novellhall Chapter 6 Buy a Paparazzi to Play With
Chapter 6 Buy a Paparazzi to Play With
At this moment, Zou Wenhuai truly began to value the person before him.
A person who is not blinded by immediate gains and can decisively give up those gains often has greater aspirations and ambitions, which reminded him of himself.
When Bruce Lee returned to Hong Kong last year, the cinema chain he wanted to collaborate with wasn't Golden Harvest, but rather Shaw Brothers, the dominant force in Hong Kong cinema!
Unfortunately, while Bruce Lee asked for $10,000 per film, Shaw Brothers only offered $2000 per film, allowing Golden Harvest to snag a bargain by making two films for $15,000 each.
After the film's huge success, people in Hong Kong said that Shaw Brothers was stingy and missed out on the gem that was Bruce Lee.
Zou Wenhuai, who had worked for Shaw Brothers for eleven years, knew that it wasn't that Shaw Yifu was stingy, but rather that a large ship is difficult to turn around.
Shaw Brothers Studio was a large and powerful company.
If changes are made for an individual, wouldn't all of his employees have to be paid more? Even Dillon's monthly salary is only HK$800.
Although "The Big Boss" was the box office champion last year and broke the highest box office record in Hong Kong, Shaw Brothers dominated seven of the top ten box office hits in Hong Kong last year.
In terms of the number of profitable films, production costs, number of theaters, and overseas distribution capabilities, Shaw Brothers far surpasses Golden Harvest. Making changes would be tantamount to undermining its own foundation.
If Golden Harvest wants to overtake Shaw Brothers, it has to take a risky approach. One Bruce Lee is not enough to turn the tide; it needs more outliers that Shaw Brothers cannot tolerate.
This mad dog, with a belly blacker than inkwell, would not be tolerated by Shaw Brothers, making him a natural ally of Golden Harvest.
"good!"
Zou Wenhuai slammed his hand on the table, stood up, found the IOU, tore it to shreds, and said, "Since that's the case, I can't be insincere. You don't need to pay the guarantee fee and the outstanding amount. Once the agreement is signed, I'll have the finance department transfer it to you immediately."
"Thank you, Uncle Zou!"
"Haha! Let's get rich together!"
"…………"
After signing the contract, Zou Wenhuai finally understood that there is indeed a difference between getting something for nothing and getting something for free. The former is that you are happy but I am not happy, while the latter is that you are happy and I am happy.
They exchanged a few compliments, but neither took them to heart.
Whether it was Chen Guanjiang tearing up the negatives or Zou Wenhuai ripping up the IOU and guarantee fee contract, it was all just a matter of the money coming from the consumer's pocket. The only thing that truly brought the two parties together was their interests.
Zou Wenhuai personally poured him tea and asked, "Ah Jiang, what are your plans now that you've come down here?"
"I'm thinking of buying a puppy to play with!"
"I'm asking what movie you're going to be filming next..."
"Let's not make movies for now."
Chen Guanjiang toyed with his teacup and said, "I'm thinking of acquiring a newspaper. Uncle Zou, do you have any good recommendations?"
Media and entertainment are inseparable. This head of Golden Harvest majored in journalism and worked for newspapers such as Shen Bao, Nan Hua Yi Bao, and Hu Wen Yi Bao. He also has a deep understanding of Hong Kong's print media.
Zou Wenhuai asked in surprise, "Why did you decide to start a newspaper? Take my advice, this industry is too murky for you to handle. You can only make big money making movies!"
Print media... is indeed a sunset industry, and it won't be long before it is defeated by digital media. Satellite TV will be directly crushed as well.
Movies... are indeed very profitable, but the real money is made by theaters. Production companies without theaters are at the mercy of others.
Golden Harvest is only now showing friendliness to production companies because it is under pressure from Shaw Brothers and cannot produce enough films to meet the screening needs of its own theaters.
If they become strong enough to surpass Shaw Brothers, they will also exploit production companies. It's best to keep your future in your own hands.
