At four o'clock in the afternoon, the hot sun finally became a bit milder.
Zhou Pingan drove to a book cafe about fifteen kilometers away from the company, parked the car in a temporary parking space on the roadside, opened the door and got out.
A wave of heat hit.
Although it is only June, summer has already entered.
Zhou Ping'an pushed open the door of the book cafe, and as soon as he entered, he found seven or eight students gathered at the best-selling book display shelf at the door, discussing something lively.
He took a curious look and found that they were holding the latest issue of "Jump Up" and were discussing which authors were included in this issue.
Zhou Ping'an: "..."
This magazine is now officially entering its sixth year.
Who would have thought that a magazine that was clearly aimed at fans at the beginning could last for such a long time and become more and more influential. Now, it has transformed from a magazine into a media company, covering traditional and new media. Through multiple channels, it has even entered the fields of film and television production and publicity and marketing. It not only supports its cooperating artists, but also becomes a pivotal force in the entertainment industry.
Zhou Ping'an never admitted that he was jealous.
The cost of producing a magazine is actually not high for many film and television companies. However, in the past few years, many companies have followed suit and created magazines or theme books to cultivate their own IP libraries. Unfortunately, basically the best author resources are occupied by "Jump Up".
As the first magazine to take the lead, "Jump Up" has a high market share that is difficult for other magazines to match.
It now has a virtuous ecological cycle. For good authors, there is no reason not to choose "Jump". It has high royalties, a friendly copyright cooperation system, a magazine with great influence and high sales. If an article can be published in "Jump", the author I would definitely not choose to publish it in another similar magazine-except for those serious literary magazines at the palace level, that is another concept.
"What are you looking at?" Lin Suyang suddenly came behind him with a cup of coffee in his hand.
Zhou Ping'an came back to his senses and said, "I'm watching. Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi will join forces and they will probably build an empire in the future. We agents are not in the same world as others."
Lin Suyang smiled coldly.
The two men looked at each other.
Even a week ago, neither of them thought that they could stand in front of each other and talk to each other as well as they do now.
The two of them were old enemies, not to mention enemies. Whether it was Ma Zhiyuan or Li Zhibai, it was enough to prevent them from interacting with each other for the rest of their lives.
But now, they have chosen this place and decided to temporarily put aside the prejudices and grudges of the past——
Because they have a common interest base.
In Star Entertainment, if the division method currently prepared by the company is followed, the two managers will be most affected.
It can be said that if it is really cut according to this cutting method in the end, the two of them have worked hard for so many years and will suffer a wave of vitality in the end.
Zhou Pingan asked tentatively: "If you were really asked to make a choice, how would you choose?"
"If we don't consider this option now, neither MX nor Li Zhibai, no matter which agent he is, will be stupid enough to let go." Lin Suyang said.
After saying that, he realized that, uh, he had accidentally insinuated someone.
Zhou Ping'an, who had "voluntarily let go" of Li Zhibai, looked at Lin Suyang expressionlessly.
Lin Suyang subconsciously wanted to apologize, but when the words came to his lips, he swallowed them back.
There is nothing to be sorry for, you deserve it.
Instead he smiled.
Zhou Pingan: "Then if the company is determined to do this, what are you going to do? Don't you regret it now? When Li Zhibai's contract expires, discuss with him to go out alone."
Lin Suyang asked Zhou Ping'an: "What about you? Don't you regret? You didn't discuss with Yan Liang to go out alone when his contract expired."
Zhou Pingan frowned.
"It's now time, let's not talk back and forth with each other, right?" He said, "What are you going to do now?"
Lin Suyang: "Of course we must strive to retain the artists we have. Artists can be divided into different companies, but agents must be allowed to bring artists across departments and companies. Especially agents like you and me."
Zhou Ping'an nodded, "That's the truth. Is there any way you can convince the company to agree with your idea?"
