How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 211: The Landscape Opens Up? [10,000-word Update, Please Subscribe]

I had previously promised Zhang Chaoyang a comedy web series, and I've been urging him to get it done. After all, seeing iQiyi's user base grow exponentially due to the web series under Wang Yao's management, he couldn't sit still any longer.

He was already in competition with Baidu, and Sohu Video was an established platform. If it were to be defeated by iQiyi, he would lose face.

Upon hearing this, Wang Yabin made a phone call and returned with a smile, saying, "My master said he happens to be nearby and will be there in about half an hour. Can you wait a moment?"

“No problem.” Wang Yao nodded.

Half an hour later, a motorhome with a license plate of five 8s stopped in front of the Mahua Theater. Surrounded by several bodyguards, Zhao Benshan walked into the Mahua Theater.

"It's decorated quite interestingly." Zhao Benshan was attracted by the decoration style of the Mahua Theater.

"It's quite stylish, isn't it?" Guan Tingna, a beloved student, followed behind him, her steps faltering slightly.

The public's stereotype of Zhao Benshan and his Benshan Media is summed up in one word: "rustic".

After all, both sketches and Errenzhuan (a traditional Chinese folk art form) carry a strong rural flavor. Although Zhao Benshan said he didn't care, he secretly thought about making them more fashionable.

Last year, they collaborated with well-known entertainment groups at home and abroad, such as Formosa, Huayi, and Huana, to create the world's most popular Chinese idol group, TOP YOUNG. However, the project was ultimately abandoned, and the name was taken by Kun Kun and popularized.

In fact, this behavior is essentially the same mentality as Guo Degang wearing designer brands after he became famous. Although he says he doesn't care about being a commoner, deep down he still yearns for high culture.

However, Zhao Benshan was smarter and luckier than Guo Degang. He realized his mistake at the most crucial moment and withdrew from the limelight. Otherwise, his fate would have been uncertain. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that he is a legend in the entire entertainment industry.

Huayi went public last year with a market value of 10 billion yuan, which is the highest in the entertainment industry. However, Benshan Media has a market value that is not high but high. Liu Laogen Grand Stage alone has a market value of nearly 5 billion yuan.

Not to mention its other businesses, theoretically, if a powerful spokesperson for a Chinese entertainment company were to be selected, Benshan Media would undoubtedly be the one.

However, Zhao Benshan's ambitions clearly extend beyond China. Last year, he enrolled in the Yangtze River Academy and, after seeing a wider world, set his sights on the world. He felt that Hollywood's annual box office alone was worth tens of billions of US dollars, and his current business was still too small. He wanted to take Errenzhuan (a traditional Chinese folk art form) to the whole world.

Thus, last year, the company opened nine large stages in six major cities in northern China, with an investment of nearly 200 million yuan. However, this also brought enormous cost pressures. With more stages, more staff had to be provided, and the cost of staff and equipment was extremely high. Fortunately, the company had a strong presence in the north, which allowed it to barely sustain itself.

However, penetrating the southern market was not easy, while the northern market was already nearing saturation. Zhao Benshan keenly realized that relying solely on his influence was clearly not enough to capture the southern market, which is why he thought of creating an idol group to learn from advanced models.

But after studying it for half a year, he couldn't take it anymore. He really couldn't understand what idol culture was, so he had to think of other ways to expand. Just then, Zhang Chaoyang and Alibaba were preparing to set up an entertainment company and asked Zhao Benshan to join them. That's when he learned about the concept of online variety shows.

He met many entrepreneurs in business school and naturally knew about internet trends. However, he was frustrated because Northeast China lacked an internet culture and didn't know where to start. Online variety shows, on the other hand, gave him some inspiration.

Benshan Media's influence comes from its television stations that influence the entire Northeast, but it cannot cover the whole country. However, the Internet can, and I heard that it can not only cover the whole country, but also the whole world, which immediately piqued his interest.

However, given his status and personality, he would not take the initiative to propose cooperation to Zhang Chaoyang, let alone extend an olive branch to Wang Yao, an unknown junior.

But after Wang Yao integrated Chengtian Entertainment, coupled with the news that Bona announced the launch of three major online variety shows, it aroused Zhao Benshan's curiosity. What kind of young man could stir up such a big storm behind the scenes?
He'd been in this industry for decades and had seen all sorts of tricks, but Wang Yao's astonishing performance was truly something he'd never witnessed before.

"Teacher Zhao, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Looking at that young and handsome face, Zhao Benshan couldn't help but exclaim, "President Wang is truly a man of great talent and looks. He really makes us Northeastern men proud."

"Teacher Zhao, you flatter me." Wang Yao blinked and looked at Zhao Benshan, who was now full of vigor.

As a Northeasterner, I'm probably more familiar with Zhao Benshan than with my relatives.

