How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 62 The image of you in my mind is very tragic.

"I heard Ma Ruo is being packaged by Boss Wang? She's really popular now, how are her resources?" Li Man leaned forward slightly, seemingly a little tired, and rested her weight on the table.

"It's alright, but it's hard for ordinary people to maintain their popularity after a sudden surge in popularity," Wang Yao said with a smile, his eyes fixed on the viewer.

"That's great. Once you become famous, even if you're not formally trained, you'll have plenty of resources coming your way," Li Man sighed softly.

"No, that's not it. They're mostly commercial resources. We're very conscientious in training artists and don't get involved in things outside our capabilities, otherwise we might easily run into trouble," Wang Yao said with a smile.

“Actually, the company has always wanted me to go for a sexy image, but I’m a stubborn person. I think what I have to offer is more than just my superficial appearance. Mr. Wang, do you think there’s anything wrong with my idea?” Li Man asked sincerely.

"There's a superstitious saying in the industry that an actor's first breakout role can influence their career path and even their life," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"This is the first time I've heard of this." Li Man blinked, feeling a little uncomfortable.

Because she doesn't like the role she's currently popular for.

"Does Ms. Li object to plastic surgery?" Wang Yao asked again.

“Of course, I also want to make movies!” Li Man exclaimed.

"To be honest, Miss Li's appearance is so outstanding that it does affect how others perceive you." Wang Yao tapped his finger on the table.

Li Man was taken aback.

“Acting skills are driven by inner strength to produce outward expression. It’s like a door. If you don’t have enough strength, you can’t push it open, and all the people outside can see is the door,” Wang Yao sighed.

"Is everyone superficial, or is it President Wang who is superficial?" Li Man frowned.

“Art serves the public, and the public is inherently superficial, so they need the influence of art,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

It's difficult to explain to these self-proclaimed high-pressure artists what the service industry is all about.

“Mr. Wang is the first person I’ve ever met who has explained lust in such a clever way,” Li Man said with a smug smile after savoring the moment.

“Miss Li’s door is too big and too heavy. It will probably take more effort and opportunity to push it open,” Wang Yao sincerely advised.

"I will work hard, and I hope Mr. Wang will continue to take care of me in the future." Li Man smiled gently.

"You reported your relationship to the company before, right?" Wang Yao glanced at the information. Her boyfriend should be Luo Jin, who was about to become famous. She could try to get close to him.

"Yes, but we've already broken up and are giving each other the cold shoulder." Li Man smiled nonchalantly.

Wang Yao raised an eyebrow slightly. "That's a pity. Actually, you could try the actor-couple route, like your CEO Huang and CEO Yang."

"Love is just an embellishment of life; ideals are the eternal pursuit." Li Man smiled.

"What is your ideal?" Wang Yao asked.

“I used to be an excellent dancer, and now I’m an excellent actress. I want to be like Teacher Gong Li,” Li Man said seriously.

"Hmm, dance." Wang Yao said thoughtfully. "Would you mind demonstrating?"

“Of course.” Li Man’s interest was piqued upon hearing this.

She got up and stretched, then performed a poignant Chinese folk dance for Wang Yao.

Wang Yao was deeply moved. "Miss Li danced exceptionally well. The image that flashed through my mind was so tragic and heart-wrenching."

"Does Mr. Wang also like dancing?" Li Man asked, catching her breath.

"You could say it's admiration and even fascination. Once the company is doing well in the future, I'd like to create a dance showcase program. Singing variety shows have been very popular in the industry in recent years, but there are relatively few dance-related ones," Wang Yao said with a light laugh.

"Then, please take me with you. Just charter the plane and hotel, no need for payment," Li Man said happily, her goodwill towards Wang Yao increasing considerably.

"Has Miss Li ever considered that the path to achieving one's ideals is not necessarily fixed?" Wang Yao asked.

“I don’t accept unspoken rules, not even from a handsome guy like Mr. Wang,” Li Man said with a charming smile. “You misunderstand. I mean, everyone in the industry believes in Director Zhang’s theory that actors should only appear in roles, but to be honest, times are changing. Maybe finding another way to get more exposure can also increase the chances of becoming an excellent actor,” Wang Yao explained, waving his hand.

"Find another way?" Li Man pondered.

Wang Yao did not engage in in-depth communication; after exchanging a few pleasantries, the meeting ended.

After understanding the details and needs of the three clients, a rough plan was devised. Once it is refined, each client will be notified individually.

Ren Quan sent Wang Yao a betting agreement right before he left work in the evening.

