How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 98 A Storm to Sweep Away Three Types of Troubles? [10,000-word Update, Please Subscribe]

"Haha, I was worried that Mr. Wang would be influenced by some random gossip posts online. What you said makes a lot of sense. My girlfriends often use Weibo for promotion now, and it's quite effective."
However, I always feel that actors being too close to the audience doesn't help in shaping a character; on the contrary, it's an obstacle, just like you said, it creates a bias." Qin Lan blinked.

"But to be honest, the public doesn't have a huge demand for actors, because actors are there to complement the work. The demand for celebrities, however, is much greater, because celebrities provide social topics or emotional support. And the definition between a celebrity and an actor is very blurred. The future film and television market will be affected in the same way."
"It's not about having good acting skills that guarantees a role; it's about who has a more commercially valuable public image. That's when the producers will choose you, Mr. Wu. Am I right?" Wang Yao asked, turning his head.

"If we follow Mr. Wang's line of thinking, it's correct. Just like Qu Shou now, because he's gained a lot of attention, it's even able to boost the film's box office, which is absolutely unheard of before."
However, I didn't expect that Qu Shou and Ma Ruo were both from President Wang's company. My apologies! If these two could join the "Return to Temptation" project, then it would be practically a sure thing. Wu Zhuli grasped the key point.

“My plan for the two of them is not to pursue acting careers, otherwise it would be too unfair to actors who take acting seriously.” Wang Yao looked at Qin Lan.

Qin Lan frowned. "So, what's Mr. Wang's opinion? That for someone like me who's so dedicated to creating quality work, the road ahead will become increasingly difficult?"

"It could even be described as arduous." Wang Yao smiled. "Our company is currently trying to create an internet celebrity like Ma Ruo, or as I'll call her for now, since she became famous through her online content. Guess how long that will take?"

"A year?" Qin Lan was already guessing that it would be much faster.

"If we're lucky, a month should be enough." Wang Yao shook his head.

"What level of resources can Ma Ruo receive now?" Wu Zhuli wondered.

“A cameo role in a normal movie, you can pick and choose, and the pay isn’t low.” Wang Yao smiled.

"Hiss." Wu Zhuli gasped, that was terrifying.

You know, their company has been promoting Lou Anqi for almost ten years, and now if he wants to make a cameo appearance in a movie, he sometimes has to spend money and use his connections.

It took a lot of money to get Huang Shengyi to Stephen Chow's door back then.

The contrast is stark.

"But this is only temporary, isn't it?" Qin Lan frowned.

"As long as you maintain the popularity of your persona and participate in some high-quality productions, you can keep it going. The principle is the same as an actor's continuous exposure and building a fan base through their work. However, the cost of an actor's work is very high, so you can only shoot 3-4 projects a year at most."

But internet celebrities are different. Given the right event or opportunity, they can produce more than a dozen works every year. You can look at Ma Ruo's popularity on Weibo. Basically, each of her posts gets tens of thousands of interactions, which is also a kind of popularity," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"According to what President Wang said, won't all talent agencies starve to death in the future? Actors who have been trained for years will be directly replaced and have their market share taken over by internet celebrities like you?" Qin Lan blinked.

"That's not necessarily the case, but the way talent agencies operate will definitely change. Moreover, the monetization path for internet celebrities doesn't mainly rely on the film and television industry, but in the future, the film and television industry may mainly rely on internet celebrities or popular artists." Wang Yao shook his head.

"It seems that Xiaolu and the others making Weibo posts every day was indeed the right choice," Qin Lan said with a wry smile.

She felt a strange sense of helplessness, like someone who had worked hard in the city to save money to buy a bicycle, only to find that people in the village who were less fortunate than her were driving motorcycles or even cars.

“But compared to amateurs, isn’t it more effective and valuable to cultivate artists who already have a base of popularity and professional skills?” Wu Zhuli didn’t care about Qin Lan’s pessimism; instead, she discovered the key point.

“Of course, so our company’s main direction in the future is to cooperate with major talent agencies or production companies to empower artists with potential.” Wang Yao nodded.

“Empowerment?” Wu Zhuli was taken aback when she heard this new term.

