Star-making

Author: AMY
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Someone once asked me, after all these years in the industry, what is most important? I told them, "You will when you believe," meaning that "belief can achieve everything." You must believe in your artists. Only by first trusting your own judgment can you persuade others. Preface "The most terrifying enemy is a lack of firm belief." —Romain Rolland
People in the industry often compare themselves to Bo Le, the legendary horse breeder from the Spring and Autumn period. The process of discovering a chi li ma (thousand-li horse), as Bo Le did, is like a broker using their "insightful eyes" to identify future superstars. "When there is Bo Le, then there is a chi li ma. Chi li ma are common, but Bo Le is not." Good horses are everywhere, but they are not always discovered. And finding a broker who can identify a chi li ma is even harder than finding the horse itself. I never claim to be Bo Le. In this commercial marketing-driven market, if you only play the role of a Bo Le, at best, you can "discover" stars like Wu Chenjun and Lin Chi-ru. Without proper "cultivation," they would just be pretty models in street billboards or charming ladies whose names and people never go together—lacking vitality.
The so-called "star-making" is, in a sense, like alchemy. It involves refining, step by step, to create artists of the highest purity and value. An artist's value lies not in their looks or physique, but in the radiance they exude from within—they are living, breathing individuals, and this radiance is what is captivating.
If someone asks me, after all these years in the industry, what is most important, I answer without hesitation: "You will when you believe," meaning that "belief can achieve everything." You must believe in your artists. Only by first trusting your own judgment can you persuade others. If I cannot persist in my belief, then at most, I am just a broker for a top-tier modeling agency, or a freelance broker in a third-rate agency. I could never have earned a million yuan salary as a senior in college, nor could I have become the head of the brokerage department at the Qiong Yao company right after graduation, nor could I have been appointed director of the brokerage department at the China International Television Corporation at the age of 30.
I once managed over 300 models. I've seen countless handsome and beautiful people, and I've grown accustomed to it. Even the most handsome or beautiful person, to me, is instinctively evaluated as a "commodity," and I can always vaguely sense who has an Artist's quality. I call this the "broker's intuitive eye." The models I select, scout, and sign contracts with, I feel a responsibility toward. I must pour my heart into them, even when others doubt them. The most common setback is when I scout an artist, but others don't recognize their potential, believing they could never become a superstar. When others don't believe in my artists, I consider it an insult to my professionalism. Most people don't understand the industry. Being a broker is not just about being an Agent or a "middleman."
I still remember when I recommended Wu Chenjun, then only 17 and with no acting experience, for the female lead role in the film Simple Task (known in mainland China as Bai Jin Long). The world didn't believe I could succeed, and my colleagues at the company spoke critically: "How could a newcomer possibly play the female lead in a film starring Jet Li? How does she compare to Zhang Man-yu?" Later, not only did Wu Chenjun play the female lead in Simple Task, but as a newcomer, I also created a myth in the Hong Kong and Taiwan brokerage circles of an "impossible mission." That year, I was just a 25-year-old girl in the prime of her youth, yet in my dream-filled years, I had already stood shoulder to shoulder with the top broker of the time, Chen Chao-jen.
I remember Jet Li saying to me, "Amy, you are the youngest broker I've ever met who is full of drive. Keep going!" Next to me, Tony Leung of Golden Harvest also shook my hand and nodded: "Work hard!" On several occasions, including those from the Qiong Yao company, people bet with me, asking how I could believe Lin Chi-ru and Chen Chao-ling would become top stars. But I believed in my judgment, and within a year, I turned them into top actresses and actors in both mainland China and Taiwan. I have never lost a bet about who would become famous. When people ask how I did it, I say, "Belief can change everything, changing others' perceptions and my own recognition of the artist." To this day, I still consider this the most important maxim in being a broker.