ebookslot Chapter 98 Invitation
Chapter 98 Invitation
Chapter 98 Invitation
After Zhang Chaoyang left, Dapeng slumped into a chair.
"My goodness... I was scared out of my wits when Old Zhang patted me just now."
He touched his neck with lingering fear, then turned back to confirm that the person was really gone.
"Ping Sheng, why don't you want these free stock options?"
Bai Ke and Xiao Ai stared at Ren Pingsheng in disbelief.
Zhang Yibo went even further, leaning over to touch Ren Pingsheng's forehead, trying to confirm if he was delirious from the fever.
Ren Pingsheng looked at his overly shocked brothers and shrugged.
"Isn't it great now? We can film whatever we want, nobody gets in anyone's way, and we sell the footage to whoever offers the highest price. Isn't this much better than working for Zhang Chaoyang?"
These words stunned everyone present.
Thinking about it carefully, it really is true.
"Alright, let's get down to business."
He walked to the whiteboard and wrote down the two titles: "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils 2" and "The Deer and the Cauldron".
"The options are gone, but the orders are still there. These two were specifically requested by Lao Zhang; they are custom-made promotional videos for the game."
Da Peng regained his spirits. "Tian Long Ba Bu is easy to deal with. We did the same thing with Wan Wan before. But what about Lu Ding Ji? The game hasn't even been released yet, has it?"
Ren Pingsheng stroked his chin.
He vaguely remembered that in his previous life, there was indeed a team that made a web series called "Boiled Deer-top Chicken" based on "The Deer and the Cauldron".
He didn't see the specific content, but he remembered that the art style was pretty crazy.
However, the idea is worth learning from. Wei Xiaobao is a reckless and unruly character, so going in the direction of absurdity is definitely the right thing to do.
"Okay, let's wait for Changyou to send over the specific information about the game before we start brainstorming ideas. Let's not just come up with ideas on a whim, lest we go astray."
Ren Pingsheng capped the marker and said, "Since President Zhang is so generous and said we don't need to cut corners on the budget, then we won't go for cheap special effects this time. We'll go for costumes, props, and sets to the standards of a regular TV series. Consider this practice for us to make big productions in the future."
Zhang Yibo's eyes lit up when he heard about the big production, and he quickly asked, "Brother Pingsheng, besides these two commercial deals, what about our own filming plans? 'Old Boy' is so popular now, shouldn't we strike while the iron is hot?"
"Of course I'll film it, but not now."
Ren Pingsheng looked at everyone and decided to tell the team the truth.
"We currently have over five million in cash in our accounts, which sounds like a lot, but it's not enough to expand our team, sign artists, provide start-up capital for our management company, and support the production and promotion of a major project."
Bai Ke swallowed hard. "So...?"
"That's why I'm talking about financing."
The studio fell silent for several seconds after the word was uttered.
Da Peng was the first to react, "Who's voting?"
"Tencent and Baidu iQiyi."
He jumped up from his chair, nearly sending the keyboard flying, "What did you say? Penguin?"
"Sit down, sit down," Ren Pingsheng gestured with his hand. "It's still going through the process and hasn't been finalized yet, but the intention has been reached."
""
Zhang Yibo rubbed his hands together, "So, have you decided what to film?"
"Don't rush, let's talk about it after the financing is finalized. You'll have plenty of work to do once the funds are in place."
The phone rang just as he finished speaking.
Speak of the devil, and he appears.
"Mr. Gong, how's everything going on your end?"
Gong Yu's voice on the other end of the phone was tinged with laughter, "It's better than expected. I can't give you specific figures, but 'Old Boys' deserves a lot of credit."
"Mr. Gong, you're too kind. It's iQiyi's platform that's so good."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Gong Yu got down to business: "President Li has agreed to the financing, but the specific investment ratio needs to be confirmed by Tencent before the three parties can sit down and discuss it."
"Okay, I'll confirm a time with Penguin."
"There's one more thing," Gong Yu paused for a moment, "Mr. Han from China Film Group wants to meet with me and specifically asked that you come along."
Han Sanping?
How did the head of China Film Group suddenly notice me?
"Chairman Han also saw the CCTV report, and since China Film Group is currently running a support program for young directors, he's very interested in you," Gong Yu explained. "The meeting is set for tomorrow night at the Yanjing Hotel. Pingsheng, you absolutely have to come to this event."
"Okay, see you tomorrow."
After hanging up the phone, Ren Pingsheng turned around and saw Xiao Ai still holding her phone, looking troubled.
"What's wrong?"
"China Mobile called again. Their offer is to go directly through the central music platform and split the profits 50/50. They're waiting for your reply."