"I heard about your project from Yabin. It's great, very good. It provides an opportunity for grassroots dance and arts workers," Zhao Benshan exclaimed.

"I happen to have some interest in dance dramas, and since I had the opportunity to collaborate with Bernard, I decided to use this opportunity for personal reasons," Wang Yao said with a light laugh.

"This is not using public office for private gain, but promoting one's hobby as a career. This is meritorious. I can tell from your delicate skin that you must come from a wealthy family. You don't know, whether it's dance, opera, Errenzhuan or crosstalk, these used to be considered low-class professions, but they have supported at least tens of thousands of people. Without the promotion of enthusiasts like you, what would we eat and drink?"

"In the past, only wealthy families could afford to support opera troupes, but now they can be supported by fans. The more young and talented people like you, the better. That would be a blessing for us artists," Zhao Benshan said with a smile.

"Then I'll do my best?" Wang Yao smiled.

"Indeed." Zhao Benshan smiled and looked at the performance on stage. "I heard this project requires a significant investment?"

"It's almost fifty million. Bernard is very wealthy." Wang Yao exaggerated the figure.

"Wow, a variety show is almost as good as a gala." Zhao Benshan raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Mr. Wang is too modest. No matter how rich Bernard is, he won't invest in a project if it's not good." Guan Tingna smiled and crossed her arms.

Miao Miao, standing next to Wang Yao, stared wide-eyed, stunned by Guan Tingna's magnanimity.

This is too big!
I already thought it was rare to see Li Man last time, but I never expected there would be another expert.

If Jin Chen and Li Yitong saw this, wouldn't they start nagging about getting breast implants again?

"To be honest, I'm not really confident. I just hope I don't lose too much money. It's such an unpopular field." Wang Yao shook his head.

“I don’t care if it’s niche, as long as it’s good. Errenzhuan was almost extinct in Northeast China back then, but now it’s thriving.” Zhao Benshan shook his head.

"It's all thanks to Teacher Zhao's heroic efforts that the situation was turned around," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Don't listen to the media praising me. I don't have that kind of ability. Back then, the small theaters for Errenzhuan (a traditional Chinese folk art form) were basically no different from chicken coops. Nobody went to watch the performances; everyone was there to watch low-class stuff."
"But I've benefited from Errenzhuan since I was a child, and I know that it's a good thing because it can make a living. It's an art form nurtured by the black soil of Northeast China. It's just that it's temporarily fallen out of favor and can't be performed on stage. As long as it can be performed on stage, it will definitely become popular. It can be considered as continuing the lost art of the past." Zhao Benshan laughed heartily.

He began to tell Wang Yao about the contributions he made to Errenzhuan (a traditional Chinese folk art form) around the turn of the millennium.

"Let's get down to business, Master," Guan Tingna quickly reminded him, seeing that Zhao Benshan was becoming increasingly talkative about this.

"Oh right, Mr. Wang is a very busy man, unlike me who's almost retired." Zhao Benshan slapped his forehead. "Zhang Chaoyang said you have a comedy project and wanted to contact me?"

"Not only that, I also want the online streaming rights to Benshan Media's film and television library." Wang Yao smiled.

“Online broadcast? Broadcast on an internet platform, right? Zhang Chaoyang also asked me to buy it before, but I thought the price was too low. Tell me, how much is this thing really worth?” Zhao Benshan said seriously.

Wang Yao raised an eyebrow and smiled, "If it were 'Ma Dashuai' or 'Liu Laogen,' it might not cost much, maybe a few million at most. But 'Country Love' is a different story. If it can continue to produce sequels and become an IP, it could potentially cost hundreds of millions."

Zhao Benshan nodded with a smile; he just wanted to see if Wang Yao's offer was honest.

“IP, that’s a fancy word,” Zhao Benshan said with a smile.

Wang Yao explained some definitions of IP and positioned "Country Love" as a universe IP like Marvel, which made Zhao Benshan beam with delight.

Although it might seem like flattery, he enjoyed listening to this young man chat; he found it interesting.

"But you don't run a video website, so why buy the copyrights and resell them?" Zhao Benshan asked curiously.

"It's for the purpose of adaptation as content output." Wang Yao shook his head and then explained how to spread the IP virally in the form of modified memes, and showed him a parody video on Bilibili called "The King of Poetry Recitation".

This video was personally produced by Wang Yao, in collaboration with Professor Bai Ke and others, and was a parody.

"Is this what young people watch these days?" Zhao Benshan was dumbfounded after reading it.

These are all classic lines from my own old skits, so why can't I understand a single one of them?

"Interesting." Guan Tingna laughed so hard she almost fell over.

“This is just one form. If it doesn’t have copyright, you might be sued, and you won’t have much freedom to create,” Wang Yao said.

"Won't this damage the image of the person involved?" Zhao Benshan frowned.

