Feature Shows Extravaganza - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Saving TBS, the Traitor

Translator: Henyee Translations

Editor: Henyee Translations

It was impossible to avoid something like following trends.

After all, money was at stake here and everyone wanted it as badly as everyone else.

However, they were probably going to be disappointed.

Feature shows didn’t belong to just one person and although anyone could make one themselves, making a good show was much more difficult than one could imagine.

Bendai had a lot of feature show “cash cows”, but the company had bought most of the copyrights from elsewhere. As for creating something of their own…

It would be a mission impossible for Bendai!

It was the same thing with Disney. The princesses and Mickey Mouse had been the company’s main revenue source during the early stages. Why didn’t they try to create more revenue sources?

They certainly had tried!

For years, Disney had been trying to make more “backbones” for the company; however, no matter how much money they threw around, they still couldn’t get what they wanted.

Since they couldn’t have a child of their own, Disney did what Bendai did: they bought someone else’s kids and raised the kids themselves.

Hence came Pixar, the “adopted kid”…

Hasbro was no different from the other two.

Despite how fertile the company’s name sounded in Chinese, it remained “barren”.

From the beginning to the end, apart from Transformers, none of the intellectual properties the company owned were their own creation. Things like Star Wars and G.I. Joe were all purchased from other companies.

If one were to get to the bottom of everything, even Transformers wasn’t created by Hasbro alone. The “baby” had a Japanese dad.

Aofei Anime was one of the more “fertile” companies in this country. The kids might not have been as pretty as those from the neighboring country, but at least they were the company’s own.

Even a company as “fertile” as Aofei couldn’t keep popping out kids as it “aged”. As a result, the company had to start “adopting” children.

Hence the Four Wheel series, the Race-Tin series, the Orbots series, the Mecha Beast series, the transformed hero (Balala the Fairies, Electro Kids, Armor Hero) series, and the yo-yo series.

Aofei had a lot of “kids”. Although most of them weren’t all that presentable and some of them might have had dubious origins, they had more copyright works than any other companies in the country.

The companies above had all made feature shows and profited from them.

So, why did they spend money buying “kids” from other companies?

Couldn’t Aofei make kids of their own?

One should have learned from past mistakes!

Meng Lang had succeeded because the shows he made were successful works that had been recognized by the market in another universe.

But other directors didn’t have the same resources.

If they started making a show without any preparation, they would fail before they could say the word.

Unlike what adults assumed, kids weren’t that easily fooled.

People were right when they said that kids were the type of audience who were the hardest to please. They would watch a feature show if they liked it but they would switch channels right away if they didn’t.

Whether it was an animation show or a live-action feature show, anything that could attract kids’ was very impressive.

Even “Pleasant Goat and Big, Big Wolf” and “Boonie Bears”, the shows that had been trashed repeatedly, were very impressive works.

TBS couldn’t agree with Meng Lang more!

The channel couldn’t have kids of its own, which was why it came to Meng Lang to borrow his.

After all, the Meng Family seemed to be quite fertile.

“Since they have so many kids, I’m sure they won’t mind that we, TBS, borrow a kid from them.”

…

“Guys, what do you think of this project with TBS?”

Meng Lang initiated the first meeting after the Chinese New Year vacation. All employees of Pengda Pictures over P4 were required to attend the meeting.

As for the agenda, it was about a proposal TBS made for Pengda Pictures.

As for the project itself, well, it could be summarised in a few words. “You have a great kid and TBS likes it. Just tell me, how much money will it take you to sell the kid to me?”

Ahem…

Jokes aside, what TBS really wanted was Balala the Fairies, the latest hit show.

However, they didn’t want to broadcast the show as it was in Japan, for the last time they broadcasted Blazing Teens that way, they were drowned in media criticism.

It was common knowledge in Japan now —

TBS was a traitor!

Although the criticism wouldn’t affect the channel’s core business, TBS’s senior management team still didn’t like it.

Hence, they became smarter this time.

Since they were still going to purchase the show like a “traitor” would, they still wanted to put up a disguise. If they were going to play the traitor, they’d better be professional about it.

TBS had come up with a joint project.

In it, TBS proposed to purchase Balala the Fairies’ broadcasting and remaking rights. Based on the original version, they would hire Japanese screenwriters to create a Japanese version of the story before making it into a new show. Pengda Pictures would have the supervisory authority, the “sharing custody” of the new show, with TBS.

“I think we should take TBS’s offer.”

“So do I!”

Wang Kui and Du Fang gave their opinions one after another, which made Ma Teng, the Marketing Director, uneasy. He immediately said, “I agree, too!”

“Good! Director Ma, since you’re the head of the marketing department, why don’t you give us your reasons?” said Meng Lang.

Ma Teng gave Meng Lang a resentful look.

“Why me?

“Old Wang and Sister Du said the same thing.”

However, the boss had spoken and he had to obey.

After putting his thoughts together, Ma Teng rose to his feet and gave his analysis to the rest of the participants in the meeting. “Here’s what I think. Japan is the foreign market that we’ve performed the best in so far, for both the peripheral products and the TV works. The achievements we made there have far exceeded those in other regions. Of course, it was all because of Director Meng’s great vision and his strategy at an early stage…”

Strategy my ass!

All the other employees vented their sarcasm inwardly, amazed at how much of a sycophant this new Marketing Director was.

It was common knowledge that TBS had come to Pengda first, but the way Director Ma put it, the “oh so wise” Director Meng had made some sort of strategy in advance.

That was why Ma Teng was the director while the others weren’t. Just looking at the expression on Director Meng’s face, he couldn’t stop grinning.

Ma Teng had no idea what his coworkers were thinking and only went on talking. “The Japanese market indeed doesn’t take foreign brands well. They’re alright with occasional ones, but if it happens repeatedly, TBS might face some issues…”

He didn’t point out what issues there could be, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out what he was getting at. What other issue could it be apart from having to deal with the authorities?

“Because of that, I think we should take TBS’s offer. No matter what kind of joint project it is, we’ll always have the copyrights.”

Ma Teng used to work for internet companies and was more adaptable than the rest of the people here. Apart from the project, he also made a suggestion of his own.

“We can make use of this joint project with TBS, setting up our own base in Japan and work from there…”

Meng Lang’s eyes lit up.

Ma Teng really was a capable man. While he may have been a sycophant, he didn’t become a marketing director without having had something up his sleeves.

For instance, the suggestion of making a Japanese branch with the help of TBS was worth trying!

Why did the Japanese media and public deem TBS a “traitor”?

It was an opposition toward foreign things. Once Pengda set up a Japanese base and “disguised” itself as a Japanese company, they would become one of their own.

Afterward, the media couldn’t call TBS a traitor anymore.

That way, they would be helping TBS as well.

Hence…

Meng Lang nodded and said, “That’s a plausible plan. The marketing department should start working on a business plan and we’ll name it ‘Saving TBS the Traitor’ for the time being!”

The employees were speechless.

Seriously?