"Mr. Ma is definitely not willing. He will only manage idol artists from now on. He definitely hopes that we will focus all our energy on idol artists." Lin Suyang said, "If I also take care of Li Zhibai's If you also take care of the acting work of Yan Liang and Meng Li, it will inevitably take up a lot of our energy. After all, they are our main customers.”
Zhou Ping'an nodded: "There's no need to think about Mr. Ma's side. He won't help us in this matter."
"The company definitely hopes to use this move to differentiate the artists we have." Lin Suyang said.
"If the two of us join forces to oppose this decision, what are the chances of winning?"
"The chance of winning depends on the extent to which the artists in our hands will stand on the same front with us." Lin Suyang said bluntly, "The most lethal cards in our hands are Li Zhibai, Yan Liang, MX and Meng Li. If artists of the same level can unite with us and insist on maintaining the status quo, then the company’s senior management will have to consider the consequences of our failure to cooperate.”
"How sure are you that they will stand on the same front as you?" Zhou Ping'an asked.
Lin Suyang stood in front of the bookshelf, paying attention to the surrounding activities through the gaps in the bookshelf, and looking at Zhou Ping'an from time to time.
"They are more unwilling to change the current situation than I am." Lin Suyang said in a calm and determined tone.
Zhou Pingan frowned slightly.
"What, do you have a problem here?"
"It's okay to say that Mengli is not familiar with Xingyu itself. She basically relies on me to connect various resources in the company. She relies on me a lot, but Yan Liang——"
Zhou Ping'an hesitated slightly.
Lin Suyang said: "If Yan Liang wanted to change his agent, he would have changed it long ago. You should have a serious talk with him. Without his support, it is not enough to rely on Meng Li. By the way, where is Cheng Hai?"
Zhou Ping'an: "Of course Chenghai will stand by my side. I brought him up single-handedly, but he doesn't have much weight in the eyes of the company."
"Then let's create some weight." Lin Suyang said, "Let the word out, let's say that with Lu Yanhe's help, Cheng Hai is in contact with directors Luo Yuzhong and Wang Zhong's new drama, and he is very likely to play the leading role in their new drama. ”
Zhou Ping'an: "..."
Lin Suyang: "Not long after Meng Li joined Star Entertainment, the company said it paid no attention to her opinions. Unlike artists who have truly grown up in the company, their values are completely different in the eyes of senior executives. Chenghai relied on "The Birth of an Actor" "He has become popular again and has great momentum. With such news, it is more important than Mengli."
Zhou Ping'an didn't expect Lin Suyang to make such a move.
But if you think about it carefully, it seems to make sense.
It does work.
-
The internal struggles and storms of Xingyu no longer affect Lu Yanhe.
However, when Hong Qi, through Chen Ziyan, made an appointment with Lu Yanhe at the company and suddenly proposed that he could be hired as a senior consultant of the newly established "Woodpecker Entertainment Agency", Lu Yanhe realized that, well, he was being dragged into it again. .
This is not the first company to approach him for such a role.
Previously, Maxine and HP, Northern Lights Video, and Yuehutai all provided him with such a position. But at that time, they were more interested in stabilizing the cooperative relationship with Lu Yanhe, using such a position to establish a long-term contact and cooperative relationship, and to have a channel that could legitimately provide him with remuneration channels outside of the project.
But this time Hong Qi hoped that Lu Yanhe could truly perform the duties of this position. "Mr. Hong, thank you for your trust, but I am already busy enough, so I don't have time to be your consultant." Lu Yanhe refused without much hesitation.
Hong Qi: "I know you are very busy, don't worry, I will definitely not waste a lot of your time. I still have this self-awareness, and I can't let you sacrifice the good for the weak."
"Then...what do you want me to do?"
"Introduce scripts and projects suitable for our Woodpecker Company actors." Hong Qi said, "In the entertainment industry around the world, people who have enough ability and resources to see the best projects are currently our domestic Just you and your agent.”
