Text | Xiang Rong
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On March 28, 2022, the former chairman and CEO of Perfect World Pictures, Incorruptible, died of illness in the United States at the age of 48.
Earlier in the same day, Perfect World issued an announcement that Due to health reasons, Integrity applied to resign as co-CEO of the company, and after resigning, Integrity will continue to hold relevant positions in the company's subsidiaries.
In the mouth of industry insiders familiar with him, integrity is the perfect CEO - this sentence has two meanings, one is that in the more than 5 years he has been in charge of Perfect World Film and Television, the company has always maintained a relatively stable development of the business, overseas investment and cooperation in the industry, quite methodical; on the other hand, he is humble, there is no shelf, "is the kind of boss who will run with employees in the morning" and "is a good person".
Reporters who interviewed him recalled that the incorruptible office was lined with fitness equipment, and the uncut apples on the table were wrapped in plastic wrap and placed on the plate with a fruit knife. Everything is in order, as he has always given the impression, polite, low-key and steady style, "very different from the general film and television circle people who do business".
That interview was in March 2017, five months ago, when Incorruptible had just become the CEO of Perfect World Pictures — at the age of 43, in the middle of the year of the fight, the entertainment industry was booming, and the future was full of imagination. He popped up a word or two from time to time in an interview, a mark left by years of living overseas, and he said that joining Perfect World was a transformational opportunity that "you will regret for the rest of your life if you don't grasp it."
More than one reporter praised him for his elegant temperament and dignified appearance. "Variety News" said that the boss of the film and television industry is either a strong atmosphere of jianghu, or the artist's style is paranoid and proud, and incorruptibility is like a clear stream in it, "the humble and gentle temperament makes people feel like a spring breeze." At the beginning of 2020, he participated in the annual ceremony of Tencent Entertainment White Paper, awarding honors to actors Song Jia and Du Jiang. The staff in charge of the reception recalled that the integrity was very cooperative throughout the whole process, and after the event, he specially sent a text message to the staff to express his gratitude. When taking the promotional photo, he quickly confirmed the photo, did not ask for any retouching, and "it is true that there is no need to retouch the picture."
Before entering the film and television industry, Integrity worked in investment banking for 15 years. During his 9 years in the investment banking department of Goldman Sachs, he helped Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, New Oriental, Bank of China, Shanda Games, Ping An of China and other companies complete THEIR IPOs. Now it seems that this work experience has indeed injected him with some temperament that is not the same as the entertainment industry - as he himself said, "Treat people and things with a little more emotional, and manage the company rationally." ”
He is extremely sensitive to risk control. In 2019, he mentioned in an interview that the capital market has no regret medicine, and there must be a sense of awe. "I come from a capital background, and I think about the worst when I do anything. I have to spend money to make a TV series, and after doing a detailed analysis, what is the most pessimistic return that the team has done for me? What is the highest return? Think clearly about the risks you can take, and do it. He said that many entrepreneurs understand this truth, and the key is to endure loneliness.
He is also more pragmatic. In those years when hot money poured into the entertainment industry and film and television projects were often hundreds of millions, Incorruptibility once lamented that now China's capital game has become somewhat flavorful, "Capital can be played, but it cannot be empty to play capital, and it is very important to honestly do performance and do company." ”
After joining Perfect World Pictures, he maintained a high work intensity. In his first year as CEO, he often went to bed at two or three o'clock in the morning and got up at seven or eight o'clock, but when he received the media and collaborators, he was still energetic and smiling. He once revealed to the media that every day when he opened his eyes, he "thought about his career and his team, and he felt very happy."
The day after announcing his appointment, he met with Zeng Jia, chairman of Jiaxing Media, and several partners. As a senior investor, Integrity is decisive in its judgment. The two sides communicated for the first time, and after only a few hours of talking, he determined the intention of cooperation. In April 2017, Perfect World announced that its buyout fund had acquired a 10% stake in Jiaxing Media for RMB500 million.
Zhao Ruoyao, vice chairman of Jiaxing Media, said that he and Incorruption appreciate each other and "see each other and hate each other". Similarly, Ellen, president of Weixiu Asia, said. Weixiu Entertainment, the parent company of Weixiu Asia, is a Hollywood film entertainment company with a strong Australian gene, and it is also a close partner of Warner Bros. and Sony for many years, and many familiar works - "The Matrix" and "Mad Max" are from Weixiu Entertainment. Weixiu Asia hopes to work with local Chinese companies, but has not been successful. At the end of 2016, Ellen met Incorruptible at the cocktail party, and the two "hit it off at first sight" and negotiated cooperation in only 7 months.
In June 2017, Perfect World Pictures, Weixiu Entertainment Group, and WME | IMG China held a joint press conference at the Shanghai Film Festival to officially announce the joint establishment of Perfect Weixiu Entertainment Group. Based on the creation of Chinese local culture and IP adaptation, the company produces Chinese films with international standards. The first work produced by Perfect Weixiu is "Shadow" directed by Zhang Yimou.
