EFB Chapter 23 The Second Generation Huang Rong, Michelle Yim!
Chapter 23 The Second Generation Huang Rong, Michelle Yim!
The movie starring Jackie Chan was soon officially released in theaters.
Everything proceeded steadily according to the original plan, and the film was eventually titled "Snake-like Cat Paws".
The plot of the entire film has actually undergone a lot of adjustments and changes, mainly because Gu Yuhan made a lot of demands. He not only required the script to have sufficient intellectual depth, but also added a lot of action-comedy scenes.
After its release, the film's box office soared, reaching HK$8.32 million.
This remarkable achievement is inseparable from the strong support of Golden Harvest and Golden Princess cinema chains.
With both major cinema chains simultaneously scheduling screenings and providing full support, it's no surprise that they achieved such box office figures; at the time, it was quite astonishing.
If this box office performance had been achieved in 1977, it would have definitely secured the title of the year's box office champion. It's just a pity that this year it narrowly lost to "Happy Ghost".
However, Gu Yuhan was not in a hurry at all.
Jackie Chan's true trump card is yet to come: *Drunken Master*. According to the release schedule, *The Young Master* and *Happy Ghost 2* will be released around Christmas, followed by the highly anticipated *Drunken Master 1* during the Spring Festival.
A brand new golden age for Hong Kong cinema has truly begun.
However, just as the film market was booming, a rather unusual event occurred in Hong Kong's entertainment industry.
CTV has officially announced its closure!
While CTV may not be well-known in mainland China, it left a fleeting mark on the history of television development in Hong Kong. At 6:9 PM on September 7, 1975, CTV, Hong Kong's third free-to-air television broadcasting organization, officially began broadcasting.
The launch ceremony was very simple, with only brief speeches from General Manager He Zuozhi, Program Manager Sun Yubiao, and News Manager Pan Chaoyan, before the evening's program began.
The most anticipated program of the evening was undoubtedly the large-scale song and dance show, "Auspicious Times." This show lasted a full hour and featured guests including Sam Hui, Kenneth Tsang, and Judy Ongg, who later became a huge star in Japan.
The performance alone, featuring Judy Ongg, lasted 45 minutes. All of her dancers were from Japan, and even the choreographers and co-choreographers responsible for her performance flew in from Japan specifically for the occasion. It is said that He Zuozhi attached great importance to this program, personally participating in the entire planning process, and even making four separate trips to Japan to finalize the performance details.
The reason for CTV's collapse is actually not complicated. One of the conditions attached when the government issued the television license was that CTV had to allocate some time slots to broadcast educational programs. This was an important reason why CTV could never achieve a balance between income and expenditure, and it was also one of the final straws that broke its back.
Although CTV only existed for a short three years, it produced fifty or sixty TV series, which was quite a high output in the Hong Kong television industry in the 70s.
This period saw the production of many classic works, such as Hong Kong's first Jin Yong martial arts drama series—"The Legend of the Condor Heroes" starring Michelle Yim—which was produced by CTV and caused a huge sensation in Hong Kong upon its broadcast. Subsequently, CTV produced several other Jin Yong dramas, including "The Return of the Condor Heroes," "The Sword Stained with Royal Blood," and "The Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain." Unfortunately, due to its early closure, these works are still not well-known to many mainland Chinese audiences.
"It went bankrupt?" Gu Yuhan looked at Zhou Jun standing in front of him and asked, "When exactly did it happen?"
"Just recently, they officially announced their bankruptcy and liquidation!" Zhou Jun said rapidly. "Young Master Yu, our Oriental Entertainment is currently short-staffed; we don't have nearly enough artists. What do you think, shouldn't we take this opportunity to make a quick buck? Especially that Michelle Yim, I've taken a special look at her; she's incredibly beautiful, Young Master Yu, you'll definitely like her!"
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Gu Yuhan glared at Zhou Jun. "Do you think I'm the kind of person who only cares about appearances? I pursue pure art. Do you even know what art is?"
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Zhou Jun hurriedly nodded and bowed, saying, "How could a commoner like me know anything about art? Only someone as important as Young Master Yu would understand. How about I arrange for her to come and meet you later, and you can give her some pointers on art!"