When Lu Yanhe heard this, he immediately shook his head, "Mr. Hong, you are putting too much pressure on me."
"Absolutely not. Don't worry, we don't have any targets or quantities that you need to complete. This is a cooperation agreement that is completely beneficial to you." Hong Qi said, "Even if you don't recommend any of your works in the end, we can't hold you responsible for anything." , because there are no quantified tasks and responsibilities in this agreement, and there are no breach of contract clauses.”
It can be said that this is indeed a very beneficial cooperation agreement for Lu Yanhe.
However, Lu Yanhe still refused.
He didn't agree with anything.
Later, Hong Qi was confused and asked: "Yan He, can you tell me the truth and tell the truth, why are you unwilling? Is it because you really don't want to have any contact with Xingyu anymore?"< br>
"No." Lu Yanhe shook his head, "Mr. Hong, to tell you the truth, one or two agreements like this are sent to me almost every month, often worth tens of millions in consulting fees, but I dare not accept any of them. I don’t want to be a broker. This is what I have to do with you. There is nothing wrong with recommending the right people to the right projects, but once you start getting paid to do this kind of thing, it seems to be some kind of transaction.”
< br>
Hong Qi sighed.
He turned to look at Chen Ziyan, "It's true as you said, Yan He refuses to accept it."
"I told you a long time ago." Chen Ziyan smiled, "If Yan He was willing to do this kind of thing, he would have done it long ago. He has written so many scripts and made so many movies and TV series. Almost all the roles of his friends were auditioned and competed for. How could he use money to recommend actors for other film and television projects? Even if the recommendation is really based on a suitable mentality, the behavior itself is unclear. , easy to misunderstand.”
Hong Qi: "It seems that this idea really has to be abandoned."
Lu Yanhe said: "Mr. Hong, this time Star Entertainment has made such a big move and wants to split Star Entertainment into a Woodpecker Company. Then will Li Zhibai and Yan Liang both join the Woodpecker Company?"
"Li Zhibai and Yan Liang are both actors and are still doing stage work. Since business contracts can be signed to others, of course, actor contracts and music contracts can also be signed separately to two companies." Hong Qi said, "We It is necessary to split into two companies just to facilitate the optimization of the company's internal resources. Adjusting and upgrading, integrating resources from all aspects, is not just for artists to give up one of their identities. The current environment is not good, and artists are willing to live in as many places as they can. From a company's perspective, artists should live in as many places as they can. field, you can make more money in one field.”
Hong Qi also said what he had to say, and didn't tell Lu Yanhe any nonsense.
Lu Yanhe nodded, "What about their agent?"
"Agent?" Hong Qi asked, "You mean Zhou Pingan?"
"Yeah." Lu Yanhe said, "Yan Liang is both an actor and an idol artist. If he wants to assign different contracts to two companies, will Zhou Ping'an still be responsible?"
Hong Qi looked at Chen Ziyan with a smile and said, "Why is Yan He so sharp now?"
Chen Ziyan: “Put the point straight to the point.”
Lu Yanhe looked at them with some confusion.
Hong Qi said: "Of course different agents are responsible for different contracts. In fact, for an artist of Yan Liang's current level, different agents should have handled his different affairs and handled them in a more refined manner. Everyone's ability and energy are limited, and their strengths are different. Just like some companies have rich business resources, while some companies have rich film and television resources. Of course, artists like Yan Liang deserve the best in each field. Brokers are responsible for his work in various sectors.”
Lu Yanhe smiled and asked: "In this way, the agent's authority is actually restricted."
"That's what it looks like on the surface."
"Is it still different in reality?"
"Any artist definitely needs a big manager who can coordinate all aspects of resources." Hong Qi said, "Coordination is also a very important thing."
"Then what you mean is that Zhou Ping'an can still coordinate and manage all Yan Liang's work." Lu Yanhe frowned in confusion, "Then what's the difference between this and now?"
