How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 115 The Manager [3rd Update, Please Subscribe]

Before the market closed, Lijiahejiang's stock price fell by more than 1.5%.

This even triggered a major shock in the entire Hong Kong stock market. Wang Yao could get a glimpse of the specific process of the attack from the abnormal turnover rate.

Moreover, judging from the information and predictions made by major financial institutions regarding the Li family after the market closed, the outcome was almost certain.

At least for now, the entire infrastructure, energy and related industries in England are experiencing abnormal growth, seemingly in response to the Li family's entry.

With domestic cash-out efforts stalled and overseas acquisition costs rising, the Li family's plan is virtually doomed to failure.

But all of this was no longer relevant to Wang Yao; he was just waiting for Liu Haifeng to gradually deliver the profits.

Liu Haifeng was busy until two hours after the market closed before calling to report on the situation. Based on this trend, it would take at most three days to achieve Wang Yao's bearish expectations.

The risks and rewards of 100x leverage go hand in hand; a principal of 20 million can turn into a profit of nearly 60 million after three days.

This kind of leveraged trading in the capital market is indeed irresistible.

Wang Yao promised that the money would be temporarily placed in Liu Haifeng's hands as a conservative investment principal escrow, and that they would cooperate together again when a suitable project came along in the future.

Liu Haifeng also promised that if any suitable news comes in the future, he will give priority to cooperating with Wang Yao.

This led to a capital-based partnership between the two.

After all, he had witnessed a new model firsthand: using non-major negative public opinion to boost market sentiment. This method may not have a high success rate, but it is a surprising and effective tactic!
Today, while everyone was busy attacking the Li family, he also took the time to check on Chengtian Entertainment.

I don't know what method he used, but he must have taken advantage of the large amount of negative news about Wu Kebo that Wang Yao has created recently. Even with the major shareholder holding more than 67% of the shares, he managed to drive the stock price down from 20 to 16, a drop of 20%!
Although it's only worth 1.6 million, it's still quite a significant amount.

With its stock price plummeting and embroiled in scandals, Chengtian Entertainment has no time for any further action. The company is now struggling to even protect itself.

Ji, now the vice president of Chengtian Entertainment, has been dragged into a meeting all day by Wu Kebo, but it's still completely useless.

'I'm doomed all the time'

Looking at the expressions on everyone's faces in the conference room, Ji Jinxian thought to himself that he had originally thought he could use company resources to promote Tang Yan again, but now it seemed that the company might not be able to provide the money and resources to support her.

Since they can't surrender with their troops, they should at least atone for their crimes by performing meritorious service.

After returning home, Ji Jin thought about it for a while and finally called Wang Jinhua.

"Sister Hua, I have some things to tell you."

Wang Yao was taken aback when he received Wang Jinhua's call the next day.

Is Ji, the vice president of Chengtian Entertainment, now willing to invest?
This was indeed somewhat unexpected. The reason we took on Tang Yan's case was because it could serve as a prelude to this attack on the Li family.

Although Wang Jinhua said at the time that there was a chance to sign Tang Yan and then hand her over to Wang Yao for management, she did not expect that Ji Jin would be packaged together with her.

Although this agent is not as famous as Wang Jinhua or Yang Tianzhen, she is also a capable person who single-handedly made Tang Yan a top star. To be honest, Wang Yao is really lacking in management talent right now.

Ji's resume is somewhat similar to Wang Jinhua's; both debuted as singers and later transitioned into managers, and both were quite successful.

"Mr. Wang, I apologize for the intrusion." Ji is around thirty years old now, well-maintained, and has the aura of a strong woman.

"President Ji, it's a pleasure to meet you. I didn't expect you to be so beautiful." Wang Yao smiled.

"Mr. Wang is too kind. Your company certainly has a lively atmosphere," Ji Jinru said with a smile.

Wang Yao's office in Beijing was indeed rather shabby in her eyes, quite different from what she had imagined.

"This is just my new place in Beijing, and our company is quite loosely managed, so please excuse my laxity, Mr. Ji." Wang Yao smiled.

"I heard that Mr. Wang's company uses the popular SOHO office model?" Ji Jinru asked.

"That's how it is for film and television cultural and creative jobs. There's no need to clock in or incur travel costs. As long as you can do your job well, that's fine," Wang Yao said with a smile.

“Working for Boss Wang must be a very happy thing,” Ji said in a very pleasant voice.

"I don't know, it depends on what my colleagues think," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"I came here today for two reasons, firstly to thank you for Tangtang's matter," Ji said, getting to the point after the initial probing.

"I've been busy with other things lately and haven't paid much attention. I hope nothing went wrong?" Wang Yao said with a smile.

"No, no, it far exceeded our expectations. It's not just the popularity, but also the level of discussion surrounding it has increased significantly. President Wang's methods are truly admirable," Ji Jinru praised.