"It's about unleashing the artists' inherent talents, giving them greater room for development, and providing them with faster ways to monetize their skills," Wang Yao explained.

"Regarding this, Mr. Wang, I think we can cooperate well. Recently, the film production market has become increasingly difficult, with large investors operating everywhere. Our company is also looking for new development paths," Wu Zhuli said earnestly.

“Great! And since our companies are both in Shanghai, we can exchange ideas more often. But I have an appointment later, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to make it today.” Wang Yao checked the time.

Wu Zhuli also took Qin Lan's leave in a very considerate manner. Before leaving, Qin Lan took the initiative to exchange contact information with Wang Yao.

Wang Yao saw them downstairs. Wu Zhuli and Qin Lan got into the car and were about to leave when they noticed Wang Yao waiting for another group of people at the door.

"Isn't that Ren Quan and Wang Jinhua?" Wu Zhuli had sharp eyes; after all, she came from a production crew background, and her ability to see in all directions was no less than that of a paparazzi.

"Really? If he knows these two people, why would he want to cooperate with you?" Qin Lan was taken aback for a moment, then asked bluntly.

"What do you mean? Is our company so lowly?" Wu Zhuli rolled her eyes upon hearing this.

"Hehe, that's not what I meant," Qin Lan quickly added.

“Lanlan, I think a lot of what President Wang said is quite interesting. Actually, transformation doesn’t necessarily have to rely on works. We’re in the internet age now. We buy things online now. In the future, no industry can do without the internet. Celebrities make a living from popularity.” Wu Zhuli said seriously.

"I'm an actress," Qin Lan corrected, shaking her head. "I understood what he meant, but I still need to go back and discuss it with Lao Lu."

"How's the casting for Lu Chuan's movie going? Didn't they say they were going to hold a nationwide audition to build hype? Maybe we could introduce him to President Wang." Wu Zhuli's mind was racing.

"He won't let me get involved in his affairs," Qin Lan said, pursing her lips.

"So you still need to ask his opinion on your own affairs?" Wu Zhuli rolled her eyes.

"Although it's not suitable for me, I think it would be perfect for my girlfriends. They all don't want to act anymore because they think being an actor is too hard. I'll talk to them later, maybe I can get them into the Women's Supporters Association?" Qin Lan said with a grin.

"Hmph, you didn't seize such a good opportunity yourself, but instead shared it with others. Are you out of your mind?" Wu Zhuli scoffed, seemingly disapproving of the friends she was referring to.

"Oh dear, we're all sisters, why are you jealous? Come here and give me a kiss." Qin Lan began to coax her.

Wang Yao had just seen Qin Lan and the other person off when he picked up Ren Quan and the others.

"Sister Jinhua, this is Wang Yao," Ren Quan introduced.

"I've heard so much about you lately, I've been hearing your name everywhere. Today I finally get to see you in person." Wang Jinhua smiled warmly and, after offering a compliment, introduced the person next to her, "This is my apprentice, Yang Siwei, who is now in charge of Fan Bingbing's business."

"Mr. Wang, it's an honor to meet you. You can call me Tianzhen, but Siwei sounds too masculine." Yang Tianzhen smiled even more warmly.

"We seem to have spoken on the phone, right?" Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Yes, I did bother you about getting Bingbing involved in the Women's Aid Association." Yang Tianzhen was still a junior agent at the time, and she was exceptionally amiable.

But in essence, like Wang Jinhua, they are very assertive.

“It is our honor that Miss Fan is willing to join us,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"How did the conversation go? Is it going to work out?" Ren Quan inquired.

Wang Yao briefly explained the situation.

"3000 million? Such a huge investment? Making TV dramas is not as good as making movies. If the drama is good, the TV station will buy it at a fair price and make a fortune. If it is bad, they will give you a share of the profits and you will bear the risk. If the ratings are bad, they will complain about you. You are just doing all the work for someone else." Ren Quan concluded after listening.

He started his career with TV dramas, and although he wasn't a producer, he probably handled many cases.

"TV dramas tend to promote actors, so if you have your own artists to promote, that's fine too," Wang Jinhua said more objectively.