Hong Qi: "Is there no difference?"
Lu Yanhe fell silent and thought seriously for a while.
No difference?
This question also hovered in his mind.
He looked at Chen Ziyan.
Chen Ziyan used encouraging eyes to tell him to think about it seriously.
She also gave a reminder: "Star Entertainment is carrying out this drastic reform. If Zhou Pingan and Lin Suyang really want to accept a large piece of cake being taken away from them, do you think they will accept it?"
"No." Regarding this question, Lu Yanhe didn't even need to think about it, he immediately shook his head and answered these two words.
Chen Ziyan nodded.
Even if the Xingyu family has a big business, it is impossible to force Zhou Ping'an and Lin Suyang to accept this matter.
Otherwise, if they are pushed too hard, the general will have the strength to rebel.
so what?
Divide and transform?
If you don't want to share the cake, then you can only be the one sharing the cake.
The company will definitely not let you hold a knife easily, but the company can create the illusion of letting you hold a knife.
You can continue to be your "general manager", but you will hand over all the following decentralized powers to other agents.
At this time, the management team around top artists is not just you.
Your relationship with the artist is no longer a piece of cake.
You think you hold the knife that controls your agents, but who knows if you are being controlled in the opposite direction?
Lu Yanhe figured out the link and looked shocked.
This is simply a naked conspiracy!
If you don’t want the cake in your hands to be taken away, fine, then you should decentralize power and delegate the power and resources in your hands.
At this moment, Lu Yanhe really wanted to ask, is this major reform of Star Entertainment really to further develop the career of idol artists?
Or is it because in recent years of Star Entertainment, big-name managers such as Zhou Ping'an and Lin Suyang, who are in charge of many blockbuster artists, have gradually threatened the top management of Star Entertainment?
When Chen Ziyan suddenly went out to set up a fire-picking company, was she prepared for a rainy day and planning in advance to deal with the current situation?
Lu Yanhe looked at Chen Ziyan and Hong Qi in surprise, feeling that his brain was not full.
-
"Of course, there is actually another point that Hong Qi himself did not say."
After meeting with Hong Qi, Chen Ziyan and Lu Yanhe got into the car together and went back.
Chen Ziyan added.
"In addition to the problem of the concentration of artist resources in the hands of these big-name agents, in fact, he has also begun to be threatened by Ma Zhongquan and several other executives." Chen Ziyan said, "Hong Qi is just the CEO of Star Entertainment, not the real The chairman of the board, the one behind the scenes, although he has never Tai was in charge of things here, but Ma Zhongquan and several other executives had been coveting Hong Qi's position. In the name of adjusting the company's layout, he gave Ma Zhongquan a higher position. In fact, he gave Ma Zhongquan a higher position. , but it also weakened the energy in his hand, Zhou Pingan, Ma Zhong. Quan's number one lackey, during this adjustment, will he put down his Woodpecker business and become a pure idol artist manager, or will he refuse to let go and jump out from under Ma Zhongquan's hands and become an independent manager? I don’t know, but no matter what Zhou Pingan chooses, he and Ma Zhong The conflicts between Quan will definitely be buried. Once these agents headed by Zhou Ping'an come out of Ma Zhongquan's camp, Ma Zhongquan's actual power will be weakened, and Hong Qi will still be the two. The controller of the company has a solid position.”
Lu Yanhe took a deep breath.
"I have never thought that there are so many calculations behind Star Entertainment's internal adjustments."
"Behind any big move, there must be not only a big plan, but also everyone involved in it will have their own small plans." Chen Ziyan said, "After all, if people don't take care of themselves, they will be destroyed by heaven and earth."
Lu Yanhe gave Chen Ziyan a thumbs up.
"I'm convinced."
-
I recommend the old book "I Became a Scandalous Heroine Overnight". The first order was 7 (single digits) and the average order has exceeded 1,000. If you like "Become Famous Another Day", it's still worth reading. (End of chapter)