Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 331, Page 329: Course

Monday, August 2001, 1.

The sky over Beijing was a leaden gray, a color typical of winter, and a dry, cold wind blew through the gaps between the tall buildings.

The Jingxin Building, located on the East Third Ring Road, stands tall in the morning light.

At 8:50 a.m., Shengying Media Co., Ltd., which occupied the entire ninth-floor office area, was already in a tense but orderly state.

Hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor as figures carrying documents moved between offices, creating an atmosphere unlike any other, a mixture of anticipation and solemnity.

Everyone's eyes were drawn to the large conference room at the end of the corridor, its doors tightly shut.

Today, we will hold the 2000 Annual Summary and 2001 Work Planning Conference for Shengying Media here.

At 8:55 a.m., attendees began to enter the venue one after another.

Inside the conference room, the oval-shaped conference table gleamed.

Each seat has a uniform folder, notebook, and bottle of mineral water in front of it.

The projection screen has been lowered, and the projector, after being properly adjusted, emits a faint halo of light.

The meeting recorders—two young and capable female staff members from the General Manager's Office—had already taken their seats at the back and opened their laptops.

The first person to enter was Chen Yu, the director of the finance department. She was wearing a dark gray business suit, which made her look particularly neat.

Behind her followed several deputy directors and core staff of the finance department, including a retired deputy director from the Beijing Municipal Finance Bureau who was rehired. The old man was in good spirits and was talking to Chen Yu in a low voice about some data.

The finance department has gathered a lot of people borrowed from universities and government offices in Beijing, so it's very stable.

Immediately afterwards, Pang Guowei, the director of human resources, also walked in with his deputy.

Pang Guowei has held this position since Shengying Media established its human resources department.

Pang Guowei has worked in the human resources system for many years. He has a kind face but an inherent sense of authority. He smiled and nodded to the people who arrived first, then sat down in his seat and habitually tidied the nameplate in front of him.

Human resources and finance are the two cornerstones that Wang Sheng firmly controls in the company, making the positions of these two directors particularly crucial.

Subsequently, the heads of various business segments arrived one after another.

Guo Liang, the director of the theatrical film division and a former key member of the production department at Beijing Film Studio, looked tired but couldn't hide his excitement. His department was mainly responsible for the pre-production and production management of the film "Fake Marriage," and he deserves a lot of credit for its success in grossing over 100 million yuan.

Su Yang, the director of the TV and Film Division, is relatively young, but his eyes are full of energy. TV and film remain a stable source of cash flow for the company and a training ground for talent.

Chen Liang, the director of the wedding film division, came with Zhao Bing (Xiaobing), the executive vice president of Shengying Labor Services.

They shook hands firmly with Chen Yu and others they knew, and quietly took their seats.

The Wedding Film Division is a newly established department, encompassing three business areas: personalized services, jubilee collections, and visual memories.

Expanding the Golden Jubilee Collection and Image Memory business nationwide is Chen Liang's top priority after taking office.

Yang Huatao, the director of the theatrical film distribution department, was the first head of the distribution department of Beijing Film Studio. This veteran in the distribution industry is highly respected within the Beijing Film Studio system.

He walked in slowly and steadily, nodding in response to the young people who stood up to greet him.

The young soldiers from the Beijing Film Academy's Department of Management in the Publicity and Marketing Division both respected and feared this old section chief.

His deputy, a young backbone member from the Management Department of Beijing Film Academy, class of '96, followed closely behind him, carrying a thick publicity and distribution data report.

Wang Zhi, the director of the public relations department, was dressed in a well-tailored dark blue suit and looked very elegant.

After entering the conference room, he first greeted Yang Huatao, and then chatted and laughed quietly with his familiar junior students from the management department, appearing quite at ease.

He is a leading figure among the "Beijing Film Academy management faction" within the Sheng Ying Group.

She has some family background, but not much. Her father was originally a deputy director-level cadre in Beijing, but he was transferred to a local position a few years ago.

Gao Lu, the director of the film and television merchandise division, looks more like a scholar or an official.

He spoke in hushed tones with his colleagues who had been seconded from other government offices.

Jiang Changhe, the director of the Information Technology Department, was one of the last few managers to enter. He was wearing a casual jacket, which was a little out of place with the atmosphere of suits and ties around him, but his eyes shone with the focus unique to technical elites.

His department was newly established last year, mainly to provide technical support for the company's internal internet-based office work.

Next came the representatives from the subsidiaries: Wang Changtian, director of the TV Content Business Unit, and Cai Yinong, who is in charge of artist management and TV drama business unit, arrived together.

Wang Changtian is pragmatic and steady, while Cai Yinong is shrewd and capable. They represent the expansion of Sheng Ying Group in the field of television content.

Zhao Cheng, the executive vice president of Shengshi Cinema Management Company, was seconded from China Film Group Corporation to be responsible for the specific operation and management of the cinema chain.

After he came in, he first exchanged a few pleasantries with Guo Liang, Yang Huatao and other people in charge who were closely related to the cinema business, and discussed the movies that the company would release during the Spring Festival.

Finally, Li Tingting, Director of the Artist Management Department and General Manager's Office of Shengying Media, and Vice President of the company, walked in quickly.

She held multiple roles today, serving as both a participant and a key organizer of the conference.