"I invested in this project mainly for product placement. I created a clothing brand with a Korean women's fashion style, and I wanted to use the TV series for soft product placement to do some promotion," Wang Yao explained.

“Oh, no wonder, that makes sense then. The return on advertising for TV dramas is actually quite considerable. I heard that the sanitary napkin collaboration for ‘I Am a Big Beauty’ almost recouped the advertising costs in just one month,” Wang Jinhua nodded.

"That project was also his idea, oh no, it was his idea that came up, but Li Ying and the others picked the fruit," Ren Quan joked.

"Oh? No wonder. I was wondering why Li Ying and the others suddenly changed their style so much. I get it now. When Qu Shou was involved in the incident, He Jiong had already laid the groundwork." Wang Jinhua was stunned for a moment, then instantly understood what was going on.

Yang Tianzhen's eyes flickered, as if she had thought of something.

"You can't say that. Director Li did get a share of the money, and he also sponsored nearly 5 million yuan worth of sanitary napkins to the brand [Women's Aid Association], which can solve the problem of supply for 20,000 to 30,000 girls in impoverished mountainous areas. He will continue to donate in the future," Wang Yao said with a light laugh.

"Understood, good people of China." Ren Quan cupped his hands in greeting.

“A true hero is a kid like Xiao Yao, isn’t he? Ren Quan, you should learn from him. Accumulating virtue and doing good deeds brings blessings. Look at you, your appearance has changed since you started making money,” Wang Jinhua teased.

"Middle-aged weight gain, I guess," Ren Quan said, touching his face.

"Brother Quan is still as dashing as ever, no different from ten years ago," Yang Tianzhen said with a smile, trying to smooth things over.

"Let's get down to business. The MV event that Director Hu mentioned has been passed on to me. I've drafted a list; could you take a look and see if there's anything that needs to be cut?" Wang Jinhua said.

Before he finished speaking, Yang Tianzhen had already taken out two folders and placed them in front of Wang Yao. "The left one is the list, and the right one is the supplementary list."

"Let me see." Wang Yao glanced at it.

These are mostly well-known female celebrities in the entertainment industry. The first row is filled with outstanding veterans from various fields such as film, television, music, and directing. The least famous among them is Wang Luodan, a newcomer. This list almost represents the current landscape of female celebrities in the Chinese entertainment industry; aside from some who lack ambition or are unwilling to join the fray, almost everyone is represented.

Fortunately, they recorded their own episodes. If they had competed on the same stage, it might have been even more exciting than Basha vying for the center position.

"The list is fine, Sister Hua, you can finalize it. However, to prevent any artists from feeling overshadowed or causing unpleasantness due to competition for attention, we would like to add a few details."

"This album will be released in multiple versions, making it convenient for fans of each artist to buy the version featuring their favorite artist as the lead," Wang Yao said with a smile.

Wang Jinhua raised her eyebrows slightly and smiled, "That's a good idea. Although it's all a chorus, some people are indeed petty. This way, everyone can have a main vocal version, which will shut them up. Xiao Yao has foresight."

Yang Tianzhen's smile was somewhat stiff. Originally, she wanted to take this opportunity to place Fan Bingbing directly ahead of Zhang Ziyi, and then use this ranking to elevate Fan to the same level as international stars like Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi, so that she wouldn't have to wallow in the same mire as people like Li Bingbing and Zhou Xun.

But Wang Yao's actions ruined the plan.

"Because this is an opportunity for all female artists to speak out about the plight of women, and new artists may join in the future, this format will become a way of passing on the torch and symbolizing the handover between the old and the new."
"Myspace will emulate Korean music show stages, updating the sales and popularity of each version daily. It will be immediately clear which version sells best, allowing fans to share in the glory and celebrate the achievement," Wang Yao said with a smile.

After he finished speaking, the private room fell silent for a moment.

Wang Jinhua looked at Wang Yao with a complicated expression.

Good grief, I thought you were trying to be fair and avoid conflict, but you turned around and came up with a permanent competition mechanism, huh? The higher the sales, the higher the ranking. Are you trying to make these female artists bleed money?

Yang Tianzhen looked shocked.

啥意思？打榜？还新老更替，也就是我们兵兵打完80、85花，还要打90、95甚至未来的00花？
Ren Quanze gave a subtle smile.

