Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 103 Penguin Invitation

At the forum, most of the companies were completely wiped out by internet companies, and some film and television companies were even persuaded to switch sides.

After all, internet companies are really good at using their methods, and they have a lot of logic and evidence to back it up.

Of course, the only person present who wasn't swayed by their claims was probably Chen Shouzhe. No matter how eloquently they spoke, he simply followed his own plan.

IP needs to be incubated; only those that can be successfully incubated are called IP, and those that fail to be incubated are just pi.

"Director Chen..."

Just as Chen Shou was about to leave, he heard someone call his name.

"Who are you?" Chen Shouzhe didn't recognize the person.

"Hello Director Chen, I'm Liu Zhiping from Tencent." The other party said with a smile.

"Hello, Mr. Liu."

The two shook hands. Chen Shou had heard of this person before, mainly from what Tao Le had told him. It turned out that Tencent's strategic investment officer had been contacting them, wanting to invest in their company.

The person in charge of this matter was Liu Zhiping; Tao Le said he had contacted him several times.

"Director Chen, are you free? I'd like to invite you to dinner."

Chen Shou hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Okay."

Liu Zhiping smiled, and the two walked out of the venue together.

Many people noticed this area, and Alibaba's wall was surrounded by a large crowd, especially the two from Huayi, who were acting like lapdogs. People invested in their company and then sold their shares to improve their lives, and they still shamelessly continued to fawn over them.

Zhang Qiang noticed Chen Shouzhe's side. He thought Chen Shouzhe would also come over. In his opinion, although the Hua Yi brothers were important, they were not as good as Chen Shouzhe. To truly enter this industry, one must forcefully break through. One must have strength and weapons. Hua Yi clearly did not have enough weapons; Chen Shouzhe was the one who could.

After watching "The Martian," Zhang Qiang realized that there was no one in the film market who could beat Chen Shouzhe; he could make such blockbusters.

Now, not only are they protecting the film's copyrights, but Little Dream Special Effects Company has also established itself.

When Zhang Qiang saw Chen Shouzhe and Liu Zhiping walking together, his expression changed. He knew Liu Zhiping; he was one of the bigwigs at Tencent, in charge of strategic investment. Among the current internet giants, Alibaba, Tencent, and Tencent were the largest, and the only one that could pose a threat to Alibaba was Tencent.

Seeing the prize he had been eyeing being snatched away by someone else, Zhang Qiang's heart skipped a beat, and he realized that he might have been too slow.

"Mr. Zhang, what's wrong?" Wang Zonglei, who was standing next to him, asked, noticing something was wrong.

"It's nothing!" Zhang Qiang shook his head.

Liu Zhiping booked a high-end private restaurant, just the two of them, and they ate and chatted.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Liu?" Chen Shou asked.

"Does Director Chen know about Tencent Video?" Liu Zhiping asked with a smile.

“I know, I heard about it back in 11,” Chen Shou said.

"Really! I didn't expect that Director Chen Shouzhe would also pay attention to internet matters."

"That's normal. The film and television industry and the internet industry will definitely have a necessary connection in the future. For example, video websites. In the future, some of our film and television copyrights will be sold to video websites, or we will develop new dramas with them."

"Is Director Chen interested in joining the corporate group?"

"You want to acquire my company?"

"It's not an acquisition; it's just a strategic investment. We won't participate in the management of the company."

"I'm sorry, but my company is not short of funds at the moment. The revenue from movies and TV series is enough to cover my company's expenses, so there is no need to accept external capital."

"But with money, we can expand; it's a win-win situation."

Chen Shou smiled, picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of meat, and said, "A person can only eat this much in one meal. If I eat any more, I will be stuffed to death. I know my own capacity very well. I know how much I can eat and how much I can eat. If I eat any more, I won't be able to eat it. Even if you stuff me, it will only make me stuffed to death."

"Have you never thought about going public?" Liu Zhiping stared at Chen Shou.

Chen Shou finished chewing the meat in his mouth, swallowed it, and shook his head: "No, there are too many things to think about when going public. My personal hobby is making movies and doing what I like. If we go public, although we will suddenly have a lot of money, we will also have to work hard for the company, which is not what I want. All I do is make money for others. What's the difference between that and working for someone else? I can't work for someone else. Being my own boss means I won't have to worry about food and drink. Doing what I love is enough."

Liu Zhiping never expected that Chen Shouzhe, who was rumored to be vindictive, would have such thoughts. He thought Chen Shouzhe would have great ambitions and want to become a leader in the film and television industry.

“Listed companies have great advantages. Besides funding, they also receive help from allies, and together we can make the pie bigger,” Liu Zhiping said, still determined.

“Only those who lack ability seek allies. Look at what Alibaba can offer besides money. Don’t be fooled by their grand pronouncements; it’s like a mochi with only a tiny bit of filling inside. They have no substance, just empty promises. Anyone with eyes can see that. Can’t people in the film and television industry see it? They’re not blind; they’re just following along, helping to grow the pie and fleece the people. There are very few who truly love the film and television industry. They are more suitable for your investment, Mr. Liu,” Chen Shouzhe said.

"That's why I approached Director Chen. In all our evaluations, you are the most worthwhile film and television company to invest in," Liu Zhiping said with a smile.