Generally, only notarization is required for a performance-based agreement. After Wang Yao had Zhang San confirm that there were no problems, the agreement was signed by the entity of [Spark Cooperative] and officially became effective.

The online ticketing project collaboration transformed Gewara.com into the more appealing "Watch Movies.com," which reportedly cost a considerable sum to have a master come up with a name for it, including a slogan.

'Talk about movies, watch movies, buy movie tickets, watch movies online – the website exclusively for movie fans!'

Wang Yao felt that this master must be a highly skilled person, as he had clearly explained the platform's attributes and functions in simple and unadorned language.

It also carries a touch of humor and internet savvy.

It's strange that such an outrageous domain name can still be newly registered. Is it true that it's blind to what's right under your nose?
The first thing I did after taking over as CEO of [Kanpianer.com] was to verify the assets.

The original Gewara had no assets, only 10 core founders responsible for connecting with offline cinemas, as well as online operation and maintenance of the website and content production.

What remains is the 200 million yuan of working capital injected by Ren Quan after the acquisition.

Ren Quan claimed that the valuation was 10 million yuan in order to bring Wang Yao on board at a premium. In reality, including the 2 million yuan in working capital, they invested less than 4 million yuan in total.

Wang Yao didn't mind and reorganized the company's various functions. The original core team was still responsible for connecting with offline cinemas, and the team was to be expanded to 20 people. They needed to use Ren Quan's network to connect with all the cinemas in Shanghai. Those that could be partnered with would be finalized and the cinemas would be set up offline. Those that couldn't be partnered with would be dealt with later.

Subsequently, the online platform was entrusted to [Xingyou Company] for a hosting fee of 50 RMB per year, guaranteeing normal website maintenance and an average daily PV (page views) of 100 million throughout the year, with any amount exceeding this being calculated separately.

In 2010, China's bandwidth and traffic costs were extremely high, which was the main reason why major internet platforms were operating at a loss.

The daily operating costs of the Internet mainly consist of four aspects: bandwidth hardware and software costs, technical personnel, content production and review, and marketing.

The Hupu platform has an average daily page view of around 1000 million and millions of members. The daily operating cost, excluding promotion, is about 1.5 yuan, of which hardware and software costs account for 40% and human resources costs account for 60%.

The current scale of Kanpianer.com is at most tens of thousands of members, and the main human resource costs can be spread out. With a stable daily average of 500,000 to 1,000,000 PV, the cost should be maintained at 1000 per day, which is 360,000 per year. The remaining 140,000 is reserved as a reserve. If the website becomes popular, new money will probably come in to continue operating.

The staff of Xingyou Company can offset some of the labor costs, achieving two goals at once.

The remaining content production and operation can be handed over to the e-commerce operations part-time of Xinghuo Cooperative, who will move content every day. As for content production, Wang Yao is not prepared to invest too much. At most, he will organize some content to boost exposure when he receives promotional advertisements from the film company.

Furthermore, all the artists and models signed with Tianhuo Media will register accounts on Kanpianer.com to update their Weibo content, posting beautiful photos, sharing updates, or movie reviews every day.

Ma Ruo has been treating local girls to movies for a week straight, giving away three to four hundred tickets almost every day. The money comes from the film producers like Director Hu, but Ma Ruo has gained the fans and goodwill.

With an average fan acquisition cost of 100 yuan per person, her fan base consists of high-quality, active followers. Her private domain alone has nearly a thousand people, allowing her to establish a stable consumer base in Shanghai from the very beginning.
Moreover, Zhou Cong's private domain of student consumers across the country has expanded to hundreds of groups, with nearly 100,000 members.

These are all potential users and consumers who can be converted at any time.

Gewara has its own human-operated, stand-alone online virtual seating system, which Cai Haoyu optimized to make it more convenient. Once it truly develops and becomes profitable, they will consider real-time network technology.

So far, due to the popularity of "Avatar", Kanpianer.com has been earning about 1500 yuan in commission revenue per day, selling one or two hundred tickets a day. Since they are all 3D screenings, each ticket can sell for more than 100 yuan, resulting in high commissions. However, as the hype wanes, the revenue may be halved.

Wang Yao's goal is 7000 tickets per day, which is not something that can be achieved in a short time.

However, once the website starts operating stably, marketing will follow one after another. Wang Yao has at least ten feasible traffic acquisition and conversion plans.

But right now, Wang Yao has another big gift to give as a great start for [Kanpianer.com].

"Mr. Qu, to celebrate your upcoming rebirth, let me take some photos of you."

(End of this chapter)