As expected, it had to be you! How could you possibly miss such a great topic and profit opportunity?

He has already begun to foresee the album's sales, which may break several terrifying records.

"Passing on the torch and generational change, great idea, Xiao Yao, thank you so much, I thank you on behalf of everyone," Wang Jinhua said with a smile, snapping out of her reverie.

“On behalf of all women, I want to thank you all for your contributions to GHG. By the way, what are your thoughts on the first issue of Her Power magazine, Sister Jing?” Wang Yao asked seriously.

Besides music videos, this magazine is also one of the main sources of revenue for the Women's Aid Association.

"What do you think, Xiao Yao?" Wang Jinhua asked in return.

“I was thinking, since Tencent announced the list of the Four Little Actresses of '85 this year, why not use the concept of ‘passing on the torch’? The first round would feature two veteran actresses and four young actresses, who are the pioneers of Chinese female artists, which is also very meaningful. The second round would feature the new Four Little Actresses,” Wang Yao suggested.

"Double Soldiers and Four Dans" was the name eight years ago. If you put these six people together now, it will definitely be a big topic.

Wang Jinhua was somewhat troubled upon hearing this. Although these women were all on the choir list, getting them together would be no easy task.

"Mr. Wang, it's like this," Yang Tianzhen interjected, trying to smooth things over. "If it's a normal charity event, inviting these individuals individually is no problem. But if you want to bring them all together, then it's no longer just a charity event."

Now, each of them has huge vested interests behind them. For example, our Bingbing received an invitation to the Cannes Film Festival this year. Although it was an invitation from a brand, her status is clearly much lower than another person's.

“Our Bingbing has also taken on a project with Fox in Hollywood, where she will be working with Hugh Jackman, and she'll even be the female lead,” Ren Quan said with a sinister smile.

Yang Tianzhen's smile froze. "Brother Quan, you know that's not what I meant. It's just that there are too many things involved behind the scenes, so it's best to avoid getting together."

"Alright, this is indeed a difficult matter. Xiao Yao, why don't you come up with another plan?" Wang Jinhua didn't want to cause trouble either.

“For the first episode, it wouldn’t be appropriate to invite just anyone, as it would inevitably lead to comparisons and criticisms. To be fair, how about inviting Ms. Han Hong as the guest for the first episode? She also happens to be a representative of women in the field of public welfare.” Wang Yao smiled.

"Old Han is fine." Wang Jinhua nodded in approval.

After discussing some details, Wang Jinhua changed the subject, "Xiao Yao should know that I'm now cooperating with Ren Quan. To be honest, I'm a bunch of old guys who've been going it alone for a while now, and I'm quite resentful. The market environment is good this year, with many investors, but my original development plan can't handle so many resources."

You're an internet expert, could you perhaps offer some advice and tell us what else we can do to help?

"What does Sister Hua mean? You want more projects?" Wang Yao frowned.

“It doesn’t have to be a traditional film and television project, because the old guys under me are all very lazy. They start complaining when there’s too much work. I have a friend who’s been working with some coal mine owners and they want to open a film and television city. Do you think there’s any potential in combining the internet with offline cultural tourism projects? Not a theme park like Disneyland,” Wang Jinhua said.

"Film and television city? That's a capital-intensive business." Wang Yao raised an eyebrow slightly, a thought flashing through his mind. "I don't really know much about it, but it seems like the investment cycle is quite long."

"Yes, I also think it's a bit long, and it's not really related to my business, although it might help with the future IPO," Wang Jinhua admitted.

“If Sister Hua still dreams of going public, investing in cinemas might be an easier path,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"A movie-watching website?" Wang Jinhua raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Or a variety show would be fine too," Wang Yao continued.

"Variety shows?" Wang Jinhua was taken aback. "I haven't considered that. How is it different from investing in film and television projects?"

"If it's our current variety shows, there's definitely no difference. I was in Korea during the Lunar New Year, and I found that people there have just as much demand for variety shows as they do for dramas. The investment in a variety show is around 50 to 100 million per episode."
However, the advantage lies in the low requirements for actors. For example, some vacation and travel programs allow guests to eat and drink according to the script, and a project can be recorded in a month.

