addition, the animation has already shown the designs of the mecha, as well as spaceships, space elevators, drones, and so on.

This way, we can save a lot on props.

Although Li Song really wanted all the money, he couldn't ask for too much because money was a necessary expense right now.

Box office revenue is an unknown source of income; no one can guarantee how much their film will achieve at the box office. Therefore, film companies prefer box office revenue sharing.

Of course, this is also because Li Song is a great writer, whose works explore the world, and recently Li Song's international reputation has been growing.

Otherwise, someone else wouldn't be able to get so much money, unless Li Song's parents are big shots in politics.

"Okay." Liu Jiale nodded.

"In addition, the Shanghai team will be bringing over sample footage of Ice Age soon."

Let me know when you arrive.

"Ok."

Then nothing else happened, because Li Song would come one or two days a week on average, and most of the authority was given to Liu Jiale.

The arts and entertainment sector is also essential; without a channel for expression, it's easy to suffer unfair treatment.

Moreover, the entertainment industry is a very lucrative sector for making money online in the future.

The early profit model of the internet was in the entertainment sector.

March 27, 1981, the 22nd day of the second month in the lunar calendar, Friday.

Li Song personally came to the airport to pick up Nick. Although it was not yet the end of the month, the number of crowdfunding orders for the Panda plane had already exceeded 30,000!

And it is growing rapidly.

According to the club's estimates, the number of aircraft may exceed 50,000 by the end of the month!
Because the crowdfunding club didn't just get orders from Amer. They also secured orders from Europe, South America, Africa, and other places.

"Mr. Li!!"

"Thank you!!!" Nick felt very honored to see Li Song personally come to pick him up.

Because Li Song is not only a well-known writer, but also a very wealthy man.

Whether you're a writer or a tycoon, either identity carries considerable prestige in Amei's eyes!

"Mr. Li!!"

"Mr. Li!!" Just then, more than a dozen reporters rushed out from the side and shouted loudly from afar.

This was actually something Li Song did on purpose; otherwise, these reporters wouldn't have known which car they were in.

"Mr. Li!!"

"Mr. Li!!" These reporters had been waiting at the airport since receiving the tip, and they were surprised to actually see Li Song!

Li Song is now a very famous person in Hong Kong Island!

Li Song's fame on Hong Kong Island is now arguably greater than that of the Governor.

Because the governor was merely an official appointed by Dai Ying, while Li Song was a world-renowned writer who also controlled the highest-rated television station in Hong Kong and a magazine.

Moreover, you said you own an outrageous number of businesses, including many high-tech companies!

"Mr. Li, are you here to pick up Mr. Nick? Is there something important?" a reporter asked the bodyguard.

"Yes, this is Mr. Nick, the chairman of the crowdfunding club. It was Mr. Nick who proposed the idea, which is why the crowdfunding club came into being!"

"He brought me some bad news this time: the crowdfunding orders for the Panda plane have exceeded 30,000 and are growing rapidly!" Li Song said, essentially advertising himself!
"Mr. Nick, do you have anything to say about the final number of crowdfunding orders for the Panda Airplane?" a reporter quickly asked Nick.

"Our club predicts that the final order will exceed 50,000 aircraft. The order deadline is next week, and the order growth should be rapid this Sunday."

"Currently, our crowdfunding club has received orders for Panda aircraft from customers in more than a dozen countries, including North America, South America, Africa, and Europe!"

"Moreover, our crowdfunding club has reached 120,000 members and is growing rapidly."

“We want to thank Mr. Li here. Without his generosity, we wouldn’t have been able to get so many crowdfunding orders!” Nick used to be a reporter, but now his aura doesn’t resemble that of a reporter at all.

The crowdfunding club's hundreds of thousands of members are the source of Nick and his ilk's confidence.

It could be said that Nick transcended social class precisely because of a single suggestion.

Of course, Nick also knew that the crowdfunding club had so many members, all of whom were there to get a bargain.

Without Li Song's support, the crowdfunding club wouldn't have so many members, which is why they want the crowdfunding club to continue developing!

So they still can't do without Li Song's support, which is why Nick always consults Li Song first when there's something going on.

Because Li Song was his biggest financial backer.

That's why I used the word "generous" to describe Li Song when I spoke just now.

"Mr. Nick, is the Panda plane able to get so many orders because it's cheap?" This reporter is a TVB reporter.

"Of course not. You can see what Ami's professional organization thinks of the Panda aircraft."

"The safety and manufacturing technology of the Panda aircraft are among the best in its class!"

"In addition, the Panda aircraft has a wider commercial payload and a wider range of applications."

"Moreover, the Panda aircraft has the lowest fuel consumption among similar products!" Nick, being a reporter, naturally knew what the other party meant by asking that question!
Regardless of Nick's relationship with Li Song, Nick cannot say it's because the Panda plane is cheap!

This would lower the prestige of crowdfunding clubs.

Although the members of the crowdfunding club are all there to find bargains, we can't let outsiders say that they're just trying to get a good deal!
And coincidentally, the Panda aircraft is the best among similar products in terms of both design and manufacturing.

Therefore, members who ordered Panda planes from Ame would promote the excellent features of Panda planes to others.

Then, after that, he says, "Such an excellent plane at such a cheap price, only a fool wouldn't buy it."

Well, this is actually a marketing tactic, but Li Song did it unintentionally!
As mentioned later, it's not that we can't afford a Porsche, but rather that another brand offers better value for money.

This is also why someone keeps promoting how excellent their car is.

It's basically just giving the customer an excuse!

It's just that Li Song did real work, while so-and-so was just bluffing!

Furthermore, Nick didn't mention the price at all, because he knew that if he did, the other party could edit the news broadcast however they wanted.

"Wow!"

"So, Mr. Li, how much money do you lose by manufacturing one Panda plane?" a reporter asked after hearing that there were about 50,000 Panda planes.

"Theoretically speaking, each plane loses a thousand dollars."

"So theoretically, 50,000 aircraft would result in a loss of 50 million US dollars."

"Of course, this doesn't include the initial technology development!"

"The main reason is that we use relatively high-end materials and manufacturing processes!"

"For the fuselage of the Panda aircraft, we used an aluminum alloy die-casting machine with a capacity of several thousand tons, which is the best among similar products in the world!"

"And the more orders I get, the more I lose!"

"So the order deadline for the Panda plane is the end of the month," Li Song said casually.

Fifty million US dollars!
The reporters present knew that Li Song had started the crowdfunding campaign to advertise, but they never expected that advertising would result in such a large loss.

Fifty million US dollars is equivalent to at least 250 million Hong Kong dollars.

"Mr. Li, after this crowdfunding campaign, will you launch any new crowdfunding campaigns in the future?" This reporter's question was quite interesting.

"It's unlikely that we'll be able to launch a crowdfunding campaign anytime soon!"

"Because we lost too much money."

"Fortunately, I have many businesses, so I can still afford it!" Li Song didn't know if the reporter was asking on behalf of someone else, since the small notebook was currently working on the crowdfunding club.

"Our crowdfunding club is launching its next round of yacht crowdfunding projects!"

"Of course, I'm not here for the yacht crowdfunding project."

"On the one hand, I am representing the crowdfunding club to conduct some business handover with Mr. Li!"

"Also, I'm honored to have been invited by your husband to travel to London on the Starship jet." Nick knew how to return the favor, so he mentioned the Starship.

(End of this chapter)