In many articles and speeches published by Incorruptible, it is not difficult to see his great confidence in China's film and television going to sea. On August 3, 2017, he published a signed article in the People's Daily entitled "Bamboo in the Chest, Creating a New Classic", talking about the 2000 release of Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" in North America, he studied in the United States, invited his classmates to watch 8 consecutive times, the scene was full, and the applause continued. "In a small American town, I am proud that audiences of different colors and different cultural backgrounds can be moved by stories from their homeland. Today, many years later, I still believe that the inner world of Chinese is very rich, and polishing with a craftsman's heart can naturally create a good story recognized at home and abroad. ”
Perfect Weixiu is the second step in the strategic planning of integrity and overseas investment. When he helped Perfect World take its first steps, he wasn't even an employee of the company — in 2010, Incorrupt and several Goldman Sachs colleagues co-founded Primavera Capital, and also began in-depth communication with China's entertainment industry. He found that many people in the industry could not help but contact capital while saying that they did not understand capital. His advantage is that he has both a professional background in the investment industry and a high degree of attention to the film and television industry, which naturally becomes a bridge between the film and television industry and the capital market.
In 2015, he assisted Perfect World Pictures in strategic investment negotiations with Universal Pictures in the United States, and in 2016, he facilitated the first long-term film single cooperation between Universal Pictures, one of the six major Hollywood film and television companies, and a Chinese film and television company. At that time, there were many competitors in Universal Film Investment, Perfect World was not the richest, and it was finally able to reach a cooperation, and the efforts of integrity in it were self-evident.
At the 90th Academy Awards, Perfect World Pictures participated in the investment and production of three films "Darkest Hour", "Phantom Sewer" and "Victoria and Abdul" received a total of 14 nominations, and "Darkest Hour" won Best Actor, Best Makeup and Hair Design
In July 2016, Perfect World returned to A shares, and two months later, Lian Lian officially joined as the chairman and CEO of Perfect World Pictures and the director of the holding group. Years of overseas study and work background make integrity attach great importance to international cooperation. In 2017, Perfect World once again invested US$250 million in Universal Pictures, with a total investment of US$500 million.
In his speech, Lian Lian once said that through regular communication and exchanges with the global Teams in North America, Europe and China, Perfect World has learned and accumulated a large number of the world's top production, distribution and management system concepts and experiences, which can be learned from domestic businesses. The successful cooperation between Perfect World and Hollywood companies, as well as the resulting experience, credibility, etc., can also become a window for Chinese companies to open more international cooperation.
He has repeatedly told the media that joining Perfect World is the result of careful consideration, and all strategic layouts are based on medium- and long-term goals. Even if he sees the industry chaos and the impetuosity of hot money pouring in, he still hopes that the team he leads can do something in a down-to-earth manner in the spirit of craftsmanship, "on the basis of ensuring that the work is profitable, at least have to make some influence." ”
Since 2016, Perfect World Pictures has produced a number of blockbuster film and television dramas with market influence, such as "Shadow", "Fragrant Honey Sinks Like Frost", "Send Me to Qingyun", "Ice Sugar Stewed Sydney", "Shangyang Fu" and so on. The company's TV drama section has set up 16 studios, and has established long-term cooperation with more than ten well-known directors such as Zhao Baogang, Teng Huatao, Liu Jiang, Guo Jingyu and so on. As the helmsman, The most impressive thing is "the planning meeting of the brain competition, the life of the crew who eats and sleeps in the wind, and the coordination and coordination of hundreds of people at every turn." When filming "Fragrant Honey Sinks Like Frost", Hengdian was in the middle of summer, and the most common sentence said to the cast and crew when Incorruptible went to visit the class was: "It's so hot in the studio, it's really hard for everyone!" ”
Incorruptible (right) and Liu Ning, chief producer of "Fragrant Honey Sinks Like Frost", on the scene of the TV series
He went to the front line, but he never interfered with creation. "You must know that you eat several bowls of rice. Many people who don't understand at all or who have no experience when they come out, let him make all the decisions, or give advice to the big director, this is wrong. He said that he used to make decisions and said it directly in two minutes, but after entering the film and television industry, he would find the best way to speak out for different people, for each other's personalities and hobbies.
He was always asked for tips on controlling risk. He said that everyone wants to minimize the risk, "there is no particularly secret method or formula, only self-love, think of everything in particular detail, and hope that you have good luck." He likened the investment in the film and television industry to China's ancient coins, the inner and outer circles, the party is the adherence to the heart, the circle is the exploration and strain under the specific situation, and finally points to innovation.
He acknowledged that film and television is a high-risk industry, and "being good at using capital is absolutely necessary for enterprises or projects, but the terms of the betting category are not worthy of admiration, because the film and television industry is the least predictable of all industries." When the industry entered a dormant period, he did not show obvious anxiety and pessimism, because in his view, volatility is a normal phenomenon that any industry cannot avoid, and the film and television industry cannot be short-sighted.
Honesty spoke at the third China Film and Television Leaders Summit, saying that "film and television investment should be both optimistic and pessimistic"
Integrity has been mentioned on many occasions as a beneficiary of the reform wave of the times and a lucky person. His 48-year life experience resonates with China's development and the changes of the times. He once told the media that he had watched "Latent" seven or eight times, and he would still shed tears every time he went to the emotional place. "As people in the 70s, the imprint of the times is still quite deep, and we all have deep feelings of home and country." He also watched "Summer of the Band", especially liked the hedgehog band, talked to friends about how he liked beyond before, and envisioned making a band-themed movie in the future. In his public speech four years ago, he deliberately quoted Yeats's poem at the end, "The long career ahead will be for the memory of this moment."
In the past 6 years of participating in the entertainment industry, integrity has experienced the great development of the industry, and has also caught up with the pain of the cold winter of film and television. Ups and downs, ambitions are not rewarded, but "it is very happy to do something for your dreams and feelings, and I have no regrets at all."
(Xinxin Wang also contributed to this article)
(Source: Tencent News)
* Some images are from the internet