Looking at Zhou Jun's fawning expression, Gu Yuhan couldn't help but smile: "You're really getting better and better at handling things!"
The current general manager of Oriental Entertainment Company is none other than Zhou Jun, who is standing right in front of us.
This kid's greatest strength is his exceptionally keen sense of smell; he's adept at understanding his superiors' thoughts. As Gu Yuhan's most trusted confidant, he's always been there to serve him comfortably. Seeing that he was quite clever, Gu Yuhan simply handed him the position of general manager of Oriental Entertainment.
Although Zhou Jun is still in school, his academic performance is truly appalling. Forget being at the top of his class, it's downright terrible; he consistently ranks last in his class. His greatest talent in life is flattery.
He devoted himself to the task of serving Gu Yuhan well, and studied it thoroughly.
Of course, Gu Yuhan didn't treat him unfairly. He not only made him the general manager of Oriental Entertainment, but also gave him a generous fixed dividend every year. As for Zhou Jun's complete lack of knowledge about company management, Gu Yuhan didn't care. He could take him under his wing and train him gradually.
After all, no one is born knowing how to do business; skills are developed gradually.
As soon as this guy took office, the first thing he did was to categorize and rate the female artists in the company, specifically picking out those girls who met Gu Yuhan's aesthetic standards, and then waving money around to search for beauties.
The methods are nothing more than the same two: either poach people from other companies with high salaries, or send out a large number of talent scouts to discover new talents on the streets and alleys.
In addition, he also set up an Oriental Artists Training Class, modeled after TVB. If he didn't still not have his own television station, he probably would have directly organized a beauty pageant to select beauties specifically for Gu Yuhan.
Surprisingly, this young man gradually figured out some tricks of the trade in the company's daily operations. After all, he's young and quick-witted, and after Gu Yuhan had established a sound company system framework, he was able to manage all the affairs in an orderly manner.
It has to be said, he's a born sycophant.
Even Gu Yuhan himself was amused by his "dedication".
"Besides Michelle, do you have any other thoughts?" Gu Yuhan asked Zhou Jun. "I mean, what's your overall view on Jiayi's closure?"
Zhou Jun immediately chimed in, "Young Master Yu, I think these people from Jiayi TV have a wealth of industry experience, and they'll definitely be useful if we keep them. My idea is, let's just take them all in. Right now, film companies of all sizes are coming to us every day seeking collaborations, and we simply don't have enough actors. This is a perfect opportunity to sign a group of talented actors. As for the other behind-the-scenes staff, we can keep them for now and see how they go; maybe there are some talented directors or producers hidden among them!"
Gu Yuhan nodded thoughtfully: "Go on."
Zhou Jun continued, "These people have been working in the industry for several years and are very experienced. Moreover, we don't have to worry about not having projects right now. We can arrange them to work on various film and television crews and make the best use of their talents."
"You've got some ideas, kid!" Gu Yuhan said with a smile. "Then I'll leave this to you. Talk to them properly."
"No problem! Don't worry, Young Master Yu, I promise I won't let you down!" Zhou Jun's speech was still very fast, his face full of excitement.
"Go ahead," Gu Yuhan said calmly. "I'll give you a budget of ten million Hong Kong dollars." Gu Yuhan had to admit to himself that Zhou Jun was indeed an impeccable lackey.
Of course, don't expect such a person to be loyal to you.
If he ever loses his current wealth and status, this kid will definitely run faster than a rabbit.
But in Gu Yuhan's view, what was the point of demanding absolute loyalty from him? As long as he could meet his various needs and get things done, that was enough. In the world of capital, he was just an employee; how could one expect an employee to be completely devoted to his boss?
That's an absolute joke.
The problem of capital should naturally be solved using the method of capital.
However, Zhou Jun's abilities still surprised Gu Yuhan somewhat. This kid is indeed very quick-witted and has a certain vision and perspective; he could be given more responsibility in the film and television industry.
Of course, he's completely out of the loop when it comes to financial investment.
Zhou Jun is indeed very efficient.
No sooner had Jiayi TV declared bankruptcy than he arrived with a large sum of money and began a large-scale takeover of Jiayi's employees.
After all, money is the last thing Gu Yuhan has to worry about right now.
Moreover, what truly attracts these Jia Yi employees is Oriental Entertainment's unique compensation system.
