Sister Chang!
This name might not ring as loudly in people's ears as Wang Jinhua, but she is widely recognized in the industry as an elite agent.
Like Wang Jinhua, Chang Jihong belongs to the first generation of professional artist managers in mainland China.
Originally a fine arts major, she entered the film and television industry in the 1980s, working successively as an art director, assistant director, and producer. In the early 1990s, she entered artist management by representing Jiang Wenli.
Later, with a sharp eye for talent, she discovered Sun Li, partnered with Liu Ye, and recruited powerhouse actors such as Yu Nan, Wang Luodan, Huang Xuan, and Yu Shaoqun into her stable.
Over her 20 years in the industry, she has earned a stellar reputation for her dedication, keen insight, integrity, and personal charisma.
Like many first-generation agents, Chang Jihong provided all-encompassing service to her artists. She was so thoughtful that she personally helped organize Liu Ye's birthday party, yet simply ate a bowl of noodles to celebrate her own birthday.
It was precisely because of such wholehearted devotion that the first-generation mainland agents shared such intimate relationships with their artists. Even when Wang Jinhua jumped ship twice, her artists still chose to follow her.
Chang Jihong commanded the same loyalty; Sun Li's very first words upon winning the Golden Eagle Best Actress award were to thank her, and Lu Chuan was deeply moved upon seeing Chang Jihong running around busily preparing for Liu Ye's birthday.
Although these first-generation mainland agents may not have been as specialized as those of later eras, those who managed to rise to the top undeniably possessed a unique personal charisma.
Because she entered the industry early and had worked as an art director, assistant director, and producer, Chang Jihong maintained connections with many entertainment companies in the circle, including Huayi, Enlight Media, and Bona.
Furthermore, directors like Zhao Baogang were old acquaintances of hers, giving her an extensive network.
Not to mention Hairun, where she was currently employed—one of the most renowned film and television production companies in mainland China.
More importantly, she was Jiang Wenli's agent, and had been for nearly twenty years; the bond between the two was extraordinary.
And who was Jiang Wenli?
She was Gu Changwei's wife, and Gu Changwei was one of the representative figures of the Northwestern circle.
Once connected to the Northwestern circle, getting good resources was effortless. Just look at Ma Sichun's resources, or even Ma Sichun's boyfriend, Oohou.
How did someone who placed second in *Super Boy* manage to secure resources in *The Left Ear*, *Legend of the Demon Cat*, *The Bravest*, *The Captain*, *My People, My Country*, *My Country, My Parents*, and *The Battle at Lake Changjin*?
It was precisely through these connections that Oohou managed to build a reputation as a multi-billion-box-office actor, even if none of those roles were as the primary lead.
The same went for Huang Xuan. He had previously been repeatedly replaced in roles, but after catching Jiang Wenli's eye and being signed by Chang Jihong, Huang Xuan shot to fame, and all sorts of resources came pouring in!
Of course, the support of Chang Jihong and Jiang Wenli was only one aspect; the artist himself also had to work hard and deliver results. Otherwise, you would be like mud that couldn't be plastered onto a wall, and you could only blame yourself for being utterly useless.
Chen Jing was not worried about this, as he possessed a golden finger.
There was another point: under Chang Jihong's command was an agent named Yang Tianzhen, who would later be hailed as a marketing genius in the entertainment industry.
At this time, she was the deputy general manager of Fan Bingbing Studio. Fan Bingbing's ability to maintain the highest level of buzz in the industry after establishing her own studio owed a massive debt to Yang Tianzhen's contributions.
Later on, Yang Tianzhen also collaborated with artists like Lu Han, Zhang Yixing, and Zhang Yuqi, and her marketing prowess was truly exceptional.
Although Yang Tianzhen was currently the deputy general manager of Fan Bingbing Studio, she was still an agent under Chang Jihong and had not yet left to found Oneart Entertainment.
Chang Jihong was a person who offered attentive service and possessed vast connections, yet she was not overly domineering. Crucially, she was steady enough that none of her managed artists ever suffered a major career derailment.
With Chang Jihong taking charge of the overall situation, coupled with Yang Tianzhen handling marketing, and topped off by Chen Jing's own golden finger, this was absolute perfection!
Therefore, it did not take Chen Jing long to make his decision: he chose Chang Jihong.
Soon, Chen Jing contacted her and arranged a time and place to meet. As for various endorsement deals and collaborations, Chen Jing felt it would be better to wait until the management contract was signed.
On one hand, this avoided potential loopholes in the contract and prevented him from being scammed; on the other hand, it served as a gesture of sincerity for Chen Jing's cooperation with Chang Jihong.
