On the eve of the Qingming Festival, the reporter walked into the Dream Theater located in the China Hong Kong City Building in Futian District, and under the dim light, the actors were rehearsing the highlights of the drama "Seven Nights" under the guidance of screenwriter and director Xiao Yuhao. If you don't introduce yourself, it's hard to believe that the big boy in front of you is actually the founder of Dream Theater. Born in 1994, he has founded four companies, stayed in the United States for 12 years, and was selected as one of the 30 most outstanding Chinese in the United States under the age of 30 by AAUCF Los Angeles Post/Today's Headlines in 2019.
At the age of 30, he founded 4 companies
Xiao Yuhao grew up in Shenzhen, studied in the supernormal class of Shenzhen Experimental School, and was sent from kindergarten all the way to the experimental high school, and studied in the United States at the age of 15. After graduating, Xiao Yuhao began to start a business in Silicon Valley. "Why don't you look for a job after graduation?" the reporter asked. It turned out that, like most children, Xiao Yuhao's parents had persuaded him to "take the exam", and he had also worked as a project manager in a venture capital company, but after a while, he found that it was not what he wanted. "I have the genes of Shenzhen entrepreneurs in my blood, if I don't do it now, do I have to wait until I am old to do it?" Xiao Yuhao said. At the age of 21, he was still in his senior year of college, he founded his first company, focusing on travel planning, providing some planning and advice for Chinese traveling to the United States, and sending some tour guides, Xiao Yuhao earned the first pot of gold in his life at that time.
The second company founded by Xiao Yuhao is a study abroad job search platform, and has become the exclusive supplier of overseas job search products for large education groups including New Oriental and Tiandao Education. The best result has been the second place in the North American vertical Chinese list, and because of his identity as the CEO, he was selected as the most outstanding 30 Chinese in the United States in the 2020 Los Angeles Post/Toutiao joint selection. Later, due to the epidemic, on the basis of retaining the company's operations, Xiao Yuhao began to find another way.
Xiao Yuhao (center) directs the actors in rehearsals.
Xiao Yuhao started a media company for the third time, and once incubated an account with 2.5 million fans and 460 million hits on the whole network, but due to the lack of way to go out to shoot during the epidemic, he had no choice but to disband. It was also this entrepreneurial experience that made Xiao Yuhao decide to move his content production and original drama dreams from online to offline.
"Shenzhen has given me so much, especially during the experimental study in Shenzhen, I fell in love with literary and artistic creation, I wrote nearly 400 poems when I was a child, and I wrote two novels of hundreds of thousands of words in high school, which subtly influenced me. So, after realizing my self-worth, I finally couldn't hold back and wanted to continue to take the road of literary and artistic creation. Xiao Yuhao said.
Inject innovative blood into Shenzhen's original drama
In February 2023, Xiao Yuhao joined a partner in Shenzhen and conducted a full investigation of the entire cultural and entertainment industry as an investor. After visiting immersive entertainment in New York, Dallas, Houston, Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing, Hangzhou and other cities, Xiao Yuhao found that Shenzhen, as one of the youngest innovative cities representing creativity in the country, really lacks original and localized content. "Most of the dramas or immersive performances are imported from foreign script IPs, and they are all localized landings of imported products. As the unique cultural and spiritual core of Shenzhen people, it is difficult to show it on the stage and in front of the audience. Xiao Yuhao said. So, he decided to dabble in cultural creation, indoor entertainment, and do his own incubation.
The scene of the immersive drama "Seven Nights".
In Xiao Yuhao's eyes, Shenzhen is an innovative city, "If there is a city in China that has been developing something different, it must be Shenzhen, as a Shenzhen person, I have such innovative ideas since I was a child, hoping to break through some cages and shackles." Under this, the core of the spirit of young people in Shenzhen and what we young people really need at present have not yet been created on a large scale. ”
In June 2023, the Dream Theater came into being. "Searching for dreams" is Xiao Yuhao's creative purpose, and he strives to create every work that is extremely innovative and valuable, so that players have never experienced the gameplay every time they enter the theater. "Seven Nights", which he wrote and directed, is just such a work. Xiao Yuhao introduced that most of the immersive dramas on the market now are spy wars in the Republic of China, and "Seven Nights" revolves around the anxious souls of urban people and the depression on the road to chasing dreams, but they still yearn for the spiritual core of light. It is hoped that the inner world of urban people will be enriched with eye-catching suspense and unique interactive experiences, so that everyone can reach a reconciliation with themselves in the rapid life and hustle and bustle.
In terms of form, "Seven Nights" combines script killing and escape room, and in the process of watching the play, 26-30 choices are set throughout the play, and the life and death fate of each character, and even their end order, are determined by the audience's choice. "Our aim is to create a butterfly-effect experience where every casual choice you make, just like your life, will bring about some changes, and those changes will be interesting. Xiao Yuhao said.
"Originality" is the advantage of Dream Theater, and the "Seven Nights" and "Firefly" launched are all written and directed by Xiao Yuhao. But the disadvantage is also obvious, that is, the lack of publicity. Xiao Yuhao said bluntly: "We are primary school students in the theater industry, and we don't know enough about commercial promotion, which is the first dilemma we encountered. The second dilemma is that the location of the theater, including the renovation of the theater, is all handled by my partner and me, but it is the only way to go, and it is also an exciting way to go, indicating that we will embrace a bright future through active efforts. ”
Facts have proved that Xiao Yuhao is right, in November and December 2023, Dream Theater became the sales champion of Shenzhen's immersive drama Damai.com and Maoyan double list, reaching full houses for two consecutive weeks at the end of December. Xiao Yuhao also received positive feedback from many audiences, and some viewers even came 15 times and collected all the photos of the actors, which made Xiao Yuhao very moved. The 24-month payback cycle set at the beginning of the establishment seems to be in place for now, but Xiao Yuhao's goal is much more than that. "I hope to become a professional curator, to attract other franchisees, investors to do this together, good things should have a clear layout, professional people to do professional things, the military is fast! Even if my drama is released, it will leave a spiritual symbol, which can expand its cultural influence in the future. ”
At the end of the interview, Xiao Yuhao sent a message to all young entrepreneurs in Shenzhen: the entrepreneur's heart is lonely after all, no one can fully understand what you are thinking, and no one can fully understand your feelings, but on this road, if you choose to run blindfolded, you can bear the price and loneliness it pays, and at the same time be able to accept the praise that comes from it without hesitation, then you will be unstoppable, regardless of temporary success or failure. Because every choice has a price, as long as you can accept it calmly, all roads are smooth.
Xiao Yuhao
Born in 1994, a native of Shenzhen, he is the founder of Dream Theater. After 12 years in the United States, he was selected as one of the 30 most outstanding Chinese in the United States under the age of 30 by AAUCF Los Angeles Post/Toutiao in 2020, and has founded four start-up companies. Among them, "I-intern", a job search platform for international students, has developed into the largest Chinese job search platform in North America in 2020.
Reporter: Zhang Yuchun
Photo: Courtesy of the interviewee