"50/50? That much?" Although Da Peng didn't understand the specific rules of ringback tones, he knew that singers were usually lucky to get 10%.
"It's a lot, but the money isn't easy to get."
Ren Pingsheng quickly went through it in his mind.
The revenue sharing model for ringback tones is quite fixed, with the operator taking the lion's share, usually 50% to 60%, and the remainder split between the content provider and the service provider.
Based on the current momentum of "Old Boys", it is conservatively estimated that it will have tens of millions of downloads.
If word-of-mouth continues to spread, it's not impossible for the company to reach 20 to 30 million.
The problem is that this money is really hard to get.
Launching a ringback tone service involves format transcoding, metadata editing, platform integration, and online testing, as well as subsequent reconciliation and customer service complaint handling. Each step requires human intervention.
Lifeview doesn't even have a dedicated operator; doing all this is just asking for trouble.
The smartest way is to find a professional ringback tone service provider. They will be responsible for the entire operation and service process, and you only need to collect the money.
But this also means that the percentage you actually receive will be cut from 50% to only 20%.
Based on 10 million downloads, that's roughly 4 million.
There are quite a few, but they're far from enough to make one's heart flutter.
This isn't urgent; let Wang Li handle the negotiations first.
The fact that China Mobile took the initiative to approach them shows that Oldboy's value has been recognized; all that's left is to negotiate the price.
"Xiao Ai, you can hang up now. I'll contact them later."
Xiao Ai went to deliver the message with a sigh of relief.
Ren Pingsheng wrote this down in his notebook and drew a circle next to it.
Ringtones are just an appetizer; the real meat is yet to come.
With the immense popularity of "Old Boys," the commercial value of Dapeng and Baike extends far beyond the internet.
Before long, invitations for various commercial performances will come in like snowflakes.
He glanced at Dapeng, who was grinning foolishly at his workstation, and then at Bai Ke across from him.
If these two don't have someone to oversee things for them, they'll be fooled by those unqualified middlemen, and all the reputation they've worked so hard to build will be ruined.
"Baike."
"what?"
Have you received any commercial performance invitations recently?
Bai Ke scratched his head. "There really is. The day before yesterday, a guy added me on QQ. He said he was doing commercial activities and asked me how much my appearance fee was and if I could go to Shanghai to cut a ribbon."
"What did you reply?"
"I didn't agree with it; it doesn't seem very reliable."
"From now on, just pass these kinds of things on to Sister Wang."
Bai Ke was taken aback. "Sister Wang? Tong Liya's agent?"
"Yes, she's joining LifeVision. From now on, all your commercial performances, endorsements, and external collaborations will go through her."
Da Peng also perked up his ears, "Are we under her jurisdiction too?"
"Yes, including you, Xiao Ai, and Qiao Xiang. From now on, for any matters involving external activities, go through Sister Wang first. If Sister Wang is unsure, then report to me."
Da Peng opened his mouth as if to say something, but Ren Pingsheng raised his hand to interrupt him.
"Don't think you don't need it now. When you start getting hundreds of calls a day from random people asking you to do gigs, you'll realize how lucky you are to have an agent."
Dapeng was startled.
"When is Sister Wang coming?"
"I'll come as soon as the formalities are completed, next week at the latest."
Da Peng nodded, but then remembered Zhang Chaoyang's words earlier that "the contract has two more years left," and the excitement on his face diminished.
Ren Pingsheng noticed it and patted him on the shoulder.
"I'm aware of what's going on with you, Mr. Zhang. I'll find an opportunity to talk to you. You can focus on your program, don't neglect your work at Sohu, and don't be absent from things here either. Take care of both, and when the time is right, everything will be settled."
Da Peng nodded vigorously, without saying anything sentimental.
The studio is bustling again.
Ren Pingsheng leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the densely packed list of plans in his notebook.
Changyou's customized dramas need to be scheduled, the three-party financing negotiations need to be advanced, the agency needs to be registered, the ringtone cooperation needs to be discussed, and the ticketing cooperation with Gewara should also be followed up.
And then there's tomorrow night's dinner with Han Sanping.
The head of China Film Group personally sent an invitation and specifically requested his attendance.
This is no ordinary meal.
Who is Han Sanping?
The gatekeeper of China's film industry, who controls more than 70% of the distribution channels for domestic films, has a word that can be worth a hundred words from others when it comes to scheduling films for the Lunar New Year and summer seasons.
If someone asks you to dinner, it's either because they're interested in what you have or because they're interested in you as a person.
Regardless of the type, for Ren Pingsheng, it's a ticket to the cinema.
No matter how high the ceiling for online videos is, it's still just a small pond.
The big screen in the movie theater is the real battlefield.
>