"I can't compare to your CEO Wu, who's managed to get several actresses trending on social media in a row," Wang Yao joked.

"The second thing is about me. Sister Hua mentioned before that your company is recruiting. To be honest, I don't see any future prospects at Chengtian. If it were just me, that would be one thing."

"I have so many young people under my wing whose acting careers are just starting out. I can't be irresponsible towards them." Ji Jinru earnestly denounced the foolishness of Chengtian Entertainment and expressed her desire to switch companies.

“I would naturally welcome Mr. Ji if he is willing to come. However, Xinghuo Media is just starting out, and the benefits and compensation may not be as good as those at the large companies you used to work for,” Wang Yao said with a smile after listening attentively.

"We do have an artist incubation program, but the management team works on a pay-for-performance basis with a low base salary and a percentage of the total project revenue. Moreover, the resource allocation is subject to a performance-based system."

"A betting system?" Ji Jinran raised an eyebrow.

“The basic resources for artists are rated on four levels: S, A, B, and C. The higher the rating, the higher the commission, because the resource costs are high. This is different from the current model of other entertainment companies, because I don’t want the company to become a single model that relies on a single artist for profit in the future. It would make me feel very insecure,” Wang Yao explained.

Ji frowned. He thought that the 70% commission Wang Jinhua gave Tang Yan was the limit, but he didn't expect there to be even higher commissions. Wouldn't S-level be subject to a 90% commission?

Which company doesn't treat artists who reach S-level like royalty?

But she didn't question it, after all, it doesn't matter how much an artist earns, as long as it doesn't affect her.

"Besides the basic resource package, additional resources are all based on a performance-based system. For example, I currently have a batch of films, and each role is selected jointly by the artist and their agent, with each role having a corresponding price."
For example, if the female lead in a movie is priced at 500 million, and there are no other bidders, you are essentially purchasing this resource.
"At the end of the year, this amount will be deducted from your group's total revenue, which is linked to the performance of the agents and artists," Wang Yao explained.

Ji now understands the pattern.

Isn't this just taking out a loan to buy resources?
Resources in the entertainment industry are precious, so there are all sorts of transaction models, which Ji is no longer surprised by.

But this kind of transparent pricing, even with internal open bidding, is something I've never heard of before.

"Excuse my bluntness, but Mr. Wang's model doesn't seem very friendly to artists. If an artist with some achievements can't stand this model and leaves the company, it will definitely have a big impact on the company," Ji Jinran said, frowning.

"I think no one is irreplaceable. My system is designed to select truly capable people to stay. As for the others, they can leave. What loss is there? I don't make money from artists," Wang Yao said dismissively.

"What if the artist buys the resource package but ends up losing money when the year-end statistics are done?" Ji Rujin asked.

“Then just keep working to pay off the debt. Of course, there's an internal system for evaluating the value of different artists; it's impossible for an artist to take out unlimited loans to exploit resources,” Wang Yao added. Really taking out loans to become a star?!

Ji was greatly shocked, but this model is very friendly to newcomers, but very unfriendly to established artists.

“However, the agent’s income is divided into levels based on the artist’s total income: 15% for millions of revenue, 20% for tens of millions of revenue, and 30% for hundreds of millions of revenue. In other words, if you have 5 artists under you, it doesn’t matter if one or two lose money, as long as the total revenue reaches the target. This is a betting model, where you can win big with a small investment.” Wang Yao smiled slightly.

Ji's breath hitched. Was this model designed to encourage agents to discover and give new talent more opportunities?
However, the commission for the agent is quite high. Generally, only top agents in the industry can get 15% commission. Ji Jin now only gets 10% commission every day, but Wang Yao's commission is equivalent to starting at 15%.

Tang Yan's total revenue last year was around 5 million yuan. If she uses a portion of that to buy suitable resources, her acting fees or endorsements could increase to over 10 million yuan, which would significantly increase her income.

Although the base salary is a bit low, it's still worthwhile if the artists under your management work hard enough, or if you gamble on the right resources.

It seems we need to have a serious talk with Yang Mi.

After Ji found out about the compensation, she said she needed to go back and think about it. Wang Yao didn't say much and waited for her reply.

Wang Yao's model is designed to prevent agents and artists from being in cahoots; decentralized development is the only way to ensure that artists behave well and work diligently.

Most importantly, this model makes it easy to create rivals, manipulate fans, and serve as a tool for public opinion.

The advantage is that a stable relationship is formed between the company, the agent, and the artist, and the company has relatively more say.

However, there are downsides as well. The cancellation rate will be very high, but that's okay, the payout rate is also high.

These are all the essence learned from Korean entertainment companies.

Just after Ji Jin left, Ni Ni knocked on the door and came in with a girl.

"President Yao, I've found a suitable brand manager for you!" Ni Ni said with a smile.