Before long, Chen Jing and Chang Jihong met.
They had agreed to meet one hour later at the coffee shop of the hotel where Chen Jing was staying.
"Hello, Chen Jing, I am Chang Jihong!"
A slightly plump, medium-height middle-aged woman approached Chen Jing, smiling as she extended her hand.
Upon hearing this, Chen Jing hurriedly stood up, shook her hand with both hands, lowered his head slightly, and smiled, saying, "Hello, Sister Chang, I am Chen Jing."
Seeing this, Chang Jihong raised an eyebrow and nodded slightly. Her first impression of Chen Jing was favorable: young, handsome, popular, yet unarrogant.
After exchanging a few more polite pleasantries, the two began formal negotiations.
"I am very glad to have received your call, because there are certainly many people and companies eager to sign you right now," Chang Jihong smiled. "And the fact that you chose me shows that you see value in me, so let's speak frankly and openly. If it's a fit, we cooperate; even if it's not, we can still become friends."
Hearing this, Chen Jing nodded. "Then, Sister Chang, should I first talk about my own plans?"
Chang Jihong smiled and nodded.
"Sister Chang, I come from a singing and dancing idol background, so I will always persist in music; that is the key to maintaining my popularity," Chen Jing said. "By seeking you out, I am hoping more to leverage your connections to introduce me to film and television resources, especially in movies. Now that the mainland music market is struggling, transitioning into acting has become inevitable, and this is also my future development direction. Also, to be honest, I have already established my own studio, and I hope to sign with you in the form of a studio, with you managing all my agency affairs. However, I require a certain degree of autonomy, including the right to decline certain collaborations, such as scripts and commercial endorsements. Aside from helping me introduce resources, if there are resources I specifically want, I hope you will also try your best to fight for them. Regarding the maintenance of my personal image and marketing, I hope you will let Yang Tianzhen be in charge..."
Five years was neither long nor short; when the contract expired, it would be 2015—the very year when the Four Top Traffic Stars converged, and the peak of the mainland entertainment industry's development.
Over those five years, with the backing of Chang Jihong's connections, Chen Jing would have enough time to establish a firm foothold in the film and television industry. By the time the traffic era dawned and the contract expired, that would be the moment Chen Jing reaped massive profits.
In this circle, having popularity alone without resource backing was nothing more than a flash in the pan; before long, you could fall off your pedestal.
If you wanted to remain permanently at the pinnacle of traffic, you could not do without a continuous stream of quality resources.
Moreover, if you stood alone and isolated, you could easily be intercepted by large companies or well-connected agents during competition. Huang Xuan was a cautionary example.
Do not try to hog everything; win-win is the ultimate truth.
Once you truly developed and grew strong enough, you could act entirely according to your own will.
Hearing this, Chang Jihong nodded, took a careful look at Chen Jing, and then spoke directly: "I can agree to the rest. However, although you are popular, you are still a newcomer, and you haven't yet proven your earning power."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jing smiled, "Our group is famous all over Asia, and our money-making ability even surpasses TVXQ. We are SM's most profitable group this year."
Chang Jihong smiled. "You can't look at it that way. That was a group, but now you have gone solo. Perhaps you feel that you are popular now and that there are many endorsement sponsors and commercial shows looking for you, but without a company helping you arrange everything, your popularity cannot last. Furthermore, when I and the company use our connections and relationships to find resources, while also handling all your promotions and marketing, it all costs money. It's not something that can be done just by flapping one's gums."
Chen Jing naturally knew this as well. For instance, Li Yuchun—the phenomenal Super Girl of her time—only had a 40-60 split, and the trainee idols launched by companies later on got even less.
Others like Zhao Xiaoying cooperating with Huang Bin initially took very little; didn't they value the other party's marketing capabilities and resources in hand?
Besides, if you had no resources, even if you were given 100 percent, you wouldn't make even 10 percent of what someone else could.
Let alone in 2009, when mainland traffic idols had not yet officially been born. For Han Geng and Chen Jing, there were no industry precedents to reference, and no fixed benchmarks!
"Of course, this split ratio is not set in stone," Chang Jihong said, looking at the contemplative Chen Jing. "As long as you prove your earning power, we can readjust it during the contract period. We can write this into the contract."
Hearing this, Chen Jing nodded.
Agreeing to adjust the split ratio showed that Chang Jihong was optimistic about Chen Jing. After all, ordinary companies, once a rate was fixed, would be unwilling to change it, because that could mean losses amounting to tens of millions.
"Happy cooperation!"