Huayu Chef

065 Little Money

Three people from Guangyuan Foods arrived, led by a senior executive from the marketing department, and stayed at a star-rated hotel in Beijing.

Zhang Jinxuan and Jingjing arrived at the hotel by car, met up with Zeng Jia, and went to the hotel's business conference room together.

On the way, Zeng Jia frequently turned her head to look at Zhang Jinxuan, and praised him with a smile: "Jinxuan, you have such a great figure. You have broad shoulders and are tall. Wearing a suit, you have broad shoulders and a narrow waist. You look very stylish and have a very Western male feel."

Jingjing chimed in, "I think Brother Xuan could work out more often, build up his chest muscles, and then put on a suit. He'd be a total suit-wearing thug, incredibly manly, and absolutely irresistible."

Zhang Jinxuan said coldly, "Very good suggestion, but don't make suggestions like that next time."

"Don't you like it, Brother Xuan?"

"If you like it, why don't you practice it yourself?"

"I'm a woman..."

"Women also pursue curves, because they are more attractive than a flat-chested woman."

Jingjing lowered her head, her gaze falling directly to her feet. She secretly rolled her eyes. *I'm proud of my flat feet! I'm saving fabric for the country!*

Hearing their conversation, Zeng Jia chuckled and said, "Jin Xuan's physique is good enough. He can just maintain this body type. There's no need for him to work out specifically. Building up muscles might not be a good thing for his on-screen image."

"Jia-jie is right. I'm the type of person who gains weight in my face first. Once I gain weight, I look like I did when I was in school. I'm probably overweight now, and I might lose weight in the future."

"How much do you weigh now? Are you still 158 pounds?"

"He weighs 160 pounds."

Zeng Jia quickly reminded him, "I heard that chefs are particularly prone to gaining weight. You need to control your weight. As a celebrity, gaining weight can ruin everything."

Zhang Jinxuan assured, "Don't worry, Sister Jia, I'll practice whenever I have time and try to get down to below 150 pounds."

"At 184 cm tall and 150 catties, isn't that too thin?" Jingjing asked worriedly.

Zeng Jia said, "He's not thin, he's at a standard weight. To be an actor, you need to lose about 10% of your standard weight to look better on camera. Jingjing, you're Jinxuan's assistant, so you need to keep an eye on his weight and help him manage it."

"Okay, Sister Jia."

Zhang Jinxuan didn't object. The task Zeng Jia assigned was simply part of his assistant's job, and it was for his own good. Managing one's weight is a fundamental and essential skill if one wants to succeed in the entertainment industry.

Led by a hotel staff member, the three entered the business conference room. After waiting for about ten minutes, the people from Guangyuan Foods finally arrived.

"Mr. Lu."

"Mr. Zeng."

"Mr. Zhang..."

After getting acquainted and exchanging a few pleasantries, the two parties sat down and began signing the endorsement contract.

Guangyuan Foods' previous spokesperson was Yang Mi, an old acquaintance. All the details of the new spokesperson have already been agreed upon, and now it's just a formality, there's nothing to argue about.

After signing the endorsement contract, Zeng Jia's work temporarily came to a halt. While drinking tea, she listened to Zhang Jinxuan and General Manager Lu discuss the product placement plan and costs for "Wild Kitchen".

"Mr. Lu, there are four male guest slots in our 'Wild Kitchen' series. The most important and best one is the sponsor's male guest slot, which I will personally announce. I will announce the male guest once at the beginning of the episode, once during the transition in the second part, and once before the cooking begins in the third part, for a total of three times per episode."

"The second and third are the placement of lines, plot points, and props in the main film."

"The fourth spot should garner the second most attention after the sponsored spot. Starting from the third episode, we at Wild Kitchen will add a preview segment for the next episode at the end of the main episode. This sponsored spot will be displayed to the audience as an overlay..."

Zhang Jinxuan used "Wild Kitchen Episode 3: Old Explosive Three" as an example to explain in detail the distribution time periods and the degree of attention received by the four GG positions, for Lu Zong's reference.

Mr. Lu asked, "What about the GG fee?"

"Since Guangyuan Foods is the first brand to cooperate with 'Wild Kitchen,' I'm willing to offer your company some discounts. The first sponsorship slot is 10 RMB, the main feature slot is 1 RMB per slot, and the end-of-show trailer slot is 5 RMB."

Zeng Jia quickly did the mental calculations and realized that the remaining nine episodes alone would earn him 153 million yuan in GG fees. Adding the 360 million yuan after tax from the exclusive broadcast fee paid by Youku, Zhang Jinxuan would earn 513 million yuan from "Wild Kitchen." That's incredibly lucrative.

I'm jealous.

The variety show "Wild Kitchen" has to get involved.

The three of them, including Mr. Lu, were surprised by the price Zhang Jinxuan quoted for GG (gift fee), not because they thought it was too high, but because it was too low.

It cost 50 yuan to hire Zhang Jinxuan as a spokesperson, but the subsequent costs for shooting GG, GG placement, marketing, and publicity far exceeded the endorsement fee.

10 yuan is just a small amount of money.

Zhang Jinxuan, however, did not consider it a small amount of money. With four slots for one project, charging 17 was already quite high.

