Chapter 76: Small Tricks in Distribution and

On the first day of the New Year, Yan Li visited neighbors to pay New Year's greetings and played around the village; on the second day, he went to his uncle's house to meet relatives on his mother's side.

On the third day, Yan Li began attending to serious matters.

In a certain residential compound, Chen Jianjun, deputy director of Zao City Television Station, returned home from social engagements; as soon as he opened the door, he saw his wife and son talking with a young stranger in the living room.

Seeing him enter, his wife happily introduced him: "Old Chen, come quick, we have relatives visiting."

"This…?"

Chen Jianjun was uncertain—he was at that age, rarely moved in social circles, and didn't recognize distant younger relatives.

"This kid's name is Yan Li. My second brother's sister-in-law's cousin's father-in-law is his maternal great-uncle."

Chen Jianjun: "…"

Damn, how the hell did they trace this connection!

Of course, it was traced through the intelligence system; in a small city like Zao, two locals could always find some distant kinship through seven twists and eight turns, though the closeness varied.

Since learning of Chen Jianjun, Yan Li had triggered the intelligence system to uncover related connections, and unexpectedly uncovered this kinship.

For Yan Li, this was good news—no matter how distant the relation, it at least gave him an excuse to visit, and was far better than dealing with a stranger.

"You're Yan Li, right? What do you want from me?"

Chen Jianjun was a system insider, experienced and well-informed; hearing such a distant relative had come calling with gifts, he immediately understood the situation.

"Director Chen, here's the thing—I'm setting up a film and television company in Jingcheng…"

Yan Li explained the general situation; with the kinship as a foundation, many things became easier to say, outcomes were easier to manage, and crucially, someone was there to speak on his behalf.

Before Chen Jianjun could respond, his wife chimed in to plead his case.

"Old Chen, you've got to help—he's just a kid struggling alone in Jingcheng."

Chen Jianjun couldn't help glancing at his wife; he'd never seen her so enthusiastic before—obviously, the gift was substantial.

Yet inwardly, Chen Jianjun did find Yan Li's "Conquest" somewhat intriguing.

Setting aside the kinship, Chen Jianjun was primarily interested in the subject matter.

For a city-level television station, funding is scarce; to compete for scraps from major networks, subject selection is critical.

Crime and detective dramas have a solid audience base—dramatic plots with sensational hooks that easily grab attention, anchored by a steady main thread of police catching criminals, ensuring high viewer retention and making them a perennial favorite among local stations.

Additionally, another key factor: Chen Jianjun learned multiple television stations had already purchased this drama.

Among them were provincial capital stations like Jin Ling and Xi'an, as well as provincial channels; with these stations endorsing it, Chen Jianjun naturally took "Conquest" more seriously.

Yan Li was well aware of this and emphasized at length how enthusiastically several stations had backed the drama.

Having personally handled the distribution of a television drama, Yan Li had learned many tricks.

The hardest part of any venture is the beginning—the toughest hurdle is securing the first credible television station.

But once you crack that, everything else becomes smoother; the more stations you secure, the easier future deals become.

It's a bit of herd mentality—once viewers see so many stations have bought it, they assume it must be good and follow suit.

Moreover, there's an unspoken rule here: television stations spend public money when purchasing dramas.

So, compared to the drama's actual quality, many decision-makers care more about whether the expenditure is justifiable and defensible to their station.

This is why dramas with stars sell better—and at higher prices.

The star's fame provides a solid justification; even if the drama flops, it's merely a misjudgment, understandable, no suspicion of impropriety.

Similarly, "Conquest" has no big stars, yet it sells well.

Since other stations have bought it, our station buying it makes perfect sense—equally justifiable.

With the purchase justification solid, Yan Li's distribution difficulty dropped dramatically…

If Yan Li had merely shown up today with nothing but a distant kinship claim and some gifts, Chen Jianjun might not have taken the bait.

But "Conquest" has subject-matter advantages plus backing from multiple stations—purchasing it is normal business, no one can object, and it might even earn him some face; Chen Jianjun's attitude naturally changed.

————

"Here, Uncle-in-law, I toast you."

With mutual interest, by dinner time, the distant relative had become "real family."

Besides the "Conquest" matter, Yan Li also received a piece of news from Chen Jianjun.

Shandong TV's Shanying Productions intended to spearhead a new television adaptation of "Railway Guerrillas."

Zao City strongly supported this; the government even considered collaborating on the project to build a film and television city—both to support filming and to develop tourism.

Yan Li's expression shifted: "Uncle-in-law, do you think I could join this project?"

With Shanying leading, local government backing, and a renowned red classic, this drama would sell easily; with luck, it might even air on CCTV.

Chen Jianjun glanced at him and doused him with cold water.

"Do you know the film and television city alone is projected to cost over a hundred million? This drama's budget is at least twenty to thirty million—can you afford it?"

"I can't afford it alone, but I can find partners—and isn't there usually support and subsidies for these main-theme dramas?"

Yan Li was well-connected and understood the industry's inner workings better than many seasoned veterans.

Shanying contributes some funding, subsidies add more, local support fills more—Yan Li had the confidence to cover the remaining gap.

"It's not as simple as you think."

Chen Jianjun shook his head; Yan Li knew it could make money, but others weren't fools—many were watching this project closely.

Yet Yan Li believed he could still compete—he could leverage connections and background, and crucially, he had one advantage.

He was a native of Zao City!

Raised listening to stories of the Railway Guerrillas, growing up on the very land where the wartime heroes had fought—he could truthfully present himself, in promotional terms, as the true inheritor of the Railway Guerrillas' red legacy.

At least Yan Li believed that, under equal conditions, Zao City officials would favor him, a native son.

And for regional red-themed projects, local official influence still carried substantial weight.

With hometown support, even if Yan Li couldn't secure the entire project, he'd still have a chance to join it.

Hearing Yan Li's words, Chen Jianjun mulled it over and figured there was something to it. "Worth a try."

Yan Li raised his glass first and stated earnestly, "Uncle, I'll admit I've got a certain self-interest in this project, but I also genuinely want to make *Railway Guerrillas* a good film, to do my part for the hometown's forebears. If I'm lucky enough to actually land this chance, I'll give it everything I've got."

"Your uncle believes you."

Chen Jianjun lifted his glass and clinked it against Yan Li's, then said after a moment's thought, "I can put in a word for you at the city level, and I've got an old contact over at Shandong Film Studio too…"

(End of chapter)