As long as you have enough strength and industry standing, you can get a B-level contract and earn long-term copyright revenue from your past works.
Actually, Michelle has no trouble finding a job.
After all, she was the undisputed leading lady of CTV (Commercial Television), and her role in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" earned her the reputation of "Oriental Saintess." In the Hong Kong television industry at the time, only Liza Wang, the "Big Sister" of TVB, could stand on equal footing with her.
During her time at CTV, Michelle Yim starred in numerous popular dramas, including *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*, *The Return of the Condor Heroes*, *Dream of the Red Chamber*, and *The Legend of Sui and Tang Dynasties*. After CTV's closure, she could easily have moved between TVB and ATV, and acting opportunities would certainly have been plentiful. However, these were only temporary. What truly attracted Michelle Yim was the long-term, stable compensation that Oriental Entertainment could offer.
No one can stay popular forever. No matter how popular you are now, you will eventually fade into obscurity.
The best option is to capitalize on their current popularity and produce several high-quality works to build a solid foundation. This way, whether it's re-airing the series or developing related merchandise, they can generate a steady stream of income.
Gu Yuhan now has enough strength and resources to take over a large number of employees at Jiayi in one fell swoop.
Gu Yuhan is currently planning to acquire ATV after making a fortune from the upcoming second oil crisis. With his own television station, absorbing the talent pool from CTV will be no problem at all.
……
……
"Sister Michelle, you really should consider our proposal!"
As Zhou Jun leisurely sipped his coffee, he said, "You can see the sincerity of Oriental Entertainment."
Michelle fell into deep thought for a long time before slowly asking, "If I join Oriental Entertainment, will I be able to play the leading role in movies? Will there be a place for me in your film projects?"
"Of course!" Zhou Jun said with a smile, "You're now a household name as the 'Oriental Saintess,' and countless viewers are willing to go to the cinema for you. We'll tailor-make a script specifically for you, and our company plans to shoot several films with female-centric themes. I believe that with your abilities, you're absolutely capable of playing the leading lady!"
"What level of contract can I get?" Michelle asked directly, getting straight to the point.
"A B-level contract, the same level as Mr. Wong Pak-ming, who is currently also a B-level contracted artist with our company!" Zhou Jun said with a smile, "What do you think of these terms?"
Gu Yuhan has made some adjustments to the B-level contracts offered by Oriental Entertainment. It's not that signing a B-level contract guarantees a 5% share of box office revenue; the specific percentage depends on the actual box office performance of the film in which you star.
The current box office benchmark is five million Hong Kong dollars. In a few years, this benchmark may be raised to ten million or even twenty million.
The highest dividend payout ratio is 5%, and the lowest is 1%.
Similarly, the profit-sharing standards for Class A contracts have also been adjusted accordingly.
This was also to give himself extra insurance; Gu Yuhan didn't want to be taken advantage of. Even so, a minimum 1% commission was guaranteed, which was considered very generous in the entire Hong Kong entertainment industry.
Michelle lowered her head and pondered for a moment, then raised her head, nodded, and said, "I can accept this condition."
"Don't rush to agree," Zhou Jun said with a smile. "There's something else I need to tell you. You've probably heard of my boss, Mr. Gu Yuhan, haven't you?"
Michelle nodded: "Of course I know. The media calls him the man who opened a new chapter for Hong Kong cinema."
Zhou Jun laughed: "That's right. Actually, Mr. Gu has always admired Ms. Michelle. I wonder if Ms. Michelle would be interested in having dinner with Mr. Gu?"
Michelle was slightly taken aback; she could certainly understand the implication behind Zhou Jun's words.
"Actually, Mr. Gu is a really nice person."
Zhou Jun smiled and continued, "The Sunshine Group is now thriving, and even Hutchison Whampoa is in Mr. Gu's acquisition plans. In Hong Kong, very few people dare to mess with Mr. Gu. Sister Michelle, you know that in our line of work, we inevitably encounter all sorts of troubles. If you're willing, I believe Mr. Gu will definitely give you more resources, and no one will dare to bother you again. Don't you agree?"
"alright."
Michelle looked up at Zhou Jun and slowly said, "Then I'd like to trouble Mr. Zhou to introduce me to Mr. Gu."