She quickly scanned the room, checked the equipment with the meeting recorder, then sat down next to the head of the table and whispered to Chen Yu next to her to confirm a certain procedure.

At 9:00 AM sharp, the conference room door was opened again.

All conversations ceased instantly, and all eyes turned to the doorway. Wang Sheng walked in.

He was wearing a dark turtleneck sweater under a casual black suit jacket, without a tie. He carried only an ordinary leather notebook and a pen, and his steps were unhurried, naturally exuding an aura of control.

"President Wang!" Everyone stood up to greet him.

"Please sit down." Wang Sheng waved his hand, his voice calm yet powerful.

He walked to the head seat, placed his notebook on the table, and scanned the room, making brief eye contact with each of the core members.

"Everyone's here? Let's begin." He glanced at Li Tingting.

Li Tingting nodded immediately, signaling the meeting recorder to prepare.

"Good morning, everyone," Wang Sheng began, without any unnecessary pleasantries. "Today is Shengying Media's 2000 annual summary meeting, and also the kick-off meeting for the new year. In 2000, we achieved some results, but also encountered new challenges."

The past is history; the key is how we move forward. Today's meeting is to unify our thinking, clarify our goals, and deploy our tasks.

His opening remarks went straight to the point, setting the tone for the meeting: pragmatic, efficient, and forward-looking.

"First, please have Chen Yu from the Finance Department report on the company's overall operations."

Chen Yu was prepared. She gestured to her deputy to turn on the projector, and a meticulously prepared financial statement appeared on the screen.

"President Wang, colleagues." Chen Yu's voice was clear and calm. "In 2000, the pre-tax operating revenue of Shengying Media (including its major holding subsidiaries) in the consolidated financial statements was initially estimated at 10.85 billion yuan."

A slight gasp rippled through the conference room when the number was announced. Although somewhat expected, hearing the actual figure still thrilled many present.

“Among them,” Chen Yu continued, “the television film business is still the biggest contributor, with a total of 241 productions last year, and revenue covering product placement, broadcasting rights sales, etc., totaling 4.86 million.”

"The box office revenue of theatrical films last year was about 1.1 million yuan. In other words, the theatrical films we produced last year generated a total of 5.5 million yuan in box office revenue (40% for the production company, and 20% each for Shengying Media and Beijing Film Studio), accounting for about a quarter of the total box office revenue for the year."

"Theatrical films received approximately 1 million yuan in copyright revenue last year, mainly from 'My Sassy Girl'."

"Revenue from long-running TV dramas reached approximately 1.7 million yuan, a significant increase compared to 1999."

"The wedding film business (which includes private customization, jubilee collection, and video memories) generated revenue of 1.5 million yuan, a slight decline."

"Revenue from film and television derivative products reached 5747 million yuan, showing a significant year-on-year increase."

"Shengying's labor service revenue was 3767 million yuan. The revenue came from undertaking and completing the company's business, as well as all performing arts business within Beijing, such as contracting security and directing work for singers' concerts."

"The revenue from cinema management business was 1200 million yuan, mainly from ticket sales, cinema planning, and so on."

"In terms of net profit, after deducting various costs and taxes, the preliminary estimate is 4.32 million yuan. The company's total assets have exceeded 10 billion yuan, cash flow is abundant, and the debt ratio remains at a healthy low level."

Chen Yu's report was detailed and well-organized.

Behind every number is a battlefield fought and built by the hard work of some of you here.

The heads of each department all wore expressions of pride.

"Financial data are results that reflect the effectiveness of our strategy execution over the past year."

After Chen Yu's report, Wang Sheng commented: "The strong profit and cash flow provide us with ample ammunition for our next stage of development. Director Chen, the finance department should complete the final audit as soon as possible and prepare a draft of the profit distribution plan. At the same time, the budget for the new year should be more forward-looking and challenging."

"Understood, Mr. Wang."

Chen Yu calmly agreed.

……

Subsequently, the heads of each department and business line completed their reports.

After reviewing the development direction of each business segment, Wang Sheng looked around at everyone and concluded, "Here, I want to emphasize one point. As the company expands, collaboration between departments and subsidiaries will become increasingly important, and more barriers and frictions will also emerge."

I don't want to see departmental silos and serious internal friction. All leaders must consider issues from the perspective of the company's overall interests. Li Tingting's General Manager's Office needs to take on more coordination and oversight responsibilities.

He looked at everyone and said, “In 2001, my requirements for you all are only eight words: ‘Be responsible for guarding the land and be enterprising.’”

Hold onto your core business, and at the same time, you must make progress in new businesses, new markets, and new models. This will be the standard by which I evaluate your performance at the end of the year.

The meeting room was silent, save for the scratching of pens on paper and the soft tapping of the meeting recorder on the keyboard.

"The specific annual KPI targets will be broken down and distributed within a week by the General Manager's Office in conjunction with the Human Resources Department and the Finance Department, based on the spirit of today's meeting and the plans submitted by each business unit."

Wang Sheng looked at everyone and asked, "Any other questions?"

The group looked at each other and shook their heads.

The deployment of each business segment is already very clear.

"Alright, meeting adjourned." Wang Sheng closed his notebook. "Everyone, as the saying goes, 'A thousand sails race, and the brave prevail.' I hope that this time next year, we can share even greater joy together."

"Yes, Mr. Wang."

Everyone responded in unison.

(End of this chapter)