The dragon-slaying hero eventually becomes the dragon himself; all capitalists are the same, their good and evil actions are merely driven by profit.
"I know this industry is fraught with difficulties, and I have no intention of getting involved in traditional media..."
Chen Guanjiang said, half-truthfully, "I'm planning to start a newspaper that specializes in the entertainment industry, publishing tabloids that expose the private lives of celebrities and actors."
"Exposing your privacy... You don't have a backup, do you?"
Zou Wenhuai looked at the torn negatives on the ground, then at the shredded IOU and guarantee fee contract, as well as the contract he had just signed, and fell into deep thought.
"How could that be? People from Hong Kong don't lie to other people from Hong Kong!"
Chen Guanjiang deliberately steered the conversation, saying, "Uncle Zou, who currently has the most celebrities in Hong Kong? Whom would be most harmed if I started an entertainment tabloid?"
Golden Harvest was established less than three years ago. Among male stars, only Li Xiaolong was the mainstay, and among female stars, only Miao Kexiu was the face of the business. The rest were just a few big and small talents, not even enough to make a dish.
Shaw Brothers not only had two leading stars, David Chiang and Dillon, but also a host of beautiful actresses such as the "New Twelve Beauties," which had long created internal conflicts within the director's faction, and there was no end to the explosive revelations.
A newspaper focused on gossip couldn't fill its pages even with the help of Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest; it even needed to bring in TVB and RTV.
Thinking of this, Zou Wenhuai smiled knowingly and said, "Then we'll have many opportunities to cooperate in the future."
"No need for later, it's available now!"
Chen Guanjiang immediately seized the opportunity, saying, "No one is more suitable for the opening interview of the newspaper than Li Xiaolong..."
"Li Xiaolong...that's difficult."
Zou Wenhuai shook his head: "Jiahe and Li Xiaolong are not in a contractual relationship; we need his personal consent."
Actors typically sign contracts with production companies or theater chains before they get the chance to appear on the big screen and become stars, but they also lose their autonomy and are easily manipulated by capital.
However, Li Xiaolong was an exception. He was already famous and had his own media attention when he returned to Hong Kong, and he never really respected Golden Harvest.
Now that he has become a big star, he has established his own production company and is a partner of Golden Harvest, not a superior-subordinate relationship.
To be precise, Golden Harvest relied more on Li Xiaolong to survive the suppression from Shaw Brothers.
Chen Guanjiang, settling for second best, asked, "Is Miao Kexiu alright?"
The term "Jiahe" comes from the Book of Documents (Shangshu), specifically the chapter "Guihe," and is considered one of the auspicious omens of a bountiful harvest for agricultural societies.
The Book of Song, Treatise on Auspicious Omens, states: "Auspicious grains are the chief of the five grains. When the virtue of the ruler is abundant, both types of grains will flourish together."
Miao Kexiu's real name is Chen Yongmin. It was Zou Wenhuai who asked Jin Yong to give her the stage name. She can be said to be Golden Harvest's "daughter".
They rented a huge GG billboard in Daimaru Department Store in Causeway Bay and displayed her photo for half a year, with the three big words "Who is she?" written on it. It can be said that she became famous before the film was even shot.
Miao Kexiu has now starred as the female lead in three of Bruce Lee's films, making her one of the most sought-after actresses in Hong Kong.
"OK!"
With a smile, Zou Wenhuai said with a double meaning, "A dog magazine that Golden Harvest once collaborated with is looking to sell. It sells about 5000 copies a day, and we can discuss the price of HK$12."
"12...okay!" Chen Guanjiang frowned.
A tabloid with daily circulation of 5,000 copies is worth only around HK$90,000, but in order to have media backing to quickly snowball the business, they had no choice but to accept it.
"HK$12 is not a small amount..."
Zou Wenhuai adjusted his glasses and said, "With Golden Harvest investing HK$5 and using Miao Kexiu's exclusive interview rights, getting a 30% stake shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Chen Guanjiang was taken aback for a moment, then gritted his teeth and laughed, "Sure! Of course you're welcome, we're partners!"