"If the image of an entertainment public figure can be damaged by these things, it means there may be a problem with the figure itself." Wang Yao shook his head.

"It seems that President Wang is also the kind of person who looks down on actors." Zhao Benshan's tone was subtle.

"Teacher Zhao misunderstands. I just think that the image and persona of entertainment workers belong to the public, not to the individual, because they are all fake and acted out." Wang Yao said dismissively.

“That’s a sharp idea, but when you’re alive, aren’t you all putting on an act?” Zhao Benshan looked at Wang Yao with some surprise.

This young man's thinking is quite peculiar. "But ordinary people act to make a living, while entertainment workers act to make a profit," Wang Yao said with a smile.

“I don’t agree with that,” Zhao Benshan said, frowning.

"Is Teacher Zhao buying an airplane to make a living or for convenience?" Wang Yao countered.

Zhao Benshan was taken aback, his eyes flashing with a strange light as he looked at Wang Yao. "Interesting, this is indeed a profit."

"Once you've gained profit, don't seek fame anymore. There are gains and losses; trying to have it all will lead to disaster." Wang Yao smiled slightly.

“We can cooperate with Mr. Wang on the film and television copyrights under Benshan Media, but it will only be a revenue-sharing arrangement, not a buyout,” Zhao Benshan said in a deep voice.

“No problem.” Wang Yao nodded. “The online variety show I wanted to collaborate with Sohu was called ‘King of Comedy.’ I have Stephen Chow’s authorization. If Teacher Zhao is willing to participate, then we’ll have a competitive gimmick of ‘King of Comedy’ with one in the south and one in the north.”

This variety show has no restrictions on format or style. Whether it's mime, puppetry, stand-up comedy, or sketch comedy, as long as it's related to comedy, you can participate. The judging rules can follow the script.

However, the finals require audience voting, and there's also a revival round where online viewers also need to participate in the voting.

Wang Yao gave a brief introduction to the project.

"The highlight is this clash of comedic styles from the North and South, right? Isn't that a bit unfair?" Zhao Benshan raised an eyebrow slightly after hearing this.

He was very familiar with these comedy competitions, but most of the time they were all in the same format, such as sketch comedy competitions and crosstalk competitions, which made them less than standard.

"What we want is unfairness, but it can't be decided by our production team, it has to be decided by the audience. Because it's unfairness that motivates them to support us offline," Wang Yao said with a light laugh.

"Oh, I see, that's interesting. Where are the judges?" Zhao Benshan asked.

In competitive events, the most important people are the judges, because they represent 'authority' and the right to speak.

"After all, it's an entertainment program, so the judges give priority to entertainment stars," Wang Yao said.

"No need for professional personnel?" Zhao Benshan frowned.

“If we use professionals, we’ll face disputes between different schools of thought, and it won’t be pure anymore. Let’s just let entertainment programs rely on their own abilities.” Wang Yao shook his head.

"That's fair enough." Zhao Benshan pondered for a moment and nodded.

"Is this project broadcast across the entire internet? Will people from the South watch it too?" Guan Tingna asked.

"Of course, if the online broadcast goes well, we can also sell it to satellite TV for simultaneous broadcast," Wang Yao said with a smile.

“I’m quite interested, but Benshan Media needs at least one spot in the top three,” Zhao Benshan said.

Although he had some confidence in his disciples, he still had to pull some strings to save face.

"That depends on who you send out. If it were Xiao Shenyang, he might win the championship," Wang Yao joked.

"Don't worry about that. Since we've started, we'll definitely do it well. We won't cut corners." Zhao Benshan shook his head, preparing to send Song Xiaobao to test the waters.

Xiao Shenyang definitely won't participate; at most, he'll make a guest appearance. If he participates but doesn't win, wouldn't that damage his commercial value? Besides, he doesn't have time to participate in such a small program.

"I heard that President Wang and Tan Hui recently joined forces to acquire Chengtian Entertainment. Is there some big move they're planning?" After a chat, Zhao Benshan felt he had a good understanding of Wang Yao and was ready to get to the point.

Project-level collaborations are minor issues; only strategic collaborations at the company level are meaningful.

Otherwise, how would he have the time to make a trip here?
"It's still for the sake of cinema chain integration and online ticketing cooperation. After the re-establishment of Skyfire Cinemas, unified management, unified allocation, and unified operation will better save costs and increase profit margins. However, in the future, we want to take the global cinema chain route and are preparing to try to acquire AMC Theatres," Wang Yao said truthfully.

The more people participate in this project, the lower the risk.

"Do you think there's a chance for Errenzhuan to go abroad?" Zhao Benshan raised an eyebrow slightly, not expecting Wang Yao to be so ambitious at such a young age.