Moreover, the cost of trial and error is low; filming and broadcasting can be done simultaneously, and production can be stopped at any time, unlike television dramas, which cannot be interrupted once investment is made. "Wang Yao recommended.

He recruited employees at the Korean branch in order to secure projects in Korea.

“This is interesting. Send me some information later, I’ll take a look.” Wang Jinhua’s eyes lit up, recognizing its value.

She has a team of veteran actors who are highly professional, but their cool-down period is also very long. For example, Chen Daoming can only film two movies a year at most. Any more than that and the quality cannot be guaranteed. Moreover, he cherishes his reputation and is unwilling to take on multiple projects at once to make money, which would seriously affect the company's revenue.

But if variety shows can be recorded easily, they might be able to generate extra revenue.

"Um, Ms. Wang, I have a tricky matter right now, I wonder if you could give me some advice?" Yang Tianzhen hurriedly spoke up after Wang Jinhua finished speaking.

"President Yang, please speak." Wang Yao nodded, roughly knowing what she was going to say.

Fan Bingbing's career has indeed been at its best in the last two years. Last year, she ranked second on the list of celebrities with the highest earnings, second only to Zhang Ziyi. This success is inseparable from Yang Tianzhen's planning.

However, Fan Bingbing has a major problem: she lacks a sense of boundaries and is somewhat promiscuous. Last year, while filming "Wheat Field" and "Bodyguards and Assassins," she became infatuated with veteran actor Wang Xueqi. Then, news of Wang Xueqi's marital breakdown broke out, and Fan Bingbing was labeled as a third party in the relationship.

However, judging from Yang Tianzhen's statement, Fan Bingbing greatly admired the senior Wang Xueqi and felt that they could cooperate deeply. He wanted to sign Wang Xueqi to his studio, and Wang Xueqi agreed. But for some reason, his wife was unwilling, and the couple went through a divorce because of this.

Then, as the middleman, Fan Bingbing naturally became the subject of much speculation.

However, many of Wang Xueqi's later resources were indeed facilitated by Yang Tianzhen, such as director Chen's "The Orphan of Zhao," which also garnered a lot of attention due to their rumored relationship.

Clearly, this is a common tactic used by Yang Tianzhen. Later, when she was promoting Lu Han, she capitalized on the popularity of Dilraba's scandals, until Lu Han couldn't take it anymore and chose to reveal his relationship.

The method was a bit crude, and they didn't care whether the other party lived or died, they just kept sucking blood, but the effect was actually quite good.

"Miss Yang, do you want to clarify the rumors?" Wang Yao asked.

"Yes, after all, Wang Xueqi is really planning to get a divorce, and Bingbing will be in a really difficult situation." Yang Tianzhen said with a wry smile.

This is the backlash from being tied to a romantic pairing.

"Actually, there's no perfect way to handle this. Just interact openly and act like you've done nothing wrong. Of course, I'm talking about if there's really nothing between the two of you, but what if something does come out and gets exposed?"

At that point, even a miracle wouldn't save them. Jackie Chan's past infidelity has been trending for three days now, and the public is extremely averse to mistresses. So, you absolutely mustn't walk into the line of fire.

"And don't think that the Women's Aid Association can shield you from criticism. Charity is a double-edged sword; if you make a mistake, the consequences will be far more serious." Wang Yao's tone was grave, carrying a hint of warning.

Yang Tianzhen subconsciously swallowed. "Don't worry, there's absolutely no connection."

"That's good." Wang Yao smiled and was about to say something when the phone rang. It showed Cheng Long's number. "Speak of the devil, and he appears. I'll go answer this call first."

Wang Yao went out to answer a phone call and returned to the room about five minutes later. "Miss Yang, if you have any plans for publicity stunts involving mistresses or scandals, please put them on hold for now. Brother Cheng Long is about to launch a crackdown on mistresses."

"A sweeping storm?" Everyone was shocked.

　Thanks to the following users: 火热读人, 猫月88888888, 马蚤木奉, 暮光燃了太阳, 蓝海的左岸, 小小猪粉, MW, 部落酋长Rex.

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(End of this chapter)