"Don't flatter me. I know my own capabilities. It's an honor that Tencent has taken notice of me. Cooperation is fine, but investment? Forget about it. My company must be 100% owned by me."

Liu Zhiping knew that it would be difficult to break through Chen Shou's defenses, so he decided to cooperate as Chen suggested.

However, Liu Zhiping, who is in charge of strategic investment, was unfamiliar with this aspect of cooperation, and the two left separately after dinner. Online, many people are optimistic about Alibaba's proposed IP concept; after all, Jack Ma is practically a legend now. If people believe him when he says he doesn't care about money, what else can't they believe?

In discussions about IP, countless netizens have come to the same conclusion: the biggest IP is "Journey to the West"!
The Journey to the West, currently airing on CCTV, is dominating the ratings every day, almost giving CCTV a taste of the Spring Festival Gala. Even reruns achieve incredibly high viewership.

Many TV stations were extremely envious, but they still couldn't get the rights in the second round. The copyrights belonged to CCTV and Shouzhe Pictures, while CCTV had the right of first refusal. Even Hunan TV could only watch helplessly as their own dramas were completely overshadowed.

It is precisely because of its current popularity that it has been identified as a super IP.

All the film and television companies looked at Chen Shou with envy, as he was holding a golden goose.

Someone even made a picture of the four of them walking on the ground, with Tang Sanzang leading the white dragon horse, and Chen Shou sitting on the white dragon horse.

As the international film festival progressed and forums were held, a piece of news suddenly broke in, drawing attention back to Chen Shouzhe.

[The Film Bureau's official website announced: The script for "A Chinese Ghost Story," submitted by Shouzhe Pictures, has passed the script review and is permitted for filming!]

It was rejected before, but now it's allowed?
Has the stagnant water moved?

"As expected of Director Chen, he has finally stirred up this stagnant water."

"It seems like they're resubmitting the script."

"Didn't they say they wouldn't let us pass? They wouldn't let us pass even if it meant death. Are those people dead?"

"It was so enjoyable to watch. Director Chen's stagnant water is still hanging there. I hope he's not going to pull it off soon."

"It's okay. In the future, if anyone fails to pass the review, just put up the dead water."

"A Chinese Ghost Story, just hearing the name tells me it's going to be a good movie, looking forward to it."

"It should be a story from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio that Director Chen told, including Painted Skin, which is one of the stories in it."

"How many stories are there in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio? It seems that Director Chen only told three before he was reported."

"I love listening to ghost stories."

At the Shanghai International Film Festival, Chen Shouzhe is currently a guest at the Shanghai Film Studio.

Favors made through sales must be repaid. Although Shanghai Film Studio theoretically owed them a favor, Chen Shouzhe still made it up to them.

"Chairman Ren, I'll leave some for you after our clever capture of Tiger Mountain," Chen Shou said directly after exchanging pleasantries with Ren Zhonglun, without saying anything else.

Ren Zhonglun was clearly taken aback. He definitely wanted more than just these. He didn't expect Chen Shouzhe to bring out a patriotic film. However, for him, a patriotic film seemed better. After all, he didn't want money; Shanghai Film Studio had plenty of money.

For him, something else was more important. And there were only four companies involved in the Tiger Mountain movie: August First Film Studio, Wanda Cinema, China Film Group, and Shanghai Film Group. It would be good if Shanghai Film Group could get in, as it would at least show that Shanghai Film Group supports patriotic films. Even if the box office performance was not good, he would still have some credit.

"How much can you give?" Ren Zhonglun asked.

"You four should agree on 60% first," Chen Shou said.

"Why do you want to keep so much?" Ren Zhonglun didn't expect that Chen Shou would want so much of the film's patriotic theme.

Chen Shou is now powerful enough to take a larger share; he is no longer the weak man he once was.

It's not that he ate too much, but for a patriotic film, there's no need to eat so much. Everyone should just share the profits. Even if you make money by booking out the entire theater, it's not much. At most, you'll earn a meager wage, and it's normal to even lose money.

Wouldn't a 40% loss be devastating?

"I'll keep a maximum of 30%, and I'll bring in two more people for the remaining 10%," Chen Shou said.

"Who?"

"You'll find out when the time comes," Chen Shou smiled but didn't say anything.

After the deal was finalized, Ren Zhonglun was somewhat disappointed, as he had thought he would be able to participate in Chen Shouzhe's Journey to the West.

The IP is all the rage right now, and the hottest IP is undoubtedly Journey to the West. He has tried to subtly inquire about it several times, but Chen Shouzhe has ignored him and hasn't given him a chance.

I had originally wanted to share some, but it seems that the favor I did wasn't enough to make Chen Shouzhe give me the golden egg.

It's good that I can get back on the ship. If they open a Journey to the West project in the future, it will be much easier to get back on board.

At the international film festival, Chen Shouzhe met with the head of Tencent Video and they talked a lot. Chen Shouzhe then discussed the matter with CCTV and decided to sell the online broadcasting rights to Tencent.

In addition, other movies have also partnered with Tencent Video, which has immediately boosted their income.

Tencent Video officially announced that it has acquired the online streaming rights for Journey to the West, and it is said that it gained 100,000 new members overnight.

This further proves the influence of major IPs, prompting internet companies and film and television companies to frantically search for literature with the potential to become major IPs.

(End of this chapter)