“Theoretically speaking, wherever there are people from Northeast China, there is room for Errenzhuan to survive. There is a significant proportion of overseas Chinese immigrants, but if you want to develop it, it is basically impossible. The cultural background and the form are too different.” Wang Yao shook his head.

“How can we make money off foreigners?” Zhao Benshan said in a deep voice.

"Just to make money off them?" Wang Yao blinked.

“Yes.” Zhao Benshan nodded.

"It's still the method proposed by our ancestors: using barbarians to control barbarians," Wang Yao said solemnly.

"Investing in foreign projects? We just sit back and wait for a share of the profits? That's a bit risky, isn't it? Who knows which ones are scams?" Zhao Benshan frowned.

“Foreigners are human too. Their most basic physiological needs and feelings are the same. As long as you do things that are closest to ‘human,’ you can make money. The so-called ‘using barbarians to control barbarians’ means doing human things while wearing the skin of foreigners,” Wang Yao explained.

"This..." Zhao Benshan was momentarily stunned, feeling like he understood but not quite: "How's Mr. Wang's overseas business going?"

"I've invested in a few projects, and so far they're going well. For example, the variety show I invested in in Korea about men taking care of children has pretty good ratings," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"A man taking care of a child? That's quite interesting." Guan Tingna nodded.

"I think the older generation's definition of cultural export is a bit too demanding. I believe the most important thing is to 'go global' first, and then talk about culture. If you can't even get out to sea, then your culture can't go global either."

"So if our company were to expand into overseas markets, we would start with local characteristics and needs, first getting the locals familiar with the area, satisfying their interests and needs, doing more altruistic things, and only then considering promoting our culture," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Mr. Wang is so young, I didn't expect him to be such a pragmatist. Compared to you, I, Old Zhao, am more like an idealist." Zhao Benshan chuckled.

"Culture can easily breed arrogance, and arrogance breeds resistance. I think truly good culture is like water, nourishing things silently and subtly, influencing them gradually." Wang Yao paused and smiled.

"Moreover, we haven't even developed our own culture yet. Just shouting slogans won't do any good. We still need to do something practical, just like Teacher Zhao."

The main problem is that these guys in China are really stingy. When it comes to high-end, high-quality products, how can they possibly compare to Netflix's investments of hundreds of millions of dollars?

Always thinking about doing big things with low costs doesn't actually have a high success rate. Of course, there are also some people who just shout slogans and then turn around and make money off of nostalgia in China.

Zhao Benshan insisted on taking Wang Yao to see a performance at Liu Laogen Grand Stage in Beijing, so that he could experience the charm of Errenzhuan (a traditional Chinese folk art form).

As a northerner, I find some of the shows quite funny, but geographical and cultural barriers are hard to overcome. For most people, the formation of stereotypes and prejudices is almost impossible to change.

Zhao Benshan's ambitions were destined to end here.

That evening, Zhang Chaoyang organized another gathering, bringing Wang Yao and Zhao Benshan together to discuss the execution of the "King of Comedy" project.

“Actually, if Teacher Zhao wants to enter the southern market in the future, he could consider turning the Grand Stage into a comprehensive theater,” Wang Yao suggested.

"What is a comprehensive building theater?" Zhao Benshan asked, puzzled.

“It’s like a package deal, where a single show includes not only Errenzhuan (a traditional Chinese folk art form), but also other forms such as crosstalk, sketches, and even stage plays,” Wang Yao said.

"Wouldn't that make it a hodgepodge? How would that highlight the criticism you mentioned?" Zhao Benshan frowned.

"Most of the texts and dialect jokes in Errenzhuan (a traditional Chinese folk art form) are not suitable for people from the South, but some physical and talent-based skills are universal. Theater operating costs need to be offset by ticket sales, so relying solely on Errenzhuan to attract audiences in the early stages will be very difficult."
If the stage adopts diverse formats, allowing Liu Laogen Grand Stage to move beyond its "pure Errenzhuan" (a type of folk opera) positioning and become an "entertainment stage," becoming the first place that most people think of when they are bored and want to relax, rather than a single cultural activity, it can at least steadily attract enough audiences and gradually allow them to experience the transformation.

The advantage of package tickets is that since you're already here, you can see two or even more shows for the price of one. People with a sense of getting a good deal will probably watch at least one of them, and maybe even spread the word. The main purpose of entertainment is to provide entertainment for the audience.

Even if Errenzhuan (a traditional Chinese folk art form) can't support the theater's revenue, at least other projects might be able to. Rather than binding Liu Laogen Grand Stage to Errenzhuan, it would be better to bind it to the concept of 'entertainment and relaxation,' broaden its scope, and change it back to the old bathhouse + stage model, which wouldn't be bad either," Wang Yao explained.

Zhao Benshan was slightly taken aback.

The pattern is open?

This is getting way too intense.

(End of this chapter)