In its previous life, the first season of "Chef Nic's Taste of Life" received over ten million yuan in sponsorship fees, averaging around one million yuan per episode. "Where Are We Going, Dad?" relied on Hunan TV's brand effect, with the first season receiving twenty to thirty million yuan in sponsorship fees, averaging over two million yuan per episode.

If even a flagship variety show on a TV station is struggling like this, the original video series "Wild Kitchen" relies solely on online platforms, which significantly diminishes its mass appeal and makes it impossible to compare with the reach of a TV station.

Zhang Jinxuan believes his pricing is relatively reasonable, but he won't let money slip by, so it's a discounted price. Once Guangyuan Foods places an order this time, the price will definitely increase in the next round.

Mr. Lu exchanged a few quiet words with the other two, then asked Zhang Jinxuan, "Mr. Zhang, if it's a full-season product placement, how much will the product placement fee be?"

"For the entire season, the sponsorship fee is 15 million, the individual product placement fee is 150, and the end credits ad is 60."

"The sponsorship fee is 150 million..." President Lu frowned slightly, thinking it was a bit expensive.

Zeng Jia stared at Zhang Jinxuan in disbelief. She had underestimated his appetite. The 153 million she had just calculated was just the fee for a single GG position.

Are you crazy?

At this moment, the person sitting to Mr. Lu's right asked, "Mr. Zhang, is it feasible to integrate a single brand into all four male seats in Phase One?"

Zhang Jinxuan replied truthfully: "It is entirely feasible in terms of production, but I do not recommend doing it, because too many product placements of the same guy may cause resentment among the audience, or it may deepen the audience's impression."

"Which dish will Mr. Zhang film next?"

Donkey meat sandwich.

"Going to Baoding?"

"Yes, my team has arrived in Baoding. The food critic and I will head over there on Monday to film. Your company wants to include GG in the fourth episode, so please give me a reply as soon as possible, otherwise it will be too late for post-production."

Who are the food tasters for the fourth season?

"Yang Zi".

Mr. Lu thought for a moment and asked, "Xiaoxue from 'Home with Kids'?"

"It's her."

"What about the later issues?"

"It will be done by an artist from our studio."

Mr. Lu's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked, "Will Miss Yang Mi be coming too?"

"this……"

Zeng Jia said with a half-smile, "President Lu, if your company is willing to renew the contract, Mimi will definitely come for another term."

Mr. Lu laughed heartily and didn't mention the matter again.

Why didn't Guangyuan Foods renew its contract?

Because Yang Mi's endorsement fee is too expensive. Hiring one Yang Mi can get you several Zhang Jinxuans at the same time, and also get you several episodes of "Wild Kitchen" male lead slots. Even a vote with your butt knows how to choose.

Seeing that Zeng Jia's words had rendered the brand's people speechless, Zhang Jinxuan was both amused and envious of Yang Mi's high endorsement fee. He couldn't help but transform into a pressure monster: "President Lu, the exclusive online broadcasting rights for 'Wild Kitchen' have been sold to Youku. With Youku's strong support, the third episode, which went live yesterday, broke viewership records."

"As of now, it has exceeded 400 million times, and the number will only increase in the later periods, at which point the GG fee will definitely rise further."

President Lu nodded slightly, understanding that what Zhang Jinxuan said was true.

After a few more minutes of discussion, General Manager Lu announced with unparalleled generosity, "The sponsorship fee is 150 million, right? Guangyuan Foods will take it."

Zhang Jinxuan quickly stood up, extended his hand to President Lu, and smiled as brightly as a summer flower, "President Lu, it's a pleasure to cooperate with you."

"Mr. Zhang, it's a pleasure doing business with you."

Under Zeng Jia's complex gaze, their two large hands clasped tightly together.

Selling the exclusive sponsorship doesn't mean Zhang Jinxuan will immediately receive the money. The brand has imposed many conditions, such as installment payments and the right to terminate the contract early, among many others.

Making money off someone else's pocket is never easy.

At noon, Zhang Jinxuan and Zeng Jia had lunch with President Lu and the other two, agreed on a time for filming GG, and left the hotel after the meal.

As they left the hotel, Zeng Jia said impatiently, "Jinxuan, let's go to Changsha another day. We'll talk to the people at Hunan TV about 'Wild Kitchen'."

Zhang Jinxuan looked surprised. "Sister Jia knows people from Hunan TV?"

"Yes, we know each other. Our studio filmed a TV series called 'The Summer of Love' with H&R Century Pictures, which premiered on Hunan Economic Television. Mimi has maintained a very good relationship with Hunan TV over the years since she became popular."

The adaptation of "Wild Kitchen" into a reality show is a project that won't be completed anytime soon, but it won't prevent Zhang Jinxuan from accumulating capital and popularity through the first season.

Let Zeng Jia do whatever she wants. If she can drag Hunan TV down with her, Zhang Jinxuan should really thank her.

The network of contacts on the platform is extremely important.

"Jia-jie, you can make the arrangements. Call me in advance once the time is set."

Zeng Jia happily replied, "No problem."

"Haven't Sister Mi and Sister Yao arrived in Beijing yet?"

"Don't worry about them, they're going straight to the Westin Hotel for the signing ceremony after they get off the plane. It's getting late, let's go to the studio to change."

"it is good."