The girl behind him was wearing a baseball cap. She was slender, and her almond-shaped eyes, which should have been sharp, appeared rather soft and timid.

"Hello, Mr. Wang, I'm Zhang Tianai, a 09 graduate of the Beijing Dianzi University advanced training program. I also studied fashion design abroad." Zhang Tianai's voice was soft and husky, very captivating.

"Hello, Ms. Zhang." Wang Yao raised an eyebrow slightly. "Aren't you in the performing arts department? I didn't see you yesterday."

“I’m in the performing arts department, but I’m a day student in the continuing education program. I don’t have any close classmates at school, so I didn’t receive the message yesterday. I just happened to run into Mr. Ni at school today,” Zhang Tianai explained.

Wang Yao glanced at President Ni.

“I found out yesterday that there’s a beautiful girl in the training class, and she’s very experienced as a model. I went to stake out the place, and I actually caught her. You’ve been looking for a manager with a fashion background, right? Her looks, temperament, and resume are a perfect match.” Ni Ni said with a smug look on her face.

Clothing brands need a person in charge to publicly acknowledge. Although 【Fairy Style】is a Korean style brand, it is divided into two lines: everyday and sportswear. Nazha was chosen as the person in charge for the everyday line.

Wang Yao, a sports enthusiast, wanted to find a manager with a fashion design background and asked Ni Ni to keep an eye out when she was recruiting. Unexpectedly, she actually found a suitable candidate.

"Does Miss Zhang exercise regularly?" Wang Yao asked.

"Yeah, I quite like exercising and working out. I do yoga and strength training." Zhang Tianai nodded obediently.

“It’s a perfect fit.” Wang Yao nodded and explained the job requirements and compensation.

"So, I'm going to play the role of a fashion designer and a spokesperson?" Zhang Tianai concluded after hearing this.

“That’s right. Of course, if you’re really interested in fashion design, you can also participate in design projects and then be paid according to your work.” Wang Yao smiled.

"Can I still act or take on other endorsements in the future?" Zhang Tianai asked.

Actually, she was still a little dizzy. If it weren't for Ni Ni's pretty appearance, she would have really thought it was another scam company. After all, offering resources and a guaranteed job seemed too much like a scam.

Despite her seemingly dull appearance, she has actually been in the entertainment industry for several years, working behind the scenes. Because of her outstanding looks, she often receives offers to sign with various companies, but she has never thought that she can be an actress.

But as more and more people around me invited me, I became ambitious about this industry. Last year, I specifically enrolled in the Beijing Electric Power Training Program to get some experience first.

I never expected to run into Ni Ni right after the start of the semester.

"Appropriate clothing endorsements are not allowed, but other endorsements are fine with me. You can also sign an additional artist contract, as we are also involved in some film and television production projects," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Don't worry, sister. Just consider this a modeling job for now, and we can see if we want to work on it more deeply later," Ni Ni advised from the side.

Zhang Tianai stared at Wang Yao's overly handsome and youthful face, pursed her lips, and said, "Then I can give it a try first."

"No need to rush. Spend two days learning about the company from President Ni before making a decision," Wang Yao said with a warm smile.

Zhang Tianai was taken aback, not expecting that the other party was not in a hurry to sign the contract. He immediately lowered his guard and followed Ni Ni out, where Nazha, who had just returned with lunch, was also present.

"Sister Ni, want to eat?" Nazha waved the takeout bag in her hand.

"Weren't you on a diet? You're indulging yourself right after the exams," Ni Ni laughed.

“I’m not eating it, it’s for President Yao. And who is this?” Naza looked at Zhang Tian’ai, whose face she didn’t recognize.

“I found another manager for [Fairy Style], who is also your senior from Beijing University of Electronic Science and Technology. You two will probably be doing activities together often in the future,” Ni Ni introduced earnestly.

"Oh, hello senior, I'm Nazha, welcome to Spark." Nazha handed the lunchbox to Ni Ni to take inside, and then enthusiastically started socializing with Zhang Tianai.

Zhang Tianai hadn't recovered from the shock of Nazha's beauty when she was immediately overwhelmed by a suffocating passion.

The women at this company are all so incredibly enthusiastic!

'Chengtian Entertainment's Vice President Ji Jinxian and his rising star Tang Yan want to terminate their contracts; why can't Wu Kebo retain them?'

Wu Kebo only found out that Ji was going to take Tang Yan away after seeing the news trending on social media.

This has brought another blow to the already precarious situation of Chengtian Entertainment.

Although he had long since stopped caring about the artist management sector.

But he still finds it hard to accept being betrayed at this moment.

Wu Kebo took two deep breaths, suppressing his rage, and dialed Ji Jinru's number, ready to confront him.

But then I heard a strange yet unusually young voice.

"Hello, this is Wang Yao from Tianhuo Media."

Wu Kebo's heart suddenly tightened.

Who?
(End of this chapter)